Hindemith: A Pilgrim’s Progress

Hindemith's symphonic suite, Mathis der Maler, forms the framework for Tony Palmer's highly original film about the German composer, narrated by John Gielgud and Ronald Pickup. The music was inspired by the medieval painter Grünewald, who, like Hindemith (1895-1963), was an opponent of oppression in his day. Palmer uses tableaux vivants from Grünewald's crowning achievement, the Isenheim altarpiece, archive film of Nazi Germany and readings from Bunyan's A Pilgrim's Progress, to make a powerful assault on the senses and the emotions.