Bartók called his opera an “infinitely sad Adagio”. Inspired by Maurice Maeterlinck’s symbolist tale, the work takes us on a psychological journey into the soul of the legendary Bluebeard, who is depicted here not as a ruthless murderer but as a sorrowing, idealistic man. By using Hungarian singers, Sir Georg Solti has found the ideal cast for evoking the high drama and emotional depths of this Hungarian, yet universally moving opera.
Maestro or Mephisto – the Real Sir Georg Solti
This film tells the story of one of the greatest and most controversial conductors of the 20th century. The Hungarian born Georg Solti had huge drive, energy and ambition. A combination of willpower and extraordinary talent took him to the peak of musical power and prestige. It shows how Solti took music making in opera houses and orchestras to new levels, how he harnessed recording, and later television, to reach out to new audiences and how he nurtured remarkable new talent through a winning, if not always endearing, combination of ambition, technique, charm, sheer-bloody mindedness and genius.The film includes remarkably candid interviews which Solti gave just before his death, in which he talked with great honesty about his life, his challenges and achievements. It also includes new interviews with artists and musicians who worked closely with him. It also looks at his remarkable legacy which is still shaping classical music today – the World Orchestra for Peace, born of his personal experience of a Europe fractured by war, the Solti Academy for Singers and the Solti conducting prize.