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.
Karajan in Salzburg
This film shows Herbert von Karajan rehearsing Don Giovanni and a Wagner concert for the Salzburg Festival. It is a deeply moving tribute to one of the greatest musicians of the century. As one of the highlights: Karajan and Jessye Norman performing Isolde’s Liebestod.
Horowitz plays Mozart
Legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz, conductor Carlo Maria Giulini and The Orchestra of La Scala perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major in a studio setting. The film also includes discussions, playback sessions and interviews. Nominated for Grammy Award in the Category “Outstanding Classical Program in the Performing Arts”: Peter Gelb (executive producer/producer), Susan Frömke (producer).
Karajan conducts Bruckner 8
Nearly a century after its premiere in Vienna in 1892, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 receives a brilliant interpretation by the great conductor Herbert von Karajan and the Wiener Philharmoniker—the direct orchestral descendant of the ensemble that gave the masterpiece’s very first performance! Encouraged by the triumph of his Seventh Symphony, Bruckner produced his Eighth after three years of intense work, pushed by the implacable conductor Hermann Levi to make so many revisions that it became a “suicidal obsession”. Even with Levi’s demands, the Eighth would prove to be one of the longest symphonies in the history of music!
A Reggae Session
Gathered together for one night in a lifetime, the legendary names of Reggae music and more met at Fort Charles, Jamaica, in a musical event that would reverberate around the world. For one night, the stars, spanning two generations, took the stage in a performance that would make Reggae history. On Stage: Jimmy Cliff, Toots Hibbert, Chrissie Hynde, Grace Jones, The I Three, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, The Neville Brothers, Carlos Santana, Sly & Robbie, and Bunny Wailer. Featuring: Coati Mundi, Tyrone Downie, and Stephen “Cat” Coore. Introduced by Neville Garrick. The Bands: 809 Band, Solomonic All Stars, Dallol and Oneness.