This programme records the meeting of two Russian musical giants, as Valéry Gergiev, the most charismatic and dynamic conductor of our day, rehearses, performs and discusses Stravinsky’s masterpiece. Innovative, inspiring and exhilarating, the Sacre du printemps is close to the maestro’s heart. Among a wide range of archive material used in the programme is a rare clip of Igor Stravinsky conducting the Sacre, as well as footage of him talking about his composition.
Gergiev conducts Debussy, Prokofiev and Stravinsky
The energy and excitement of performances under the baton of maestro Valéry Gergiev are thrilling. This concert, with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, was recorded live at the city’s Doelen Hall. The programme includes Debussy’s Fragments Symphoniques for D’Annunzio’s mystery play Le Martyre de St Sébastien, Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite, Stravinsky’s Fireworks and his Piano Concerto. The soloist for the concerto is the Georgian virtuoso Alexander Toradze, a singularly imposing figure at the keyboard.
Bernard Haitink
Bernard Haitink, a leading figure in international concert halls and opera houses, is one of the most sought-after Mahler and Bruckner conductors of our time. This biographical documentary follows him as he prepares for and conducts concerts, operas, sound and television recordings. Music highlights include extracts from works by Bruckner, Mahler, Mozart, Schubert and Wagner. Archive material illustrates his long and illustrious career and maestro Haitink talks at length about his life, his music and conducting.
Corps
Hans van Manen’s Corps takes its inspiration from Alban Berg’s elegiac Violin Concerto and reflects the ‘longing for’ and ‘taking leave of’ expressed in the music. The nervous restlessness and often aggressive pattern of the movements capture the impotent rage invoked by the death of a loved one. The corps de ballet plays a leading role, interacting with twelve male dancers and three female dancers. This performance by the Dutch National Ballet was recorded in studio and Gidon Kremer is the soloist with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis.
Symphony No. 2 in C minor
Bernard Haitink conducts the NOS Radio Choir and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor (Resurrection), recorded live from the Doelen Concert Hall in Rotterdam. The soloists are Charlotte Margiono (soprano) and Jard van Nes (contralto).
Fortepiano
In this documentary, which tells something of the history of one of today’s most popular instruments, several acclaimed pianists talk about their choice of piano and discuss the merits of using period keyboards when playing baroque and classical compositions. Lively musical illustrations are included.
Madrigals with the Consort of Musicke
Two concerts, recorded live from the Holland Festival of Early Music, feature the internationally-acclaimed ensemble conducted by lutenist Anthony Rooley, with soprano Emma Kirkby and guest performer, recorder-player Marion Verbruggen. The repertoire highlights the close musical links that existed between Holland and England around the beginning of the seventeenth century, and the influence of the Italian madrigal composers of the day. Programme One: Songs by Jacob van Eyck, Luca Marenzio, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, John Ward, Thomas Ravenscroft and John Dowland. Programme Two: Songs by Jacob van Eyck, Cornelis Schuyt, Peter Philips and Robert Jones.
Symphony No.3 “Eroica”
Frans Brüggen’s Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century consists of some forty-five musicians and the structure is based on the ‘luxury’ orchestras that flourished in Mannheim, Paris and Vienna in the eighteenth century. Specialising in the music of that era, the orchestra uses period instruments or copies of them. Their spectacular rendition of Beethoven’s Eroica has won them international acclaim. This live recording comes from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
The Begijnhof Academy: Baroque Music
The Dutch-based Begijnhof Academy is an ensemble of international musicians and singers who specialise in the performance of baroque music. In this recording, their musical director, Roderick Shaw, conducts performances of Henry Purcell’s My Heart is Inditing and Francisco Valls’ Missa Scala Aretina.
Via Crucis – The Fourteen Stations of the Cross
This performance by the Dutch Chamber Choir, conducted from the piano by Reinbert de Leeuw, presents a rare opporunity to hear Liszt’s moving late work. The recording was made at the Church of St. Peter in Utrecht and is rich in visual imagery, using costumed singers positioned in striking tableaux to enhance the music. Inspired by a series of paintings depicting the Stations of the Cross, Liszt’s piety expresses itself in a composition of unadorned simplicity.