Breath of Freedom

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli – a name that provokes almost a sense of awe and intimidation, even among his pianoplaying peers. It is a name that represents the highest degree of perfection, a quest for beauty that surpasses that of any other piano virtuoso. However Michelangeli also had a reputation for cancelling concerts at short notice and was consequently portrayed in the media as a somewhat neurotic artist. This documentary is the result of a 30-year search that has resulted in unusual interviews with those who knew him, and has also uncovered a wealth of new archive material: We get to experience Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli as he has never been seen before – and more importantly, as he has never been heard before. We also witness the maestro’s struggle back to his former perfection after suffering a devastating heart attack.

A fascinating exploration of the literary — The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, by English playwright William Shakespeare (1604) — and lyrical — Othello, by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (1887) — myth of Othello, the desperately tragic story of a Moorish general in the army of the Venetian Republic whose absurd jealousy poisons his love for his wife Desdemona.

Those who knew them best describe the sensational lives and premature deaths of iconic actors and musicians whose passing left a void in pop culture.

The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.

1913 is the last peaceful year before the First World War. However, the artists already suspect the dark times in their works: authors write desperate texts, painters destroy perspectives. Igor Stravinsky's 'Le Sacre du Printemps' is the aggressive soundtrack of the cultural revolution.

In Germany, the forest is more than the sum of its trees: it is a myth, the backdrop to a grand German drama. When one looks at German cultural history, it is easy to recognize the forest as a recurring theme—and as a topos to which people repeatedly returned in their search for a national identity. German culture, it is said, has its roots in the forest, at least since Germanic warriors defeated the Romans in the Battle of Varus. During the Romantic era, the forest became a place of longing; it was painted, written about in poetry, and celebrated in song—and at the same time, it once again became a symbol of national sovereignty. The Nazis exploited it for their racist ideology—and the “homeland films” of postwar German cinema used it to portray their idealized vision of an unspoiled world. The environmental movement of the 1980s feared for its national sanctuary during the debate on forest dieback—and activists lived in the highest treetops to protect trees from being cut down.

Like a fairy-tale castle, Anholt Water Castle stands majestically in the western Münsterland region. In the new episode of the WDR series *Adelsdynastien in NRW* (Noble Dynasties in North Rhine-Westphalia), Julia Melchior visits the princely family of Salm-Salm. Against a wintry backdrop, the host, Carl Philipp, Prince of Salm-Salm, welcomes her and guides her through the history of the castle and his family.

Discover Grace Bumbry’s inspiring rise to global opera fame. Spotlighting her historic performances, the film explores the racial barriers she overcame to triumph in her 1966 performance as "Carmen."

Glimpse behind the curtain at opera legends Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman’s famed concert at Carnegie Hall on March 18, 1990, featuring performance clips and new interviews with opera star Angel Blue, Met Opera General Manager Peter Gelb, and more.

Retrospective on a unique moment of great music. In 1982, two immense musicians pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and conductor Sergiu Celibidache combined their talents to perform the “Concerto in G Major” by the legendary Ravel.

Berlin’s Museum Island, the cultural center of the German capital on the Spree river, houses a large number of art pieces from all over the globe, from the Stone Age to the present day. A walk through their great institutions to marvel at their masterpieces.