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…

The impressive and breathtaking scenery of the wild-romantic Roman quarry of St. Margarethen provides the perfect and unique backdrop for these live-recording of a colourful open-air staging of Georges Bizet's Carmen - one of the most popular works…

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…

Michel Legrand ranks amongst the greats of film composing through a distinguished career that spans half-a-century and over 200 films. His attributes range from singer, jazz- pianist, songwriter to conductor, actor, screenwriter and film director -…

Composed by Jean Baptiste Lully for Louis XIV, Persée is widely recognized as Lully's greatest creation and was considered the crowning achievement of 17th century French music theatre. Filled with dancing, fight scenes, monsters and special effects…

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…

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…

When renowned jazz pianists of the old and new school meet at a "Solo Piano Summit," audiences are treated to many an interesting musical surprise. The "Solo Piano Summit" brings together a handful of top pianists with different musical backgrounds…

In 2001, during the Verdi commemorative year, some of the finest singers of our time assembled in Parma to honour the maestro’s memory in a gala of distinguished singing art. From the start, Verdi had the opera composer’s most necessary gift, the…

The film tells the story of classical black singing set against the background of black emancipation in politics and society. We hear the great Afro-American singers talk about their views. Historical and contemporary film extracts.