One of the world’s greatest violinists, Itzhak Perlman is also known for his wit and good humour. This film was shot on location in New York, where Perlman talks about his career and how he copes with the effects of the childhood polio which left him crippled. He talks in depth about the art of playing the violin and demonstrates his skill, tackling pieces by Paganini and Bach.
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
One of the greatest sopranos of the post-war decades, Schwarzkopf won acclaim on the operatic stage and as a lieder singer. Her career was moulded by Walter Legge, an innovative British recording executive who became her husband. He guided her towards her best repertoire – Mozart and Richard Strauss. In this film, which includes rare archive footage of Schwarzkopf in performance, she talks about her life and work and is seen conducting a masterclass on Hugo Wolf songs.
Joseph Heller
One of the towering figures of twentieth-century literature and the writer who gave the phrase ‘Catch-22’ to the English language, Joseph Heller died in 1999. This profile focuses on his novel, God Knows, with its somewhat surprising choice of biblical subject matter. Filmed on Coney Island, where he grew up, and at home in New York, Heller talks about the ideas that underlie this intriguing book. Dramatised extracts from God Knows are included.
Simon Rattle
Sir Simon Rattle, one of the most exciting British conductors ever to emerge on to the international music scene, leads a Workshop with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He focuses on the musical and orchestral subtleties of the first movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E flat Op. 55 (Eroica) and the finale of Messiaen’s massive Turangalîla-symphonie, which he describes as one of the most exciting and enthralling works of the twentieth century.
Claudio Arrau
This profile of the great Chilean pianist, who died in 1991 at the age of eighty-eight, was made in 1984. Throughout his long career his interpretations remained unparalleled in their depth of feeling, virtuosity and fidelity to the text. In the film he talks about his life and work and performs pieces by Beethoven (‘Appassionata’ Sonata No. 23 Op. 57 in F minor), Chopin (Ballade No. 3 in A flat), Debussy (L’Isle joyeuse), Liszt (Petrarch Sonnet No. 104) and Schubert (Klavierstück in E flat minor, D946), describing his feelings for these composers.
Stephen Sondheim
With shows including A Little Night Music, Company and Sweeney Todd, Sondheim established himself as the foremost music dramatist of his generation. In this programme, he describes the key processes involved in song writing, and works with students from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London on the interpretation of some of his most memorable songs.
Oscar Peterson
This studio recording features Oscar Peterson, with Niels Pedersen on bass and Martin Drew on drums, playing a piece specially-commissioned from Peterson for the programme. The music takes as its theme the Easter story, and the great jazz pianist talks about how he adapted his unique style to the composition of a religious work.
John Piper
English artist John Piper (1903-92) is best known for his romantic pictures of the country’s architectural heritage and landscape. This film surveys his long career – his early abstract paintings, his work as a war artist, his return to representational art – and explores a talent which was expressed in watercolours, oils, ceramics, stained glass, tapestry and opera designs.
Olivier Messiaen
French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) is a key figure in the evolution of twentieth-century classical music. In this definitive profile, made when he was nearly eighty, Messiaen talks about his life, his music and the mainsprings of his work – a deep love of nature and a fervent Christian faith. He is seen improvising on the organ at the St. Trinité church in Paris, and the programme includes specially-recorded extracts from several of his major works.
Cowboy Art
Cowboy Art is a uniquely American genre that has its origins in the work of the two great nineteenth century illustrators of the Wild West, Charles Russell and Frederick Remington. In recent years, it has attracted fresh interest and a whole new generation of Cowboy artists has emerged. Shot on location in Texas and New Mexico, this programme traces the history of representations of the Wild West in art, exploring what it is that makes cowboys and indians so enduringly popular.