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- DOCUMENTARY SEGMENT: In Vienna in 1786, Mozart composed the opera buffa The Marriage of Figaro. Mozart and his librettist, Lorenzo da Ponte (1749–1838), based it on a satirical political play by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732–1799), which was banned in the Austrian Empire. Although not as politically charged as Beaumarchais's work, The Marriage of Figaro nonetheless satirized the aristocracy and their relationships with their servants. It also broke new ground in opera in its three-dimensional treatment of its characters, its exploration of their sexual attractions to one another, and in its use and style of music, which departed from previous operatic conventions in many ways. Thanks to these qualities and to the palace intrigue and social politics that tended to determine musical success or failure in Vienna, the opera premiered in Vienna on 1 May 1786 but closed after only nine performances, receiving a mixed reception. Shortly after its premiere, however, connoisseurs of music in Prague invited Mozart to attend a performance of the opera in Prague, where it premiered in December 1786. In Prague, The Marriage of Figaro achieved tremendous success. In 1789, The Marriage of Figaro was revived in Vienna, cementing its place in the Mozart repertoire. Music performed during the documentary includes portions of Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491 – which Mozart composed in 1786, a few weeks before the world premiere of The Marriage of Figaro – performed by André Previn with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Previn; The Marriage of Figaro by István Gáti (as Figaro); Der Schauspieldirektor ("The Impresario"), K. 486, by István Rozsos (as Buff), Ingrid Kertesi (as Madame Herz), and Katalin Farkas (as Madame Silberklang); and Antonio Salieri′s (1750–1825) Prima la musica e poi le parole ("First the music and then the words") by Mária Zempeléni (as Tonina) with the Symphony Orchestra of the Hungarian Radio and Television conducted by Wilhelm Keitel. - CONCERT SEGMENT: Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491 with cadenzas by André Previn, performed by André Previn with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Previn, recorded in the Grosse Galerie ("Great Gallery") at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. Episode 10: https://rumble.com/v4noz8w-mozart-on-tour-prague-success-with-da-ponte-episode-10.html

- DOCUMENTARY SEGMENT: Mozart enjoyed life in Vienna and never returned to Salzburg after a three-month stay there to visit his father Leopold in 1783. For his part, Leopold viewed Wolfgang′s lifestyle in Vienna as frivolous, and made his distaste known. But by the years from 1783 to 1785, Wolfgang had become history′s first successful freelance composer, and made a comfortable living from his compositions and performances. He enhanced his reputation by taking part in a number of large-scale concert events in Vienna known as musical "academies," each of which centered around the works of a featured composer. Wolfgang befriended Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809), celebrated by his contemporaries as the greatest composer of his time, and during a visit Leopold made to Vienna in 1785, Haydn thanked Leopold for his contribution to the musical education of Wolfgang, who Haydn said was the greatest composer he had ever known, leading to a warming of relations between Wolfgang and Leopold. Wolfgang often performed piano works by sight-reading them at their premiere without rehearsal, and his piano works from this period provide insight into his talent and skill as a performer. Music performed during the documentary includes portions of Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466 performed by Ivan Klánský with the Virtuosi di Praga conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek; the Great Mass in C minor, K. 427 performed by soprano Andrea Rost with the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart conducted by Helmuth Rilling; and String Quartet No. 19, K. 465 performed by the Talich Quartet. - CONCERT SEGMENT: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466, with cadenzas by Ivan Klánský, performed by Ivan Klánský with the Virtuosi di Praga conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek, recorded in the Rittersaal ("Knight's Hall") of the Wallenstein Palace in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Episode 9: https://rumble.com/v4ni8nb-mozart-on-tour-vienna-and-prague-the-other-side-of-the-coin-episode-9.html

