Bruno Monsaingeon

Famous for having fled the stage of the 1990 Leeds Competition because he felt he didn't deserve to be there, pianist Piotr Anderszewski provides an eccentric subject for an eccentric filmmaker, Bruno Monsaingeon, in this absorbing documentary. Following Anderszewski as he travels from Poland to Hungary by train with his grand piano in tow, the film reveals much about the musical musings of a brilliant performer and artist.

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Swing, Sing and Think is a chronicle of the young French pianist David Fray's recording sessions of three of Bach's famous clavier concertos. Each chapter features a few minutes of Fray at home in Paris explicating his interpretation of the score at his piano, followed by rehearsal and recording sessions he conducts with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, one of the finest chamber orchestras in Europe.

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Part III in the series "Glenn Gould Plays Bach" spotlights Gould recording Bach's "Goldberg Variations" in a sound studio. In a brief introduction, he reminisces about his first recording of the pieces and explains why he wanted to record them again now, a quarter of a century later. It was to be his last recording of the "Goldberg Variations" and perhaps the last time he played the work: Glenn Gould died the year after the recording was made.

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This documentary introduces the unbelievable talents of Valeriy Sokolov. A short introduction gives way to concert footage guaranteed to amaze. The repertoire includes Beethoven's 7th Violin sonata, Prokofiev's 2nd sonata, Saint-Saens' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and Miroslav Skorikh's Spanish Danse.

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A retrospective of the life and work of Glenn Gould, Hereafter synthesizes an incredible wealth of archival material from various sources.

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"Les Pianos De La Nuit" is a collection of piano recitals performed live in the heart of Provence during the International Piano Festival of La Roque D'Antheron in July and August 2002. Conceived specifically for DVD release, these virtuoso performances by contemporary artists can claim authoritative status as classic 21st-century archival footage. R. Strauss Ständchen, Op. 17 No. 2 Serenade Till Eulenspiegel, Op. 28 Godowsky Studies after Chopin’s Studies No. 47 Badinage No. 28 Study in Octaves No. 22 Study for the Left Hand Debussy L’Isle joyeuse Hummel Rondo in E-flat major, Op. 11 Liszt Totentanz, S 525 Ligeti L’Escalier du diable (No. 13 from: Études pour piano II) Saint-Saëns Study in the Form of a Waltz, Op. 52 No. 6 Tchaikovsky Pas de deux from “The Sleeping Beauty” Adagio Variation I : Désiré Variation II : Aurore Coda Alkan “20 Years” from the Grand Sonata, Op. 33 “The Four Ages” Delibes Pizzicato Polka from “Sylvia”

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A film written and directed by Bruno Monsaingeon. Drawing on archival performance footage and interviews, The Art of Violin evokes the vast panorama of the world of the violin in the 20th century and its most outstanding performers. It is hard to express the explosions of joy occasioned by the discovery of long sought-out but undreamed-of archives, such as some silent - and later resynchronised - film footage, or the few brief moments of Chausson's Poeme played by Ginette Neveu, the silent yet moving (in every sense of the word)images of Kreisler and Ysaye, the awe of a young Menuhin, the superb single camera shot of David Oistrakh performing the cadenza from Shostakovich's First Concerto. Contributions from Ivry Gitlis, Ida Haendel, Hilary Hahn, Laurent Korcia, Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman, and Mstislav Rostropovich, Produced by Pierre-Olivier Bardet & Stephen Wright.

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This biography of Sviatoslav Richter, the great Russian pianist who dedicated his life to music and had little regard for fame in the West, shines a light on his formative years and places him against the setting of a chaotic USSR culture.

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The life and virtuosic work of Russian violinist David Oistrakh, once known as King David in the Soviet Union, is chronicled with depth and detail by filmmaker Bruno Monsaingeon in this intriguing portrait of an artist. Highlights include a range of performance footage throughout Oistrakh's legendary career, as well as interviews with his son, Igor, conductor Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and violinist Yehudi Menuhin.

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This film is devoted to the artistic heritage of a personality who ranked among the most extraordinary musicians of his time, even as a child. Menuhin was not a mere musician: he was a cosmopolitan, a peacemaker and a true humanist. French filmmaker Bruno Monsaingeon, who filmed this great retrospective, describes his work with Menuhin as follows: “He threw himself into it whole-heartedly, with great sense of humour and overwhelming humanity. This film also shows my heartfelt gratitude for a man who gave such decisive sense to my own existence.”

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Director Bruno Monsaingeon stages this live musical journey into the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, featuring virtuoso Marie-Claire Alain playing organs hand-selected to best represent Bach's Baroque style. The tour incorporates venues at which the maestro himself would have performed, such as Haarlem, Rötha, Groningen and Dresden, and includes masterpieces such as Toccata in F Major, Trio Sonata no. 1, Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor, and more.

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In Part II of the series "Glenn Gould Plays Bach", Gould concentrates on the fugal form in Bach's works, showing us how Bach uses keys like stops on an organ, and how they give him ideas and colours. He performs various fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier and reveals why he feels the "Art of Fugue" is the work that summed up Bach's life.

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Part I of the series "Glenn Gould Plays Bach" is devoted to Bach's "Art of Fugue." Gould's performance is followed by a lively repartee with Monsaingeon, in which the pianist provides dazzling insights illustrated by music examples. He explains, for example, why he plays some pieces extremely slowly, and bemoans the "musicological overkill" of scholars who insist that Bach's keyboard music should only be played on a harpsichord.

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This documentary is the first film ever made by Bruno Monsaingeon. It was shot in the 1960s and early 1970s in grainy black and white and only average sound, when Boulanger was in her late 80s and still fearsomely in command of her abilities. Monsaingeon re-cut the film in 1977. This film remains one of the most important documents concerning this fabled teacher. She is seen at one of her fabled 'Wednesdays', a composition lesson held weekly in her apartment for almost six decades and attended by anyone who would come. In this particular session she talks illuminatingly with students about a small portion of Schumann's 'Davidsbündertanze'.

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Part I of the series "Glenn Gould Plays Bach" is devoted to Bach's "Art of Fugue." Gould's performance is followed by a lively repartee with Monsaingeon, in which the pianist provides dazzling insights illustrated by music examples. He explains, for example, why he plays some pieces extremely slowly, and bemoans the "musicological overkill" of scholars who insist that Bach's keyboard music should only be played on a harpsichord.

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Filmmaker Bruno Monsaingeon visits piano virtuoso Glenn Gould more than ten years after his self-imposed exile from the stage, which results in a mixture of interview and performance.

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This film is devoted to the artistic heritage of a personality who ranked among the most extraordinary musicians of his time, even as a child. Menuhin was not a mere musician: he was a cosmopolitan, a peacemaker and a true humanist. French filmmaker Bruno Monsaingeon, who filmed this great retrospective, describes his work with Menuhin as follows: “He threw himself into it whole-heartedly, with great sense of humour and overwhelming humanity. This film also shows my heartfelt gratitude for a man who gave such decisive sense to my own existence.”

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Filmmaker Bruno Monsaingeon visits piano virtuoso Glenn Gould more than ten years after his self-imposed exile from the stage, which results in a mixture of interview and performance.

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