Time flows and stands still in this contemplative music that sounds old and new and yet neither old nor new, naive art and higher mathematics, a child‘s game, a glass bead game, like first steps and last words – all rolled into one. The compositions that Arvo Pärt has been writing for almost half a century defy any labelling or ideology. In his anachronistic art, the Estonian composer – who emigrated from the Soviet Union with his family in 1980 and found a refuge in (West) Berlin – chose the path of renunciation, reduction, and voluntary poverty. The most famous testimony to this musical conversion is undoubtedly Fratres (“Brothers”), which was written in 1977 but has appeared in all kinds of different instrumentations and versions over the years. In its ascetic austerity and almost liturgical solemnity, Fratres is reminiscent of a communal prayer or a spiritual act.

Make no mistake, this is not William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. This version, by Vincenzo Bellini with a libretto by Felice Romani, has often been dismissed for its story line, which is very different from the familiar tale of the star-crossed lovers. Actually, as noted by musicologist-bel canto answer man Philip Gossett in his liner notes, Bellini and Romani hadn't read Shakespeare when they composed the opera. They had, however, read the sources on which Shakespeare based his play, but while both they and the Bard departed from the original, they departed in different directions. No matter: the opera has some gorgeous music, and it's given some gorgeous performances here by some very fine singers.

Dante Alighieri, born in Florence in 1265, was at once a poet and an important political figure of his time. His celebrated Divine Comedy relates his supposed descent to Hell and slow ascent to Paradise. Godard’s operatic treatment of his life (1890) skilfully juxtaposes the political milieu – crowd scenes in Florence and the quarrel between Guelfs and Ghibellines – with the expression of the courtly love he feels for Beatrice, betrothed to his friend Bardi.

A genuine première and, over and above that, starring the biggest motion picture composer of the present day: Ennio Morricone. Morricone is well-known to moviegoers his soundtracks are invariably warmly melodic and superbly suited to the films they grace. The program contains a representative sample of his rich creative output and features a selection of his most famous film music including “Il Buono, il brutto e il cattivo” (“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”), “C’era una volta il West” (“Once Upon a Time in the West”, “Giu la testa” (“A Fistful of Dynamite”), “C’era una volta in America” (“Once Upon a Time in America”, “The Mission”, “Cinema Paradiso”, “The Life and Death of Richard III”, “Investigation Of A Citizen Under Suspicion”, “The Untouchables” and lots more. Including short film clips!

A genuine première and, over and above that, starring the biggest motion picture composer of the present day: Ennio Morricone. Morricone is well-known to moviegoers his soundtracks are invariably warmly melodic and superbly suited to the films they grace. The program contains a representative sample of his rich creative output and features a selection of his most famous film music including “Il Buono, il brutto e il cattivo” (“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”), “C’era una volta il West” (“Once Upon a Time in the West”, “Giu la testa” (“A Fistful of Dynamite”), “C’era una volta in America” (“Once Upon a Time in America”, “The Mission”, “Cinema Paradiso”, “The Life and Death of Richard III”, “Investigation Of A Citizen Under Suspicion”, “The Untouchables” and lots more. Including short film clips!