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- It's mid-twentieth century Florence. Wealthy Buoso Donati has just died in his bed, his extended family the only people around him at the time. Rumors abound within the family that he has left his entire estate to a nearby monastery, which if be the case would place him in an even worse view by his family than he already is, and place them all in a state of poverty. They are able to locate his will, which indeed confirms the rumors. Rino, Buoso's nephew who wanted some of that inheritance to be able to marry Lauretta - something that will not happen without that money - believes that Lauretta's father, Gianni Schicchi, may be able to help them with the issue of finding a loophole in the will to order for them to inherit Buoso's estate. Gianni, formerly a rural peasant, has only recently arrived in Florence and is trying to make a name for himself, and as such is someone that Rino's image conscious aunt, Zita, does not want in their lives in their current state. Gianni does believe there is a way for the family to inherit Buoso's estate, albeit in a less than legal way. Buoyed by this possibility, each of Buoso's family members not only want their part of the inheritance, but most specifically the most universally coveted items of the mule, the Florence house, and the mills in Signa, which each person tries to entice Gianni to give to him/her. Each of the family members will not only see if Gianni is good to his word of being able to change the will without the collective being caught in fraud, but if he/she will be the lucky recipient of those most coveted items.
- The mother through the daughter's eyes - a family portrait blending intimate conversations, agreements and disagreements, and shred ties of sounds and blood. This intimate portrait of two musical giants by Martha Argerich's daughter Stéphanie has been filmed over two decades and around the world: Warsaw, where Martha Argerich won the Chopin competition first prize; Japan, which hosts a unique Argerich festival; London, where Stephen Kovacevich, Stéphanie's father, lives, works and enjoys intensively Indian food; Belgium, where Martha lives in a house filled with pianos and cats; Argentina, which she left at the age of twelve to study in Vienna, but still conceals valuable family treasures; Switzerland, where Stéphanie and her sister Lyda are currently living. Made up of documentary sequences focusing on the two characters of Martha and Stephen in their everyday lives, in rehearsal and in performance, the film will be largely given over to intimate, delicious anecdotes, and a few scenes in which the family is reunited. A film by Stéphanie Argerich.
- Set in 1820, the story of Ahab, captain of the ill-fated whaleship Pequod, and the crew he commands. Having lost one of his legs to the white whale called Moby Dick, Captain Ahab is obsessed with finding and destroying him at any cost. Only the ship's first mate, Starbuck, sees the deadly implications of Ahab's obsession.
- Ferrando and Guglielmo boast about the beauty and virtue of their girls, the sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella. The cynical Don Alfonso proposes a wager. He will prove to them that the sisters are unfaithful, like all other women. Amused, the young men agree.
- For the first time ever the hidden archives of bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla are opened by his son. A cinematic portrait of the worldwide legendary composer who changed tango.
- The Danish National Symphony Orchestra and the Danish National Concert Choir, led by conductor Sarah Hicks, perform selections from the films of Ennio Morricone and others.
- Not since Paganini had there been such a magician on the violin. Jascha Heifetz was the first truly modern virtuoso, a man about whom Itzhak Perlman said, 'When I spoke with him, I can't believe, I'm talking to God'. Heifetz was a legendary but mysterious figure whose story embodies the dual nature of artistic genius. The paradox of how a mortal man lives with immortal gifts - gifts he must honor, but which extract a life-long price. Is the man and the artist the same person? What is the price each pays? And who was the man behind the music?
- Music has transformed the lives of children in Venezuela's most impoverished areas.
- "Rachmaninoff Revisited" is the first comprehensive biography of the great Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. (1873-1943) Featuring commentary and performances by today's most respected pianists, this is a story of overcoming severe hardships and eventual redemption through the power of music.
- In 2018, Yannick Nézet-Séguin will end his tenure with the Rotterdam Philharmonic for which he will stay Honorary Conductor to become Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera, New York. Yannick has worked with many leading European orchestras and enjoys close collaborations with the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Wiener Philharmoniker the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and many notable orchestras and festivals. Learn more about this fascinating young conductor, who seems to be taking the world by storm in this ambitious, witty and intimate portrait.
