Documentary / Music
Welshman Sir Karl Jenkins is the most-performed living composer in the world. To mark his 70th birthday on the 17th February 2014, S4C broadcast a film portrayal of the pioneering musician in the programme Karl Jenkins: Pencerdd Penclawdd.
Himself
Composer
The film covers a hundred years in the lives of the Ricordi family, the Milan publishing house of the title, and the various composers and other historic personalities, whose careers intersected with the growth of the Ricordi house. It beautifully draws the parallel between the great music of the composers, the historic and social upheavals of their times, as well as the "smaller stories" of the successive generations of Ricordi.
With this performance of the Missa solemnis Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Honorary Guest Conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, once more attained the status of a living legend, due mostly to his wide-ranging expertise of music from the Baroque and Classical era. The highly acclaimed soloists are Marlis Petersen (Soprano), twice the singer of the year by the renowned Opernwelt magazine, Elisabeth Kulman (Alto), Werner Güra (Tenor), winner of the BBC Music Magazine Award for the best vocal performance, and Gerald Finley (Bass), Grammy-Awardwinner for the best opera recording. They are accompanied by the famous Netherlands Radio Choir.
Around 1536, at Windsor Castle, King Henry VIII of England fell in love with the young queen's lady-in-waiting, Jane Seymour. In order to free himself from his marriage to Anne Boleyn, the monarch decided to recall Anne's former lover, Lord Percy, from exile, as he still loved the queen. Both were unjustly sentenced to be beheaded for alleged adultery. The outcast Anne Boleyn spends her last moments in the Tower of London, from where she is led directly to the execution site...
Acclaimed pianist Víkingur Ólafsson shares his deep connection with music, from Icelandic songs to the works of Bach, Mozart, Rameau, and Philip Glass. He explores how these pieces shaped him and how his feelings differ when performing works like the Goldberg Variations or Bartok’s Folk Song. Ólafsson invites us into his world where musical knowledge, Nordic roots, and creativity merge in his interpretations.
Benjamin Britten's monumental anti-war oratorio from the Vladislav Hall of Prague Castle in memory of war veterans and victims. British composer Benjamin Britten wrote War Requiem in 1962 on the occasion of the restoration of the war-damaged cathedral in Coventry. He used the traditional, codified Latin text of the requiem – a mass for the dead – interspersed with verses by Wilfred Owen, a British officer who wrote his poems directly in the trenches of World War I. More than two hundred artists then joined their voices in the Vladislav Hall of Prague Castle as part of the Prague Sounds festival for a symbolic performance of the work, which is rarely performed due to its demanding nature and large cast.
Told in three unique stories, Songs of Love from Hawaii is a hybrid historical drama that uncovers the journeys of Hawaii's first Korean immigrants. From picture bride Lim Ok Soon to those isolated in Kalaupapa, their tales of love, sacrifice, and resilience come alive through stunning performances by world-class musicians and rare archival images against Hawaii's breathtaking landscapes.
Luminous choral music on the theme of peace, performed by one of the world’s finest choirs and recorded at Peterborough Cathedral. A hymn to tranquillity, the concert features music from across nine centuries, from the medieval abbess Hildegard of Bingen to Anna Clyne with a new work for choir and violin. There are also sumptuous works by John Taverner, Will Todd and Arvo Pärt in his 90th birthday year. The Sixteen is led by conductor Harry Christophers. Presented by Hannah French.
Zubin Mehta is one of the most charismatic conductors of our time. A citizen of the world with many facets: Indian culture and Parsi spirituality, North American lifestyle and European musical tradition. The portrait accompanies Zubin Mehta to current places of activity and important stages of his life. [arte.de]
