There is faking and haggling, lying and betrayal in THE SECRETS OF THE VIOLIN. It is all about a lot of money. Fans pay up to 20 million euros for one of such rare instruments of Antonio Stradivari (1644 – 1737) or Giuseppe Guarneri, also known as ‘del Gesu’ (1698 – 1744). Violins, violas and cellos are supposed to be the most beautiful instruments in the world – perfectly constructed, sought-after and very expensive. No wonder they attract the most glamorous personalities: kings, famous violinists, millionaires, Russian oligarchs, serious dealers in art but also many fraudsters and swindlers. Star violinist Daniel Hope knows this scene like no one else. Together with him, we enjoy an exciting endeavour, as we discover the world of the super-rich collectors and world-famous violinists as well as the secrets and the history of string-instruments. (Length: 3 x 30′ // 1 x 60′)
R. Wagner: The Ring from the Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires
To honor Richard Wagner’s 200th birthday, Latin America’s famous opera house in Buenos Aires hosts a one-of-a-kind project: Performing Wagner’s powerful music drama “The Ring of the Nibelung” on stage in a single day. Stage Director Valentina Carrasco, who has worked with the award-winning Catalonian theatre group “La Fura dels Baus” for the past ten years, transposes the “Colón Ring” into the 1970s – the period of Argentina’s military dictatorship. Symbols of that age are seen on the costumes, while the characters also make references to the period in their behavior and gestures. LENGTH: Part 1 – 83’ // Part 2 – 112’ // Part 3 – 72’ // Part 4 – 122’ / Also available: DOCUMENTARY – The Colón Ring – Wagner in Buenos Aires by Hans Christoph von Bock (90′).
Stravinsky in Hollywood
Stravinsky in Hollywood explores the short-lived film career of this legendary composer, it is the story of his trials and tribulations with the Hollywood Studios, the story of an ‘old school’ European artist knocking heads with the brash New World. Igor Stravinsky lived in the heart of Hollywood from 1939 until shortly before his death in 1971 – longer than in any other single place. He came expecting to find lucrative work composing for the movies. The 60-minute film uses a combination of existing archival footage (some of it never before seen), contemporary interviews with experts in the field and living movie composers, and scenes from several big studio films of the 40s brought together – for the first time – with the music which Stravinsky wrote for them.
RCO: Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducts Bruckner 5
After the acclaimed maestro Nikolaus Harnoncourt led the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in a performance of the Third Symphony back in 1994 and of the Fourth in 1997, he returns with Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony. Bruckner wrote his Fifth Symphony in Vienna, the city in which he composed most of his symphonies. The work stands out from the others, however, in that its general profile is more cerebral than mystical. Yet even in this impressive feat of contrapuntal technique, the divine light of Bruckner’s intense faith still shines through.
RCO: Giovanni Antonini conducts works by Bach, Haydn and Mozart
Italian conductor Giovanni Antonini, one of the leaders of the Italian period instruments movement, conducts the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra performing music by Bach, Haydn and Mozart. —– PROGRAM: Johann Sebastian Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 1 / Joseph Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 2 / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 38
RCO: Mariss Jansons conducts Strauss and Tchaikovsky
Mariss Jansons conducts Richard Strauss’ famous tone poem “Tod und Verklärung” together with Tchaikovskys famous 5th symphony and a work by Dutch composer Johan Wagenaar, who died in 1942 and who’s music was considerably influenced by Richard Strauss. —– PROGRAM: Johan Wagenaar: The Taming of the Shrew / Richard Strauss: Tod und Verklärung / Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
Sound of the Sidewalks
You can find them standing in walkways, in front of bars or in the Paris metro, playing rock music, classical, Latin American or Caribbean rhythms on the world’s largest public stage: the street. This series is dedicated to street musicians in Europe ‘on the road’ with artists of life, dropouts, and virtuosos. Some of the résumés that can be discovered here are incredible, touching, and yet written by life. Whether getting up in the morning in Paris in search of a suitable location for the next performance, in dispute with the local authorities in Cologne or on nightly strolls through the lonely streets of Amsterdam, the camera is always there, allowing the audience to participate in the lives of these artists of life.
RCO: Iván Fischer conducts Beethoven – The Complete Symphonies
Starting in 1922, the Concertgebouw Orchestra performed a Beethoven cycle at the end of each season, during which all the symphonies – and other works too – would be performed, often in quick succession. The cycle was interrupted for the first time in 1957 for three performances of Beethoven’s Missa solemnis. The tradition then began to dwindle, with the last Beethoven Series performed in 1978. Now for the very first time, the orchestra will be performing all the symphonies in a single cycle, spread out over two seasons, under the direction of Iván Fischer. Approx. 06:00:00.
Dudamel conducts the Verdi Requiem at the Hollywood Bowl
“Gustavo Dudamel puts an intimate flourish on Verdi’s Requiem”, the Los Angeles Times writes about Dudamel’s performance of Verdi’s Requiem at the Hollywood Bowl. “A page was turned and a new chapter begun in the maturation of a music director.” Dudamel is joined by a cast of high-class singers: Ildebrando D´Arcangelo, who regularly performs at La Scala, the Wiener Staatsoper, London’s Royal Opera or the Salzburg Festival, the upcoming star tenor Vittorio Grigolo, who regularly guests at La Scala, Covent Garden, the MET etc., Michelle DeYoung, who performs with leading orchestras like the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra etc., and Julianna Di Giacomo, who regularly guests at the MET, the LA Opera an other international opera houses. Also available: Making Of (18′).
Khatia Buniatishvili – Mind in the Wilderness
Khatia Buniatishvili’s playing has been described as having ‘an aura of elegant solitude and even melancholy. It’s a perfect characterization of the pianist with such a wide palette of expression. Khatia Buniatishvili commands a natural musicality. ‘Force of nature’, ‘Spiritedness’, or ‘Infinite freedom’ are frequently mentioned attributes on her interpretation. Buniatishvili’s artistic approach to making music is undoubtedly associated with the Romantic tradition, always maintaining a fine balance between unhinged wildness and lyrical introspection. The repertoire comprises cheerful moments, melancholic passages and nocturne-like episodes: virtuously brought to life throughout a concert experience with a great quality of intimacy and generous ardour. —- Works by Bach, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Kancheli, Brahms, Ravel, Grieg, Händel, Liszt, Dvorák, Buniatishvili, Pärt, Ligeti.