- Daniel Barenboim established the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with the late Palestinian writer Edward Said in order to bring together young musicians from across the political divide in the Middle East. Their hope was that music would heal and help to bring understanding and tolerance of different beliefs and cultures.The award-winning documentary was produced and directed by Paul Smaczny. The Ramallah Concert was a live recording at the Place of Culture in Ramallah, 21 August 2005.
- A unique film portrait of the famous Italian pianist. Maurizio Pollini felt himself that the time had come to submit to the probing of the camera, an exercise made all the more necessary because of his usual avoidance of the public eye.
- A new full-length ballet choreographed by Ted Brandsen for Dutch National Ballet, to a new orchestral score by Tarik O'Regan.
- A genuine première and, over and above that, starring the biggest motion picture composer of the present day: Ennio Morricone. Morricone is well-known to moviegoers his soundtracks are invariably warmly melodic and superbly suited to the films they grace.
- In a small street in Brussels there is an unusual concentration of pianists: first, the home of Martha Argerich; the other, that of the Time-Lechner, four generations of pianistic wonders. While just fourteen, Natasha Binder is the heir to a dynasty, his last great promise. In the diaries of her mother, who was also a prodigious child in the family videos, pianists in the house next door, Natasha seeks answers to a key question: what is it, in short, be a pianist?
- Human, All Too Human is a three-part 1999 documentary television series co-produced by the BBC and RM Arts.[1] It follows the lives of three prominent European philosophers: Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre.[1] The theme revolves heavily around the school of philosophical thought known as Existentialism, although the term had not been coined at the time of Nietzsche's writing and Heidegger declaimed the label. The documentary is named after the 1878 book written by Nietzsche, titled Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits (in German: Menschliches, Allzumenschliches: Ein Buch für freie Geister).[2]
- Le Concert Spirituel, conducted by Hervé Niquet, perform George Frideric Handel's Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks in front of Chambord Castle in Chambord, France.
- When Korean composer Unsuk Chin's opera was first performed by the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, it caused a sensation among music critics worldwide. Based on Lewis Carroll's famous and fascinatingly enigmatic novel Alice in Wonderland, it is a seductive, enchanting, sensuous opera set to a modern, ear-pleasing score - a triumph of creative fantasy. Unsuk Chin was born in Seoul in 1961, studied with György Ligeti in Hamburg and now lives in Berlin. She has an acute ear for instrumentation, orchestral colours and rhythmic imagery. Her compositions are modern in language but lyrical in their communicative power. Kent Nagano, a long-time supporter of Chin's music, expertly conducted the Bavarian State Opera and a team of wonderful singer-actors including international stars like Dietrich Henschel and Gwyneth Jones. The opera about Alice's search for her identity - "her reality in the appearance of the world" - as director Achim Freyer put it, switches from delicacy to cuteness to grotesquery and back again. The rather conventional Alice starts following her dreams, meeting a white rabbit that guides her through a wonderland. Alice views it all with amazement and learns - finally returning to the real world, richer for the experience. The phenomenal fairy-tale settings and production were in the hands of Achim Freyer, who created a firework of colour and form. The marvellous costumes and puppets were created by Nina Weitzner, who was named "Costume Designer of the Year" by the German music magazine Opernwelt for her imaginative designs. And in a survey of the magazine's opera critics, Unsuk Chin's opera, which closed Kent Nagano's first season at the Bavarian State Opera, was hailed as the "World Première of the Year". This live recording of the premiere in the Nationaltheater in Munich in June 2007 provides a feast of audiovisual entertainment.
