There is an actual documentary about Alfred Brendel on BBC2 tonight, at 11.20pm (not exactly prime-time but we can always set the video if we can work out how to use it). 'Alfred Brendel: Man and Mask' follows the great pianist through two years, during which he works with such artists as Simon Rattle and Matthias Goerne, and explores the influences that shaped his life and musicianship. He's also featured in The Culture Show at 10pm - which has extra culture on it today, including our beloved Felix and his birthday. Here, apparently Brendel reveals a fondness for the films of Bunuel.
I don't know yet whether the documentary will be available on the BBC iPlayer after tonight, but if it is then I will link to it here.
3 comments:
I am a great fan of Alfred Brendel, of his music-making writing and poetry. I also share his abomination of noise, which led me to think up this witticism as a consolation for all (?) during the financial crisis: "You can buy noise but you can't buy silence."
Alas, it looks like they're not making it available on iPlayer, which is a real shame as it's well worth a second viewing (especially when I'm not so sleepy...).
There is 'Brendel in Performance' on tonight, however - also at 11:20pm on BBC 2.
Just discovered that the documentary is available on DVD:
Amazon Link
(and, in fact, illegally ripped onto YouTube, for the less scrupulous out there)
He is fantastic, isn't he?
You can also buy this documentary on DVD, it came out a few years ago. I think it is worth the price, although the special features section featuring Brendel reading his poetry does not add much value.
Post a Comment