- DOCUMENTARY SEGMENT: After the death of Empress Maria Theresa in November 1780, Archbishop Colloredo in 1781 ordered Mozart to accompany him and his retinue to Vienna for the official mourning period. Resolved to stay in Vienna and chafing at the archbishop′s treatment of him, Mozart resigned from his service while in Vienna at the archbishop′s request and against his father Leopold′s wishes. In Vienna, giving music lessons, Mozart met the Webers, who had moved there from Mannheim after the death of the father Fridolin. By the summer of 1782, Mozart was in love with Constanze Weber, but needed money to marry her, get her away from her mother, and set up his own household with her. Mozart composed the opera buffa The Abduction from the Seraglio in 1782, and used the money he earned from it to "rescue" Constanze from her mother′s household. Music performed during the documentary includes portions of Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453 performed by Dezső Ránki with the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jeffrey Tate; The Abduction from the Seraglio by Dénes Gulyás (as Belmonte) and the Symphony Orchestra of the Hungarian Radio and Television, Budapest, conducted by Wilhelm Keitel; and Sonata for Violin and Piano, K. 371, by Jitka Nováková (violin) and František Kúda (piano). - CONCERT SEGMENT: Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453, performed by Dezső Ránki with the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jeffrey Tate, recorded in the Grosse Galerie ("Great Gallery") at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. Episode 8: https://rumble.com/v4ni4t0-mozart-on-tour-vienna-the-best-city-for-my-mtier-episode-8.html

- DOCUMENTARY SEGMENT: Mozart disliked his birthplace and childhood home, Salzburg, and found it humiliating to make music for the Archbishop of Salzburg, Count Hieronymus von Colloredo. After a prominent French pianist named Mademoiselle Jeunehomme – her first name is not recorded – visited Salzburg and performed some of Wolfgang's works, he and his family decided that he should visit Paris. When Mozart wrote the Archbishop and diplomatically requested that he grant Mozart a leave of absence so that he could travel and seek other opportunities, the Archbishop responded by firing Mozart, so Mozart and his mother set out for Mannheim, where they stayed for four months, and then moved on to Paris, arriving there in March 1778. In Paris, he received few job offers and turned down the ones he did receive. On 3 July 1778, his mother died in Paris. Mozart returned to Salzburg with no job and large debts, never to return to France. Although he viewed himself as a failure during this period of his life, it was a fruitful time in terms of his musical compositions. - CONCERT SEGMENT: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major, "Jeunehomme," K. 271, performed by Mitsuko Uchida with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg conducted by Jeffrey Tate, recorded at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg during the Salzburg Festival in 1989. Episode 7: https://rumble.com/v4nhy7i-mozart-on-tour-vienna-a-double-abduction-episode-7.html

Nuovo cinema Paradiso (literally "New Paradise Cinema") is a 1988 French-Italian coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. It was internationally released as Cinema Paradiso in France, Spain, the UK and the US. Audio in Italian with English subtitles. Set in a small Sicilian town, the film centers on the friendship between a young boy and an aging projectionist who works at the titular movie theatre. This Italian-French co-production stars Philippe Noiret, Jacques Perrin, Leopoldo Trieste, Marco Leonardi, Agnese Nano and Salvatore Cascio. The film score was composed by Ennio Morricone and his son, Andrea, marking the beginning of a collaboration between Tornatore and Morricone that lasted until Morricone's death on 6 July 2020. In 1988 Rome, Salvatore Di Vita, a famous film director, returns home late one evening, where his girlfriend sleepily tells him that his mother called to say someone named Alfredo has died. Salvatore shies from committed relationships and has not been to his home village of Giancaldo, Sicily in thirty years. As his girlfriend asks him who Alfredo was, Salvatore is not able to fall asleep and flashes back to his childhood. Credited with revitalizing Italy's film industry, Cinema Paradiso has been cited as one of the greatest films of all time. The ending is considered among the greatest endings in movie history. It was a commercial success, and won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Cannes Film Festival's Grand Prix. It was nominated for 11 BAFTA Awards and won five; including Best Actor for Philippe Noiret, Best Supporting Actor for Salvatore Cascio, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Foreign Language Film, a record for a foreign language feature until it was broken by All Quiet on the Western Front in 2023. Cast & Characters: Philippe Noiret as Alfredo Salvatore Cascio as child Salvatore Di Vita Marco Leonardi as teenage Salvatore Jacques Perrin as adult Salvatore Agnese Nano as Elena Mendola Brigitte Fossey as adult Elena (extended cut only) Antonella Attili as Maria Di Vita Pupella Maggio as old Maria Enzo Cannavale as Spaccafico Isa Danieli as Anna Leopoldo Trieste as Father Adelfio Roberta Lena as Lia Nino Terzo as Peppino's father Leo Gullotta as the Usher Tano Cimarosa as the Blacksmith Nicola Di Pinto as the Village Idiot Cinema Paradiso was shot in director Tornatore's hometown Bagheria, Sicily, as well as Cefalù on the Tyrrhenian Sea.