- An animated triptych inspired by the Surrealism of the 1920s - two provocative short operas - Paul Hindemith's 'Sancta Susanna' and Bohuslav Martinu's 'Slzy Noze' (Tears of the Knife) - as well as Ondrej Adamek's contemporary orchestral work 'Sinuous Voices' were congenially brought to expressionist life: through associative collages and animations in combination with recordings shot both in a green screen studio and in RBB's Small Broadcasting Hall. Hindemith's 'Sancta Susanna' expressionistically stages the borders between erotic and religious ecstasy. The protagonist's satanic, sinful desire focuses on none other than the Saviour on the cross. In the surreal-dadaistic comedy 'Slzy Noze' by Martinu, instead, a young girl falls in love with a hanged man. In her attempts to win him over, she always ends up in the arms of Satan.
- How can we describe the intimate connection between an instrument and its player? How can a piece of wood become "the love of my life", as Frank Peter Zimmermann calls his 1711 Stradivarius "Lady Inchiquin"? The instrument, worth 6 million Euros, was locked away in a safe for more than two years - due to bankruptcy of its lender, a German bank. This documentary follows the world renowned violinist as he reunites with his beloved violin. Zimmermann's story is intertwined with another master's search for perfection. We look behind the scenes and witness the creation of a contemporary violin by the "21st Century Stradivari", Martin Schleske.
- Across Europe and Japan, this film covers over three decades of Shiro Takatani's artistic journey through his installations, theatre and dance performances. Takatani and his collaborators (including composer Ryuichi Sakamoto) explain the driving principles behind his work where nature and people are observed through modern tools. Takatani uses technology to improve our understanding of our environment: enhancing infinitely small organisms, showing large scale galaxies, creating an interaction between performers / dancers with cameras and large screens. Carefully selected performances and installations - remarkably filmed - demonstrate the evolution of his work.
- Documentary on John Cage celebrating his 100th birthday.
- The performances of Richard Wagner's Ring cycle in Stuttgart created a sensation unheard of since the monumental century Ring in Bayreuth in the late seventies. "Four operas - four stage directors" was the artistic idea behind the 1999/2000 cycle under the musical direction of Lothar Zagrosek. Appreciating the individual operas of Der Ring des Nibelungenwithout having to relate to previous or subsequent storylines enabled the stage directors - handpicked among the successful Stuttgart Opera team surrounding Artistic Director Klaus Zehelein - to express their individual insights into the well-known drama of Siegfried and Wotan. In 2002 German critics voted Stuttgart's Staatsoper "Opera House of the Year" for the fourth time in five years. This series was recorded live at revival performances in 2002 and 2003, and it pays tribute to the artistic and musical achievement of the Stuttgart Opera House and a wonderful cast of singers. The production was directed by the "psychoanalyst" Christoph Nel, who chose to reveal Wagner's characters, their ambivalences and their conflicts, using contemporary settings, situations and gestures - excellently supported by the some of the best Wagner singer-actors of our time, including Angela Denoke in her role debut as Sieglinde.
- EuroArts presents a veritable fireworks display of ambitious pieces for brass orchestra recently performed by a colourful and fascinating young ensemble in Berlin's prestigious Konzerthaus at the Gendarmenmarkt in the heart of the city. The Venezuelan Brass Ensemble is a highly-acclaimed group with nearly 50 young brass and percussion players drawn from the extraordinary Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela. The South American country has one of the most admired and amazingly effective music school systems in the world. Almost all children from the age of 2 get free music lessons in their neighbourhood. They learn to play in ensembles as soon as they can master their instruments. This so-called "sistema" enables most of the poor children in Venezuela to have a focus in life apart from being clothed and fed - thus fighting poverty-related problems at the roots. The results are astonishing, the ensemble playing is near perfect and the "sistema" has brought forth internationally successful musicians like the conductor Gustavo Dudamel. The repertoire of the Venezuelan Brass Ensemble is impressively varied and testifies to the high standard of this young ensemble. With their blend of classical and South American repertoire, these 50 youngsters not only bring audiences to their feet, but demonstrate with a scintillating display of brass music a virtuosity and passion that is nothing short of awesome.
