The G minor Symphony is undoubtedly Mozart’s most popular work in this genre. What makes it so exciting to us – and what endeared this work to 19th-century audiences – ar its relentless passion and Romantic tension. The very first bars set the scene: above a nervous, pulsating viola accompaniment enters an equally agitated principal theme. There is nothing spectacular here, and yet the “piano” beginning – unusual for an 18th-century symphony – and the insistent rhythm are nothing less than gripping. The mastery with which Mozart then contrapuntally exploits the opening theme is simply bgreathtaking – particularly in the development section, which darts out into the most distant keys. After the profoundly touching Andante and uncompromising Minuet, the fiery Allegro assai, with its extravagant modulations in the development section, provides a worthy counterpart to the first movement. Nikolaus Harnoncourt (born in 1929) is one of the most profound and intriguing conductors of our time. Considered one of the world’s leading specialists of Baroque music, he has long since turned his attention to Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and even to Jacques Offenbach and Johann Strauss. He spent many years as a cellist with the Wiener Symphoniker before founding the “Concentus Musicus Wien” with his wife Alice in 1953. It soon became one of the world’s most respected ensembles specializing in the performance of early music on original instruments. In the 1970s, Harnoncourt joined forces with Jean-Pierre Ponnelle to stage a series of Monteverdi operas at the Zurich Opera House. This universally acclaimed cycle contributed to a renaissance of Monteverdi’s music and set standards for early Baroque performance practice. Harnoncourt later began to turn his attention more and more to the music of Mozart, whom he considers “the most romantic of all composers”. His concept of Mozart’s music ran counter to the prevailing 20th-century views, however. He sees Mozart’s music as “dramatic, dynamic, often directly and highly emotional.” The Vienna Philharmonic, known for its suave and gracious Mozartian interpretations, initially rebelled against Harnoncourt’s unconventional approach. Yet the compellingness of his vision soon came to be accepted and shared by all members of the orchestra. In this recording, Harnoncourt conducts the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
Hommage à Séville
Götterdämmerung
In 1988, conductor Daniel Barenboim, stage director Harry Kupfer, set designer Hans Schavernoch and costume designer Reinhard Heinrich came to Bayreuth to realize their vision of Wagner’s Ring. They firmly turned away from the work’s time of origin and set their sights on a “critique of the history of mankind and of the entire evolution of culture, the destruction of which we are actively furthering” (Kupfer). While Wagner’s “critique of mankind’s destructive frenzy, its coldness and alienation” (Kupfer) was rooted in Germanic mythology, Kupfer’s team locates its Ring in a present that also embraces the past and the future. The place where present, past and future converge is the “road of history”, which sets the scene for struggles of power and love, and takes us straight into the depths of the human psyche. “Harry Kupfer has created a production of great coherency, hard, cutting, transparent, which will delight those who see in Wagner a contemporary and will displease those who consume Wagner like some consecrated artifact in a museum. The entire mythological apparatus is demolished bit by bit: what remains is what Wagner himself wanted: the ‘pure humanity’ of the myth. […] The entire ‘Ring’ unfolds like an intellectual adventure that provokes unforgettable emotions.” (La Repubblica)
Das Rheingold
In 1988, conductor Daniel Barenboim, stage director Harry Kupfer, set designer Hans Schavernoch and costume designer Reinhard Heinrich came to Bayreuth to realize their vision of Wagner’s Ring. They firmly turned away from the work’s time of origin and set their sights on a “critique of the history of mankind and of the entire evolution of culture, the destruction of which we are actively furthering” (Kupfer). While Wagner’s “critique of mankind’s desructive frenzy, its coldness and alienation” (Kupfer) was rooted in Germanic mythology, Kupfer’s team locates its Ring in a present that also embraces the past and the future. The place where present, past and future converge is the “road of history”, which sets the scene for struggles of power and love, and takes us straight into the depths of the human psyche. “Harry Kupfer has created a production of great coherency, hard, cutting, transparent, which will delight those who see in Wagner a contemporary and will displease those who consume Wagner like some consecrated artifact in a museum. The entire mythological apparatus is demolished bit by bit: what remains is what Wagner himself wanted: the ‘pure humanity’ of the myth. […] The entire ‘Ring’ unfolds like an intellectual adventure that provokes unforgettable emotions.” (La Repubblica)
Paula Rego
The Portuguese painter Paula Rego’s work has been described as dealing with all aspects of the human comedy from a female perspective. She now lives in the UK and spent a year working at the National Gallery in London as their first Associate Artist. This exploration of her inspiration and influences, shot on location in Portugal and England, surveys her art, focusing on the paintings she produced using the National’s collection as a source.
Prokofiev – The Prodigal Son
This revealing and evocative docu-drama about Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was commissioned especially for television from the highly regarded Russian film-maker Andrei Nekrasov. He uses a cast of fine Russian actors, together with archive film clips and Prokofiev’s own writings, to tell the story of the composer’s life and career in his homeland and in the West. Voice-over narration describes events and sets them in context. The Kirov Opera Orchestra, conducted by Valéry Gergiev, plays Prokofiev’s music.
Jirí Kylian
The acclaimed Czech choreographer Jirí Kylián worked with the Nederlands Dans Theater for over twenty years and, under his direction the company established an international reputation. This intimate portrait charts his career, shows him at work, illustrates the development of his choreography with extensive extracts from his ballets, and includes archive film and contributions from colleagues. Kylián also talks about the evolution of his work.
Songs of Experience – Sir Michael Tippett at 85
This profile of Sir Michael Tippett (1905-98), one of Britain’s foremost twentieth-century composers, was made with him during the rehearsals and first performances of his opera New Year. He talks about many of the important events in his life and about the sources of his inspiration, above all, his longing for peace and beauty in a world torn by violence and oppression. Tippett describes his approach to composition and is seen rehearsing his Triple Concerto for a planned recording.
Kiri Te Kanawa – A Concert Special
At a spectacular open-air concert in New Zealand, Dame Kiri sang music ranging from Puccini to Gershwin to an audience of over seventy-five thousand. A year later she performed a programme of Handel and Mozart for an invited audience at the Wren chapel of the Royal Naval College in London. Highlights of these two quite different, but equally memorable, occasions are brought together in this concert special, which showcases the unique beauty and versatility of Dame Kiri’s voice. This delightfully varied programme of music includes the famous soprano aria ‘Tu che di gel’ from Puccini’s Turandot; ‘O mio babbino caro’ from the same composer’s Gianni Schicci; Mozart’s ‘Exsultate Jubilate’; a traditional Maori song; and ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ from the musical My Fair Lady.
Seamus Heaney
The Irish poet Seamus Heaney was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995, confirming his stature as one of the greatest poets writing in the English language today. This film looks back over his career and presents a rare opportunity to hear him discussing his work. It focuses on his volume Seeing Things, in which he returns to the rural childhood territory of his early work. Readings of Heaney’s poems are intercut with a central interview, which is also illustrated with footage of the Irish landscapes that have inspired him.