Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition were inspired by artworks by his late friend Hartmann, but they’ve inspired many other artists in turn. In 2009, the Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes – a musician who has never been afraid to do his own thing – collaborated with the South African visual artist Robin Rhode to re-imagine Mussorgsky’s masterpiece. Rhode’s arresting video images accompany a live performance of Pictures at an Exhibition, given by Andsnes in a shipyard building at the extraordinary Risør Festival in southern Norway – a compelling, wholly original fusion of sight, sound and place, and a refreshingly personal take on a much-loved classic.
Nutcracker Sweeties
Nutcracker Sweeties is Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington’s big band attack on Tchaikovsky. It portrays Broadway and America in the 1940s; full of humour, irony, commentary, swing and blues. The cast, dressed in an array of glamorous Jasper Conran costumes, includes pom-pom girls, drum majorettes, sailors, GIs and Candy Kane. David Bintley’s choreography is a catwalk of jazz styles. With its glamour-puss clothes and flashing neon set, Nutcracker Sweeties is imaginative, funny and visually irresistible.
Solti conducts Bruckner: Symphony No. 2
It’s almost a cliché to describe Bruckner’s symphonies as “cathedrals in sound”, and especially when the symphony in question is the Second: perhaps Bruckner’s most personal homage to the Viennese classical tradition. But there’s an unmistakable synergy between visuals and music in this live performance from the magnificent Romanesque cathedral at Speyer in Bavaria, with Sir Georg Solti conducting the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra in a setting steeped in the south German Catholic tradition that Bruckner loved so much. Solti brought an irrepressible energy to everything he conducted, and this is no exception. The result is a near-perfect meeting of music and architecture.
Norrington conducts Haydn: “Paris” Symphonies Nos. 83 & 84
Contemporaries nicknamed Haydn’s Symphony No. 83 “La Poule” because a particularly quirky melody seemed to suggest the pecking of a hen. But don’t be deceived: even at its most playful, Haydn’s imagination burned with unquenchable fire. In this concert given at the Salzburg Mozarteum in 2000, both “La Poule” and its companion piece – the noble Symphony No. 84 – receive performances of irrepressible animation, commitment and wit. Sir Roger Norrington conducts Camerata Salzburg: a pioneer of historically informed performance working with modern-instrument players steeped in central European style. The result is as energising – and as delightful – as you could possibly wish.
Norrington conducts Haydn: “Paris” Symphonies Nos. 85 & 87
Of all the great pioneers of the early music revival, few can match Sir Roger Norrington for the originality, the experience and the pure, unbuttoned joie-de-vivre that he brings to everything he conducts. Certainly, it’s hard to think of a wittier or more congenial interpreter for two of Haydn’s “Paris” symphonies: controlled explosions of fantasy, colour and symphonic argument, performed here with historically informed flair by the (modern instrument) virtuosi of the Salzburg Camerata. No.85 – nicknamed “La Reine” – is the most stately of the “Paris” symphonies. No. 87 is the most headlong. But both receive performances of quite irresistible playfulness and panache.
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan: Songs Of The Wanderers
Legend has it that “Cloud Gate” is the name of the oldest known dance in China, a ritualistic dance which was supposed to have been performed more than 5,000 years ago. In 1973 the choreographer Lin Hwai-min used this classical name for the company he founded, the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, which was the fi rst company in the Chinese speaking part of the world to dedicate itself to the modern dance theatre. A visually stunning paean to spiritual pilgrimage, “Song of the Wanderers” creates a world intense of reverences, distinctly Asian in its imagery yet with powerful relevance far beyond Asia. Spiritually evocative movement set to soulful Georgian folk songs, brought to life on a truly astonishing set of 3,5 tons of shimmering golden grains of rice.“Asia’s leading contemporary dance theatre.” (The Times) “One of the finest dance companies in the world.” (The Globe and Mail). In addition: DCD066_01 is a documentary about the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan including interviews with the director and artists.
Peter Waters & Barbara Hendricks: Fauré
Australian pianist Peter Waters and his jazz ensemble, the Treya Quartet, garnered widespread praise for their sensitive jazz arrangements of songs by the French composer Gabriel Fauré. This beautifully-shot music film compares these arrangements with the original versions, as sung by the internationally-acclaimed American soprano Barbara Hendricks. She is accompanied by Waters, who also plays in the Quartet with Paolo Fresu (trumpet), Tony Overwater (double bass) and Gilbert Paeffgen (drums/percussion). The performances are interspersed with answers to the question: “Why the songs of Fauré in a jazz setting?” Hendricks, meanwhile, contributes her thoughts on the power of song as a form of expression and means of communication.
Helene Grimaud: Living With Wolves
Film maker Reiner Moritz presents and intimate portrait of the pianist Hélène Grimaud that not only looks back to her childhood and explores her career as one of the world’s leading pianists, touring around the globe – but also shows her in her role as conservationist and founder of the Wolf Conservation Center in New York. The result is a film examining Grimaud’s special artistry within the context of her broader personality and life; featuring extensive performance footage, it offers a fascinating glimpse into what makes one of the most sought after pianists of her generation who she is.
Kurtag in Jerusalem
This remarkable film made in 1996 follows one of the world’s greatest living composers, György Kurtág, as he travels to Jerusalem share his wisdom in a series of masterclasses with young musicians at the Jerusalem Music Centre. A dedicated teacher, Kurtág helps the students get to the heart of his works, with an emphasis less on instrumental technique than on meticulous interpretation. The masterclass is followed by a concert given by the students, demonstrating the effect of Kurtág’s guidance. A fascinating insight into the composer, his work, and how he inspires musicians of the next generation.
Marta and Gyorgy Kurtag in Concert
When Márta and György Kurtág visited the Jerusalem Music Centre in 1996, it was to pass on their wisdom in multiple ways. On the first day, György worked with young musicians in masterclasses on his works. On the second, he and Márta offered a masterclass of their own in a very special concert featuring excerpts from the composer’s Játékok and a selection of his hauntingly beautiful Bach arrangements for four hands.