- DOCUMENTARY SEGMENT: Mozart arrived in Mannheim in October 1777, hoping to become court composer to the Elector of Bavaria, Charles IV Theodore (1724–1799); under Charles Theodore, Mannheim and Schwetzingen, where Charles Theodore maintained a country palace, had become important European artistic and cultural centers. Travelling without his father Leopold, it was the first time in Mozart′s life that he had sought employment and artistic recognition on his own. He pursued a permanent paid position at court without success, in no small part because of his lack of diplomacy and diffidence. While awaiting a chance to secure full-time employment, he tried to met expenses by composing music and giving music lessons, including for the elector's second family by his deceased mistress. He used his Piano Concert No. 8 in C Major, K. 246, in teaching his students. Music performed during the documentary includes portions of The Flute Quartet No. 1 in D major, K. 285, by Hana Huberná (flute) and members of the Talich Quartet and Piano Concert No. 8 in C Major, K. 246, by Christian Zacharias and the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gianluigi Gelmetti. - CONCERT SEGMENT: Piano Concert No. 8 in C Major K. 246, performed by Christian Zacharias with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gianluigi Gelmetti, recorded in the Rokokotheater ("Rococo Theater") at Schwetzingen Palace in Schwetzingen, Germany, where Charles Theodore’s court spent a great deal of time during Mozart′s stay. Episode 6: https://rumble.com/v4nhw49-mozart-on-tour-paris-far-from-salzburg-episode-6.html

Luciano Canfora racconta Giulio Ceare. Luciano Canfora è uno storico del mondo antico e filologo italiano, professore emerito di filologia greca e latina presso l’Università di Bari. Profondo conoscitore della cultura classica e autore di importanti studi sulla storia antica e su quella contemporanea. Membro dell’Institute for the classical tradition di Boston, della Fondazione Istituto Gramsci di Roma, e del comitato scientifico dell’Istituto della Enciclopedia Treccani, dirige la rivista Quaderni di storia e la collana La città antica e collabora con il «Corriere della Sera» e altre testate. I suoi numerosissimi studi, tradotti in varie lingue, sono caratterizzati da un approccio multidisciplinare e un ampio ambito di ricerca. Autore di molti best seller, i suoi libri sono stati anche tradotti in diverse lingue. Tra le sue pubblicazioni: Europa gigante incatenato (Dedalo, 2020), La democrazia dei signori (Laterza, 2022), Lezioni di filologia classica (il Mulino, 2023), Sovranità limitata (Laterza, 2023), La democrazia. Storia di un’ideologia (Laterza, 2023). Tra le sue pubblicazioni per Laterza, più volte ristampate e molte delle quali tradotte nelle principali lingue: Storia della letteratura greca; Giulio Cesare. Il dittatore democratico; Prima lezione di storia greca; La democrazia. Storia di un’ideologia;L’occhio di Zeus;Il papiro di Artemidoro; La natura del potere;I l mondo di Atene; Intervista sul potere (a cura di A. Carioti); La crisi dell’utopia. Aristofane contro Platone; Augusto figlio di Dio; Tucidide. La menzogna, la colpa, l’esilio; Cleofonte deve morire;La scopa di don Abbondio. Il moto violento della storia;Il sovversivo. Concetto Marchesi e il comunismo italiano; Fermare l’odio; La metamorfosi; Il tesoro degli Ebrei. Roma e Gerusalemme; Catilina. Una rivoluzione mancata; Sovranità limitata.

