Every five years, the capital of Poland hosts one of the most thrilling classical music competitions in the world: the International Chopin Piano Competition, known colloquially as the “Olympics of piano.”
Contestants from around the globe gather under the rigorous eye and ear of judges to perform works for solo piano composed by native son Frédéric Chopin, a virtuoso pianist himself who wrote music that demands tremendous skill and artistry of the soloist.
In his documentary Pianoforte, from Greenwich Entertainment and Telemark, Polish director Jakub Piątek documents the most recent Chopin Competition, an event of such prestige that it inherently involves “high stakes and high emotions,” as the filmmaker noted during an appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Documentary event.
Related: Deadline’s Contenders Documentary – Full Coverage
“We chose our protagonists during this preliminary round, which is like 160 of them, trying to get one of the 90 ‘tickets’ to the main competition,...
Contestants from around the globe gather under the rigorous eye and ear of judges to perform works for solo piano composed by native son Frédéric Chopin, a virtuoso pianist himself who wrote music that demands tremendous skill and artistry of the soloist.
In his documentary Pianoforte, from Greenwich Entertainment and Telemark, Polish director Jakub Piątek documents the most recent Chopin Competition, an event of such prestige that it inherently involves “high stakes and high emotions,” as the filmmaker noted during an appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Documentary event.
Related: Deadline’s Contenders Documentary – Full Coverage
“We chose our protagonists during this preliminary round, which is like 160 of them, trying to get one of the 90 ‘tickets’ to the main competition,...
- 12/10/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The International Chopin Piano Competition is the closest thing that concert pianists have to the Olympics. You might even say that, since the prestigious contest only happens every five years, the Olympics are the closest thing that athletes have to the International Chopin Piano Competition. Twice a decade, the world’s greatest virtuosos descend upon the city of Warsaw for a grueling three weeks of trials in which every mistake is placed under the world’s largest microscope. Contestants are limited to performing the works of Frédéric Chopin, so there’s little room to mask errors with creativity. Win the contest, and you’re on a fast track to classical music superstardom. Play a wrong note? Your dreams of glory are instantly dashed.
“Pianoforte,” Jakub Piatek’s documentary about the 2021 competition (postponed from its original 2020 date), follows a group of young musicians during their three weeks in Warsaw vying for the title.
“Pianoforte,” Jakub Piatek’s documentary about the 2021 competition (postponed from its original 2020 date), follows a group of young musicians during their three weeks in Warsaw vying for the title.
- 11/30/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Five of New York’s Most Celebrated Companies,
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre,
Ballet Hispánico, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and New York City Ballet,
Return for Five Nights as part of Summer for the City at Lincoln Center
Free: July 25-29, 2023 at 7:30pm
Made possible by Chanel
New York, NY – Five of NYC’s most iconic dance companies—Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem—return for the third annual Baand Together Dance Festival, sharing the spotlight and an outdoor stage as a part of Lincoln Center’s second annual Summer for the City.
From July 25–29, audiences will be treated to exciting evenings of programming curated collaboratively by the artistic directors of the companies, featuring works that are quintessential of each company’s style and brilliance, as well as the World Premiere of Pas...
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre,
Ballet Hispánico, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and New York City Ballet,
Return for Five Nights as part of Summer for the City at Lincoln Center
Free: July 25-29, 2023 at 7:30pm
Made possible by Chanel
New York, NY – Five of NYC’s most iconic dance companies—Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem—return for the third annual Baand Together Dance Festival, sharing the spotlight and an outdoor stage as a part of Lincoln Center’s second annual Summer for the City.
From July 25–29, audiences will be treated to exciting evenings of programming curated collaboratively by the artistic directors of the companies, featuring works that are quintessential of each company’s style and brilliance, as well as the World Premiere of Pas...
- 6/21/2023
- by Music Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
Frédéric Chopin was a 19th century composer and pianist who changed the classical music world with his compositions. Emerging from Poland, he was a major influence on the Romantic period in classical music, inspiring other composers of his time.
His works are known for their poetic and dynamic nature, as well as their ability to evoke emotion. He used traditional forms such as the Polonaise and Mazurka, but also created completely new forms such as the Ballade and Nocturne. His music was always based on melody, but he also was able to make them into virtuosic performances of incredible technical skill.
In this article, we will explore the life of Frédéric Chopin and how his music has had an impact on classical music over the last two centuries. We will discuss some of his most famous works, and how they have been interpreted by different musicians over time. We will...
His works are known for their poetic and dynamic nature, as well as their ability to evoke emotion. He used traditional forms such as the Polonaise and Mazurka, but also created completely new forms such as the Ballade and Nocturne. His music was always based on melody, but he also was able to make them into virtuosic performances of incredible technical skill.
In this article, we will explore the life of Frédéric Chopin and how his music has had an impact on classical music over the last two centuries. We will discuss some of his most famous works, and how they have been interpreted by different musicians over time. We will...
- 3/5/2023
- by Music Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
Tl;Dr:
Madonna’s success upset Paul McCartney. He discussed how television defined the perception of the Queen of Pop.Madonna said The Beatles influenced her but she was more interested in other types of music. Paul McCartney and Madonna | Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect
Paul McCartney said he didn’t like when Madonna became a big star. Subsequently, he said she came across as a “goddess” to normal people. Notably, the Queen of Pop explained why she wasn’t too interested in The Beatles when she was young.
Paul McCartney felt Madonna’s success proved how much ‘people are affected by media’
According to the 2015 book Conversations with McCartney, the “Silly Love Songs” singer was upset by Madonna’s success. “It makes me realize how people are affected by media,” he said.
“While you’re looking at her, from your little lowly room, on your little telly, you think she’s a goddess,...
Madonna’s success upset Paul McCartney. He discussed how television defined the perception of the Queen of Pop.Madonna said The Beatles influenced her but she was more interested in other types of music. Paul McCartney and Madonna | Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect
Paul McCartney said he didn’t like when Madonna became a big star. Subsequently, he said she came across as a “goddess” to normal people. Notably, the Queen of Pop explained why she wasn’t too interested in The Beatles when she was young.
Paul McCartney felt Madonna’s success proved how much ‘people are affected by media’
According to the 2015 book Conversations with McCartney, the “Silly Love Songs” singer was upset by Madonna’s success. “It makes me realize how people are affected by media,” he said.
“While you’re looking at her, from your little lowly room, on your little telly, you think she’s a goddess,...
- 1/27/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
British actor Julian Sands has been identified as the hiker who went missing in the California mountains last week.
The 65-year-old, known for his role in the Oscar-nominated 1985 film A Room with a View, has been missing in the Mount Baldy area since Friday 13 January, according to authorities.
He was reported missing by his wife, writer Evgenia Citkowitz, on Friday evening and was thought to have been somewhere on the popular Baldy Bowl Trail in the San Gabriel Mountains. Mount Baldy is a 10,000ft peak located northeast of Los Angeles, in the Angeles National Forest.
Sands is a keen hiker and mountain-climber who once described his happiest moment as “close to a mountain summit on a glorious cold morning”.
Search and rescue crews were on the mountain looking for Sands, but had to suspend the search because of severe weather and avalanche threat, department spokesperson Gloria Huerta told CNN.
Drones...
The 65-year-old, known for his role in the Oscar-nominated 1985 film A Room with a View, has been missing in the Mount Baldy area since Friday 13 January, according to authorities.
He was reported missing by his wife, writer Evgenia Citkowitz, on Friday evening and was thought to have been somewhere on the popular Baldy Bowl Trail in the San Gabriel Mountains. Mount Baldy is a 10,000ft peak located northeast of Los Angeles, in the Angeles National Forest.
Sands is a keen hiker and mountain-climber who once described his happiest moment as “close to a mountain summit on a glorious cold morning”.
