SABRI ENSEMBLE PERFORM TO 'SHIRAZ' Thursday 10 July, 7.15pm Lichfield Garrick, Castle Dyke Lichfield, Staffordshire WS13 6HR Tickets: £16.50, £10 (under 18s half price, students on the door £5) Ticket Office: 01543 412121 www.lichfieldfestival.org

The 1928 classic silent film 'Shiraz' has been dusted off from the British Film Institute's archive and given a new lease of life as the renowned Sabri Ensemble create a specially commissioned score, to be performed live at this year’s Lichfield Festival. Set in the Mughal Empire during the 17th century, Shiraz tells of the powerful romance which inspired the building of the Taj Mahal.

One of several films produced by Indian solicitor Himansu Rai and directed by German Franz Osten in the 1920s, Shiraz was a unique collaboration aiming at audiences in both counties. The film was shot in India with an enormous cast and is remarkable for its extensive and evocative locations and its sumptuous photography. It is an epic story of love, mistaken identity and devotion that tells the tale of the Empress Mumtaz Mahal, her lover, the 17th century Mughal emperor, and her devoted brother, Shiraz, who designs the Taj Mahal.

The film’s screening at Lichfield Festival will be accompanied by a specially commissioned score. Richard Hawley, Artistic Director of the Lichfield Festival, explains how the idea to bring Shiraz back to life came about "‘The idea of commissioning new music for silent film had been on the cards since 2006 when Chaplin short films with live orchestra were screened in Lichfield Cathedral. The Shiraz project was conceived to mirror the original Rai/Osten collaboration, where ideas, in this case music, from different cultural backgrounds could fuse into something fundamentally new. It also became an opportunity also comment on issues of cultural identity, especially for British-born Asians, because the Taj Mahal is such an iconic building.

‘Silent film is an increasingly important part of Britain’s cultural fabric, and while the UK leads the world in terms of the presentation of silent film, largely because of the work of the National Film and Television Archive, it remains important to tap into the British Film Institute archives and dust off films that deserve a wider appreciation.

‘It was also key for me that this new Festival production utilised musicians from the West Midlands. The wonderful Sabri Ensemble was a perfect choice.’

Led by composer and master tabla player Sarvar Sabri, the Sabri Ensemble draws upon the dynamic and creative energy released when the Indian classical tradition meets traditions from other parts of the world. Their specially commissioned score will be performed live in its world premier at the Lichfield Festival on Thursday 10 July 2008.