Spira Mirabilis is an extraordinary new project drawing together some of Europe’s finest youngplayers. It offers a radical new approach to classical music making. Mostly in their 20s and 30s, these young musicians created a dimension in which to…

Sviatoslav Richter (1915–1997), one of the greatest pianists of all time, breaks his lifelong silence and allows himself to be interviewed for this autobiographical fi lm. We see his life on an epic scale as he evokes his wild childhood, his…

New Year’s Eve Concert 2014 opens with Sir Simon Rattle conducting music by Rameau: a suite of instrumental pieces from the opéra-ballet Les Indes galantes show French Baroque music at its finest. For his appearance at this year’s New Year’s Eve…

Uwe Scholz, ballet director in Leipzig, was hailed as one of the most brilliant choreographic minds of his generation when he died in November 2004 at the early age of 45. His ballet “The Great Mass” is one of the most impressive works of this…

Without a doubt the compositions of the uncrowned king of film music, Ennio Morricone, have left an indelible mark in the minds of moviegoers all over the world. This concert performance includes music, as emotionally thrilling as it is artistically…

The turbulent life of the Dutch spy and dancer Mata Hari is at the heart of this large-scale ballet production by Dutch National Ballet. As the exotic, mysterious Mata Hari, she became one of the most famous dancers of her day. She travelled…

Martha Argerich has long been hailed as one of the greatest and most uniquely imaginative pianists. She is most admired for the pure joy of her music-making and her individual approach to each work, each situation and each audience. A wild child and…

A Ghost Light – a single lamp that illuminates the stage when rehearsals or performances are finished – is part of a long theatrical tradition. Legend says that originally, the night light was for the ghosts of former artists so that they may cavort…

Garrick Ohlsson, the winner of the 1970 Chopin International Competition, joins Antoni Wit and the Warsaw Philharmonic to play both of Chopin’s piano concertos. A magnificent pianist, Ohlsson is one of the most celebrated Chopin interpreters and his…

A film by Paul Smaczny and Maria Stodtmeier. Venezuela's unique system of music education takes children from violent slums and turns some of them into world-class musicians. "El Sistema" shows how Venezuelan visionary Jose Antonio Abreu has changed…