Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf

Russian star conductor Valery Gergiev leads the Mariinsky Orchestra in a captivating rendition of Sergei Prokofiev’s symphonic fairy tale for children Peter and the Wolf in the Philharmonie Munich at the MPHIL 360° festival. One of the most beautiful explanatory works, which gives young listeners an understanding of the orchestral instruments, Peter and the Wolf famously attributes each character of its tale a corresponding instrument in the orchestra. To the delight of the children in the audience, a committed Gergiev and his musicians bring the fairy tale to life with the help of German kids’ TV presenter Malte Arkona, who charmingly voices the different parts. In the hometown of his German orchestra, the star conductor’s Petersburg orchestra shines with a wonderful warm, dark tone. “The Gasteig was buzzing during MPHIL 360°. More of this, please!” (BR Klassik)

Schumann at Pier 2

After their internationally acclaimed Beethoven cycle, Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen now present their vision of Schumann’s four symphonies. As the press wrote: “The dream team under Järvi has just landed another major coup”. In addition to the live recordi of the concerts, the production also features a documentary which portrays the origin and development of the project. “We want to show ourselves as we make music”, says Järvi. Reflecting the ensemble’s pedagogical mission to make classical music accessible to the young, the production took place the popular venue “Pier 2”.

High Performance Sports – Singing Opera

What do Jonas Kaufmann, Anja Harteros, Piotr Beczala and Daniel Behle have in common? Besides being internationally acclaimed singers, they’re all “vocal athletes” who keep their voices in shape. In this “rewarding documentary” (Opernglas), filmmakers Barbara and Wolfgang Wunderlich team up with Thomas Voigt to examine the physical and psychological hurdles that constantly face professional singers. Next to theoretical matters, the program offers a generous selection of musical excerpts that illustrate the topic at hand and shed light into the complex interplay of every singer’s body and mind.

Acción! The Story of La Fura dels Baus

From city streets to the world’s great stages, from underground to establishment – this is the story of a theater collective without parallel in the world today, La Fura dels Baus. The film starts with one of their most widely seen productions – the gigantic opening ceremony of the Shanghai Expo 2010 – and relates the story of this visionary ensemble that is now setting new standards in opera production worldwide. Elements such as flying actors, human sculptures, socio-political critique and esotericism have helped create the “brand” La Fura dels Baus in the over 30 years of their existence.