Eric Schulz reveals in his latest music film a new perspective on the personality and oeuvre of Richard Strauss, who saw himself as the last great composer at the end of an era, “at the end of the rainbow”. This carefully researched production presents spectacular hitherto unreleased pictures of Richard Strauss. Among others: a live recording of the premiere of the “Olympic Anthem” at the Berlin Olympic stadium in 1936. The very first performance of this piece ever to be heard, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic and a choir of 1000 singers conducted by Richard Strauss himself. These spectacular rare pictures are embedded in interviews with relatives, famous musicians and Strauss experts, such as Christian Strauss, Stefan Mickisch and Brigitte Fassbaender.
Richard Strauss – At The End of the Rainbow
Richard Strauss – who regarded himself as the last great composer ‘at the end of the rainbow’ – for sure is one of the most interesting artists of his time. This documentary by Eric Schulz (also known for the film “Karajan – The Second Life”) on the occasion of the composer’s 150th birthday gives insight into the personality and the works of Richard Strauss with never-released archive material and high-class interview partners such as Brigitte Fassbaender, Klaus König, Raymond Holden, Christian Strauss, Walter Werbeck, Emma Moore.
Karajan The Second Life
The film ‘Karajan – The Second Life’ offers a fascinating glimpse of the reality of Karajan’s work in the recording studio, painting a nuanced portrait of the conductor and his musical ideas. The main focus is on the question of what will remain of Karajan, who recorded more albums than any other musician, and of his incomparably ambitious artistic legacy. The film includes a wealth of archival footage never shown before (about 90% of the music excerpts shown have never been released before), depicting Karajan during rehearsals and recording sessions, including works that have not been shown under his baton previously on film or TV (e.g. Le Sacre du printemps and Siegfried). Renowned colleagues and contemporaries of Karajan are interviewed: Anne-Sophie Mutter, Peter Alward, David Bell, Brigitte Fassbaender, Eberhard Finke, Wolfgang Gülich, Hans Hirsch, Klaus König, Krzysztof Polonek, Ernst Pöppel, Godehard Pruin, Klaus Stoll, Peter Uehling, Hans Weber and Andrew Wedman. Excerpts from privately recorded phone conversations between Karajan and his recording producer Günter Hermanns were evaluated exclusively for this film, conveying an authentic insight into the way Karajan worked with his team.