Also available on Blu-ray

The Bolshoi Ballet troupe in Yuri Grigorovich’s version of the romantic masterpiece 'Giselle', at last available in HD. First performed in 1841, 'Giselle' was an immediate hit. With music by Adolphe Adam and a libretto by The?ophile Gautier and Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, the ballet touches on the great romantic themes: local colour, a pastoral love affair doomed to end in tragedy, a plunge into fantasy and redemption through the power of love.

“I am interested in the way that, right now, we are having to recalibrate our existence and to rethink our humanity: our relationship to the world, to its changes and its history. At turning points there is always a chance of finding but sadly also of forgetting something. Amid the tumult of the world the Renaissance values that resonate in the Madrigals seem to be perpetually relevant as a way of anchoring ourselves. On the other hand, just as the composer once did with his newly created Seconda pratica, I too seek a new kind of expression – a third practice – in my choreography.” (Tero Saarinen) Tero Saarinen’s Third Practice explores radical shifts in values and perspectives. Claudio Monteverdi’s revolutionary, breathtakingly beautiful madrigals are incarnated by twelve dancers and musicians. The Tero Saarinen Company and the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra join forces to create a gripping contemporary fusion of dance, live music, opera and design. Rooted with Wings is a visual dance documentary that explores the work of internationally acclaimed choreographer and dancer Tero Saarinen, granting the viewer a unique impression of this extraordinary artist’s creative process.

Please note: the audio narration for this program is in French, with English subtitles.

In his Parisian living-room, music critic André Tubeuf (1930-2021) tells, with his knowledge, his language and his memory, the story of the German Lied. From Mozart and Beethoven to Mahler and Strauss, through Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Wolf, a major part of the European culture and of music history is reborn before our eyes and ears. A series in seven episodes by Martin Mirabel. “Of course, there is much grander music, more sublime music, but there is no music that is more direct or intimate. That is to say, there is nothing we need more.’’ (André Tubeuf)

An emancipated slave, the Chevalier de Saint-George managed to elevate himself to the highest spheres of the Enlightened 18th-century French society, thanks to his incredible accomplishments as a fencer, horseman, and musician. From the Guadeloupe where he was born, to Paris and Versailles where he made a name for himself, to Lille that he defended against the royalists during the French Revolution, he quickly became one of the most important characters in both the musical and the military scenes. Through his compositions, testimonies from specialists and secrets shared by some of his best interprets, this film narrates his extraordinary adventures.