Film noir - Four scenes

Dark Streets & Shadows
Wheelman
Femme Fatale
Heater

Known equally for his work in both jazz and classical music, Jim Ferguson has contributed to both these musical genres as performer, composer and
musicologist. Film Noir is his tribute in music to the classic film noirs of the 1940s and 1950s. The first movement is Dark Streets & Shadows,
the sound of a distant bell and footsteps are the main effects used with
skill to point the music into setting the mood; I love the marking at the
beginning, Moody, Romantic and A Bit Threatening. «Wheelman« follows the
getaway car to and from the scene of the crime; using effects to describe
a motor idling and revving, a horn honking, and tyres squealing and how
can you resist music marked Motoring But Wary; «Femme Fatale,« the
mysterious and seductive woman. Musically it's quite straightforward, just
remember when you play this, it is marked Sultry and Suspicious; you have
been warned. The suite concludes with «Heater,« the murder weapon! Woven
into the music is loading the gun and the fatal gunshot, and then finally
the collapsing body. This is a really interesting work and something that
would be most effective in a recital. I'm sure a fair amount of acting
skill would not go amiss; well worth investigating and wonderful fun to
work out and play.
Review by John Arran, Classical Guitar Magazine (May 2012 issue, Vol. 30,No. 9)

Aptly titled and conceived. Film Noir consists of four filmic "scenes" that capture the genre's characteristic subdued moodiness most effectively. The individual movements portray different aspects common to the films that inspired the composition: Dark Streets and Shadows, Wheelman, Femme Fatale, and Heater. Each scene is prefaced with an introductory description of the movement and its various special effects. Dark Streets and Shadows describes the predawn meeting of the male and female protagonists; Wheelman refers to the getaway driver; Femme Fatale is the seductive woman of mystery; and Heater is the pistol (weapon of choice for the villain). A brief prefatory synopsis of the scenes for the audience will usually be helpful. Repetitive motifs contribute to the overall mood. These motifs could have become tedious, but Ferguson calculates them well and provides contrasting relief before they overstay their welcome. The harmonic language is misty and darkly appropriate. Programmatic music stands or falls depending upon its ability to evoke the desired imagery in the listener's mind, as well as upon the basic musical strength of the composition. This succeeds on both counts, especially to anyone who is familiar with (or who is a fan of) the type of film referenced.

David Grimes, Soundboard