Search and rescue crews were on the mountain looking for Sands, but had to suspend the search because of severe weather and avalanche threat, department spokesperson Gloria Huerta told CNN.
Drones...
- 1/19/2023
- by Graeme Massie and Roisin O'Connor
- The Independent - Film
Sofia Coppola honored her New York City roots — and one of its most renowned cultural institutions — with a new short film for the New York City Ballet. Shot in black-and-white by her “On the Rocks” and “The Beguiled” cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd, the film features the music of Frédéric Chopin, Igor Stravinsky, Johannes Brahms, and more, and choreography from dance legend Jerome Robbins, among others. Previewing five new works, the short was filmed on location at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, and serves as a fundraiser introducing New York City Ballet’s spring season, and first-ever virtual gala.
“The challenge for me was to convey the feeling of seeing live dance,” Coppola told The New York Times. “A lot of dance is filmed in a very flat, standard way. But getting close up, which is thrilling in rehearsal, doesn’t always translate onto film either. I had...
“The challenge for me was to convey the feeling of seeing live dance,” Coppola told The New York Times. “A lot of dance is filmed in a very flat, standard way. But getting close up, which is thrilling in rehearsal, doesn’t always translate onto film either. I had...
- 5/8/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
New York springs back to life! With the vaccine available nationwide this year, things are finally starting to return to normal. In celebration of this return, New York City Ballet made a B&w short film promoting the return of their 2021 Spring Gala. Directed by none other than filmmaker Sofia Coppola, and featuring cinematography by her latest Dp collaborator Philippe Le Sourd, the lovely 25-minute short film takes us through a number of ballet performances filmed inside of the Lincoln Center. "Since March of 2020, the artists of New York City Ballet have been unable to perform at Lincoln Center. This is their return home." The short features a selection of music from Frédéric Chopin, Igor Stravinsky, Johannes Brahms, Samuel Barber, and (of course) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It is only available to view online until May 20th, 2021 - and I highly recommend giving this a look, at least to admire the dancers...
- 5/7/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The dilemma that “Pieces of a Woman” posed for composer Howard Shore was how emotional to make the music in a story about the most wrenching and devastating experience in a couple’s life.
“We had many discussions about this exact topic,” Shore says, referring to himself and Kornél Mundruczó, who directed the movie, now streaming on Netflix. “We talked about giving the film a very classical sound. It could have been a piece written for the stage or the concert hall. By taking that approach musically, it has its own independence to the narrative — it enhances it in a way that classical pieces from hundreds of years ago might have a similar effect.”
The score was written “like a concerto,” Shore explains, with piano and strings at the fore, with the oboe and celeste (or bell piano) also featured. “It’s not commenting on the action. It’s more emotional,...
“We had many discussions about this exact topic,” Shore says, referring to himself and Kornél Mundruczó, who directed the movie, now streaming on Netflix. “We talked about giving the film a very classical sound. It could have been a piece written for the stage or the concert hall. By taking that approach musically, it has its own independence to the narrative — it enhances it in a way that classical pieces from hundreds of years ago might have a similar effect.”
The score was written “like a concerto,” Shore explains, with piano and strings at the fore, with the oboe and celeste (or bell piano) also featured. “It’s not commenting on the action. It’s more emotional,...
- 1/29/2021
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Russian virtuoso will perform in film that traces inspiration of the composer’s 24 Preludes
He is a Grammy award-winning musician hailed as “a phenomenon” and one of “the most astounding young pianists of our age”.
Now the Russian virtuoso Daniil Trifonov is to take another step towards musical stardom when, as part of a new film, he will perform the work of Frédéric Chopin on the same pianos that the composer played on his 1848 concert tour of Britain.
He is a Grammy award-winning musician hailed as “a phenomenon” and one of “the most astounding young pianists of our age”.
Now the Russian virtuoso Daniil Trifonov is to take another step towards musical stardom when, as part of a new film, he will perform the work of Frédéric Chopin on the same pianos that the composer played on his 1848 concert tour of Britain.
- 12/16/2018
- by Dalya Alberge
- The Guardian - Film News
Of all the legendary early horror films Carl Theodor Dreyer’s vampire nightmare was once the most difficult to appreciate — until Criterion’s restoration of a mostly intact, un-mutilated full cut. Dreyer creates his fantasy according to his own rules — this pallid, claustrophobic horror is closer to Ordet than it is Dracula or Nosferatu.
Vampyr
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 437
1932 / Color / 1:19 Movietone Ap. / 73 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date October 3, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Julian West (Baron Nicolas De Gunzberg), Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel, Sybille Schmitz, Jan Hieronimko, Henriette Gérard.
Cinematography: Rudolph Maté
Art Direction: Hermann Warm
Film Editor: Tonka Taldy
Original Music: Wolfgang Zeller
Written by Carl Theodor Dreyer, Christen Jul from In a Glass Darkly by Sheridan Le Fanu
Produced by Carl Theodor Dreyer, Julian West
Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer
Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Vampyr is a tough row to hoe for horror fans, many of whom just...
Vampyr
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 437
1932 / Color / 1:19 Movietone Ap. / 73 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date October 3, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Julian West (Baron Nicolas De Gunzberg), Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel, Sybille Schmitz, Jan Hieronimko, Henriette Gérard.
Cinematography: Rudolph Maté
Art Direction: Hermann Warm
Film Editor: Tonka Taldy
Original Music: Wolfgang Zeller
Written by Carl Theodor Dreyer, Christen Jul from In a Glass Darkly by Sheridan Le Fanu
Produced by Carl Theodor Dreyer, Julian West
Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer
Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Vampyr is a tough row to hoe for horror fans, many of whom just...
- 9/19/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Marvel Music/Hollywood Records have released the digital versions of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2 songs-only album and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 original score album by composer Tyler Bates (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “John Wick Chapter 2,” “Watchmen”).
The film opens in U.S. theaters on May 5, 2017.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 is filled with great action, humor and performances, but it is also infused with a new mixed tape and soundtrack, a dynamic that resonated deeply with audiences in the first film as evidenced by the success of the soundtrack album. The Grammy-nominated “Guardians of the Galaxy” soundtrack reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, becoming the first soundtrack album consisting entirely of previously released songs to top the chart. The album was certified Platinum by the R.I.A.A.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol.
The film opens in U.S. theaters on May 5, 2017.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 is filled with great action, humor and performances, but it is also infused with a new mixed tape and soundtrack, a dynamic that resonated deeply with audiences in the first film as evidenced by the success of the soundtrack album. The Grammy-nominated “Guardians of the Galaxy” soundtrack reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, becoming the first soundtrack album consisting entirely of previously released songs to top the chart. The album was certified Platinum by the R.I.A.A.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol.
- 4/23/2017
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
See what quotes came of shows going off the air for the season, including Secrets and Lies, Pitch and Westworld.
While they may be gone, those crazy Real Housewives from Beverly Hills stormed back to the small screen in a big way.
Get your fill of the latest and greatest quotes of the week now!
1. Westworld Ford: An old friend once told me something that gave me great comfort. Something he read. He said Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin never... 2. Agents of Shield Mack: It's not a mask, it's a balaclava. Robbie: I thought that was a dessert 3. Shooter Donnie's Mom: Facts can be twisted, but you can't fake the look in their eye when somebody's telling the truth. 4. The Affair Noah: Are you asking me if the kids downstairs are having better sex than you or I? Juliette [with a smirk]: Do you? Noah: No. But they... 5. The Librarians Norman: Finklestein!
While they may be gone, those crazy Real Housewives from Beverly Hills stormed back to the small screen in a big way.
Get your fill of the latest and greatest quotes of the week now!
