Stewart Copeland: BEN-HUR, A Tale of the Christ

“From the in-your-face rock percussion announcing the familiar MGM lion to the final cymbal echoes ringing over the resurrection finale, Copeland commanded the audience’s attention and praise.”
(Los Angeles Time)

Stewart Copeland has spent more than three decades at the forefront of contemporary music as rock star and acclaimed film composer, as well as in the disparate worlds of opera, ballet, and world and chamber music.

Copeland moved beyond the rock arena in the mid-1980s when he returned to his classical roots with creative pursuits in concert and film music. His original score to BEN-HUR, A Tale of the Christ was commissioned by Virginia Arts Festival, and features Copeland as soloist in a live orchestral score for the 1925 silent film.

This is a project that for the first time combines Copeland’s many talents in composition, orchestration, film scoring, film editing, and his remarkable virtuosity behind the drums. As a film composer, Copeland has worked with many of the greatest film directors of our generation, including Francis Ford Coppola and Oliver Stone.

Stewart Copeland live with Ben Hur conducted by Richard Kaufman © Stewart Copeland

Stewart Copeland explains “When the 2009 Ben-Hur Live arena production of the Lew Wallace novel finished its run in 2011 I felt strongly that the score I had composed for this project deserved a life of its own. I had seen Fred Niblo’s classic original version of this famous story and had been overwhelmed by its scale. Watching those same scenes that I had scored for a different medium, I couldn’t help but hear my music working with Ra mon Novarro’s portrayal of Judah and Fred Niblo’s depiction of Lewis Wallace’s book. I felt that my new score would provide access for audiences to see the original masterpiece and to learn more about the various iterations of Ben-Hur, since it appears that many only know the Charlton Heston film.”

Book Project

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Orchestration