TESLA ELECTRIC COMPANY

 
 
Photo: Aljoša Rebolj

Photo: Aljoša Rebolj

 
 

Play
Directed by Tomaž Pandur
Produced by Pandur.theatres
Opening night: July 19 2006
More info: www.pandurtheatres.com

Delo (Slovenia): An artistically unbounded and authorially sovereign stage poem ..." in which Silence "... are elemental in acoustically shaping the melancholy emotional feel of the play ...
Il Gazzetino (Italy) perceived Tesla Electric Company as a play ... that remains impressed in the spectator's memory. Not only because of the excellence of the actors, the beauty of the music performed live or the ingenuity of the lighting solutions. It is the blending of all these and other elements, the effectiveness of their composition and the strong artistic vision that Tomaž Pandur brings to life with his direction.
Novi List (Croatia): Silence's music, performed live by Hladnik and Benko, provides a special poetic dimension ...
Primorski Dnevnik (Slovenia) noted ... the music, masterly performed live by pianist Hladnik and singer Benko. The excellent pop style of the soundtrack, to which the director assigned the fundamental role in creating the emotive mood, is worthy of independent promotion.
Globus (Macedonia): Silence's beautiful music has the fundamental role in creating the play's emotive context and provides a specific poetic dimension.
Politika (Serbia): Magic, melancholy, minimalistic pop songs, performed by pianist Hladnik and Benko, singer with a truly remarkable voice, excitingly materialize feelings of loneliness and desperation that define the performance.
Nedjeljni Jutarnji (Croatia): ... Benko's and Hladnik's excellent music stood out.
Glas Istre (Croatia) noticed ... the beautiful music performed live by pianist Hladnik and Benko, singer with a magical voice ... Their music is the perfect counterpoint to stage action ...
Jutarnji List - Večernje izdanje (Croatia): Two elements of the play are extraordinary: scenography and music ... The duet Silence deserves to be seen. Hladnik and Benko ... transmute the play into a pop-spectacle.
Večer (Slovenia) stated: Benko has a wonderful voice. Together with pianist Hladnik, they created mystic, emotive music ...
Večernji list (Croatia): ... the most interesting segment of the play belongs to the established group Silence... which exerts a dominating influence on the spirit of the play ...

The play marks Silence's first collaboration with Tomaž Pandur, one of the most influential contemporary theatre directors (Inferno, Wings of Desire, House of the Dead, Onehundred Minutes, Dictionary of the Khazars ...). The play focuses on the life and work of Nikola Tesla and delivers a compelling emotional portrait of the great inventor, whose life – despite Tesla's incredible achievements – remains shrouded in mystery and controversy.

The soundtrack features a selection of older Silence songs and six new tracks, written for the play. The duet – transmuted into singing and piano-playing Teslas for the occasion – performs most of the soundtrack live.

In 2006, Accession Records released Key Silence, a 2CD anthology containing a selection of pivotal Silence tracks. The record features four tracks from Tesla Electric Company: Der Untergang, Hall Of Mirrors, The 5th Elephant, and Runalong.

01 Der Untergang
02 Non ci servon' occhi per veder'
03 Levitation / Catherine Johnson
04 Colorado Springs
05 Welcome to the US, Mr. Tesla
06 Piano Theme
07 Hall of Mirrors
08 I'm a Memory
09 The 5th Elephant
10 Sturmschlager
11 Runalong
12 Electricity