The stark image of the robot Rotwang first appearing on the screen is one of the most enduring effects in cinematic history.

Though many science fiction films have employed impressive, dyna-mic futuristic visions since, Fritz Lang's Metropolis has affected more generations than any other. For composer Kevin Saunders Hayes, the 1926 German Expressionist silent film classic was equally mesmerizing, compelling him to transform his interest into a full scale soundtrack project.

"I always wanted to score a silent film so I created this project five years ago when I searched through the bargain bin at a local video store," says Hayes. "I found five silent films for 99 cents each including The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari and The Hunchback Of Notre-Dame.

Metropolis was chosen as the first project although I plan to eventually create scores for all five. I had already written 15 musicals and was looking around for interesting projects." The music combines orchestral scoring, highenergy rock, original songs and choral performances, performed live in sync with the film. The first performance was held Monday, April 24th at the Opening Night Gala of the 6th annual Avignon/New York Film Festival. Following the world premiere, Hayes score earned him The 21st Century Filmmaker Award for Artistic Merit. The company has been booked at such locales as Los Angeles' The Silent Movie Theatre to The Festival of the Midnight Sun in Lapland and, naturally, France's 17th annual Avignorz Film Festival. One reason the silent film score idea appealed to him was because these films are in the public domain; he wouldn't have to purchase the rights for use. For the past three years, the Metropolis score was his pet project while supporting himself scoring films, TV specials, commercials, animations and interactive products.

His scores include HBO's Rock The Boat, the Frartk Sinatra--Chairman Of The Board documentary and The Discovery Channel's The Aquanauts. His background in scoring, where every assignment called for another type of music, acquainted him with choosing different styles to many to the picture. According to Hayes, "many scenes spoke to me right off the bat, such as the opening scene of the industrial lower depths of the metropolis calling for '40s style post-modem. Did you know that over 20,000 extras were used in several crowd scenes? Just like in Grand Opera. I felt that it was already there-they just forgot to put the music in."

In Hayes' opinion, musical theater should return to the format it was when it started--the pop music of the day presented in a show platform. Recent musicals such as Saturday Night Fever and Footloose only draw on films and music of the past--the sound of nostalgia. "I am interested in making musical theatre sound current. I love the big guitars of hard rock, the percussive sounds of hip hop and techno and believe these elements can be blended together to make the musical new again." The Metropolis score includes musical styles ranging from rock to opera, Latin chants to jazz.

While Hayes studied classical composition at London's Royal College of Music and Hartford, Connecticut's Hartt College of Music, his influences range all over the musical map.

He attributes this to his family's frequent moves around the country which exposed him to many musical styles including Celtic-inspired sounds-which are part of his family roots. "My mother's great-grandparents were Scots-Irish who came to Canada from County Monaghan.

"My grandparents emigrated from Canada to Boston. In fact, there's a big interest in genealogy in my family." Says Hayes, "I am a huge fan of Irish music; I'm glad it's so popular in the world music arena. I love the Chieftains--there is no better night of live music to be had. Irish music has this modal quality-the happy becoming the sad-while it is incredibly rhythmic. I am excited that Irish stylings are used in other types of world music. For example, you can hear the drumming and percussion in hip hop." He contrasts his treatment of Metropolis to composer Giorgio Moroder's mid-80's version. Moroder turned it into a big rock video-even Lang's original colorized stills were used. Hayes' creation of a true score adds different layers to the experience. The solo vocalists actually "speak" for the characters' absence of dialog as the different rhythms and effects speak for the setting.

Inevitably, Hayes wanted to take this music beyond the studio into a live performance environment. That's where the Avignon/New York festival comes into play. "A Parisian friend was in Los Angeles for a reading of one of my musicals. This friend brought Jerry [Avignon Festival Director Rudes] to the reading. We became fast friends. Jerry set about hooking me up with his other associates which has lead to some current projects."

Rudes introduced him to Lloyd Kaufman of Troma Films who commissioned Hayes to do the musical version of The Toxic Avenger. An introduction to French producer Phillipe Calard has led to collaborating with Rudes on the planned musical of the film Boxing Helena. Finally one day in late '99, Rudes came in on Hayes finishing up the score for Metropolis. He then saw the first 25 minutes of the film and pronounced that it would open and close his 6th Annual Avignon Festival in New York City.

Due to the overwhelming response to this project, Hayes and the Festival have agreed to continue to premiere his new scores for silent films to be presented at the festival over the next five years. Hayes is already hard at work on next year's premiere of The Hunchback of NotreDame.