Classical Music (Documentaries)

A 1991 Art Documentary hosted by James Buswell. This fascinating documentary on the life and music of Johann Sebastian Bach also explores the social, political and aesthetic forces in Germany during his time (1685-1750). Performances by soloists and ensembles, as well as commentary by distinguished Bach scholars, enliven the film. Violinist James Buswell, long identified with Bach's music, acts as both host and performer. The story of Bach's life is told by visiting each German city where the composer lived, studied or worked, from Eisenach where he was born, to Leipzig where he died at the age of sixty five. Each location represents a turning point in his growth and musical development. As the documentary unfolds we are treated to several fine performances, including one by the boys choir of the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. Supporting Mr. Buswell's interpretation are discussions by such well-known experts as Christian Wolff, Hans-Joachim Schulze of the Bach Archive in Leipzig, Paula Sutter Fichtner, a historian at City University of New York, and Blanche Honneger Moyse of the New England Bach Festival. Part 2: https://rumble.com/v725pe4-the-stations-of-bach-part-2.html

Extra Material

A 2022 Documentary directed by Joachim Thôme. Audio in French with subtitles in English, Italian and Spanish (click on CC for subtitles). In a mixture of music and narrative, this film tells the story of the Franco-Flemish musician Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594). The works of this major Renaissance composer are just as fascinating as his moving life story. Celebrated throughout Europe during his lifetime, he travelled widely and not always willingly as he was kidnapped as a child chorister – not unusual at the time – for his exceptional singing voice.

A 1997 RM Arts Arts Documentary narrated by Tim Hardy. The organ is one of the oldest, most complex and most glorious musical instruments known to man. The four-part series tells the history of this magnificent instrument, displaying the beauty of the sound it produces, the wealth of music written for it, the craftsmanship involved in building such a complicated and often ornate structure and the wonderful settings in which it has come to reside. The journey takes us from Italy, Spain, Germany and France to discover and listen to the changes that make up the history of this wonderful instrument. Episode 1: Starting out in the Verona workshop of Bartolomeo Formentelli, this episode travels through Italy, Spain and France to trace the origins, history and development of the organ. It encompasses the classical sobriety of the Italian style, the Golden Age of the organ in sixteenth-century Spain, and the French style of the eighteenth century. Featuring music by Pierre Attaignant, Antonio de Cabezón, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Francisco Correa de Arauxo, François Couperin, Nicolas de Grigny and Louis-Claude Daquin

Episode 2: Focusing on the influence of the great German school of organ builders in Northern Europe, this episode was filmed in The Netherlands and Germany. With the advent of the Lutheran reforms in the church, the organ became an increasingly widespread and important part of religious worship. The development of organ music from Sweelinck, the ‘maker of organists’, through Buxtehude to the golden age, in which the genius of Johann Sebastian Bach is highlighted, is shown. Featuring music by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Dietrich Buxtehude, Matthias Weckmann and Johann Sebastian Bach. Organists: Gustav Leonhardt, Bernard Foccroulle, Hans Heintze Episode 1: https://rumble.com/v3d7v06-a-history-of-the-organ-latin-origins-episode-1.html

Episode 3: This episode focuses on the first half of the 18th Century - the Golden Age of organ music. The French and German school of organ production is presented and works by Marchand, Dandrieu and Johann Sebastian Bach will be played. Featuring music by Louis Marchand, Johann Sebastian Bach and Jean-Francois Dandrieu. Organists: Xavier Darasse, André Isoir and Gustav Leonhardt

Episode 4: Tracing the organ’s development, from the beginning of the nineteenth century to the present day, this episode visits France and Switzerland. The impact of changes in society, tastes and musical styles, as well as technological advances, are examined and illustrated with music by Charles-Marie Widor, Max Reger, Olivier Messiaen and Jehan Alain. Organists: Marie-Claire Alain, René Saorgin, Louis Robilliard and Xavier Darasse