1. Westworld Ford: An old friend once told me something that gave me great comfort. Something he read. He said Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin never... 2. Agents of Shield Mack: It's not a mask, it's a balaclava. Robbie: I thought that was a dessert 3. Shooter Donnie's Mom: Facts can be twisted, but you can't fake the look in their eye when somebody's telling the truth. 4. The Affair Noah: Are you asking me if the kids downstairs are having better sex than you or I? Juliette [with a smirk]: Do you? Noah: No. But they... 5. The Librarians Norman: Finklestein!
- 12/10/2016
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
StardustExile can take many forms. Several major filmmakers from Poland famously followed the Chopin route to France—Walerian Borowczyk, Andrzej Żuławski, to a degree even Krzysztof Kieślowski—while their pugilistic peer Jerzy Skolimowski, as well as Roman Polanski, was ranging even further across Europe and beyond. But the comically-oriented writer-director Andrzej Kondratiuk—an early Polanski co-conspirator, who died in June aged 79—found voluntary geographical exile without leaving his own country. He was able to renew his creative energies in rural isolation, seeking, gaining and retaining true independence amid a political system founded upon collective, communal effort. Kondratiuk’s five-decade career is thus a consistently idiosyncratic and enigmatic one, encompassing eight theatrical features, several shorts and five TV-movies. Among the latter is the work for which he’s now best known—at least at home—the raucous and irresistibly-titled black-and-white superhero/comicbook spoof Hydro-Riddle (Hydrozagadka, 1972), which after hostile initial reactions has...
- 12/6/2016
- MUBI
Many consider Dmitri Shostakovich the greatest composer of the 20th century. Born September 25, 1906, he might not have lived past his teens if he hadn't been talented. During the famines of the Revolutionary period in Russia, Alexander Glazunov, director of the Petrograd (later Leningrad) Conservatory, arranged for the poor and malnourished Shostakovich's food ration to be increased. Shostakovich's Symphony No. 1, his graduation exercise for Maximilian Steinberg's composition course at the Conservatory, was completed in 1925 at age 19 and was an immediate success worldwide. He was The Party's poster boy; his Second and Third Symphonies unabashedly subtitled, respectively, "To October". (celebrating the Revolution) and "The First of May". (International Workers' Day).
His highly emotional harmonic language is simultaneously tough yet communicative, but his expansion of Mahlerian symphonic structure, dissonances, sardonic irony, and dark moods eventually clashed with the conservative edicts of Communist Party officials. In 1936 he was viciously denounced by Pravda...
His highly emotional harmonic language is simultaneously tough yet communicative, but his expansion of Mahlerian symphonic structure, dissonances, sardonic irony, and dark moods eventually clashed with the conservative edicts of Communist Party officials. In 1936 he was viciously denounced by Pravda...
- 9/26/2016
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Music and Sex: Scenes from a life - A novel in progress (first chapter here).
Walter had been so busy with midterms that he hadn't gone record-shopping recently. Neither had he spent his income on anything else, other than eating on the weekends, though he'd eaten better than usual. He'd wandered into a fast-food place on Broadway called Amy's and, for the first time in his life, had tried a falafel sandwich. Well, not really a sandwich, at least not as he thought of a sandwich, which was (mostly) meat between two separate pieces of bread, but he didn't know what else to call these things stuffed into pita bread. He'd liked it, not least because just one sandwich was very filling, so he had gone back regularly for lunch on weekends. It was a nice change of pace from the food at John Jay cafeteria. There never seemed to be many customers,...
Walter had been so busy with midterms that he hadn't gone record-shopping recently. Neither had he spent his income on anything else, other than eating on the weekends, though he'd eaten better than usual. He'd wandered into a fast-food place on Broadway called Amy's and, for the first time in his life, had tried a falafel sandwich. Well, not really a sandwich, at least not as he thought of a sandwich, which was (mostly) meat between two separate pieces of bread, but he didn't know what else to call these things stuffed into pita bread. He'd liked it, not least because just one sandwich was very filling, so he had gone back regularly for lunch on weekends. It was a nice change of pace from the food at John Jay cafeteria. There never seemed to be many customers,...
- 6/6/2016
- by RomanAkLeff
- www.culturecatch.com
Hélene Grimaud Water: Berio: Wasserklavier: Sawhney: Water: Transitions 1-7; Takemitsu: Rain Tree Sketch No. 2; Fauré: Barcarolle No. 5; Ravel: Jeux d'eau; Albéniz: Almeria; Liszt: Les Jeux d'eaux a la Villa d'Este; Janáček: In the Mist: No. 1; Debussy: La Cathedrale engloutie (Deutsche Grammophon) Classical purists be warned: almost half the tracks here are not the solo piano recital you might expect from the billing. Instead, Grimaud had composer Nitin Sawhney create electronic bridging miniatures (ranging from 0:56 to 1:41) fitted between the solo piano tracks. This works wonderfully well, changing this album from a traditional presentation into a moody soundscape (though the purist crowd was quick to take offense, witness the extremely snarky review on classicstoday.com). Of course, Grimaud is her usual scintillating self on the solo piano pieces. The pieces she has chosen for this thematic program are in a couple of cases "usual suspects" -- the Ravel and Debussy...
- 5/31/2016
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Merle Oberon movies: Mysterious star of British and American cinema. Merle Oberon on TCM: Donning men's clothes in 'A Song to Remember,' fighting hiccups in 'That Uncertain Feeling' Merle Oberon is Turner Classic Movies' Star of the Month of March 2016. The good news: the exquisite (and mysterious) Oberon, whose ancestry has been a matter of conjecture for decades, makes any movie worth a look. The bad news: TCM isn't offering any Oberon premieres despite the fact that a number of the actress' films – e.g., Temptation, Night in Paradise, Pardon My French, Interval – can be tough to find. This evening, March 18, TCM will be showing six Merle Oberon movies released during the first half of the 1940s. Never a top box office draw in the United States, Oberon was an important international star all the same, having worked with many of the top actors and filmmakers of the studio era.
- 3/19/2016
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
By Patrick Shanley
Managing Editor
This year’s best documentary feature nominees continues a long trend of music docs being recognized by the Academy, as two music-related films have earned nominations at this year’s Oscars.
Amy, which tells the story of late songstress Amy Winehouse in her own words through never-before-seen archival footage and unreleased tracks and is nominated for best doc this year, earned nominations for the Queer Palm and Golden Eye awards at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival for director Asif Kapadia.
Filmmaker Liz Garbus earned the second nomination of her career with the Netflix documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone? The film focuses on the life of iconic R&B singer Nina Simone and her life as a singer, mother, and civil rights activist. Garbus earned her first Oscar nomination in 1998 for her documentary The Farm: Angola, USA.
Music-related docs have been a hot topic for the Academy in years past,...
Managing Editor
This year’s best documentary feature nominees continues a long trend of music docs being recognized by the Academy, as two music-related films have earned nominations at this year’s Oscars.
Amy, which tells the story of late songstress Amy Winehouse in her own words through never-before-seen archival footage and unreleased tracks and is nominated for best doc this year, earned nominations for the Queer Palm and Golden Eye awards at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival for director Asif Kapadia.
Filmmaker Liz Garbus earned the second nomination of her career with the Netflix documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone? The film focuses on the life of iconic R&B singer Nina Simone and her life as a singer, mother, and civil rights activist. Garbus earned her first Oscar nomination in 1998 for her documentary The Farm: Angola, USA.
Music-related docs have been a hot topic for the Academy in years past,...
- 1/22/2016
- by Patrick Shanley
- Scott Feinberg
Martin Scorsese is set to produce a new biopic based on the life of classical pianist Byron Janis for Paramount Pictures. Peter Glanz pitched the project and will pen the script basd on Janis' book "Chopin and Beyond: My Extraordinary Life in Music and the Paranormal".
A student of Vladimir Horowitz and selected in 1960 by the U.S. to perform in the Soviet Union, he represented the start of a successful cultural exchange between the Cold War adversaries. His extensive repertoire included Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev.
