Matthew Hart has taken Sergei Prokofiev’s ever-popular piece for solo narrative voice and orchestra and made a delightful children’s ballet, danced in this studio recording by pupils from the prestigious Royal Ballet School, with the great Anthony Dowell as the Storyteller/Grandfather. Hart’s choreography and Ian Spurling’s designs give a contemporary feel to the traditional tale of the boy who saves his animal friends from a wolf. There is a captivating simplicity to their highly entertaining production.
Kurt Schwitters
Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948) scraped a living selling naturalistic paintings, while his ground-breaking collages, now recognised as some of the twentieth century’s most influential art works, were largely ignored. After his death, his legacy became the subject of one of the art world’s most acrimonious wrangles. With comments from some of the key players involved, the extraordinary tale of this scandal is told against the background of Schwitters’ difficult life and the innovative works he produced.
The Secret of Marcel Duchamp
Duchamp (1887-1968) was one of the most provocative and influential artists of the twentieth century. From 1923 onwards, he ceased to produce new work. Only after his death was the Etant Donnés revealed – an elaborate peepshow put together over twenty years. Including archive footage of the enigmatic artist himself, this programme explores the life and work of Duchamp, telling the story of a late love affair which affected him profoundly and inspired his final creation.
Howard Hodgkin
Howard Hodgkin is acknowledged as one of the most inventive and original colourists of the twentieth century. His paintings exist at the margin between representation and abstraction, bright mosaics shot through with glimmerings of recognisable form. They are immensely pleasurable and intended to be enjoyed. Impressionistic in style, this documentary presents a vibrant survey of Hodgkin’s work. Talking in interview, the artist reveals the passions and preoccupations that fuel his creativity.
In Rehearsal: Esa-Pekka Salonen
Featuring some of today’s leading conductors in rehearsal, this series gives a unique insight into the process of creating great music. The conductors’ very different styles and methods; the dialogue between an orchestra and an inspired interpreter; the intensity of the preparations for a concert performance; and the struggle towards perfection are captured in these revealing audio-visual records. Most episodes include a full run-through of the work rehearsed. All include interviews with the conductor who is seen at work. Esa-Pekka Salonen rehearses and performs Debussy’s impressionistic orchestral piece, La Mer, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Directed
by Peter Berggren 56′
Pulling Out the Stops – A History of the Organ
The organ is one of the oldest and most glorious musical instruments known to man. Since the early fifteenth century, its history has been closely linked with the religious setting in which it came to reside. Visiting churches in Italy, Spain, France, Holland, Germany and Switzerland, this series looks at the work of the great organ-builders of Europe. Leading organists demonstrate the magnificent range and beauty of this complex instrument’s sound, from sixteenth-century compositions to contemporary masterpieces, among them works by de Cabézon, Frescobaldi, Couperin, Sweelinck, Buxtehude, Bach, Widor and Messiaen.
Naked Nashville – My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
This hard-edged series probes behind the hype for the true story of country music in America. “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys” investigates why new and exciting Dale Watson and established 70s star Willie Nelson just can’t cut a record deal, whilst the MCA Records marketing machine gets to work on singer-songwriter Keith Harling.
Naked Nashville – I Won’t Die for any Man
This hard-edged series probes behind the hype for the true story of country music in America. I Won’t Die For Any Man follows three generations of Nashville women – Mindy McCredy, Reba McEntire and legend Tammy Wynette (whose last interview before her death finds her still having to work for a living).
Naked Nashville – Hillbilly Hollywood
This hard-edged series probes behind the hype for the true story of country music in America. Hillbilly Hollywood meets some of the hundreds of aspiring songwriters attending the 1997 annual Nashville Songwriters Seminar, who are looking to find future success without any heartache.
Double Life of Franz Schubert – A dramatisation of Schubert’s last years
This is a dramatic exploration of the life and works of Franz Schubert. Featuring excerpts from many of his compositions, the central narrative occurs during Schubert’s hospitalization for syphilis, the contraction of which was both a consequence of his darker inclinations and a spur to some of his greatest work. As the doctors diagnose Schubert’s symptoms, identify their cause and administer treatment, the composer conducts his own internal imaginative examination, a sometimes delirious and dreamlike evocation of the moments and music from his past life. The characters he recalls are his maverick friend and ‘Svengali’, Franz von Schober, his authoritarian father, his illustrious but conformist patron Michael Vogl and his unfulfilled love Karoline Esterhazy.