John Cage (1912-92) emerged from the post-war American avant-garde to become one of the most controversial and influential of contemporary composers. This programme was made with him two years before he died. He introduces his philosophy that all sounds, even silence, can be used as the source for music and discusses his arrival at the use of chance operations in composing. His collaboration with artist Robert Rauschenberg and choreographer Merce Cunningham is explored, and other contributors include Yoko Ono and Laurie Anderson, who have both drawn inspiration from him.
Modern Masterworks: John Cage
Few figures of 20th-century music were as innovative, iconoclastic and controversial as John Cage, a composer who asked fundamental about the nature of music and art. When he died in 1992, a festival of his music scheduled in Frankfurt took on the character of a celebration of his life and art. The performances featured here are drawn from that festival, with David Tudor – Cage’s friend and musical partner for over 40 years – performing two of the composer’s major concert works, accompanied by Ensemble Modern and conductor Ingo Metzmacher. The performances are preceded by an introduction to Cage and his work by Michael Nupen.
Nederlands Dans Theater 3
According to the ancient Greek legend, Prometheus brought fire and culture to mankind, thus saving the world from being destroyed by Zeus. Through the ages, this story has inspired countless artists, poets and musicians to some of their grandest creations.
Christopher Swann’s film is based on a 1993 televised concert from Berlin’s Philharmonic Hall.
The program features music by Beethoven, Liszt, Skriabin and Nono based on the legend of Prometheus. The four compositions could not be more diverse in style and conception, representing highly different approaches: from the Prometheus as bringer of plague and destruction to the punished Prometheus chained to a rock.
In this film, Christopher Swann stresses a visual approach to this variety of ideas, using a number of modern film techniques to underscore and illustrate the musical presentation.
Performances by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Claudio Abbado are first-rate, although it is the presence of Argerich that will make this DVD an obligatory purchase.
Wings of Wax
Jirí Kylián is a living legend. He is the creator of more than a hundred works, several of which form part of the repertories of some of the greatest dance centres in the world. Due to the choreographer’s extreme reluctance to engage in a documentary, this film is exceptional. For the first time one can have a real close look at Kylián’s life, his way of thinking and at his most significant creations. The fi lm was shot in Den Haag, Prague, Monte-Carlo and Paris.