Toonmeesters

As the waters of the river Seine overflow their banks and surround a Parisian café, composer Erik Satie nurtures bittersweet memories of his one-time lover Suzanne Valadon.

"Rosa", with a libretto by Peter Greenaway and score by Louis Andriessen, is the first in a projected series of 10 operas, each dealing with the death of a famous composer - some real, others fictional. "Rosa" falls into the latter category; it tells the story of Juan Manuel de Rosa, a Brazilian who went to study music in America but spent most of his time in the cinema instead, becoming particularly entranced by Westerns. Now 32 years old and residing in an abandoned Uruguayan slaughterhouse, Rosa has become one of Hollywood's foremost composers, specialising in Westerns. He also has a beautiful 19-year-old fiancee, Esmeralda, but he pays her little heed, instead lavishing his attentions on a black mare named Bola. One day, a group of men attired as cowboys arrive at the abattoir and kill both Rosa and Bola; an investigation is conducted, with particular suspicion!

Louis Andriessen's opera, based on Dante's Divine Comedy, plays out as a combination of a stage production and filmed elements, which sees Dante as a journalist, Beatrice as a Diplomat and Lucifer as a factory owner.

Following the successful documentary The Matthäus Mission of Reinbert de Leeuw, director Cherry Duyns is now showing the full implementation of the St Matthew Passion. It is a poignant performance in De Nieuwe Kerk conducted by Reinbert de Leeuw. With soloists Joanne Lunn (soprano), Delphine Galou (alto), Christopher Watson (tenor), Tomáš Král (bass), Andreas Wolf (Christ), Benedikt Kristjánsson (evangelist), Holland Baroque, the Nederlands Kamerkoor en the Roder Boys Choir. Concertmaster Judith Steenbrink.

Conductor Reinbert de Leeuw is about to live one of his most cherished dreams: conducting Arnold Schönberg's Gurre-Lieder, a remarkably intense high point in post-romantic music. The camera follows him for the 10 days of rehearsal leading up to the sold-out concert, where he stands before an inexperienced orchestra of 356 musicians. De Leeuw has been living and breathing the work ever since he heard he was finally going to conduct it. It's almost like a love affair. Inspired but exhausted, he imparts all his energy to the orchestra as he literally melts away before our eyes, taking the occasional short smoke break.

A Dream Opera in Two Parts composed by Claude Vivier and recorded live at the Gasholder Cultuurpark Westergasfabriek Amsterdam, 2004. Performed by various soloists, Asko Ensemble and Schonberg Ensemble, Reinbert de Leeuw