- Rossini's popular work - which was first performed in 1816 at the Teatro Argentina in Rome - contains some of opera's most tuneful and recognizable music - from its lively overture to Figaro's Largo al factotum to Rosina's Una voce poco fa. Based on the play of the same title by the French dramatist Beaumarchais (1732-1799), the opera is a delightful rigmarole of riotous situations in a race to win the hand of the young Rosina. Vesselina Kasarovas Rosina made this production of 'Il Barbiere di Siviglia' a memorable event. She captivated the audience with fluent coloraturas, an infinite variety of tone colors and nuances of expression, as well as her phenomenal versatility as an actress.
- In this melodically rich bel canto masterpiece, a femme fatale renowned for her ruthless pursuit of power reveals poignant vulnerability when she comes face to face with her long-lost son. Soprano Renée Fleming "uncorks the secret inner torments of history's most notorious poisoner. Her best singing was sumptuous and long-lined, airy and ravishingly rich" (San Jose Mercury News). Tenor Michael Fabiano "made a dashing Company debut as Gennaro, breathing vivid life into the role...singing with both graceful lyricism and full-throated ardor" (San Francisco Chronicle). Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong, "sings like a vocal giant. Her lowest notes have body and depth, the midrange is especially rich, and she propels her secure, full, and rounded highs with aplomb" (San Francisco Classical Voice). Bass-baritone Vitalij Kowaljow "gave a thrillingly robust and commanding account" of Duke Alfonso (San Francisco Chronicle). "The production's execution is first-rate: fine singing, towering sets and outlandishly appealing costumes, as well as a robust chorus and a dazzlingly spot-on performance by the orchestra, conducted by Riccardo Frizza, a bel canto specialist in his company debut" (San Jose Mercury News).
- A feature-length documentary that chronicles Edward Higginbottom's last weeks as the Choirmaster of New College Choir that he led for thirty-eight years.
- Claudio Abbado: The Silence that Follows the Music offers a unique insight into the dedication of one of the world's greatest conductors: Claudio Abbado. Through the eyes of musicians, singers, soloists, and opera producers from several orchestras, this film conveys an intensely moving view of this highly gifted musician and committed conductor. The program includes footage of rehearsals and performances with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, as well as statements from friends and colleagues including Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez, and Maximilian Schell.
- Gidon Kremer celebrates his 60th birthday in 2007 - he is, and has always been, one of the most headstrong and original artists in the music business. His return to J. S. Bach's partitas is a major event as Kremer's first recording of these works was released almost a quarter of a century ago, and he hasn't played the partitas in public for over twenty years. Those who have followed Gidon Kremer's artistic development over the past 25 years will note how much his tone and articulation have changed. The new rendering displays Kremer's very personal sense of spontaneity and a readiness to take risks. In the early 1980s, after being declared persona non grata in the Soviet Union, Kremer moved to the West and made a recording of the solo partitas. The record went down in music history and for decades was a benchmark in the music guild. The young virtuoso was catapulted to fame virtually overnight in the Western world and hailed as the world's best violinist by Herbert von Karajan. This recording features the Violin Partita Nos.1, 2, and 3, recorded at the Pfarrkirche Lockenhaus in 2002 and the documentary Back to Bach. The film includes rare archival footage and tells in a very personal way of Gidon Kremer's encounters with Bach's music, accompanying the famous violin virtuoso in rehearsals, recording sessions and discussions with a few trusted confidants. Bonus feature: - Gidon Kremer - Back to Bach
- Winner of the 2015 ASCAP Television Broadcast Award, this one-hour documentary portrait of multiple GRAMMY-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin shows us a trailblazing performer and teacher who over the course of her career has broken through numerous barriers to rise to the top of a traditionally male-dominated field. The film explores what it takes to nurture a dream against all odds to become a world class musician. Performances are showcased from international concert stages, the GRAMMY Awards and the White House. Guests and interviews include Joan Baez, Martina Navratilova, First Lady Michelle Obama, Garrison Keillor and David Hyde Pierce; rock legends Steve Vai, Janis Ian and Leslie Gore; composers Tan Dun, John Corigliano, Christopher Rouse and Joan Tower; jazz greats Stanley Jordan and Paul Winter; fiddler Mark O'Connor; and many others. Narrated by NPR's Susan Stamberg, the film combines performance and documentary focusing on Sharon Isbin's unusual and inspiring journey which has expanded and transformed the landscape of the instrument. In addition, the film explores her role as teacher of a new generation of guitarists at both The Juilliard School, where she created the first guitar department, and the Aspen Music Festival. The documentary explores how Isbin's career has intersected with many different aspects of today's musical world beyond the realm of classical music. This includes television, film music, NASA, and collaborations with other contemporary musicians from the rock, pop, folk, jazz and Latin genres.
