Invincible Czars - Silent Films Live Soundtracks

7:30 PM - Faust (1926) 

9:45 PM - Nosferatu (1922)

Faust (1926) 

New for 2026, the Czars have written an electrifying score to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Faust, the first known film adaptation of Goethe's classic novel from 1808, itself based on an older European legend of an elderly alchemist who makes a pact with the devil to gain the power to protect his village from plague. Faust soon succumbs to temptation and asks Mephisto to restore his youth and help him acquire all the hedonistic pleasures that earth can offer. Eventually, his love affair with a young woman named Gretchen leads to tragic and devastating consequences for them both.

"Bizarre, Haunting scores" Kerrang!
 
Using a mix of acoustic and electric instruments helped. Violin, glockenspiel, organ, flute, bass clarinet, voices and vocals, music box, loops, electric guitar, bass, piano and percussion all play prominent roles in the score and are a sight to behold when performed live by only four or five players!

Nosferatu (1922)

Austin-based THE INVINCIBLE CZARS make their fifth appearance at the Lark Theater! We have performed this score hundreds of times - more than any other in our catalog. Many call Nosferatu the first vampire film but it is universally recognized as a milestone of early cinema and a quintessential piece of German Expressionism. Max Shreck terrified audiences as Count Orlok in the 1920s.

ABOUT THE BAND

The Invincible Czars began making adventurous rock music in Austin clubs 2003 but they quickly branched into the arts world with their wide scope of styles, cinematic flare, mix of modern and classical instruments and their complicated relationship with heavy metal.

Though they continue to take on a variety of projects, including their Austin-tenacious re-imagining of Tchaikovsky‘s Nutcracker Suite, The Invincible Czars are probably best known for their silent film soundtracks which they perform live at cinemas, colleges and performing arts spaces all over the US and Canada.

They began accompanying silent films at the original Alamo Drafthouse in Austin in 2006 with Aelita, Queen of Mars (1922.) They continued adding titles to their catalog year after year and expanding their performance region slowly until they were touring the entire US by 2016. Many art house cinemas and film festivals call The Invincible Czars one of the best in the nation for silent film accompaniment. “Thank you for making this movie actually scary,” is heard at least once at every show.

The band operates as a collective with a few core members and a rotating cast of additional members on any given project or tour. They sound different from season to season and year to year. The touring ensemble for 2025 is

Phil Davidson– violin, keyboards, percussion

Wes Haynes – piano, keyboards, bass

Josh Robins– guitar, bass, samples, percussion

chuck Fischer – drums, percussion, keyboards

Lauryn Gould – winds, keys