A 1997 Teldec Classics International production, in association with IMG Artists. Produced by Marcos Klorman, directed by Peter R. Smith. Narrator, Michael Letchford. Most of the audio is in English, subtitles hardcoded. The Art of Conducting (Legendary Conductors of a Golden Era) has longer portraits of six major conductors of the twentieth century: Sergiu Celibidache, Wilhelm Furtwangler, Erich Kleiber, Willem Mengelberg, Evgeny Mravinsky, and Charles Munch. Also includes rare film clips of Herbert von Karajan, Hermann Scherchen, André Cluytens, and Václav Talich. Archival footage is complemented by first-hand recollections of these conductors by people who knew them; Yehudi Menuhin, Daniel Barenboim, Bernard Haitink. Peter Andry, Alexander Barantschik, Walter Barylli, Otto Edelmann, Vic Firth, Yuri Grigorovich, Bernard Haitink, and Evgeny Mravinsky. Music Content: -Herbert Von Karajan - R. Strauss -Vaclav Talich - Dvorak -Hermann Scherchen - Kalinnikov -Andre Cluytens - Ravel -Evgeny Alexandrovich Mravinsky - Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich -Erich Kleiber - Beethoven, J. Strauss II -Willem Mengelberg - Berlioz, Bizet, Weber -Wilhelm Furtwangler - J. Strauss II, R. Strauss -Charles Munch - Franck, Debussy, Ravel, Berlioz -Sergiu Celibidache - Beethoven, R. Strauss, Dvorak Participants: - Sergiu Celibidache with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of Süddeutscher Rundfunk, and the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra - Wilhelm Furtwängler with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra - Erich Kleiber with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic, and the Berlin Staatskapelle - Willem Mengelberg with the Concertgebouw Orchestra - Evgeny Mravinsky with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra - Charles Munch with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Hungarian State Orchestra - Herbert von Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra - Václav Talich, Hermann Scherchen, and André Cluytens with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

A 1994 Documentary Film narrated by Michael Gambon. Directed by Gerald Caillat, Sue Knussen and Peter R. Smith. Additional interviews, as an extra bonus material, at the end of the documentary. This is a fascinating documentary on some of the greatest conductors of all time. A unique program featuring sixteen of the great conductors of the last century in rehearsal and performance. Revealing archive footage is complemented by first-hand recollection's of these legendary conductors by some of the most eminent musicians. With commentary by John Eliot Gardiner, Isaac Stern, Jack Brymer, Sir Thomas Beecham, Yehudi Menuhin, Oliver Knussen, Suvi Raj Grubb, George Szell, Bruno Walter, Otto Klemperer, Hugh Bean, Werner Tharichen, Richard Mohr, Leopold Stokowski, Julius Baker, Herbert von Karajan. Featuring in archive footage: Thomas Beecham, Leonard Bernstein, John Barbirolli, Fritz Busch, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Richard Strauss, Arthur Nikisch, Serge Koussevitzky, Otto Klemperer, Jascha Heifetz, Arturo Toscanini, Herbert von Karajan, Serge Koussevitzky, Georg Solti (in TV Broadcast version), Marsha Hunt as Nora Ryan (in clip from 1947 film Sinfonie eterne 'Carnegie Hall'), Leopold Stokowski (Clip from 1947 film Sinfonie eterne 'Carnegie Hall', Frank McHugh as John Donovan (in clip from 1947 film Sinfonie eterne 'Carnegie Hall'), Bruno Walter, Felix Weingartner.

A 2018 France TV History Documentary hosted by Stéphane Bern. Audio in French with English subtitles. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is considered a universal genius, whose fate continues to intrigue. In Austria, Stéphane Bern goes to discover the wonders of baroque art, the sumptuous Viennese palaces, the most beautiful operas in Europe, and the Palace of Versailles where, at the age of 6, he had surprised Louis XV with his precocity. An independent and daring traveler, Mozart refused to comply with the demands of the Court and became one of the first "free lance" musicians in the history of music. “Secrets of History” also lifts the veil on his numerous amorous conquests and on the mysteries surrounding the circumstances of his death.