George London – Between Gods and Demons

George London was one of the most impressive bass-baritones of the postwar era. He sang on the side of Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi and Nicolai Gedda, to name only a few, and captured the audience’s hearts with his distinctive voice and his charismatic stage presence. Way too early he had to stop his singing career due to a vocal chord disease. The film portrays this exceptional artist in all its diversity, shows rare archive footage of his great performances as an opera singer but also as an interpreter of traditional spirituals and operetta. Another important element of the film are interviews with his widow Nora London, with former colleagues, experts and current stars of the opera scene as Neil Shicoff, Catherine Malfitano and Deborah Polaski, who have been taught by George London, supported in their career by the George London Foundation or see themselves as his followers.

Christian Thielemann – A portrait

This film by Bengt Wennehorst is a portrait of one of the absolute foremost and sought-after conductors of our time. With his own words, charm and humour, Christian Thielemann tells of his childhood and youth in the outskirts of Berlin, how he played the piano as a five-year-old and how, just as early on, he got to accompany his music-loving parents to concerts and opera performances once or twice a week. Extensive video material provides insights into his intensive rehearsal work and documents acclaimed concert and opera performances of his career. The portrait includes interviews with artists such as actress and director Katharina Thalbach, opera singers Anja Kampe and Renée Fleming and Albena Danailova, concert master of the Wiener Philharmoniker.

Becoming a Swan

It is no secret that becoming a classical dancer takes extreme passion, talent and discipline. This documentary whisks its audience away into the fascinating world of classical ballet and shows young dancers from around the world on their journey to fulfilling their dreams. The film follows young dancers from the Ecole de Danse de l’Opéra National de Paris, the San Francisco Ballet School and Bavarian Junior Ballet Munich, highlighting the contrast between their struggles and the unifying love of music and dance. Through their stories, the documentary explores the challenges of achieving discipline and perfection in ballet, questioning the impact of teaching methods, power dynamics, and physical tolls on their bodies. The film offers an open look at ballet schools in Paris, San Francisco, and Munich, revealing stark differences in their approaches.

The Haydn Expedition

Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen have a mission: to dispel the prejudice that Joseph Haydn’s music is boring – and so far, their passion seems to be contagious. The orchestra received the OPUS Klassik as well as the Gramophone Award in the category of best orchestra for their recording of Joseph Haydn’s London Symphonies 101 and 103. Filmed in Vienna, Bremen and Estonia, this documentary follows the conductor and orchestra as they work on their interpretation of Haydn’s London symphonies, giving insight into rehearsals, concerts and recording sessions. Paavo Järvi is a great champion of Haydn’s compositions and his enthusiasm for this often underrated composer shines through in this film.

Filippo Gorini – The Art Of Fugue Explored

A series modelled on the structure of J.S. Bach’s monumental work of piano literature, The Art of Fugue Explored takes each counterpoint as a starting point for conversations between pianist Filippo Gorini and eminent personalities of the contemporary world, to discover the many sides of Bach’s poetic and its influences on today’s culture. The 14 episodes, or Counterpoints, feature a variety of renowned experts from around the world: Alexander Polzin, Alfred Brendel, Peter Sellars, Frank Gehry, Steven Isserlis, Aleksandr Sokurov, Leila Getz, Alice Mado Proverbio, Dominique Edde, Marcus De Sautoy, Sasha Waltz, George Benjamin.

Cuban Dances – A musical roadtrip with Sarah Willis

After the brilliant success of her “Mozart y Mambo” project, Sarah Willis is returning to Cuba. This time the Berlin Philharmonic hornist sets out together with the “Havana Lyceum Orchestra” on a musical road trip to showcase the traditional Cuban music, bringing viewers and listeners into even more intense and lively contact with its roots and traditions. With them, the musicians bring a very special commissioned work: Sarah Willis has commissioned six young Cuban composers to compose a “Cuban Dance Suite” in six movements – for strings, Cuban percussion and solo horn in a fresh and modern adaption of traditional Cuban dances: Son, Danzón, Guaguanco, Cha-Cha, Bolero and Changüi. Each movements of the dance suite is premiered at the place it originated. The result is a composition in six movements that simultaneously draws a map of Cuba and its history. The “Cuban Dance Suite” not only provides the musical thread to the film, but also the road map for Cuba and its musical heritage.

Sonya Yoncheva & Vittorio Grigolo – Opera in Love

The setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet – the most famous of all love stories – is Verona. Here, in the Arena di Verona, Plácido Domingo, Sonya Yoncheva and Vittorio Grigolo put on an evening of the most magnificent arias of love, with pieces from operas by Puccini, Verdi and Gounod. In historical costume, the singers also re-enact scenes from Romeo And Juliet. A concert evening of love, lust and turbulent passions, with some tempestuous weather included in the price of the ticket.

Mozart y Mambo. A Cuban Journey with Sarah Willis

Mozart & Mambo: These musically irresistible encounters have been a long-cherished dream of Sarah Willis, hornist at the Berliner Philharmoniker, which came true with a grand concert in which she performs with the young musicians of the Havana Lyceum Orchestra and conductor José Antonio Méndez Padrón, as well as a Cuban salsa mambo band. A joint celebration of Mozart as never before seen and heard, including works such as Mozart’s beautiful Horn Concerto No. 3 and lots of Cuban rhythms! The documentary focuses on the musical challenge: European precision meets Cuban momentum. On the one hand, the rehearsal work is characterized by hard work, but also incredible fun with the music and the interaction of these two musical worlds on the other hand.