Six great composers, six landmark symphonies, a top orchestra and its star
conductor - these are the components of an extraordinary classical-music
television event. Shot in High Definition, it takes a bold and innovative
approach to the recording of classical music. Boom and tracking shots,
quick cuts, remote-controlled cameras - stylistic means previously used
chiefly for pop music recordings give the programs an up-to-the-minute look
and feel. A team of more than 30 specialists makes sure that viewers enjoy
a truly cinematic experience.
The programs also go new ways by featuring entertaining, historically
founded animated sequences illustrating episodes from the lives of the
composers. Backstage interviews with the musicians and excerpts from their
rehearsals let us share in the spirit of their music-making. Conductor
Kent Nagano also relates what is of special importance to him in each work,
and offers fascinating insights on the origin and context of the work
in question.
Kent Nagano is one of the most successful and high-profile conductors of
today. He has led all the major orchestras of New York, London, Berlin,
Vienna, Paris... In 2000 he was named artistic director of the Deutsches
Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and was appointed to succeed Zubin Mehta as
General Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera in fall 2006.
The main element of each episode is the live recording of a concert from
the Berlin Philharmonie. The works presented in this documentary series
are:
Anton Bruckner, Symphony No. 8 in C minor WAB 108 (approx. 80 min.)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Symphony No. 41 in C major K. 551 "Jupiter"
(approx. 29 min.)
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 in E flat major op. 55 "Eroica"
(approx. 48 min.)
Richard Strauss, An Alpine Symphony op. 64 (approx. 42 min.)
Robert Schumann, Symphony No. 3 in E flat major op. 97 "Rhenish"
(approx. 31 min.)
Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 4 in E minor op. 98 (approx. 40 min.)
