For the Love of Mahler presents a portrait of the famed French-American music historian Henry-Louis de La Grange, now 90. The film joins him on his annual migration from Marrakech to Paris and to Toblach in the Italian Alps, while he busily works on revising his epic four-volume biography of Gustav Mahler. How Mahler’s music inspired his life, and how Henry-Louis channeled what could have been a self-indulgent obsession into a lifetime of groundbreaking discoveries, famous friendships and award winning accomplishment, demonstrates the remarkable power of music to change lives.
Magic Moments of Music – Lang Lang at Carnegie Hall
Lang Lang chose a wide-ranging program for his solo debut in 2003. After a more classical first half with works by Robert Schumann and Joseph Haydn, he interprets the Chinese composer Tan Dun after the intermission, finally culminating with Franz Liszt’s Don Juan Fantasy. Even as a small boy, Lang Lang is drilled to be a pianist by his father: He is to become the best piano player in the world. He is rarely allowed to see his mother so that she does not keep him from practicing. When he invites his father on stage at the end of his Carnegie Hall debut to improvise together on a Chinese folk song, one chapter of life ends – and a new one begins. This defining moment deals with the difficult relationship between freedom and the sacrifices we make for it. Lang Lang lives his father’s dream, which becomes his own dream. It is about musical perfection and personal relationships, about virtuosity and emotions – themes that are reflected in Lang Lang’s performance and in his life. Not only for Lang Lang himself, but also for his long-time companions such as conductor Christoph Eschenbach, composer Tan Dun and his teacher Gary Graffman, this concert was a magical moment. Pianist Claire Huangci has also known Lang Lang since a young age, and Bruce Liu is currently considered the new shooting star on the piano. Together with audio producer Christian Gansch and body language expert Stefan Verra, they retrospectively classify Lang Lang’s legendary recital evening.
Magic Moments of Music – Hélène Grimaud 9/11 in London
On 11 September 2001, the world paused. This concert at the Royal Albert Hall shows how grief and horror can be transformed into a musical moment of glory, and how music can be a means of consolation in these tragic moments. Hélène Grimaud makes her Proms debut with the Orchestre de Paris under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach. The musicians enter the stage visibly affected and discharge their anger and sadness in their playing. Hélène Grimaud succeeds in a deeply emotional interpretation of Beethoven’s 4th Piano Concerto. Her playing alternates between intensity and clarity. The wordless communication with the maestro is moving, not least after the first movement: the moved audience partially breaks into applause – Grimaud and Eschenbach cast emotional and assuring glances at each other. They know at that moment: This evening gets under your skin and will not soon be forgotten.
Lang Lang – Goldberg Variations – Finding the Inner Voice
At a time of personal change, star pianist Lang Lang fulfills a long-held dream and takes on one of the greatest challenges of the classical repertoire: Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Legendary in their length and difficulty, the 30 variations are technically demanding and when performed together, span almost 90 minutes. On this very intimate journey of rediscovery, Lang visits mentors, friends, and Bach experts, travelling through time and to various cities to find deeper connection to both the composer and the historic colossus of music literature. Follow in an open conversation as he develops his interpretation and encounter a new Lang Lang, who is more experienced, more thoughtful, more transparent, and more concentrated.