Carlos Kleiber, the eccentric and reclusive conductor par excellence, is remembered as much for the rarity of his appearances as for the brilliance of his interpretations. In marked contrast to his contemporary Herbert von Karajan, Kleiber refused to participate in the international music business – as well as in most interviews. Accordingly, Kleiber the Man and Kleiber the Musician have remained an elusive mystery that this new documentary, following extensive research amongst the conductor´s musical companions, collaborators and friends, sheds light upon. Featuring Riccardo Muti, Otto Schenk, Ioan Hollender, Sir Peter Jonas, Michael Gielen, Ileana Cotrubas and many more as interview partners as well as several musical excerpts of previously unseen footage. “What the film … conveys is the tremendous emotion that Kleiber produced in people or, rather, that he stirred up in them.” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
The Composer Krzysztof Penderecki – Paths through the Labyrinth
Even at over 80 Krzysztof Penderecki is still an unflinching and highly active composer and conductor. Director Anna Schmidt followed Penderecki’s paths for a year – in the process interviewing such worldfamous artists as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Julian Rachlin and Janine Jansen as well as Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) and legendary film director Andrzej Wajda. As a result, Paths Through the Labyrinth has become a comprehensive “work in progress” documentary, accompanying Penderecki from Kraków to Munich, from Vienna to Leipzig, and to his private country estate. Throughout, the composer reflects on his beginnings, the turning points in his life and the world of his ideas. Thoughts, dialogues, encounters and extracts from several famous Penderecki compositions coalesce into a fascinating, multilayered portrayal of one of today’s most influential musicians.