Scorsese also says he anticipates his involvement in the day-to-day running of his new HBO drama "Vinyl" will be more hands-on than it was on his previous effort with the network - "Boardwalk Empire". Speaking at the Television Critics Association winter press tour this week via THR, he talked about helming the two-hour pilot and hopes to direct several more episodes as...
A student of Vladimir Horowitz and selected in 1960 by the U.S. to perform in the Soviet Union, he represented the start of a successful cultural exchange between the Cold War adversaries. His extensive repertoire included Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev.
Scorsese also says he anticipates his involvement in the day-to-day running of his new HBO drama "Vinyl" will be more hands-on than it was on his previous effort with the network - "Boardwalk Empire". Speaking at the Television Critics Association winter press tour this week via THR, he talked about helming the two-hour pilot and hopes to direct several more episodes as...
- 1/9/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, The Naked Prey remains the only film directed by Cornel Wilde to be widely available, a situation that based on this example, is a lamentable state of affairs indeed. An incredibly physical actor, who was at least as proficient an athlete, Wilde found himself regularly typecast in classically heroic roles after moving to Hollywood. He had been offered a place on the Us Olympic fencing team in 1936, but turned it down to pursue his acting career. In 1940, Wilde played Tybalt in Laurence Olivier's New York stage production of Romeo & Juliet, for which he also choreographed the sword fights. Then in 1945 he was cast as composer Frederic Chopin opposite his acting hero Paul Muni in Charles Vidor's A...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 10/26/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Kate’s Classical Corner: Hannibal, Ep. 3.09, “And the Woman Clothed with the Sun…”
As a classical musician, I can’t help but be influenced in my interpretation of Hannibal by its amazing score and soundtrack, composed and compiled by music supervisor Brian Reitzell. This is not intended to be a definitive reading of Reitzell or showrunner Bryan Fuller’s intentions in regards to the music, but rather an exploration of how these choices affect my appreciation of the given episode. Read my review of “And the Woman Clothed with the Sun…” here.
Classical piece featured:
24 Preludes, Op. 28, no. 2 in A minor, Lento by Frédéric Chopin (1839): Hannibal prepares Abigail for the Red Dinner
Yet another classical piece to previously be featured on the series (this brings the total up to four), this prelude by Chopin is lovely and dark, a natural fit with the scene. The somber feel of the...
As a classical musician, I can’t help but be influenced in my interpretation of Hannibal by its amazing score and soundtrack, composed and compiled by music supervisor Brian Reitzell. This is not intended to be a definitive reading of Reitzell or showrunner Bryan Fuller’s intentions in regards to the music, but rather an exploration of how these choices affect my appreciation of the given episode. Read my review of “And the Woman Clothed with the Sun…” here.
Classical piece featured:
24 Preludes, Op. 28, no. 2 in A minor, Lento by Frédéric Chopin (1839): Hannibal prepares Abigail for the Red Dinner
Yet another classical piece to previously be featured on the series (this brings the total up to four), this prelude by Chopin is lovely and dark, a natural fit with the scene. The somber feel of the...
- 8/2/2015
- by Kate Kulzick
- SoundOnSight
Kate’s Classical Corner: Hannibal, Ep. 3.08, “The Great Red Dragon”
As a classical musician, I can’t help but be influenced in my interpretation of Hannibal by its amazing score and soundtrack, composed and compiled by music supervisor Brian Reitzell. This is not intended to be a definitive reading of Reitzell or showrunner Bryan Fuller’s intentions in regards to the music, but rather an exploration of how these choices affect my appreciation of the given episode. Read my review of “The Great Red Dragon” here.
Classical pieces featured:
Alleluia from Exsultate, jubilate, K. 165, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1773): Hannibal experiences his arrest from his mind palace
This famous movement from Mozart’s solo motet, beautifully performed here by boy soprano Aiden Glenn (the piece was originally composed for a castrato), is a fitting choice to represent how Hannibal elects to experience his arrest and incarceration at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.
As a classical musician, I can’t help but be influenced in my interpretation of Hannibal by its amazing score and soundtrack, composed and compiled by music supervisor Brian Reitzell. This is not intended to be a definitive reading of Reitzell or showrunner Bryan Fuller’s intentions in regards to the music, but rather an exploration of how these choices affect my appreciation of the given episode. Read my review of “The Great Red Dragon” here.
Classical pieces featured:
Alleluia from Exsultate, jubilate, K. 165, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1773): Hannibal experiences his arrest from his mind palace
This famous movement from Mozart’s solo motet, beautifully performed here by boy soprano Aiden Glenn (the piece was originally composed for a castrato), is a fitting choice to represent how Hannibal elects to experience his arrest and incarceration at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.
- 7/26/2015
- by Kate Kulzick
- SoundOnSight
Five Easy Pieces
Written by Adrien Joyce (Carole Eastman)
Directed by Bob Rafelson
USA, 1970
Five Easy Pieces follows along an existential strain of American cinema that began with films like The Graduate (1967) and Easy Rider (1969), where, in the latter example, two men went looking for America and, as its tagline states, couldn’t find it anywhere, and continued through the vehement introspection that emerged from the tormented minds of Martin Scorsese’s anti-heroes, like Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver [1976]) and Jake La Motta (Raging Bull [1980]). Somewhere in between these two manifestations of anguish is Jack Nicholson’s Robert Eroica Dupea, the main character of Bob Rafelson’s 1970 feature. Disenchanted with life and the people who surround him, and utterly aimless in his restless, insatiable quest for self-contentment, Bobby is continually disheartened by the realization that his ideals of happiness and unhappiness don’t apply to everyone else, and may not even be applicable to himself.
Written by Adrien Joyce (Carole Eastman)
Directed by Bob Rafelson
USA, 1970
Five Easy Pieces follows along an existential strain of American cinema that began with films like The Graduate (1967) and Easy Rider (1969), where, in the latter example, two men went looking for America and, as its tagline states, couldn’t find it anywhere, and continued through the vehement introspection that emerged from the tormented minds of Martin Scorsese’s anti-heroes, like Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver [1976]) and Jake La Motta (Raging Bull [1980]). Somewhere in between these two manifestations of anguish is Jack Nicholson’s Robert Eroica Dupea, the main character of Bob Rafelson’s 1970 feature. Disenchanted with life and the people who surround him, and utterly aimless in his restless, insatiable quest for self-contentment, Bobby is continually disheartened by the realization that his ideals of happiness and unhappiness don’t apply to everyone else, and may not even be applicable to himself.
- 6/30/2015
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Kate’s Classical Corner: Hannibal, Ep. 3.02, “Primavera”
As a classical musician, I can’t help but be influenced in my interpretation of Hannibal by its amazing score and soundtrack, composed and compiled by music supervisor Brian Reitzell. This is not intended to be a definitive reading of Reitzell or showrunner Bryan Fuller’s intentions in regards to the music, but rather an exploration of how these choices affect my appreciation of the given episode. Read my review of “Primavera” here.
Pie Jesu from Requiem in D minor, Op. 48 by Gabriel Fauré (1900): Will gets surgery/Abigail is autopsied
The main classical piece featured in “Primavera” is the Pie Jesu from Fauré’s Requiem. A requiem is the music for a Catholic mass for the dead, of which there are many famous classical examples, the Fauré being one of the most well known. Its most famous aria is the Pie Jesu,...
As a classical musician, I can’t help but be influenced in my interpretation of Hannibal by its amazing score and soundtrack, composed and compiled by music supervisor Brian Reitzell. This is not intended to be a definitive reading of Reitzell or showrunner Bryan Fuller’s intentions in regards to the music, but rather an exploration of how these choices affect my appreciation of the given episode. Read my review of “Primavera” here.
