On the day of the open-air performance of Vincenzo Bellini’s opera ‘Norma’ in 1974, a severe storm is blowing through the city of Orange in southern France. The much-anticipated event may have to be called off at the last moment. All the while, in the spectacular Roman amphitheatre, nine thousand spectators await Montserrat Caballé in the title role of Norma. In the face of these adverse conditions, the singer and musicians nevertheless decide to perform. It will be a legendary evening of music. For this film, Montserrat Caballé’s brother, Carlos Caballé, has given the first interview since the death of his sister in October 2018. Carlos had accompanied her throughout her life and was also in attendance for the rehearsals and performances in Orange in 1974. Soprano Sonia Yoncheva and Olga Peretyatko tell of their admiration for “La Superba”, as Caballé was known to her fans. And just a few short years after this performance, Maria Callas would describe Caballé her as her true successor – high praise indeed.
Magic Moments of Music – Martha Argerich in Warsaw
Martha Argerich’s appearance at the 1965 Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw marks the beginning of an incomparable career. With her flowing hair and impetuous and mysterious demeanour, the 24-year-old Argentinian conquers the hearts of everyone present. For much of the competition, however, her victory is far from certain. Her closest competitor is Arthur Moreira Lima from Brazil. It comes down to the final performance of Chopin’s First Piano Concerto, and a legend is born. The film includes excerpts from the dramatic musical duel between Martha Argerich and Arthur Moreira Lima, and from Martha Argerich’s interpretation of Chopin’s First Piano Concerto in Warsaw forty-five years later. We also hear from close friends of Martha Argerich, including the conductor Daniel Barenboim, pianists Gabriela Montero and Sophie Pacini, violinist Gidon Kremer, her competitor Arthur Moreira Lima, the Polish star pianist Rafal Blechacz, who won first prize in the Chopin Competition in 2005, and other people present at the competition in 1965.
Beethoven’s Ninth – A Symphony for the World
To this day, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 is one of the most popular pieces of classical music in the world. But what is it about this global hit? The film charts the success of the symphony around the globe and encounters passionate amateur musicians and musical personalities. Watch as Greek conductor Teodor Currentzis works on Beethoven’s Ninth with his ensemble, MusicAeterna. Follow Chinese composer and Oscar winner Tan Dun as he creates a new composition inspired by the great Beethoven symphony. Experience the Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as they play the Ninth. Visit a favela in Brazil, where Beethovens’s music helps people get off the streets. Be amazed as a choir of 10,000 in Japan sings the final chorus of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, with great enthusiasm. Learn how Paul Whittaker helps make Beethoven accessible for deaf people. And find out how British DJ Gabriel Prokofiev performs a symphonic remix of Beethoven’s Ninth.
Eschenbach conducts Schönberg & Brahms
To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, conductor Christoph Eschenbach conducts Arnold Schoenberg’s “A Survivor from Warsaw” and Johannes Brahms’ “A German Requiem”, with the NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic and Choir as well as soloists Michael Nagy and Aleksandra Zamojska. Both works carry a profound emotional depth and humanistic message. Schoenberg’s “A Survivor from Warsaw” is one of the most significant compositions by this leading avant-garde artist of the early 20th century. And of his “German Requiem”, Brahms once said that he “would gladly omit the word ‘German’ and simply use ‘Human,’” emphasizing his desire for it to be seen as a “human requiem”. PROGRAM Schönberg: A Survivor from Warsaw; Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem
Magic Moments of Music – The New York Philharmonic in Pyongyang
In 2008, the New York Philharmonic accepted an unexpected invitation to Pyongyang. 55 years after the Korean War, American musicians set foot on North Korean soil for the first time. Under chief conductor Lorin Maazel, they perform Dvorák’s ‘From the New World’ in front of an initially icy and formal audience. The Korean folk song ‘Arirang’ finally breaks down all barriers. This magic moment is a historic concert that transcends borders and shows how music can unite people where politics fails.
Magic Moments of Music – The Four Seasons recomposed by Max Richter
Turn old into new – a tried and tested approach, but can you do the same with Vivaldi’s legendary Four Seasons? Organist Anna Lapwood’s answer is clear: ‘Nothing is off limits!’ After the release of his album ‘Recomposed’, composer Max Richter initially expected fierce criticism. But the opposite happened – he hit a nerve: over 450 million streams, concerts in classical halls as well as in clubs such as Berghain Berlin or Poisson Rouge in New York, and the distribution of individual tracks in the Bridgerton series testify to the success of the reinterpretation. What’s touching people when they hear ‘Recomposed’? In this magic moment, prominent artists and contemporary witnesses embark on a journey through the music, recall performance challenges and personal highlights, and explain how the British composer Max Richter put his hand to the 300-year-old work.
Asmik Grigorian – The Kaunas Concert
In January 2025, Lithuanian star soprano Asmik Grigorian performed in Kaunas, in one of the most beautiful cathedrals of her homeland. With sacred opera arias and orchestral songs by Verdi, Bellini, Komitas, and others, she enchanted an enthusiastic audience. Joining her in this concert are the fantastic Ukrainian tenor Dmytro Popov and the charismatic cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper. Under the baton of Constantine Orbelian, the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra and the Kaunas State Choir make this concert an unforgettable experience. 63′ is an Asmik Grigorian only version.