Summary: Inspired by Paganini's dedication to a soloist instrument, the violin, Chopin decided early in his career to write only for piano. This beautifully produced program presents a biography of the Polish-born child prodigy and composer who blended Slavic influences into his works. Sketches, paintings, and cinematic treatments of Chopin and his times complement the music. Archival footage includes...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: The Rhapsody in B Minor requires a range of sensibilities, from lightheartedness to a propensity for shock value. In this program, virtuoso pianist Martino Tirimo leads an engaging master class at London's Royal Academy of Music-pushing his students to find the essence of the Brahms piece, while encouraging each performer to craft his or her individual approach. Artists from the United States,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: This is a performance of the Messiah in the original scoring, performed as Handel intended it, with much smaller resources than we have become accustomed to and, therefore, a perfect balance between a small chorus and orchestra. Roger Norrington conducts the London Baroque Players (comprising leading specialists in 17th- and 18th-century instrumental practice), the Cardiff (Wales) Polyphonic...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: Liszt frequently expanded upon the work of previous composers to create new musical forms. His transcription of Verdi's Rigoletto was part of a completely new style of piano composition. In this program, Martino Tirimo guides students toward a mastery of the Rigoletto paraphrase and an understanding of its compositional layers. Assembled at London's Royal Academy of Music, pianists from the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Handel always knew how to succeed. His Italian operas took London by storm, but when the public rejected music in foreign languages he gave them the oratorio in English. And when the Royal Academy of Music folded, Handel revived it under a scheme of subscriptions and box-office receipts and modern theater was born. This program traces Handel's distinguished career, focusing on his great output...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Flemish conductor Philippe Herreweghe is credited with restoring the freshness and purity of Baroque choral music. His ensembles, which embrace a wide variety of musical periods, have included Collegium Vocale Ghent, La Chapelle Royale, the Orchestre des Champs Elysees, the Jeune Orchestre Atlantique, and RIAS Kammerchor, and his artistry is a model for choral music worldwide. But above all he...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: This program illustrates how melody is used to move musical pieces along in one continuous flow. Beginning with a long, slow strain, we see and hear Ravel's melody progress through a series of changes and variations created by the addition of different instruments. The result is a musical piece replete with obvious shade and tone.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
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Summary: In this TEDTalk, Charles Hazlewood explores the role of trust in musical leadership, and then shows how it works as he conducts the Scottish Ensemble onstage. Hazlewood's idea is to break away from rigid and more coercive models of conducting to let performers shine, confident of a positive result. Hazlewood also shares clips from two musical projects based on his notion of trust: a Xhosa...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2011
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Summary: In this program, the Trio Solisti practice, interpret, and perform two of Beethoven's piano trios, the "Archduke" Trio and the "Ghost" Trio. Pianist Jon Klibonoff, cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach, and violinist Maria Bachmann discuss the challenges of transforming the composer's score on paper into a vibrant performance. Footage of their work sessions in the studio is mixed with highlights of their...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: This captivating program combines key scenes from Mozart's singspiel The Abduction from the Seraglio as performed at the spectacular Topkapi Palace with a documentary about the intricate process of rehearsing the production. A winner of the International Broadcasting Convention's Golden Rembrandt, the program also provides fresh insights into the personal life of Mozart, the history of the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: J. S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 takes on new life in this Emmy-nominated Discovery Concert(tm) Conductor George Marriner Maull and the Philharmonic Orchestra of New Jersey create an interactive experience through which spectators become intimate with the concerto's third movement and the structure of a fugue. Engaging the live audience in spirited conversation, Maull cajoles them into...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: In 1802, Beethoven faced the prospect of becoming deaf. But instead of causing defeat, that crisis triggered a season of transcendent creativity that changed the course of music history. In this program, pianist Mia Chung explores the innovations of Beethoven's genius in the face of enormous obstacles as she performs, deconstructs, and discusses two of Beethoven's most significant solo piano...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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Summary: Schubert's Impromptus allow the performer a chance to display considerable skill, but modern-day pianists have tended to neglect them. This program documents Martino Tirimo's spellbinding master class at the Royal Academy of Music, in which the B flat impromptu takes on a refreshing new shape and color. Pianists from the United States, Europe, and Asia immerse themselves in the beauty of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005