Ernst Wild

Il Trovatore - Verdi

Ernst Wild

Plácido Domingo, Raina Kabaivanska

The gypsy Azucena (Fiorenza Cossotto) takes revenge for her mother who was accused of putting a curse on one of the old Count di Luna's two sons: she decides to abduct the younger child and throw it in the flames. But when she is about to carry out this fatal act, the gypsy sacrifices her own child and keeps the old Count’s son, whom she names Manrico (IL TROVATORE, Plácido Domingo). Later, as adults, the troubadour Manrico and the Count di Luna’s elder son (Piero Cappucilli) do not know each other, but become rivals for the beautiful Leonora (Raina Kabaivanska). Manrico succeeds in winning the young woman’s heart, and she sacrifices herself for him, deceiving the Count’s son. Mad with jealousy, the latter orders the execution of the troubadour in front of his mother. Azucena reveals to him that Manrico was his brother. This legendary performance of Giuseppe Verdi's most successful opera was recorded at the Vienna State Opera under the baton of Herbert von Karajan.

Lilos Lachen - Das erstaunliche Leben der Liselotte Pulver

Jan Tenhaven

Liselotte Pulver, Annette Frier

Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, Ernst Wild

Hermann Prey, Luigi Alva

Count Almaviva is in love with Rosina. However, she is currently staying with Dr. Bartolo – who desires to marry her. By using a series of disguises, Almaviva manages to pass letters to Rosina and serenade her with his beautiful voice. Dr. Bartolo does his best to stop Almaviva but is constantly thwarted. In the end, Count Almaviva marries Rosina and Dr. Bartolo comes to terms with his defeat.

Herbert von Karajan: Maestro for the Screen

Georg Wübbolt

Herbert von Karajan, Hugo Niebeling

Documentary on conductor Herbert van Karajan, focusing on his early adoption of audio and video recording technology and his impetus to make use of it to preserve his musical legacy for future generations.

Henze: Der Junge Lord

Ernst Wild

Edith Mathis, Donald Grobe

A 1968 production of Hans-Werner Henze's comic opera filmed at Berlin's Deutsche Oper. With the plot centering around how a whole town is deceived into taking a dressed monkey as a young lord, the work features performances from, among others, Edith Mathis, Donald Grobe and Barry McDaniel. Christoph von Dohnányi conducts.

Beethoven: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 61

Ernst Wild

Herbert von Karajan, Anne-Sophie Mutter

Premiered in 1806, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major paved the way for three great violin concertos of the 19th and 20th centuries: Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Sibelius. Extremely expressive and astonishing in it emotional scope, the work nonetheless received an ambivalent response at its premiere. Renowned for his knowledge of Beethoven’s oeuvre, the conductor Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker are joined by the virtuoso violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter for a masterful performance.

Karajan's Magic and Myth

John Bridcut

Plácido Domingo, Anne-Sophie Mutter

Over twenty-five years after his death in July 1989, the controversial Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan remains an enigma. He was the most successful conductor in the history of classical music. Many of his recordings - of Italian opera, of Wagner and Richard Strauss, of Sibelius, Beethoven and Brahms - are treasured by music lovers around the world. Yet, even at the peak of his fame, his performances were variously criticised for being too opulent, too manicured, lacking warmth or spiritual depth. This musical profile explores the many paradoxes in the life and music of this controversial figure, who forged his international reputation in London with the Philharmonia Orchestra shortly after the end of the Second World War and went on to reign supreme in the classical music world during his three decades with the Berlin Philharmonic. The film also examines Karajan's belief in the visual power of music, and his determination to leave behind a substantial legacy of music on film.