DVD93621 New BBC Documentary "Symphony" (Complete)
Product Description
DVD93621 New BBC Documentary "Symphony" (Complete)
BBC - Symphony COMPLETE (2011) HDTV
Simon Russell Beale presents a radical reappraisal of the place of the symphony
in the modern world and explores the surprising way in which it has shaped our
history and identity.
Orcehstra conducted by Sir Mark Elder
Part 1: Genesis and Genius
The first episode begins amidst the turmoil of the French Revolution with the
arrival in England of Joseph Haydn, dubbed the 'Father of the Symphony'. It
continues with Mozart, the genius who wrote his first symphony at the age of
eight, and Beethoven, the revolutionary who created the idea of the artist as
hero and whose Eroica Symphony changed music for ever. The music is performed by
the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, conducted by Sir Mark Elder.
Part 2: Beethoven and Beyond
Simon Russell Beale continues his journey into the world of the symphony with
the story of the revolutionary later symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven and
their phenomenal impact. We also meet Franz Schubert, whose two greatest
symphonies were only discovered after his tragic early death, the obsessive
French Romantic Hector Berlioz and the flamboyant pianist-turned-composer Franz
Liszt. The music is performed by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and
the Halle, conducted by Sir Mark Elder.
Part 4: Revolution and Rebirth
In the final programme of the series, Simon Russell Beale's journey takes him
into the 20th century, a time when the certainties of empire were falling away,
war was looming and the world was changing faster than ever before. Simon
investigates the extraordinary symphonic world of Shostakovich, the star
composer of the new Soviet Union, as well as the work of Ives and Copland, who
were both, in their different ways, creating a new American sound. He discovers
how the development of the gramophone and broadcasting meant that more people
could hear their music than ever before and how it became possible to
immortalise the symphony in sound. The symphonies are played by the BBC Symphony
Orchestra conducted by Sir Mark Elder.
English | 4x~59min | H264 | 1280x720 | 25.00fps 3985 Kbps | AC3 192 Kbps 48.0khz
| 6.89 GiB (complete series)