Soldiers of Music: Rostropovich Returns to Russia

Documentary showing the return to his native Russia of Mstislav Rostropovitch, includes extensive performance footage and coverage of political and personal matters for the cellist. This film is an account, in cinema verite style, of what happened when Rostropovich, along with his wife, the renowned soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, returned to the country that had stripped them of all rights to perform, demolishing their careers because they had dared to shelter and defend Solzhenitsyn. ACCOLADES: Jury Prize, Montreal; Emmy Award

Il Postino

Based on the popular 1994 Italian film, Il Postino by Daniel Catán stars Plácido Domingo as the poet Pablo Neruda for this exciting world premiere. In a tiny Italian fishing village, a shy young postman finds the inspiration to live out his dreams during his daily deliveries to his only customer, a famous poet.

New Year’s Eve Concert 1988

Salzburg, August 1988: the 17-year-old Evgeny Kissin meets the legendary conductor Karajan for a private audition, and his performance of a Chopin Fantasy brings the maestro to tears. A few months later, Kissin is at his side to perform Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto as part of a New Year’s Eve concert in Berlin. The success would follow the pianist for years to come: as he put it, “the miracle happened again. Still today, people speak to me about this concert.” (L’Express). Experience the archival film footage of his acclaimed performance from that day, which captures not just the astonishing virtuosity of a young Kissin, but also Karajan’s last appearance with his orchestra the Berliner Philharmoniker. Just seven months later, this “monster of classical music” (France Musique) would pass away at the age of 81.

Hayato Sumino at Budokan

Taking the concert world by storm, pianist and composer Hayato Sumino breathes new life into the term virtuoso. He is not just a pianist; he is a real phenomenon. He plays the piano at a world-class level, has a degree in engineering, composes, arranges and improvises and is also a real YouTube star with over 1.3 million followers under the name »Cateen«. His passion and spontaneity draw his fans to the concert hall, he bridges the gap between the social media world and impressive performances on all the world’s major stages like no other. In the summer, an extensive sold-out 24-recital tour of Japan culminated at Budokan (Tokyo), where he performed for more than 13,000 fans. His unique style blends classical virtuoso tradition with an arranger’s ear and breathtaking improvisational skills, allowing Hayato to share not only classical masterworks, but also his original compositions and arrangements with audiences across the globe, including his rendition of Ravel’s Boléro on two pianos.