Towards the end of 1976 Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman made a European tour together, playing duos for two violins and for violin and viola with Zukerman playing the viola part. The tour began with a concert in the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in…

A series of recitals by the master pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy at a new peak in his career. Both his audiences and the critics have been aware in recent years of new dimensions in Ashkenazy's playing. This may stem in part from his broadening…

Vladimir Ashkenazy has had a particular affection for the music of Rachmaninoff throughout his professional life, and his performances have long had the ring both of authenticity and of deep commitment. This is not surprising in a Russian-born and…

On the 17th of June 1986 Nathan Milstein, who was 82 years old at the time, gave his last public recital. It was a historic occasion and it took place 72 years after his famous first appearance in Leopold Auer's violin class in St Petersburg in 1914…

Following on from his "biography" of Claude Berri's French megahit movie, "Tchao Pantin", in this new film, Serge July investigates the life and times of Bernardo Bertolucci's controversial 1972 tragedy, "Last Tango in Paris". "Last Tango" is a noir…

The concerts of the new established Lucerne Festival Orchestra with Claudio Abbado as its conductor made triumphal headlines worldwide: from «the miracle of Lucerne» (Tagesspiegel) to «superbe et éphèmère» (Le Figaro). In Summer 2005 Claudio Abbado…

This 52-minute documentary tells the story of the conception, the filming, the Italian première, and the world-wide release of the film that has become a manifesto of Italian Neo-Realism, and which revolutionized cinematographic narration by…

In time for his 65th birthday in November 2007, Daniel Barenboim has completed a cycle of Beethoven's piano concertos. Recorded live at the prestigious Klavier-Festival Ruhr in May 2007, this recording reflects both a very individual and special…

This documentary is a testimony to the ambition to make ‘’a European film’’ that could compete against Hollywood. It is also an exceptional portrait of a director who was haunted by the game of chance, and coincidence.

For its 15th anniversary, the Verbier Festival has once again brought together the most prestigious artists in classical music. This series of TV programmes presents the very best of the 28 concerts.