Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips, Steve Berlin of Los Lobos and drummer Scott Amendola will premiere a new score they wrote for Cecil B. DeMille’s 1923 film The Ten Commandments Thursday, May 28th, at around 8:15 p.m. PT/11:15 p.m. ET.
The premiere will be part of DAWN, an all-night virtual celebration of the Jewish holiday Shavuot. Hosted by Reboot, DAWN, will feature a mix of music, comedy, presentations and conversations designed to “unpack the mysteries of the Jewish calendar’s best-kept secret.”
A landmark epic of Hollywood’s silent era, DeMille’s The Ten Commandments was separated into two parts, the first of which told the story of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt, culminating in the delivery of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. The second, meanwhile, told a contemporary story about two brothers, one who lives his life by the Commandments, the other who doesn’t.
Drozd, Berlin and Amendola penned their new score for part one of the film. A preview clip features a mesmerizing and increasingly epic snippet of music that’s paired with the scene in which Pharaoh learns his firstborn son has been killed in the last of the 10 plagues of Egypt.
Reboot CEO David Katznelson — who signed the Flaming Lips to Warner Bros. years ago — said of the project: “Watching this film score come together, with three amazing artists forced to work remotely and yet completely in flow with each other as they composed such an incredible piece of music was inspirational. Using the greatest artists of the day to bring something like The Ten Commandments to life for new generations to connect with… that is exactly what Reboot was created to do.”
Along with Drozd, Berlin and Amendola, the DAWN lineup will feature appearances from Carl Reiner, Norman Lear, Michaela Watkins, Gaby Moskowitz, Tiffany Shlain and Kasher vs. Kasher, a new podcast from comedian Moshe Kasher and his brother Rabbi David Kasher. The event kicks off May 28th at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. ET and wraps May 29th at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT.
