Since 1957 the British painter has lived a reclusive life in America. He remains aloof from the art world and avoids association with the ‘isms’ of contemporary art, though he pioneered many of them – most notably Photo-Realism – and was once described by art critic Robert Hughes as “the man whose methods have been relentlessly plundered by a generation of artists”. In this programme, the elusive Morley talks at length about his art and is seen working in his New York studio.
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).
The Temba Theatre Company
Britain’s leading Black theatre Company has developed an impressively broad range of work, ranging from the classics to modern and political dramas. Temba’s research into the theatrical traditions of Africa and the Caribbean led to the creation of their production Glory, which draws on the spectacular and vivacious styles they discovered. This programme looks at the play and explores its roots in the company’s own history and in the West Indies.
Russell on Russell
Ken Russell’s tongue-in-cheek biopic – entitled Portrait of an Enfant Terrible – is his critique of his own career. The controversial film-maker traces his own life, covering his beginnings as an infant prodigy, his finest hours in the Battle of Britain and his life in entertainment. Lavishly illustrated with clips, the programme displays all the idiosyncracies viewers have come to expect from Russell: irreverence, theatricality and an ever-surprising visual inventiveness.
Barry Humphries
Barry Humphries’ creations, Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson, remain two of comedy’s most popular figures. In this programme, the elusive comedian talks at length about the early influences that led him into his extraordinary career. There is library film of Mrs. Everage’s early television performances in Australia, as well as footage of Dame Edna on stage and, naturally, the antipodean superstar appears in person to comment on her alter ego.
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.
Frans Hals of Antwerp
Frans Hals (1582-1666) was a portrait painter with a unique style, admired for its originality and vivacity. Very little documentation of his life has been found, so this film uses an extensive montage of his canvases as the key to his story. Works by the landscape artists and still-life painters of the day help create a picture of the age in which he lived, and the programme also explains the elaborate conventions of portraiture at that time.
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.
Jimi Hendrix
Great Documentary about Jimi Hendrix with Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Mitch Mitchell, Noel Redding, Chas Chandler and Jimi Hendrix. Melvyn Bragg as Presenter.
Hockey at the Tate
Since he burst on to the art scene in the mid-1960s, Hockney has become one of the most successful modern British painters and also a populär personality, known for his passionate and skilled advocacy of art. When London’s Tate Gallery staged a major retrospective of his work, Melvyn Bragg joined David Hockney for an exclusive private view of the exhibition and they were filmed discussing pictures from all stages of the artist’s remarkable career.