Schubert and His Music(1954)

Hudební jaro(cs)

David Oistrakh: Classic Archive(en)

DVD review DAVID OISTRAKH violin: EMI Classics Archive Series Bach A minor Concerto Allegro - Trio. Piu moderato Filmed London, May 1958

The Secret of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony(en)

Ian Hislop and John Eliot Gardiner reveal the story behind Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Described as the 'greatest 'great' piece ever written,' its opening notes are among the most recognisable in history. But no one really knows what Beethoven was trying to express with this piece. The traditional wisdom is that he is railing against fate and his deafness. But John Eliot believes the music expresses Beethoven's belief in the French Revolution. This is turbulent music from a turbulent man living in a turbulent age. John Eliot and Ian Hislop bring to life the exciting and dangerous times that shaped Beethoven personally and creatively.

Giacomo Puccini – Die dunkle Seite des Mondes(de)

High Fidelity: The Adventures of the Guarneri String Quartet(en)

Relationships, rehearsals, performances, hobbies, and family life of the members of the Guarneri String Quartet.

Jean-Sébastien Bach : "Jésus demeure ma joie"(fr)

Conducting Mahler(en)

Documents the interpretations of Gustav Mahler's compositions by conductors Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Riccardo Muti, Claudio Abbado, and Simon Rattle, who detail the special relationship they have with Mahler's work.

Scotland: Edinburgh, the Highlands and the Hebrides(en)

This fascinating musical exploration of Scotland retraces the journey taken in 1829 by acclaimed composer Felix Mendelssohn, which inspired some of his most famous works, such as the "Scottish" Symphony and "The Hebrides" overture. Travel from the majestic sites of the historic Edinburgh Castle, Scott Monument and Palace of Holyrood to the picturesque island of Staffa, home of the legendary Fingal's Cave.

Elgar: Fantasy of a Composer on a Bicycle(en)

Ken Russell revisits the life of Elgar, with musical background provided by the composer's works.

Chopin: The Space Concert(en)

200 years after Chopin's birth, the Space Shuttle Endeavour, like a giant piano, took the music of Chopin into orbit.

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: The First 50 Years(en)

Go behind the scenes with one of London's most important musical institutions.

Bach & Friends(en)

A two hour documentary on Johann Sebastian Bach. World-class musicians share their innermost thoughts and personal reflections on the power and genius of the most influential composer in history.

Simon Rattle: The Making of a Maestro(en)

This documentary portrait, the first television biography of Rattle for 15 years, follows him through an extraordinary year of concerts, oratorios and opera with five different orchestras. We see his rigorous preparation and experience his irresistible dynamism in rehearsal and performance. We will watch him at work with the Berliner Philharmoniker, often described as the world’s leading orchestra. We will also see him with the Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment and with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. We see him preparing a score for performance, share his experiences with the players and gain privileged insights into the day-to-day life of a conductor

Inside Karajan(en)

Very few people really knew Herbert von Karajan. The conductor gave access to his private life only a little circle of strictly loyal people who kept their secrets even long after the maestro’s death. This documentary for the first time shows in the whole dimension the real man Karajan: not only the image of a dandy that he himself had shown to the public, but the unfiltered image of his personality. Newly discovered original film footage from the inner circle shows Karajan’s private life like it really was.

Beethoven's Nine: Ode to Humanity(en)

Can a work of art remain relevant 200 years after its creation? Ludwig van Beethoven’s last completed symphony proves it’s possible.

Čekej mě, milý, s podzimem(cs)

Scenes from the life of composer Zdeněk Fibich accompanied by excerpts from his work in a poetic documentary... The story of the Czech artist is embodied in a single day in the life of his collaborator and lover Anežka Schulzová (Iveta Rálková). Between waking up in the morning and falling asleep at night, she brings fragments of her beloved man's life experiences to life in her memories. It is a drama of emotions that draws her into its trap. Fibich left the safe haven of his family for her love, seeking inspiration in passion and eroticism. This clearly tense human situation is complicated by Anežka's rival and Fibich's wife Betty.

O Thou Transcendent: The Life of Ralph Vaughan Williams(en)

Award-winning filmmaker Tony Palmer directs this riveting documentary on the life and times of influential English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. With archived performances by conductor Sir Adrian Boult and stirring musical passages from "The Tallis Fantasia" and "The Lark Ascending," among others, Palmer's film also features interviews with Vaughan and his beloved wife, Ursula.

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphonie Nr. 9 - Leipzig, Paris, Mailand, Wien(fr)

Conductors Andris Nelsons, Klaus Mäkelä, Riccardo Chailly, and Petr Popelka will take turns conducting the four movements of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. This concert event celebrates the bicentennial of the premiere of Beethoven's masterpiece.

Glenn Gould: On the Record(en)

This short documentary (the second of two parts) follows Glenn Gould to New York City. There, we see the renowned Canadian concert pianist kidding the cab driver, bantering with sound engineers at Columbia Records, and then, alone with the piano, fastidiously recording Bach's Italian Concerto.

Discovering Masterpieces of Classical Music: Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto(en)

Music historian Wulf Konold reveals the story behind Robert Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 54, in this program, which also features a performance of the piece by pianist Martha Argerich and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. This classical music guide explains the structure of Schumann's masterpiece and chronicles the composer's life and times, focusing on the events that led to the creation of his famous romantic concerto of 1845.