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Danielle de Niese explores the lives and works of five female composers – from the Middle Ages to the late 20th century – who were famous in their lifetimes, but whose work was then forgotten. Western classical music has traditionally been seen as a procession of male geniuses, but the truth is that women have always composed. Hildegard of Bingen, Francesca Caccini, Clara Schumann, Florence Price and Elizabeth Maconchy – all these women battled to fulfill their ambitions and overcome the obstacles that society placed in their way. They then disappeared into obscurity, and only some have found recognition again.
Sir Hubert Parry is simultaneously one of Britain’s best-known and least-known composers. Jerusalem is almost a national song, regularly performed at rugby grounds, schools, Women’s Institute meetings and the Last Night of the Proms, while Dear Lord and Father of Mankind is one of Britain’s best-loved hymns. Everyone knows the tunes, yet hardly anyone knows much about the man who wrote them. In this film, HRH The Prince of Wales, a long-standing enthusiast of Parry’s work, sets out to discover more about the complex character behind it, with the help of members of Parry’s family, scholars and performers. This feature-length documentary by the award-winning director John Bridcut offers fresh insight into the life and work of Hubert Parry through the unique perspective of HRH The Prince of Wales.
Lennon exists timidly on the sidelines of the thriving Columbus indie music scene, yearning for a personal connection that might shepherd her into the cutting-edge art scene. Enter Bobbi Kitten, an enigmatic, striking and talented half of a popular indie pop duo, who takes Lennon under her confident wing—unwittingly entangling herself in a dark obsession.
The Kennedy Center Honors celebrates the lives and careers of actor, George Clooney; singer Amy Grant; singer Gladys Knight; composer and musician Tania Leon and the Irish music band, U2, with tributes and performances.
Three penniless artists become friends in modern-day Paris: Rodolfo, an Albanian painter with no visa, Marcel, a playwright and magazine editor with no publisher, and Schaunard, a post-modernist composer of execrable noise.
After selling out his world tour in record breaking time and receiving rave reviews, internationally renowned, award-winning musician, comedian, actor, writer and composer, Tim Minchin is back… Filmed in front of a live audience at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Back is a musical comedy spectacle of ‘Old Songs, New Songs, F*** You Songs’, showcasing material from all corners of Minchin’s eclectic repertoire. A hilarious display of his extraordinary wit, musical virtuoso, self-mockery and philosophical observations, Back is a truly unique and unmissable show.
Gabriella finds an unfinished symphony that was written by her late uncle Octave Barron who found inspiration through murder. Thrilled by it’s possibilities she hires Marius (Ben Cross) to complete the symphony. As he begins work on the piece he finds himself stuck in a bizarre murdering cycle handed down from the original composer.
A making-of documentary featuring interviews with actors Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton and Ken Foree; screenwriter Dennis Paoli; producer Brian Yuzna; film editor Lee Percy; composer Richard Band; foley artist Vanessa Ament; effects supervisors Michael Deak and Anthony Doublin; effects artists William Butler, Gabriel Bartalos, John Naulin and Robert Kurtzman
A short film by the United Jewish Appeal, directed by David Lowell Rich and starring Guy Madison, Felicia Farr and Agnes Moorehead, made by the core crew of many Columbia noirs, including cinematographer Burnett Guffey, art director Cary Odell, editor Al Clark, set decorator Frank Tuttle, and composer Morris Stoloff.
Takes a look at the life of the talented musician and composer, saxophonist Maria Faust. The film closely follows the birth of three works and how Maria’s personal experiences are reflected in her work.
A Student’s Romance was based on the operetta I Lost My Heart in Heidelburg, which in turn owed a lot to that old chestnut The Student Prince. In 1825, impoverished composer Max (Patric Knowles) enrolls at Heidelburg University. Local girl Veronika (Carol Goodner) falls in love with Max, helping him to finance his education and clear his debts. Alas, Veronika is left out in the cold when Max becomes enamored with gorgeous tourist Helene (Grete Natzler). Little does he know that Helene is the daughter of the Grand Duke (Ivan Simpson), meaning of course that their romance is doomed to disappointment. Leading lady Grete Natzler later changed her screen name to Della Lynd, and under that cognomen co-starred with Laurel & Hardy in Swiss Miss (1938).