Pie Jesu from Requiem in D minor, Op. 48 by Gabriel Fauré (1900): Will gets surgery/Abigail is autopsied
The main classical piece featured in “Primavera” is the Pie Jesu from Fauré’s Requiem. A requiem is the music for a Catholic mass for the dead, of which there are many famous classical examples, the Fauré being one of the most well known. Its most famous aria is the Pie Jesu,...
- 6/12/2015
- by Kate Kulzick
- SoundOnSight
Kate’s Classical Corner: Hannibal, Ep. 3.01, “Antipasto”
As a classical musician, I can’t help but be influenced in my interpretation of Hannibal by its amazing score and soundtrack, composed and compiled by music supervisor Brian Reitzell. I’ll be reviewing Hannibal season three for Sound on Sight and along with each review, I’ll be writing up a few notes (or this week—thanks to the sheer volume of music—many, many notes) on the episode’s scoring and soundtrack choices. This is not intended to be a definitive reading of Reitzell or Bryan Fuller’s intentions in regards to the music, but rather an exploration of how these choices affect my appreciation of the given episode. Read my thoughts on “Antipasto” here.
Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune by Claude Debussy (1894): Gideon and Hannibal eat dinner, Hannibal tends his snails
Based on L’après-midi d’un...
As a classical musician, I can’t help but be influenced in my interpretation of Hannibal by its amazing score and soundtrack, composed and compiled by music supervisor Brian Reitzell. I’ll be reviewing Hannibal season three for Sound on Sight and along with each review, I’ll be writing up a few notes (or this week—thanks to the sheer volume of music—many, many notes) on the episode’s scoring and soundtrack choices. This is not intended to be a definitive reading of Reitzell or Bryan Fuller’s intentions in regards to the music, but rather an exploration of how these choices affect my appreciation of the given episode. Read my thoughts on “Antipasto” here.
Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune by Claude Debussy (1894): Gideon and Hannibal eat dinner, Hannibal tends his snails
Based on L’après-midi d’un...
- 6/5/2015
- by Kate Kulzick
- SoundOnSight
Whenever I sit down to review an Ingmar Begman movie I tend to bounce over to IMDb just to see how many of his films I've seen. Obviously when you're talking about Bergman we all pretty much start with the well known classics (The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, etc.) and then slowly begin to explore his lesser known films. Well, having now finally seen Cries & Whispers, what very well may be the last of his well known classics I had left to see (except for "Scenes from a Marriage"), I feel there are only lesser known corners of his oeuvre for me to explore. However, with over 65 films credited to him as a director on IMDb it would seem I've still only scratched the surface as I've only 14 of his films under my belt. Criterion's new Blu-ray release of Cries and Whispers is an upgrade from their 2001 DVD release, arriving...
- 4/14/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Qui aime les films français ?
If you do and you live in St. Louis, you’re in luck! The Seventh Annual Robert Classic French Film Festival — co-presented by Cinema St. Louis and the Webster University Film Series begins March 13th. The Classic French Film Festival celebrates St. Louis’ Gallic heritage and France’s cinematic legacy. The featured films span the decades from the 1930s through the early 1990s, offering a comprehensive overview of French cinema. The fest is annually highlighted by significant restorations.
This year features recent restorations of eight works, including an extended director’s cut of Patrice Chéreau’s historical epic Queen Margot a New York-set film noir (Two Men In Manhattan) by crime-film maestro Jean-Pierre Melville, who also co-stars; a short feature (“A Day in the Country”) by Jean Renoir, on a double bill with the 2006 restoration of his masterpiece, The Rules Of The Game, and the...
If you do and you live in St. Louis, you’re in luck! The Seventh Annual Robert Classic French Film Festival — co-presented by Cinema St. Louis and the Webster University Film Series begins March 13th. The Classic French Film Festival celebrates St. Louis’ Gallic heritage and France’s cinematic legacy. The featured films span the decades from the 1930s through the early 1990s, offering a comprehensive overview of French cinema. The fest is annually highlighted by significant restorations.
This year features recent restorations of eight works, including an extended director’s cut of Patrice Chéreau’s historical epic Queen Margot a New York-set film noir (Two Men In Manhattan) by crime-film maestro Jean-Pierre Melville, who also co-stars; a short feature (“A Day in the Country”) by Jean Renoir, on a double bill with the 2006 restoration of his masterpiece, The Rules Of The Game, and the...
- 3/4/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
There is only one correct way to prepare for the Oscars: resentfully watching every bad, dubious, or weird movie starring this year's honorees and feeling smug about it. StreamFix is here to help. Here are five weird choices streaming on Netflix to get you caught up on some of the 2014 nominees. "Chalet Girl" with Felicity Jones Felicity Jones would have more of a chance at an Oscar if she just called herself "the other Carey Mulligan" and dealt with it. Anyway, remember "Chalet Girl"? It was about Felicity Jones and Ed Westwick enjoying wonderful times on the slopes. Let us consult The New York Times' review for some insight into this cinematic journey: "'Chalet Girl' may not be particularly creative or genre busting or even a great example of a romantic comedy. But its premise might make you smile." I know I always go to the movies for...
- 2/19/2015
- by Louis Virtel
- Hitfix
By Anjelica Oswald
Managing Editor
Keep on Keepin’ On, director Alan Hicks’ debut film, follows four years of the friendship and mentorship between jazz legend and trumpeter Clark Terry, who played with Count Basie and Duke Ellington and taught a young Quincy Jones how to play, and Justin Kauflin, a talented 23-year-old blind pianist. The two musicians support each other as Terry begins to lose his eyesight due to health issues and as Kauflin deals with stage fright as a semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. The film is one of 15 films on the Oscar documentary shortlist, five of which will be nominated on Jan. 15.
The Academy is particularly fond of music-related documentaries, nominating 17 since 1942, with eight winning. Keep on Keepin’ On could join the following Oscar-nominated films:
Festival (1967)
Director Murray Lerner’s black-and-white documentary offers a glimpse into three years (1963-1966) of the Newport Folk Festival, which...
Managing Editor
Keep on Keepin’ On, director Alan Hicks’ debut film, follows four years of the friendship and mentorship between jazz legend and trumpeter Clark Terry, who played with Count Basie and Duke Ellington and taught a young Quincy Jones how to play, and Justin Kauflin, a talented 23-year-old blind pianist. The two musicians support each other as Terry begins to lose his eyesight due to health issues and as Kauflin deals with stage fright as a semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. The film is one of 15 films on the Oscar documentary shortlist, five of which will be nominated on Jan. 15.
The Academy is particularly fond of music-related documentaries, nominating 17 since 1942, with eight winning. Keep on Keepin’ On could join the following Oscar-nominated films:
Festival (1967)
Director Murray Lerner’s black-and-white documentary offers a glimpse into three years (1963-1966) of the Newport Folk Festival, which...
- 1/8/2015
- by Anjelica Oswald
- Scott Feinberg
Controversial composer Alfred Schnittke was born November 24, 1934 in the Soviet Union's Volga Republic, an ethnic German enclave. In his mid-thirties he pioneered a broadly eclectic style of composing that drew on many classical styles (even sometimes quoting familiar Beethoven or Bach works, among others) as well as the occasional foray into jazz and pop. By 1972 his experimentalism had earned the disapproval of the Soviet Composers Union (the Soviets also weren't enamored of his occasional expressions of religion, for that matter), but a number of esteemed musicians who had left Russia to live in the West supported his work and brought him an international reputation. His work was basically pessimistic in outlook, but its emotional impact, and the accessibility of some of the styles he drew on, nonetheless seduced many listeners.
The contradictions in Schnittke's style are laid out in his liner notes to the Bis recording of his Symphony No.
The contradictions in Schnittke's style are laid out in his liner notes to the Bis recording of his Symphony No.
