It was a unique coming together in Vienna in 1984 when enigmatic pianist Krystian Zimerman and charismatic maestro Leonard Bernstein stepped onto the stage and in front of the cameras to perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2. The result was indeed a magic moment of music and a landmark in the career of Krystian Zimerman. In this episode Zimerman gives a rare interview, and for the first time in a TV documentary, speaks in detail about the background to the concert recording and why the collaboration with Leonard Bernstein radically changed the course of his artistic life. Eminent colleagues including Hélène Grimaud and Igor Levit as well as close confidants of Leonard Bernstein such as the conductor Marin Alsop and his former assistant Charlie Harmon also tell us what makes this concert a great moment for them.
Magic Moments of Music – The Centenary Ring in Bayreuth 1976
Uproar, disruption, violent dispute – this was the response to the much-anticipated centenary of the Bayreuth Festival in 1976, which presented a new production of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. But before Pierre Boulez could step up to the conductor’s podium and the curtain could rise on Bayreuth’s Green Hill for Patrice Chéreau’s bold new production, the festival was rocked by artistic and political upheaval. The film tells how one of the greatest scandals in opera went on to become one of the greatest musical moments in history.
Magic Moments of Music – Rubinstein plays Chopin
In April of 1975, a piece of music history is filmed in London’s Fairfield Hall: the legendary pianist Arthur Rubinstein wants to leave a legacy to the world. 63 years after he made his debut there, 88 year old Rubinstein returns to London to record Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto, completely without an audience, especially for the cameras, with the London Symphony Orchestra under conductor André Previn. Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto has accompanied him throughout his life. Rubinstein dominated the world stage for three quarters of a century and lived life to the fullest as a connoisseur, globetrotter and notorious womaniser. Although he claimed to practice as little as possible, he would go on to become one of the most important pianists of the 20th century and described himself as “the happiest man I ever met in my life”.
Magic Moments of Music – Anna Netrebko & Rolando Villazón sing La Traviata
The performance of La Traviata at the 2005 Salzburg Festival drew attention from all over the world: It is not the first time on stage together for Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón in the leading roles – but it is here in Salzburg that they finally rise to superstardom. Each are brilliant on their own, but under the direction of Willy Decker, they shine above all as a couple, playing to the fantasies of the audience. Opera stars had never before been so up-close and personal, and had never been so present in the media. Previously unseen rehearsal scenes and interviews with Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazon, Thomas Hampson and Willy Decker bring this magic moment of music to life.
Sound of Freedom
The Soundtrack to Liberty – From the French Revolution to fall of the Iron Curtain. Music can move, comfort and encourage like no other medium. Social upheaval and political songs have marched hand in hand since the French Revolution, probably even before then. Music is a tool for mobilisation. It is the embodiment of the ideals and the hope for a better life. It galvanises the oppressed, spurs on the resistance and fires on the revolutionaries. The two part documentary Sound of Freedom goes back to the roots of this music of hope, rebellion, of the mavericks and the oppressed. This is the first time the sound of freedom and protest is being considered in its full historical context; not just within the microcosm of the Sixties and the civil rights movement, but with the narrative arc stretching from the 18th century to the present day. Part I: From the chansons of the French Revolution to the labour movement and the resistance against the Nazi Regime / Part II: From the hymns of the civil rights movement and the fight against apartheid to the call for sexual freedom and equality
Magic Moments of Music – Anne-Sophie Mutter and Herbert von Karajan
This series is dedicated to stellar musical events that gripped the whole world and remained unforgettable until today – with touching interviews of today’s artists, celebrities and eyewitnesses. Anne-Sophie Mutter’s and Herbert von Karajan’s version of the Beethoven Violin Concerto. Interviews with Anne-Sophie Mutter, Lisa Batiashvili, Robin Ticciati, Wilfried Strehle
Magic Moments of Music – Horowitz in Moscow
This series is dedicated to stellar musical events that gripped the whole world and remained unforgettable until today – with touching interviews of today’s artists, celebrities and eyewitnesses. Horowitz in Moscow – after 60 years absence from Russia, the pianist returned to his home country for the first time. Interviews with Peter Gelb, Martha Argerich, Daniil Trifonov and Sophie Pacini.
Magic Moments of Music – Berlin Wall Concert
This series is dedicated to stellar musical events that gripped the whole world and remained unforgettable until today – with touching interviews of today’s artists, celebrities and eyewitnesses. The Berlin Philharmonic’s legendary Berlin Wall Concert under the baton of Daniel Barenboim in November 1989. To get in, East German citizens just had to show their identity cards. Queuing started outside the Philharmonie at five in the morning, many spent the night on the parking lot in their Trabi cars. Interviews e.g. with Daniel Barenboim, Walter Momper
BACK HOME in Georgia – Khatia Buniatishvili and Zubin Mehta
They have known each for a long time and performed many concerts together: the pianist Khatia Buniatishvili and the conductor Zubin Mehta. Perhaps that is why they can be so open with each other during rehearsals of Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A-Minor. Back Home with the two musicians and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Georgia under special conditions. The rehearsals in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, take place in the great music hall. The concert two hours drive away under the open skies of Tsinandali – a brand new concert place, built up to the very last minute.
Gozo – One Island, Two Opera Houses
Grand opera in an unlikely setting. The small island of Gozo (right next to Malta) has 30,000 inhabitants and two opera houses. This means it has more opera per square mile than any other place in the world. The organization, the staging, and much of the singing are all done by amateurs. The only trouble is, there is no love lost between the two houses. There are two conductors, two choruses, two teams of stage workers and organizers and behind it all two rival clans whose sole ambition every year is to come out on top in the great operatic singing match. But there is one thing they do have to share: the orchestra. Malta only has one to its name. In the middle of the fray we find Maltese star tenor Joseph Calleja. As a teenager he earned his singing spurs in Gozo, and now he comes back to the island every year to act as a mediator. The film observes opera-crazy volunteers and amateur musicians engaging in the annual tussle for the best Verdi performance in the Mediterranean and international tenor Joseph Calleja doing his level best to keep things from getting out of hand. A film about no-holds-barred commitment, a passionate love of music, and how cut-throat rivalry can bring forth genuine art.