The internationally-acclaimed Ukrainian viola virtuoso, whose dark good looks have earned him the nickname of ‘the Paganini of our age’, is seen giving the Russian premiere of Schnittke’s Monologue and performing with the legendary pianist Sviatoslav Richter in the Pushkin Museum. In his Moscow flat, he discusses social and musical issues with other Russian artists and improvises on the viola. It transpires that The Beatles were the catalyst to his musical success!
Recital Cyprien Katsaris
Piano virtuoso Cyprien Katsaris plays Debussy’s Clair de lune from the Suite bergamasque, Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte, Saint-Saëns’ The Swan (arranged by Godowsky), Brahms’ Sonata No. 3 in F minor Op. 5 and his own composition to celebrate European unity, Fantasie sur des hymnes. Each performance is introduced by Katsaris, who illustrates his insights into the music at the keyboard.
Rossini The Chef
Rossini (1792-1868) was only thirty-eight when he stopped composing. Was he drained
of inspiration, or did he, as hearsay goes, devote the rest of his life to the culinary arts?
This light-hearted film, a subtle blend of fact and fiction, sets out in search of an answer.
Accompanied by a fea of his music and gathering opinions from a wide range of connoisseurs – from
chefs and sausage-makers to Pavarotti, Raimondi and Muti – the programme tracks the maestro
through Italy and uncovers a wealth of information.
Hindemith: A Pilgrim’s Progress
Hindemith’s symphonic suite, Mathis der Maler, forms the framework for Tony Palmer’s highly original film about the German composer, narrated by John Gielgud and Ronald Pickup. The music was inspired by the medieval painter Grünewald, who, like Hindemith (1895-1963), was an opponent of oppression in his day. Palmer uses tableaux vivants from Grünewald’s crowning achievement, the Isenheim altarpiece, archive film of Nazi Germany and readings from Bunyan’s A Pilgrim’s Progress, to make a powerful assault on the senses and the emotions.
John Ogdon
In 1962, the British pianist John Ogdon won the Tchaikovsky Competition along with Ashkenazy and embarked on a successful international career. Ten years later he was struck by a crippling mental illness from which he took many years to recover. This programme was made with Ogdon shortly before his tragic death in 1989, as his musical genius was beginning to reassert itself. It focuses on his overriding love for music and concludes with him improvising a new work at the piano.
An Evening with Francis Poulenc
An enchanting blend of music and documentary, this programme looks at the life, times and work of the French composer Poulenc (1899-1963). The framework for the programme is a reconstruction of a soirée typical of those frequented by fashionable society in the early years of the twentieth century. Poulenc’s work is performed by Paul Crossley (piano), Susan Milan (flute), Thomas Mohr (baritone), Ulrike Sonntag (soprano) and the Aulos Wind Quintet, with Anthony Spiri (piano).
Towards New Shores: Modest Mussorgsky
Night on a Bare Mountain and Pictures at an Exhibition are firm favourites in the classical repertoire but, like many of Mussorgsky’s famous works, they are rarely performed as he wrote them. This programme, filmed on location in Russia, examines why his genius has been so obscured. It focuses on the detective work undertaken by the Singer Yevgeny Nesterenko, and the British conductor, David Lloyd-Jones, to uncover the details of the life and work of Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881).
Karen Kain
This dance portrait celebrates the illustrious career of Canada’s prima ballerina, Karen Kain. Specially-filmed dance extracts from MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet, Petit’s Proust, Bruhn’s Swan Lake and Feld’s solo, Echo, showcase her superb technique, and she recalls her life in dance and her favourite roles. There are also contributions from fellow dancers, choreographers and critics, including Rudolf Nureyev and Reid Anderson.
Peter Dickinson
A series of major concertos written in the 1980s – one for organ, one for piano and
one for violin – established British composer Peter Dickinson as an important and individual
musical voice. This programme looks at his career and influences, particularly American music,
from Cage to Joplin. The second half of the programme consists of a complete performance of his
composition London Rags, performed by London Brass, for whom it was composed.
The New World Symphony Orchestra
The New World Symphony, the USA’s first permanent national training orchestra, was the inspiration of the celebrated American conductor, Michael Tilson Thomas. It enables the country’s finest musical graduates to be part of a musical community that lives and works together before they find full-time professional positions. This film joined Tilson Thomas and the orchestra as they prepared for their second concert season.