- 11/24/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Forever's ideas are good this week, but the attention to detail leaves a lot to be desired. Here's Billy's review...
This review contains spoilers.
1.9 6 A.M.
I’ve commented previously about how New York plays a major part in Forever, like it’s an extra uncredited character. In 6 A.M. they take that analogy a little further, by using New York’s associations with Jazz as the connection, while trying to make some interesting parallels about being passionate about the music of your youth.
A young man declares he’ll prove an injustice and ends up barbequed in his car for his troubles. He’s the son of a failed jazz musician, and all the clues lead back to a famous track, 6.A.M., that’s attributed to another long-dead performer. As with a few of the previous murder mysteries, this story is less about the actual resolution of the crime,...
This review contains spoilers.
1.9 6 A.M.
I’ve commented previously about how New York plays a major part in Forever, like it’s an extra uncredited character. In 6 A.M. they take that analogy a little further, by using New York’s associations with Jazz as the connection, while trying to make some interesting parallels about being passionate about the music of your youth.
A young man declares he’ll prove an injustice and ends up barbequed in his car for his troubles. He’s the son of a failed jazz musician, and all the clues lead back to a famous track, 6.A.M., that’s attributed to another long-dead performer. As with a few of the previous murder mysteries, this story is less about the actual resolution of the crime,...
- 11/19/2014
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Iconoclast at Michiko Studios, 10/17/14
Iconoclast -- neither the hardcore punk band nor the metal band of that name, rather the New York-based duo of Julie Joslyn (alto saxophone, violin, vocals) and Leo Chiesa (drums, keyboard, vocals) – formed in 1987 and ever since has combined avant-garde conceptualist with post-punk attitude ever since, playing at Cbgb but also the European festival circuit, and making nine albums. The most recent, this year's Naked Rapture, was heavily featured when they played at Michiko Studios on Friday, October 17. Hometown shows having become more of a rarity than they used to be, I made sure to catch it.
Joslyn kicked the set off with a three-note sax theme that repeated, then blasted off in a thunder of drums and alto squall. Then she suddenly switched to frenetic nonsense vocals that ended with a scream, at which point it was back to sax. Chiesa started the next number solo with a stark,...
Iconoclast -- neither the hardcore punk band nor the metal band of that name, rather the New York-based duo of Julie Joslyn (alto saxophone, violin, vocals) and Leo Chiesa (drums, keyboard, vocals) – formed in 1987 and ever since has combined avant-garde conceptualist with post-punk attitude ever since, playing at Cbgb but also the European festival circuit, and making nine albums. The most recent, this year's Naked Rapture, was heavily featured when they played at Michiko Studios on Friday, October 17. Hometown shows having become more of a rarity than they used to be, I made sure to catch it.
Joslyn kicked the set off with a three-note sax theme that repeated, then blasted off in a thunder of drums and alto squall. Then she suddenly switched to frenetic nonsense vocals that ended with a scream, at which point it was back to sax. Chiesa started the next number solo with a stark,...
- 10/27/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Tusk
Directed by: Kevin Smith
Cast: Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez, Guy Lapointe
Running Time: 1 hr 42 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: September 19, 2014 (Chicago)
Plot: A podcaster (Long) is turned into a walrus when he meets a strange Canadian (Parks).
Who’S It For? Fans of Kevin Smith, and those who wish Quentin Tarantino made more talky Grindhouse movies.
Overall
Just as Tusk was brought into our world, so does the film itself begins with a podcast. Wallace (Justin Long) and Teddy (Haley Joel Osment) are two toking jokesters who have a big following with their Not-See Party podcast, a petty Third Reich pun that stands for their shtick in which Wallace meets eclectic people, and then tells Teddy about his experience on-air. Wallace travels to Canada to meet an internet sensation named “The Kill Bill Kid,” who infamously filmed himself accidentally cutting off his leg while practicing sword moves.
Directed by: Kevin Smith
Cast: Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez, Guy Lapointe
Running Time: 1 hr 42 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: September 19, 2014 (Chicago)
Plot: A podcaster (Long) is turned into a walrus when he meets a strange Canadian (Parks).
Who’S It For? Fans of Kevin Smith, and those who wish Quentin Tarantino made more talky Grindhouse movies.
Overall
Just as Tusk was brought into our world, so does the film itself begins with a podcast. Wallace (Justin Long) and Teddy (Haley Joel Osment) are two toking jokesters who have a big following with their Not-See Party podcast, a petty Third Reich pun that stands for their shtick in which Wallace meets eclectic people, and then tells Teddy about his experience on-air. Wallace travels to Canada to meet an internet sensation named “The Kill Bill Kid,” who infamously filmed himself accidentally cutting off his leg while practicing sword moves.
- 9/19/2014
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
As we look in the rearview mirror of the summer blockbusters, September heralds the start of the fall movie season. Filled with Hollywood heavyweights and A-listers, here’s our Big list of the most anticipated movies coming to cinemas this autumn and during the holidays.
Our exhaustive list includes films that are playing at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival as well the ones that already have a theatrical release date. With the awards season on the horizon, we also added a few bonus films at the end to keep your eye out for in the months ahead.
Pull up a chair, grab a pen and paper and get ready for Wamg’s Guide to the 100+ Films This Fall And Holiday Season.
We kick it off with what’s showing in Toronto at the film festival that runs September 4 – 14.
Maps To The Stars – September 2014 – Toronto International Film Festival; UK & Ireland September...
Our exhaustive list includes films that are playing at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival as well the ones that already have a theatrical release date. With the awards season on the horizon, we also added a few bonus films at the end to keep your eye out for in the months ahead.
Pull up a chair, grab a pen and paper and get ready for Wamg’s Guide to the 100+ Films This Fall And Holiday Season.
We kick it off with what’s showing in Toronto at the film festival that runs September 4 – 14.
Maps To The Stars – September 2014 – Toronto International Film Festival; UK & Ireland September...
- 8/29/2014
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Aug. 26, 2014
Price: DVD $24.95, Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Olive Films
William Carter falls for Catherine McLeod in I've Always Loved You.
A beautiful young concert pianist is torn between her attraction to her arrogant but brilliant maestro and her love for a farm boy she left back home in Frank Borzage’s 1946 drama romance I’ve Always Loved You.
Set in the world of classical music, a domineering maestro (Philip Dorn) exerts a Svengali-like control over Myra, a talented young pianist (Catherine McLeod). Frustrated by Leopold’s domineering nature, the girl abandons her professional career and marries a humble farmer (William Carter). Years later, haunted by regret, Myra returns to face her former mentor, to prove that she was, and continues to be, a better musician than he ever credited her with being.
Legendary pianist Arthur Rubinstein performs the pieces heard in the film (by Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Wagner,...
Price: DVD $24.95, Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Olive Films
William Carter falls for Catherine McLeod in I've Always Loved You.
A beautiful young concert pianist is torn between her attraction to her arrogant but brilliant maestro and her love for a farm boy she left back home in Frank Borzage’s 1946 drama romance I’ve Always Loved You.
Set in the world of classical music, a domineering maestro (Philip Dorn) exerts a Svengali-like control over Myra, a talented young pianist (Catherine McLeod). Frustrated by Leopold’s domineering nature, the girl abandons her professional career and marries a humble farmer (William Carter). Years later, haunted by regret, Myra returns to face her former mentor, to prove that she was, and continues to be, a better musician than he ever credited her with being.
Legendary pianist Arthur Rubinstein performs the pieces heard in the film (by Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Wagner,...
- 7/7/2014
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
A classicist using Romantic harmonies, Johannes Brahms (1833-97) was hailed at age 20 by Robert Schumann in a famous article entitled "New Paths." Yet by the time Brahms wrote his mature works, his music was thought of as a conservative compared to the daring harmonies and revolutionary dramatic theories of Richard Wagner. But in the next century, Arnold Schoenberg's 1947 essay titled "Brahms the Progressive" praised Brahms's bold modulations (as daring as Wagner's most tonally ambiguous chords), asymmetrical forms, and mastery of imaginative variation and development of thematic material.