- Filmed live at the Leipzig Opera in November 2005, this recording of Verdi's famous Un Ballo in Maschera, brings a lively musical evening. Riccardo Chailly, who made a critically acclaimed start in his position as General Music Director of the Leipzig Opera with this staging, directs the Gewandhausorchestra and a cast of experienced Verdi singers in a collaboration between the Zurich and Leipzig Operas. Un ballo in maschera - a story of love, power and political murder in 19th century United States of America - is as exciting as a thriller, but with a passion that can only be experienced in a Verdi opera. The Italian film director Ermanno Olmi (The Legend of the Holy Drinker, The Tree of Wooden Clogs) staged it accordingly. The amazing visual effects in this production were created by the sculptor Arnaldo Pomodore who designed the fantastic colourful set and costumes.
- The final opera of the Ring cycle tells the story of how the ring and its curse brings the downfall of the Gods and a tragic end to the love between Siegfried and Brünnhilde. As Brünnhilde's death becomes an act of redemption for the gods and all living creatures, a new dawn of hope is ushered in. "It is very likely that in the near future the Stuttgart Ring, conceived by Klaus Zehelein will be remembered as a Wagnerian watershed as much as Wieland Wagner's in the 1950s." (Opera Magazine) Opera.
- In summer 2006, the incomparable Martha Argerich presented an all-Schumann programme in honour of the great Romantic composer's anniversary year. Recorded live at the beginning of June 2006 at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the programme comprised favourite works for piano and orchestra including the Piano Concerto in A minor, the Symphony No. 4, excerpts from Kinderszenen, and works by Schumann in orchestrations by famous composers such as Tchaikovsky and Ravel. The legendary Argentinean pianist was accompanied by the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under its new "Kapellmeister" Riccardo Chailly. Martha Argerich has long been hailed as a uniquely imaginative pianist, and she is definitely the right person to honor Schumann on the 150th anniversary of his death, as she is especially well-known for her interpretations of the 19th-century repertoire. She has been surrounded by an impermeable, almost mystical aura since the start of her career in the fifties - she is uncompromising in her music making, and yet she is generous and beautiful - and this recording bears witness to the deep musicality of this incredible artist.
- The wild and breathtaking scenery of Austria's Roman Quarry of St. Margarethen provides an ideal and unique backdrop for this live and colourful open-air performance of Georges Bizet's opera Carmen (1875). With over 400 participants, this opulent staging of Bizet's famous opera - one of the most popular works in the genre's history - proves a feast for all the senses. Austria's Opera Festival St. Margarethen, one of Europe's most important open-air festivals, is attended by about 220, 000 opera lovers every year. Conductor: Ernst Märzendorfer. Soloists: Nadia Krasteva, Russi Nikov, Alexandrs Antonenko. Choreography: Marieta Romero Opera.
- TARARE is an opera in five acts composed by Antonio Salieri (1750 - 1825) to a French libretto by Pierre Beaumarchais. It was performed for first time by the Paris Opera at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin on 8 June 1787.
- The 'young Lord' is an ape, disguised as an English aristocrat and introduced into a smug early-nineteenth-century German community to teach it a few basic lessons about the difference between acceptable and unacceptable social behaviour.