Join us for a special insight into Anthony Burgess’s youth in the silent cinemas of 1920s Manchester. Burgess’s father was a pianoplayer (not a pianist) who played along with silent films in the picture-houses of his home city, improvising accompaniment to classics such as Metropolis and the Charlie Chaplin comedies.

Burgess’s experiences were fictionalised in his 1986 novel The Pianoplayers, which provides the inspiration for this live musical event. Join the writer, broadcaster and silent film pianist Neil Brand, and Andrew Biswell, director of the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, as they use the novel to delve into the world of silent film piano and Burgess’s understanding of music to throw light on a little-known aspect of cinema history.

This show has something to please everybody: liberally illustrated with film clips (including one that Neil will attempt to play ‘sight unseen’), insights on music from Burgess, and classic entertainment from the era of accompanied silent film.

The event is organised by the newly established Screen Studies Research Group at Manchester Metropolitan University, in partnership with the International Anthony Burgess Foundation.

PLEASE NOTE: This event takes place at HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester, M15 4FN. You can purchase tickets from their online box office.