The son of a bassist in the Hamburg Philharmonic Society, Brahms was an excellent pianist who was supporting himself by his mid-teens. His first two published works were his Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2, and throughout his career he penned much fine music for that instrument, not only solo (including the later Piano Sonata No. 3) and duo but also his landmark Piano Concertos Nos.
The son of a bassist in the Hamburg Philharmonic Society, Brahms was an excellent pianist who was supporting himself by his mid-teens. His first two published works were his Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2, and throughout his career he penned much fine music for that instrument, not only solo (including the later Piano Sonata No. 3) and duo but also his landmark Piano Concertos Nos.
- 5/8/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
1973's The Sting took it global, but there's more to ragtime music than that film's Keystone Kops crazy-chase soundtrack
Reading on mobile? Click here to listen to The Maple Leaf Rag played by Scott Joplin
One album was all it took to herald a revival. In 1970, the year of Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water and The Beatles' Let It Be, a record of arcane late 19th-century American piano music, released on a label that was otherwise building its reputation as a chronicler of the hardcore American avant-garde, began to sell in implausible quantities. Audiences ordinarily enamoured of piano miniatures by Chopin, Brahms and Liszt were suddenly taking pleasure in the compositions of Scott Joplin, the Texas-born "King of Ragtime" whose über-catchy 1899 Maple Leaf Rag brought him immediate popularity, but who died in 1917 with two typically embarrassing composerly problems hanging over him: syphilis and a terminally unproduced opera, Treemonisha,...
Reading on mobile? Click here to listen to The Maple Leaf Rag played by Scott Joplin
One album was all it took to herald a revival. In 1970, the year of Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water and The Beatles' Let It Be, a record of arcane late 19th-century American piano music, released on a label that was otherwise building its reputation as a chronicler of the hardcore American avant-garde, began to sell in implausible quantities. Audiences ordinarily enamoured of piano miniatures by Chopin, Brahms and Liszt were suddenly taking pleasure in the compositions of Scott Joplin, the Texas-born "King of Ragtime" whose über-catchy 1899 Maple Leaf Rag brought him immediate popularity, but who died in 1917 with two typically embarrassing composerly problems hanging over him: syphilis and a terminally unproduced opera, Treemonisha,...
- 1/22/2014
- The Guardian - Film News
As always, there are biases at play here; my greatest interests are symphonic music, choral music, and piano music, so that's what comes my way most often. There are some paired reviews; the ranking of the second of each pair might not be the true, exact ranking, but it works better from a writing standpoint this way.
1. Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4; Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80 Tragic Overture, Op. 81; Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56a; 3 Hungarian Dances; 9 Liebeslieder Waltzes; Intermezzi, Op. 116 No. 4 & Op. 117 No. 1 Gewandhausorchester/Riccardo Chailly (Decca)
It is not easy, at this point in recording history, to match the giants of the baton in a Brahms cycle, but Chailly has done it (this is my fiftieth Brahms cycle, and I have more than another fifty Brahms Firsts, and upwards of thirty each of the other symphonies outside those cycles, so I've got some basis for comparison...
1. Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4; Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80 Tragic Overture, Op. 81; Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56a; 3 Hungarian Dances; 9 Liebeslieder Waltzes; Intermezzi, Op. 116 No. 4 & Op. 117 No. 1 Gewandhausorchester/Riccardo Chailly (Decca)
It is not easy, at this point in recording history, to match the giants of the baton in a Brahms cycle, but Chailly has done it (this is my fiftieth Brahms cycle, and I have more than another fifty Brahms Firsts, and upwards of thirty each of the other symphonies outside those cycles, so I've got some basis for comparison...
- 1/6/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Emma Thompson stars in the new (and very favorably reviewed) Saving Mr. Banks, in which she plays Mary Poppins‘ protective author P.L. Travers. And thank God, because she nails the damn role. In fact, Thompson is so consistent onscreen and such a legend of cinema that it’s hard to believe we’ve only been watching her for 25 years. Hell, unless you saw Henry V, you were almost certainly introduced to her in the ’90s. For a legend, she’s moved quickly.
And today, I suggest another layer to her legacy: Gay Icon. Here are five reasons the marvelous double Oscar-winner should be sanctified in the name of gay adoration.
1. Every gay man has a favorite Emma Thompson role.
As was the case with Julianne Moore, I cannot think of a gay movie fan who doesn’t love Emma Thompson. There are so many justifiable choices for her best role:...
And today, I suggest another layer to her legacy: Gay Icon. Here are five reasons the marvelous double Oscar-winner should be sanctified in the name of gay adoration.
1. Every gay man has a favorite Emma Thompson role.
As was the case with Julianne Moore, I cannot think of a gay movie fan who doesn’t love Emma Thompson. There are so many justifiable choices for her best role:...
- 11/20/2013
- by Louis Virtel
- The Backlot
Two of the 20th Century’s best actresses team up – or square off, to be more precise – in Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata from 1978. This simple, austere production peels away every layer of a tortured mother/daughter relationship, revealing decades of toxic damage deep within. The film presents an uncomfortably frank appraisal of one family’s stark dysfunction, and the bonds of codependency that ensure a continuing spiral of guilt. And after the wreckage is thoroughly surveyed and assessed, most viewers will recognize scattered bits of their own lives amid the emotional debris.
Here we meet Eva (Liv Ullmann), a mousey preacher’s wife in the rural south of Norway. She spends her quiet days performing musical selections for her husband’s church and dusting the tidy parsonage they call home. One morning Eva composes a letter to her mother Charlotte, a globetrotting concert pianist, inviting her for a visit.
Here we meet Eva (Liv Ullmann), a mousey preacher’s wife in the rural south of Norway. She spends her quiet days performing musical selections for her husband’s church and dusting the tidy parsonage they call home. One morning Eva composes a letter to her mother Charlotte, a globetrotting concert pianist, inviting her for a visit.
- 9/17/2013
- by David Anderson
- IONCINEMA.com
A brilliant performance by Michael Douglas illuminates an affectionate and funny portrait of the flamboyant entertainer
Liberace was a fabulously rich, self-created midwesterner, the child of humble immigrant parents known for his extravagant lifestyle and vulgar tastes, as well as his worship of the American dream and the mystery in which he was wrapped. He was in effect a gay Jay Gatsby. His life was not, however, tragic, that is until his death of an Aids-related illness at 67, and he can be considered a success in that he achieved the acclaim and celebrity he had always dreamed of, and he died believing that he had taken the secret of his homosexuality to the grave.
Steven Soderbergh's cinebiography of Liberace, Behind the Candelabra, is (so he claims) his final movie, and it had to be made for America's HBO network because no Hollywood studio would finance a film for the...
Liberace was a fabulously rich, self-created midwesterner, the child of humble immigrant parents known for his extravagant lifestyle and vulgar tastes, as well as his worship of the American dream and the mystery in which he was wrapped. He was in effect a gay Jay Gatsby. His life was not, however, tragic, that is until his death of an Aids-related illness at 67, and he can be considered a success in that he achieved the acclaim and celebrity he had always dreamed of, and he died believing that he had taken the secret of his homosexuality to the grave.
Steven Soderbergh's cinebiography of Liberace, Behind the Candelabra, is (so he claims) his final movie, and it had to be made for America's HBO network because no Hollywood studio would finance a film for the...
