This landmark BBC series, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, presents the lives and works of 7 pivotal figures in Western music, with outstanding performances, dramatizations, and insightful interviews with respected artists and scholars.
WAGNER, directed by Kriss Rusmanis. Richard Wagner influence reaches far beyond the music world into politics and cultural thought. The Ring cycle is regarded as one of the finest achievements of the human soul. This documentary examines the connections between Wagner's own spiritual vision and his art, including coded anti-Semitic references in his music and the techniques he used to mesmerize his audience. Filmed in Switzerland, Italy and King Ludwig's Bavaria, the musicians include the world's greatest and most controversial performers: Daniel Barenboim, Roger Norrington, Siegfried Jerusalem, Deborah Polaski, Graham Clarke, Falk Struckmann with contributions from Wagner experts John Deathridge and Barry Millington as well as Stephen Hawking, George Steiner and Edward Said. Excerpts include The Ring, Rienzi, The Flying Dutchman, Lohengrin, Tannhauser, Tristan und Isolde and Parsifal.