A sonic innovator or an expert on chance? This documentary by Oscar-winning director Allan Miller and Emmy-winner Paul Smaczny pays tribute to the most fascinating American avant-garde composer. Shot in America, Germany and Japan, ‘Journeys in Sound’ premieres rare archival footage and features associates of John Cage and contemporary artists.
ZERO DEGREES is a remarkable collaboration between four of today’s most respected artists. Moroccan-Flemish SIDI LARBI CHERKAOUI is well known for his work with Les Ballets C. de la B. while AKRAM KHAN is world renowned for developing his own ‘contemporary Kathak’ style, winning numerous awards. For ZERO DEGREES they bring their unique styles together in this spellbinding piece of dance. Mercury Award winning composer/producer NITIN SAWHNEY adds his own East-meets-West sound with a specially commissioned score played live by four musicians, and Turner Prize winner ANTONY GORMLEY has contributed the staging – two life-size casts of the dancers. ZERO DEGREES explores borders – between countries, cultures and, most importantly, between life and death. It challenges, prompts and inspires, in a seamless fusion of dance styles, music and contemporary art.
Oscar winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto weaves man-made and natural sounds together in his works. His anti-nuclear activism grew after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, and his career only paused after a 2014 cancer diagnosis.
Hans Zimmer is one of the most successful film music composers working today. His multi-award winning career reaches back to the mid-eighties and he has developed close working relationships with renowned directors such as Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Michael Bay, Ron Howard, Gore Verbinski and Christopher Nolan. His credits include some of the biggest blockbuster movies of all time along with acclaimed TV series such as The Crown and Planet Earth II. This concert was filmed on 7th May 2016 in Prague during Hans Zimmer’s hugely successful European concert tour. Hans was accompanied by a band, orchestra and choir, 72 musicians in total, including guitarist Johnny Marr. The staging was spectacular with a ground breaking light show, stunning visuals and a state of the art sound system. Hans Zimmer performs on multiple instruments and gives introductory insights to many of the pieces during the concert. This show is a treat for lovers of both great music and great movies.
The daughter of a musical mentor adores a promising composer, who is quite fond of the adolescent. When her father dies, an uncle arrives with his own grown daughter, who begins a romance with the composer which culminates in marriage but creates an emotional rivalry that affects the three.
A woman in Canada abused by her aunt falls in love with a foreign composer looking for inspiration, who comes to find it in her and the star-crossed romance that develops between them.
An adaptation of the eponymous song by Renato Russo, a famous Brazilian singer and composer who in the style of Bob Dylan knew how to delight crowds by telling stories and singing with his lyrics. Focusing on the love story of outlaw João do Santo Cristo with Architecture major student Maria Lúcia, the movie takes place in Brasilia in the early 80s. In a clash of interest, drug dealers and the police conflict with one another,while the end of the military dictatorship in the Capital of Brazil, Brasilia takes place. The wanderings and tedium of a young rocker, who lived in a city still being built, are the backdrop for this story.
The feature-length documentary “Forgotten Scares” goes back to the birth of Flemish horror in the ’70s and shines a bright light on the future of horror in Belgium. The viewer gets a chance to discover long forgotten – and even unfinished – genre gems and learn in-depth info about underrated ‘splatter and gore’-fests, post-apocalyptic movies, slasher-films, nazisploitation, women-in-prison and other fantastical Flemish genre benders through the eyes of the directors, producers, composers, principal actors and genre experts. “Forgotten Scares” is illustrated by rare behind the scene footage, classic film scenes, production stills, promotional art and even never before seen videos out of the vaults of the filmmakers.
Composer Adrian Ellis attempts to score the strangest film with the strangest possible instruments-including power saws, hammer drills, fishing wire and crowbars. A creative documentary about the power of experimentation.
The European premiere of the opera by the contemporary American composer John Adams, with libretto by Peter Sellars, in a co-production of the San Francisco Opera (where the work premiered), the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and De Nederlandse Opera. The plot focuses on the great stress and anxiety experienced by those at Los Alamos while the test of the first atomic bomb (the “Trinity” test) was being prepared.
