Cecilia Bartoli celebrates the 200th birthday of Maria Malibran with her personal tribute to female superstar Maria Malibran, one of the most famous opera singers of the 19th century. Malibran’s extensive, exceptionally varied repertoire also demanded a range of emotional and dramatic expressiveness to which only an outstanding talent like Cecilia Bartoli’s could do justice. “Malibran rediscovered” features a fascinating 67 minute film following Cecilia Bartoli as she researches the life of Maria Malibran and records their “Maria” album.
Sasha Waltz – Garden of Lust
This film portrait of the choreographer Sasha Waltz depicts the progress of her work between 1992 and 2007, describing her exhilarating course through from the early choreographies to her large opera productions. An appreciation for Contemporary Dance and an insight into the life and work of the choreographer are conveyed filmically and entertainingly.
Andrea Bocelli: The Making Of A Dream
This film shows the making of a once in a lifetime musical event: The world’s most beloved tenor, Andrea Bocelli, gifts New York City with a free concert with the New York Philharmonic to take place at Central Park’s Great Lawn, joined by Celine Dion, Tony Bennett and Bryn Terfel. The New York Philharmonic’s music director, Alan Gilbert, conducts.
Herbert von Karajan – Maestro for the Screen
Herbert von Karajan was the important conductor, who created film and later video productions on his own responsibility. „I am actually born too early“, he said, well knowing, that the video possibilities were still in their very beginnings. Georg Wuebbolt made interviews with Karajan’s team: his Director of photography, his cutter, his secretary, his producer and musicians of Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. This documentary includes outstanding performance material from the Unitel and Telemondial library, as well as unreleased digitally remastered excerpts from the legendary
RBB (SFB) and ORF archive.
25 Years Of Wacken – The Documentary
The legendary Heavy Metal Festival is celebrating its anniversary this year. Enjoy the most spectacular moments from 25 years of Wacken music history. 75.000 fans arrive each year in the north German village of Wacken to relish four days of metal music and campsite frenzy. Whether from Mexico, Russia, Japan, Australia or the USA – The WACKEN FESTIVAL is a must for any metal fan around the world. The WOA started in 1990, when two friends had a crazy idea. They rented a small field and made their lifetime dream come true: “We had a vision and wanted to bring the biggest metal festival in the world to our village. Starting with 300 fans, it has grown to an unbelievable 75.000 fans.” We dive into the Wacken photo album and illustrate the birth of this festival with old VHS-shots. Then we take a look behind the scenes with anecdotes from Motörhead, Anthrax, Annihilator and many more. Original footage of the early shows from Saxon, Doro, Blind Guardian und Gorgoroth and their 30 spiked sheep heads are unforgettable. Also featured are the highlights of the most monumental appearances with gigantic pyro-effects and the greatest Metal Gods of all times.
Eras of Music History
Bold in conception, popular in format, gripping in its presentation – “Eras of Music History” makes the soundtrack to European history come alive – immediate and easily comprehensible for young viewers, classical newcomers and experts. In the series “Eras of Music History” music becomes something palpable – sounds you can touch and feel. Graphic novels, historical scenes, jam sessions and commentaries by classical stars, footnotes from political figures, philosophers and cultural scholars – all these are woven together with video and audio documents of the history of great performances. (4 part series: Baroque, Romantic, Viennese Classicism, 20th Century – 4×90’ or 8×45’)
Through The Eyes Of Yuja
With more than 120 performances a year, Yuja Wang lives a nomadic lifestyle. Travelling the world professionally, two extra small trolley suitcases carry the essentials for a two week trip: dresses, shoes, iPad, iPod and Smartphone. Yuja is 27 and leads a new generation of pianists who can play anything with comfort thanks to their phenomenal technique and strong self-confidence. “Through the Eyes of Yuja” reveals us this artist in a very personal way, equipped with a portable camera and her smartphone the film wants to be a kind of digital diary, a reflection of the image Yuja casts to the world as well as a phantasmagorical world the directors, Anaïs and Oliver Spiro, tend to loom about this image.
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.
Jonas Kaufmann – You Mean The World To Me – Documentary
Jonas Kaufmann traces the paths of the great singers and composers during the last years of the Weimar Republic (between Germany’s defeat at the end of World War I in 1918, and Hitler’s rise to power in 1933). The film is focussing on three pillars: Franz Léhar, Richard Tauber and the heydays of the “Silver Operetta” era; Robert Stolz, Joseph Schmidt and the invention of sound movies; and the diversification of musical styles through international commercialization. It includes excerpts of Jonas Kaufmann’s correpetitions with Stellario Fagone in Munich and the recording session for his album in the Funkhaus Berlin. Also available: Concert “You Mean The World To Me” (70′), Cat.No. 9151
Satiesfictions – Saunters with Eric Satie
Always armed with a melon, umbrella and wisecracks, he is not only on the outside the strangest fellow in French music history: Erik Satie was a composer, designer, church founder, PR pioneer and master of aperçus. In playful episodes the documentary “Satiesfictions” by Youlian Tabakov and Anne-Kathrin Peitz illuminates the phenomenon that is Satie: His countless ads evolve into real commercials and his drawings into cartoons. Interwoven with accounts by Satie associates and music experts, the film offers a unique insight into Satie’s cosmos of word and sound, featuring divas, dogs, and children, pianists playing on pianos stacked atop each other or performers turning into “musical furniture”.