Edita Gruberova turned the bel canto style – as exemplified primarily by the early 19th-century operas of Bellini and Donizetti – into her own, unmistakable specialty. But what is the nature of bel canto? What is the secret of her vocal gift? These are a couple of the questions the film addresses. In addition to rehearsal excerpts from ‘Lucrezia Borgia,’ the film shows Gruberova in the title role of ‘Norma’ and as Elisabetta in ‘Roberto Devereux’. Archival recordings allow us to admire her in ‘Rigoletto’ with Luciano Pavarotti, the legendary ‘Ariadne auf Naxos’ under Karl Böhm, and Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s film adaptation of ‘Così fan tutte’ under Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
The Three Tenors – The Birth of a Legend
Excitement after a spectacular open-air concert. At the 1990 Football World Cup, the three tenors, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti met the first time together with the conductor Zubin Mehta for an extraordinary musical experience. Six thousand excited live viewers and one billion watching on television. The beginning of a new era of classical music. In the following years, the 3 Tenors held audiences around the world under their spell in over thirty performances. They helped to bring about an unexpected flourishing of classical music. The concert in the Caracalla Baths of Rome was the Birth of a Legend. The programme interweaves performance and background information, including previously unseen material.
Murray Perahia – Not Of This World
After over thirty years on the concert stage the pianist Murray Perahia has himself become a legend, one of the most sought-after pianists of our time. This film is not designed to be a conventional portrait. The documentary observes Perahia at work on the interpretation of some pieces by Chopin and Schumann at his holiday home in Switzerland. It shows him as conductor of the famous Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, follows him into the recording studio and a master class in Hanover and finally captures a concert performance at a Warsaw Chopin recital in February 2010. Interviews with Murray Perahia cast light on his approach to music, his personality and the way he has managed to cope with the personal crises that has beset him.
Murray Perahia – Live in Warsaw
The Warsaw recital of legendary pianist Murray Perahia, recorded on February 24th 2010. Available in three versions: Version 1: Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830; Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109; Frédéric Chopin: Étude Op. 10, No. 4 (Length: 56 min) // Version 2: Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830; Frédéric Chopin: Ballade No. 3 in A-flat major, Op. 47 / Étude Op. 25, No. 5 / Étude Op. 25, No. 1 / Étude Op. 10, No. 4 / Mazurka Op. 50, No. 3 / Mazurka Op. 59, No. 3 (Length: 56’) // Version 3: Bach, Beethoven, Chopin (Length: 76’)
Kinshasa Symphony
Two hundred orchestral musicians are playing Orff’s “Carmina Burana” in total darkness. A power cut has hit the Ngiri Ngiri district of Kinshasa, only a few bars before the last section of the work. Kinshasa’s power stations and main networks are insufficient to supply electricity to all the 8 million inhabitants of what is Africa’s third-largest city. Once again the lights have gone out in the “Salle des fêtes”, a kind of open garage where the orchestra practises. But for its members this is no reason to stop rehearsing. Most of them know their parts by heart. Small lapses of memory are compensated for by a talent for improvisation and the grace of God.
Philippe Jaroussky and the Concerto Köln
The young French counter tenor Philippe Jaroussky is one of the most exceptional artists of our time. He is highly acclaimed by critics all over the world for his virtuoso coloratura technique, as well as for his compelling and lively interpretations of baroque cantatas and operas. Together with the Concerto Köln he embarks on a journey into the world of an almost forgotten composer. Antonio Caldara (1670-1736) was on one of the most renowned opera composers of his time. Philippe Jaroussky and the ensemble transfer selected arias of the composer into the 21st century. The film accompanies the musicians to rehearsals and to the concert at the Prinzregententheater in Munich.
Truls Mørk plays Chopin and Dvorák
Truls Mørk was the first Scandinavian ever to win the Moscow Tchaikovsky competition, a triumph that marked the start of his musical career. The film visits the Norwegian cellist Truls Mørk at his Scandinavian holiday home, accompanying him on his boat out at sea and on walks along the coast. The cello concerto by Anton Dvorák with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and the Chopin interpretations are focal points of the story.
Mission Incognito
The opera house, the concert hall, the museum … these venues are passé – “Mission Incognito” is the new tomorrow. Celebrity artists go outside their comfort zone and share their high art directly with the people on the streets. An entertaining half hour format featuring well known musicians and artists, such as Rolando Villazón or Vladimir Malakhov, that will step into the world and meet their amateur counterparts.
Boris Berezovsky – Pianist and Virtuoso
The Russian Pianist Boris Berezovsky is one of the most virtuous Piano Interpreter of our times. One can tell that for him the borders of keyboard possibilities have not yet been reached. Boris Berezovsky bought attention to himself with his daring dexterity at the 1990 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He won the Gold Medal straight off. The film accompanies Boris Berezovsky on his musical journey. The Artist Boris Berezovsky drives through the nightly Yekaterinburg, as a passionate player he goes to the casino and improvises along with a little Band in a Jazz Club.