Excitement after a spectacular open-air concert. At the 1990 Football World Cup, the three tenors, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti met the first time together with the conductor Zubin Mehta for an extraordinary musical experience. Six thousand excited live viewers and one billion watching on television. The beginning of a new era of classical music. In the following years, the 3 Tenors held audiences around the world under their spell in over thirty performances. They helped to bring about an unexpected flourishing of classical music. The concert in the Caracalla Baths of Rome was the Birth of a Legend. The programme interweaves performance and background information, including previously unseen material.
Birth of a Legend – The Three Tenors
In July 1990, on the eve of the World Cup final in Italy, something happened that would change the world of classical music forever. Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and José Carreras, the three greatest tenors of their generation, appeared on stage together: the premiere of the legendary all-star formation ‘The 3 Tenors’. This historic concert in the antique Roman Baths of Caracalla marked the beginning of a new era in classical music.The ‘3 Tenors’ were more than just a musical event; they were a cultural phenomenon. Hundreds of thousands of spectators in sold-out stadiums and millions of television viewers around the world were enchanted by these extraordinary voices. The passion, dedication and virtuosity they brought to the stage made people’s hearts beat faster and tears of emotion flow. The 3 tenors changed the image of classical music, overcoming the boundaries between genres and inspiring a wide audience with the beauty and fascination of opera and classical music. This programme shows highlights from the Baths of Caracalla and also from the concerts with which the 3 Tenors celebrated triumphs around the world from 1996 onwards. With impressions from rehearsals and the tour, a variety of insights behind the scenes and statements by Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, José Carreras and the conductor Zubin Mehta, the film conveys all the magic of this classical music legend.
Abbado in Berlin – The First Year
The vote was over, and a decision had been made: Claudio Abbado was the new chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker. So it was in 1989, when – for the first time – the orchestra itself decided who was to be its leader. The result was a surprise for the music world – and also for Abbado himself. This documentary from 1990 traces the first year of the new chief conductor in Berlin, the special atmosphere of new beginnings and the diverse expectations the musicians had of Herbert von Karajan’s successor. Other than this, many insights are provided into the first artistic projects of the new man at the helm, starting with the rehearsals for Mahler’s First Symphony with which he ushered in his tenure in December 1989. We are also taken behind the scenes to see among other things Abbado’s first visit to Karajan’s room – which was now to be his – and to a first birthday party with the musicians of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Of course, the members of the orchestra have their say, and tell of their hopes and what they expected of their new boss. Even today, these impressions convey the special magic that was in the air at that time.
Vocal Perfection – The Tenor Nicolai Gedda
The Swedish-born lyrical tenor Nicolai Gedda is considered one of the greatest tenors of the 20th Century. From the time of his debut in 1952 right through his unprecedented career for half a century, he took the world’s stages by storm and recorded more than 200 albums which made him the most recorded tenor in history.
Crossing Borders: Daniel Barenboim
This three-part documentary accompanies outstanding artist Daniel Barenboim on his quest into the social meaning of music and the secrets of sound. Part 1: Music and Politics (55′ min) // Part 2: Musical Approaches (28′ min) // Part 3: Part 3 Music and Taboo (28′ min / UPCOMING 58′ min).
Glenn Gould – Russian Journey
The date is May 2nd, 1957. Stalin died only four years before and perestroika is still a long way off. However, the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould, who is just 24, arrives in Moscow for an exceptional tour: he is the first North American musician to play behind the iron curtain. Witness accounts from musicians such as Ashkenazy and Rostropovitch, the original recordings of his concerts in Moscow and Leningrad, as well a recording that had never been released before of his lecture-recital in Leningrad make this an invaluable documentary revealing a whole side of Glenn Gould’s past few people are aware of.
Riccardo Chailly – A Portrait
Riccardo Chailly is one of the most exciting musicians of our time. This very first portrait shows him working with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and other leading orchestras, accompanies him on tour and with his family in Italy. It delineates the artist, the conductor as well as the husband, (grand)father and patriarch. It shows him in private settings as well as at work with leading orchestras of the world: With the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig he continues his acclaimed Mahler cycle; his passion for opera is documented in Valencia, where he recently produced Puccini’s “La Bohéme” with young vocal talents (cf. Puccini, La Bohème from Valencia. Prog. No. A93050003).
The Colón Ring – Wagner in Buenos Aires
To honor Richard Wagner’s 200th birthday, Latin America’s famous opera house in Buenos Aires hosts a one-of-a-kind project: Performing Wagner’s powerful music drama “The Ring of the Nibelung” on stage in a single day. The documentary film “Der Colón Ring – Wagner in Buenos Aires” (The Colón Ring – Wagner in Buenos Aires), directed by Hans Christoph von Bock, follows each step of the unusual production. The film aims to entertain viewers while showing them how Wagner’s vision of “The Ring of the Nibelung” emerges as a Gesamtkunstwerk and an all-encompassing live theater experience.
Paths Through The Labyrinth – The Composer Krzysztof Penderecki
On the occasion of Penderecki’s 80th birthday in 2013, this film portraits the artist with a comprehensive ‘work in progress’ documentary: despite his growing age, Penderecki is still an unflinching and active composer and conductor. For one year, the author Anna Schmidt has been studying this world-famous artist, speaking also with high-carat companions: Anne-Sophie Mutter, Julian Rachlin and Janine Jansen, Mariss Jansons and Lorin Maazel; Johnny Greenwood (“Radiohead”) and Andrzej Wajda. The film follows Penderecki from Kraków to Munich, from Vienna to Leipzig, and on various occasions to his country estate in Luslawice. And throughout, the composer reflects on the meteoric beginning to his career, unexpected turning points in his life and ingenious ideas. Thoughts, dialogues, extracts from his music and film scores, encounters and the natural world all condense to create a fascinating, multi-layered portrait including also very rare archive material.
Daniel Hope: The Secrets of the Violin
There is faking and haggling, lying and betrayal in THE SECRETS OF THE VIOLIN. It is all about a lot of money. Fans pay up to 20 million euros for one of such rare instruments of Antonio Stradivari (1644 – 1737) or Giuseppe Guarneri, also known as ‘del Gesu’ (1698 – 1744). Violins, violas and cellos are supposed to be the most beautiful instruments in the world – perfectly constructed, sought-after and very expensive. No wonder they attract the most glamorous personalities: kings, famous violinists, millionaires, Russian oligarchs, serious dealers in art but also many fraudsters and swindlers. Star violinist Daniel Hope knows this scene like no one else. Together with him, we enjoy an exciting endeavour, as we discover the world of the super-rich collectors and world-famous violinists as well as the secrets and the history of string-instruments. (Length: 3 x 30′ // 1 x 60′)