NOTES INTERDITES

Two Films by Bruno Monsaingeon

 

Red Baton

Scenes of musical life in stalinist Russia

• Between 1917 and 1990, the Soviet Union was the setting for a fascinating paradox upon which this film will attempt to shed some light

• Against a backdrop of extreme hardship, indeed terror, there developed one of the most intense and rich musical arenas of the 20th century

• Major composers, virtuoso performers, the most prestigious orchestras displayed their talent throughout these 70 years, in situations that were dangerous and precarious, often grotesque and always extreme

 

Gennadi Rozhdestvensky: Conductor or Conjuror?

• Rather than a profile, this is a documentary about a conductor discussing and analysing what he knows best: the art of conducting

• Featuring the following works: Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony (masterclasses, rehearsals with students from the Moscow Conservatory and Zurich’s Tonhalle orchestra, archival clips), Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, and Schnittke’s Deal Souls

 

Bonus: Gennadi Rozhdestvensky conducts Dead Souls (Suite based on Alfred Schnittke’s film Music) & Zdravitsa (Cantata by Sergey Prokofiev composed in 1939 for the celebration of Stalin’s 60th birthday to words « inspired to the people »

 

Picture Format: NTSC · 4:3 fullscreen

Sound Formats: Dolby Digital 2.0

Region Code: 0

Subtitles: English, French

Booklet Notes: English, German, French

Running Time: 155 mins

 

Ideale Audience DVD NTSC 3073498