In 1827, a year before his death, Franz Schubert wrote one of his most important works: the Winterreise. In the song cycle the Austrian composer set the 24 poems of Wilhelm Müller to music and depicted the haunted soul and landscape of the state of…

Inspired by the Tea Ceremony, Tan Dun, the contemporary Chinese composer living in New York, wrote the opera “Tea”. Tea is a tragic love-story set against the background of Chanoyu, the Japanese tea ritual. In “Tea”, Tan Dun combines Eastern and…

Knowledge is the Beginning tells the story of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra where Arab and Jewish young people are sitting side by side. It illustrates how prejudices are surmounted during the rehearsals, the concerts and the laid-back…

The Gewandhaus Quartet consists of some of Europe's most prestigious musicians and is a favorite in classical music venues around the globe. It is the oldest, uninterrupted existing string quartet in the world. Founded almost 200 years ago, the…

Rebirth of an Opera: Persée in the Court of Atelier is a two-hour performance documentary focusing on the remount of a three hundred year old French Baroque opera based on the Greek Myth of Perseus and Medusa. Rehearsals and corresponding stage…

A dim light picks out the outlines of the hall. Suddenly a massive shadow appears and moves swiftly over to the keyboard, the only brightly lit surface to stand out from the large coffin-like box in the centre of the stage. There follows the vaguest…

In "Moro no Brasil“, the Finnish director, Mika Kaurismäki dives into the overflowing musical diversity of Brazil. Having got to know Brazil well during more than 12 years, Kaurismäki sets out on a 4000 km journey to discover local, popular culture…

At the age of 20, Robert Schumann decided to dedicate himself to music. He became one of the greatest composers of the romanticism. This documentary covers Schumann’s life from 1828 until his early death in 1856. Excerpts of productions with Leonard…

The focus of attention during the 10-day Bach festivities in the City of Leipzig, as well as of "24 hours Bach", was the live transmission of the Mass in B-minor from the Church of Saint Thomas. The performers include the Thomanerchor Leipzig and an…

They have not forgotten him, this son of the city, leading conductor and pianist, and indefatigable campaigner for international understanding through the spirit of music. Now, on the night of 19 August 2000, they have flocked in their thousands like…