- 6/8/2013
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
The St. Louis Globe-Democrat is a monthly newspaper run by Steve DeBellis, a well know St. Louis historian, and it’s the largest one-man newspaper in the world. The concept of The Globe is that there is an old historic headline, then all the articles in that issue are written as though it’s the year that the headline is from. It’s an unusual concept but the paper is now in its 25th successful year! Steve and I collaborated last year on an all-Vincent Price issue of The Globe and I’ve been writing a regular movie-related column since. Since there is no on-line version of The Globe, I post all of my articles here at We Are Movie Geeks as well. When Steve informed me that this month’s St. Louis Globe-Democrat is written as if it’s 1934, I jumped at the chance to write about the...
- 3/21/2013
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Fort Worth, Texas — For a time in Cold War America, Van Cliburn had all the trappings of a rock star: sold-out concerts, adoring, out-of-control fans and a name recognized worldwide. He even got a ticker-tape parade in New York City.
And he did it all with only a piano and some Tchaikovsky concertos.
The celebrated pianist played for every American president since Harry Truman, plus royalty and heads of state around the world. But he is best remembered for winning a 1958 piano competition in Moscow that helped thaw the icy rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Cliburn, who died Wednesday at 78 after fighting bone cancer, was "a great humanitarian and a brilliant musician whose light will continue to shine through his extraordinary legacy," said his publicist and longtime friend Mary Lou Falcone. "He will be missed by all who knew and admired him, and by countless people he never met.
And he did it all with only a piano and some Tchaikovsky concertos.
The celebrated pianist played for every American president since Harry Truman, plus royalty and heads of state around the world. But he is best remembered for winning a 1958 piano competition in Moscow that helped thaw the icy rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Cliburn, who died Wednesday at 78 after fighting bone cancer, was "a great humanitarian and a brilliant musician whose light will continue to shine through his extraordinary legacy," said his publicist and longtime friend Mary Lou Falcone. "He will be missed by all who knew and admired him, and by countless people he never met.
- 2/27/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
The St. Louis Globe-Democrat is a monthly newspaper run by Steve DeBellis, a well know St. Louis historian, and it’s the largest one-man newspaper in the world. The concept of The Globe is that there is an old historic headline, then all the articles in that issue are written as though it’s the year that the headline is from. It’s an unusual concept but the paper is now in its 25th successful year! Steve and I collaborated last year on an all-Vincent Price issue of The Globe and I’ve been writing a regular movie-related column since. Since there is no on-line version of The Globe, I post all of my articles here at We Are Movie Geeks as well. When Steve informed me that this month’s St. Louis Globe-Democrat is written as if it’s 1934, I jumped at the oppurtunity to write about the...
- 2/27/2013
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Shia Labeouf might not get an Oscar for taking LSD for his role in the upcoming film The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, but he might get us to consider buying a ticket. “I’d never done acid before. I remember sending Evan tapes. I remember trying to conjure this and sending tapes. And Evan being like ‘That’s good, but that’s not but, that is,’” Labeouf told MTV about dropping acid to prepare for his character’s drug trip. “You reach out to friends and gauge where you’re at. I was sending tapes around and I’d get 50 percents from people and that just starts creeping me out. I was getting really nervous toward the end. Not cause I wanted to be on drugs — I’m not trying to mess with the set or anything like that. It’s really just fear that propels people.” Maybe it was fear,...
- 1/23/2013
- by Halle Kiefer
- TheFabLife - Movies
From a full programme of film and stage adaptations to a new James Bond novel, unpublished works by Rs Thomas and Wg Sebald and a new prize for women writers, 2013 is set to be a real page-turner
January
10th The Oscar nominations are announced unusually early this year. Keep an eye out for a bumper crop of literary adaptations, including David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, Yann Martel's Life of Pi, the David Nicholls-scripted Great Expectations, as well as Les Miserables, Anna Karenina and The Hobbit.
18th A new stage adaptation of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw at the Almeida theatre in London. In the year of the centenary of Benjamin Britten's birth, his musical version will also feature around the country in both concert and stage performances.
24th The finalists for the fifth Man Booker International prize will be announced at the Jaipur festival.
January
10th The Oscar nominations are announced unusually early this year. Keep an eye out for a bumper crop of literary adaptations, including David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, Yann Martel's Life of Pi, the David Nicholls-scripted Great Expectations, as well as Les Miserables, Anna Karenina and The Hobbit.
18th A new stage adaptation of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw at the Almeida theatre in London. In the year of the centenary of Benjamin Britten's birth, his musical version will also feature around the country in both concert and stage performances.
24th The finalists for the fifth Man Booker International prize will be announced at the Jaipur festival.
- 1/5/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
There's nothing quite like the sustained pleasure of immersing one's self in a huge chunk of a top-notch artist's output for a significant period of time. This was easily accomplished in 2012, because lately it seems like the classical arms of the major labels are trying to get all their best material into budget-priced box sets (in Europe even more than in the U.S., so check the imports, especially for Sony). And anything they aren't doing that with, another label would be happy to license. In that sense, it's a great time to be a classical fan. Nonetheless, I'm keeping this list shorter than my new releases list, because, well, there's too much to listen to all of it! So to make my list, these items had to make me very, very happy in 2012.
1. Hilliard Ensemble: Franco-Flemish Masterworks (Virgin Classics)
This eight-cd box is a delight for fans of choral music,...
1. Hilliard Ensemble: Franco-Flemish Masterworks (Virgin Classics)
This eight-cd box is a delight for fans of choral music,...
- 1/3/2013
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Miranda Kerr clearly understands Christmas is the season of giving, because she just gave her fans the greatest gift of all: A photo where she poses in a sexy manner in a skimpy Santa-inspired outfit. Somewhere out there Orlando Bloom is shaking his head in disapproval.
"Santa's little helper," she posted as the Instagram image's caption. That's not the only way Kerr's getting ready for the holidays, either. She tweeted another photo showing she's listening to Frederic Chopin's "Nocturne No. 2 in E flat Major."
This image isn't the only time Kerr has had a chance to show off her assets this month. Earlier in December, the model walked the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show alongside her fellow Angels Alessandra Ambrosio and Candice Swanepoel.
"Santa's little helper," she posted as the Instagram image's caption. That's not the only way Kerr's getting ready for the holidays, either. She tweeted another photo showing she's listening to Frederic Chopin's "Nocturne No. 2 in E flat Major."
This image isn't the only time Kerr has had a chance to show off her assets this month. Earlier in December, the model walked the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show alongside her fellow Angels Alessandra Ambrosio and Candice Swanepoel.
- 12/24/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Hartford, Conn. (AP) — Jazz composer and pianist Dave Brubeck, whose pioneering style in pieces such as "Take Five" caught listeners' ears with exotic, challenging rhythms, has died. He was 91.
Brubeck died Wednesday morning at Norwalk Hospital of heart failure after being stricken while on his way to a cardiology appointment with his son Darius, said his manager Russell Gloyd. Brubeck would have turned 92 on Thursday.
Brubeck had a career that spanned almost all American jazz since World War II. He formed The Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1951 and was the first modern jazz musician to be pictured on the cover of Time magazine – on Nov. 8, 1954 – and he helped define the swinging, smoky rhythms of 1950s and `60s club jazz.
The seminal album "Time Out," released by the quartet in 1959, was the first ever million-selling jazz LP, and is still among the best-selling jazz albums of all time. It opens with "Blue...
Brubeck died Wednesday morning at Norwalk Hospital of heart failure after being stricken while on his way to a cardiology appointment with his son Darius, said his manager Russell Gloyd. Brubeck would have turned 92 on Thursday.
Brubeck had a career that spanned almost all American jazz since World War II. He formed The Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1951 and was the first modern jazz musician to be pictured on the cover of Time magazine – on Nov. 8, 1954 – and he helped define the swinging, smoky rhythms of 1950s and `60s club jazz.
The seminal album "Time Out," released by the quartet in 1959, was the first ever million-selling jazz LP, and is still among the best-selling jazz albums of all time. It opens with "Blue...
- 12/5/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
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