As director of the Frankfurt Ballet, American choreographer William Forsythe leaped to prominence, shaping an international troupe of dancers into the brilliant instrument of his choreographic and theatrical imagination. This programme shows Forsythe working with the company on Impressing the Tsar, and introducing dancers of the New York City Ballet to his rigorous methods, as he prepares Behind the China Dogs.
The Nature of Music
Every society throughout the world – and throughout history – has had a place for music. It has been used in sacred rituals and worship, for celebration and entertainment, for healing, and for protest. This three-part series considers how and why music has developed such an important role. Jeremy Marre filmed phenomena as diverse as the spirit cults of Madagascar, the trance rituals of Bali, the throat-songs of the Inuit Eskimos, flamenco in Cordoba, Wagner in Bayreuth, a therapy group in Ireland, duetting birds in Panama, samba in Brazil and an exorcism in old Cairo for this exploration of the nature of music.
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari
The German-Italian composer Wolf-Ferrari (1876-1948) is best remembered for the many light operas he based on the comedies of Goldoni. In this portrait, extracts from his work, including I quattro rusteghi, Il campiello and Il segreto di Susanna, are seen in rehearsal and performance. His music is interspersed with comments from directors, composers and conductors, who, together with his nephew, tell the story of his life.
Eric Clapton
In this television interview, the legendary rock and blues guitarist gives an honest and offen moving account of his life and career, from his early successes, to his years of drug addiction and on to his spectacular re-emergence in the mid-1980s. The programme includes footage looking back on Clapton’s career, a specially arranged private concert with his hero, blues player Buddy Guy, and a reunion with Jack Bruce from Cream.
Ken Russel’s ABC of British Music
Asked to make a programme about British music, one of his greatest passions, Russell came up with this video A to Z. His shamelessly personal selection of music – the best and the worst – ranges from Britten to The Beatles and from Purcell to Punk. The items come in a variety of forms, including specially-recorded performances, archive film, pop videos and television clips, and link man Russell also comes in many guises – butler, nun, undertaker and Hell’s Angel, among others!
The Smiths
From the formation of The Smiths in 1982 to the group’s break-up in the summer of 1987, singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr crafted witty, passionate and intelligent songs of love and life. This programme, made shortly before they went their separate ways, examines their musical influences and the identity they created for The Smiths, as well as including many of the band’s hits, such as Shoplifters of the World Unite and Death of a Disco Dancer.
The Real Sound of Africa
This programme features the Zimbabwean group, The Real Sounds of Africa, who backed Paul Simon on his Graceland album, the lively twelve-piece rumba band gives a special studio performance and the members talk about their music, with ist complex rhythms.
Richard Strauss – Romanticism and Resignation
At the end of his life, Richard Strauss (1864-1949) occupied an ambiguous role in the Third Reich – a successful public figure, but one whose cultural ideals clashed with those enforced by Hitler’s regime. This film explores the compromises of his old age, telling the story of the doyen of the late-Romantic style as he became increasingly embittered with his political masters. It includes rare footage from his family’s archive and extracts from a film about him made in 1949.
Confidencen – The Ulriksdal Theatre
Built in 1753, the Ulriksdal Theatre, also known as Confidencen, is the oldest preserved palace theatre in Sweden. The empty theatre provides a setting for a charming musical harlequinade, set to pieces by Gluck, in which a band of commedia dell’arte actors takes over Ulriksdal and banishes the malevolent spirits and demons who have allowed the theatre to fall into decay.
Patrick Dupond
This portrait documents a star’s effort to be, and to stay, the best. The cameras follow Patrick Dupond to Tokyo, Paris and Milan and show him training, rehearsing, performing and talking about his career. He is seen dancing Coppelia with the National Ballet of Marseille, working on Daniel Ezralow’s Soon and Alwin Nikolais’s Arc en ciel, performing in the Salome choreographed for him by Maurice Béjart, and rehearsing Giselle with Carta Fracci.