A composer struggling with writer’s block receives inspiration from a ravenous parasite.
One night from his 1996 Cosmic Jam tour at the Bloomsbury in London in which Bill explains the seminal influence of cockney knees-up music upon classical composers through the ages and takes a shot at Bryan Adams.
A musical documentary about the life and work of composer Charles Fox, known for pop hits such as ‘Killing Me Softly with His Song’, ‘I Got a Name’, ‘Ready to Take a Chance Again’, and iconic television show themes for Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat and Wonder Woman.
Randy Schoenberg (grandson of the famous composer) and his 18-year-old son Joey journey through Europe and the centuries to reclaim 500 years of family history.
A look at the life and work of the Austrian composer who pioneered the musical scoring of films – hundreds of them – from King Kong, to Gone with the Wind, to Casablanca and beyond.
In a world filled with Noise, there is another Sound worth Hearing, and her name is Rachel Flowers. “Hearing is Believing” introduces the world to the life and music of the multi-talented 23-year old musician and composer, Rachel Flowers.
The story of a German singer named Willie who while working in Switzerland falls in love with a Jewish composer named Robert whose family is helping people to flee from the Nazis. Robert’s family is skeptical of Willie, thinking she could be a Nazi as she becomes famous for singing the song “Lili Marleen”.
In 1830s France, pianist/composer Frédéric Chopin is pursued romantically by the determined, individualistic woman who uses the name George Sand.
Composer Johann Sebastian Bach is introduced to King Frederick II of Prussia in 1747. The aging composer and the young monarch clash and a battle of egos ensues.
A falsely convicted man’s wife, Catherine, and an alcoholic composer and pianist, Martin team up in an attempt to clear her husband of the murder of a blonde singer, who is Martin’s wife.
A 48-year-old homeless singer and composer receive a cryptic message that makes him believe he has been visited by the Virgin Mary.
A piano composer’s family moves into a new house; when his pregnant wife collapses from working to support the family, he hires a hot housemaid to help with housework.
Acclaimed composer Michael Giacchino made his directorial debut with Marvel Studios’ Special Presentation “Werewolf by Night.” This behind-the-scenes special explores Giacchino’s vision, style and approach to bringing the chilling story to life, as well as offering an insider’s look at the between-the-scenes making of “Werewolf by Night.”
Young lovers Orfeu and Eurydice run through the favelas of Rio during Carnaval, on the lam from a hitman dressed like Death and Orfeu’s vengeful fiancée Mira and passing between moments of fantasy and stark reality. This impressionistic retelling of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice introduced bossa nova to the world with its soundtrack by young Brazilian composers Luiz Bonfá and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
The film is biographical, telling the story of the life and artistic struggles of the French composer Hector Berlioz. Berlioz is shown as a recalcitrant medical student in an anatomy class dreaming of becoming a composer; at a demonstration during a performance at the Paris Opéra conducted by Habeneck; at supper with other young artists (Hugo, Janin, Dumas, Mérimée, Delacroix); and chasing after his future wife Harriet Smithson, after a performance of Hamlet. Also depicted are his life in a garret, while suffering from an illness due to an abscess in the throat; a visit from his mother who curses him; and the composition of the Symphonie fantastique. The film then shows his marital breakdown, the premiere of his opera Benvenuto Cellini, his travels throughout Europe, his second marriage to Marie Recio (called “Marie Martin” in the film), public acceptance in old age and reconciliation with his son.
A young composer and double bass virtuoso, who returns to Romania after studying in Vienna, is arrested by the political police soon after getting engaged and taken to the Pitesti prison, where a brainwashing and torture-based experiment is under way. The horrible communist experiment, copied after the Soviet model, is headed by the much-feared Ciumau.
A female rock band acquires an infamous composition by Niccolò Paganini that was used in satanic rituals. When the band decides to record the song and film a video in Paganini’s old mansion, the spirit of the deceased composer is summoned and the band unlocks a portal to Hell.
What would it sound like if the national anthem was written today? Anthem follows composer Kris Bowers and producer Dahi on a musical road trip across the country to reflect on “The Star-Spangled Banner” to find out.