- DOCUMENTARY SEGMENT: Mozart arrived in Mannheim in 1777 to seek a position in the court of the Elector of Bavaria Charles IV Theodore (1724–1799). He spent a year there, encountering the Mannheim school of composers and orchestral techniques, and the school had a major influence on his future compositions. In Mannheim, he met the music copyist Franz Fridolin Weber (1691–1754) and his four daughters. Mozart fell in love with Weber′s second-oldest child, the soprano Aloysia Weber (c. 1760–1839). Weber′s oldest child, the soprano Josepha Weber (1758–1819), later created the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart′s 1791 opera The Magic Flute. Weber′s third child, soprano Constanze Weber (1762–1842), later became Mozart's wife. Mozart also met the conductor of the Mannheim orchestra, Christian Cannabich (c. 1731–1798), who greatly impressed him, and he composed for Cannabich′s daughter Rose. Music performed during the documentary includes portions of Sonata No. 22 for Violin and Piano, K. 293d, by Jitka Nováková (violin) and František Kúda (piano) and Symphony No. 31 in D Major "Paris", K. 297, by the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg conducted by Jeffrey Tate. - CONCERT SEGMENT: Piano Concerto No. 6 in B Major, K. 238, performed by Christian Zacharias with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gianluigi Gelmetti, recorded in the Rokokotheater ("Rococo Theater") at Schwetzingen Palace in Schwetzingen, Germany, where Charles Theodore’s court spent a great deal of time during Mozart′s stay in Mannheim. Episode 5: https://rumble.com/v4n8cc0-mozart-on-tour-schwetzingen-musicians-and-princess-episode-5.html

- DOCUMENTARY SEGMENT: During the Mozart family′s tour of Italy, they visited Milan and Bologna in 1770, where Mozart wrote his opera Mitridate, re di Ponto, first performed in Milan in December 1770. At Bologna, Leopold Mozart arranged with Padre Giovanni Battista Martini, an instructor at the city′s renowned Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna ("Philharmonic Academy of Bologna") – which has educated many of the greatest composers and musicians from Italy and elsewhere – for Wolfgang to take the entrance examination. Wolfgang was too young to attend the academy, but Leopold thought that the examination would be a good vehicle for him to demonstrate his talent. Wolfgang completed the examination in a remarkable 30 minutes and passed, although Martini bent the rules of the examination and "corrected" the leading voice Mozart had written to conform to more established compositional norms. Music performed during the documentary includes portions of Divertimento No. 1 in E-flat major, K. 113, by the Chamber Ensemble of the National Theater, Prague, and Aria, K. 73, by Hana Zachatová and the Chamber Ensemble of the National Theater, Prague. - CONCERT SEGMENT: Piano Concerto No. 5 in D major, K. 175, performed by the Orchestra della Radiotelevisione della Svizzera Italiana ("Radio and Television Orchestra of Italian Switzerland") conducted by Marc Andreae with soloist Malcolm Frager, recorded in the Teatro Scientifico del Bibiena in Mantua, Italy. The piece is Mozart′s first fully original piano concerto. Episode 4: https://rumble.com/v4n87jr-mozart-on-tour-mannheim-aloysia-and-constanze-episode-4.html

- DOCUMENTARY SEGMENT: In December 1769,Leopold Mozart (1719–1787) set out with his son Wolfgang on a journey to Italy, the center of European musical culture at the time, to further Wolfgang′s musical development and his fame as a performer. In early 1770, they visited first Verona and then Mantua, and in both cities Wolfgang′s performances drew large and enthusiastic crowds. Wolfgang composed his first string quartet, String Quartet No. 1 in G major, K. 80/73f, during this journey. By this time, Wolfgang, with help from Leopold, already had begun to compose and perform early piano concerti – pasticcio arrangements for piano and orchestra based on piano sonatas by other composers. Music performed during the documentary includes a portion of Piano Concerto No. 1 in F Major, K. 37 performed by the Orchestra della Radiotelevisione della Svizzera Italiana ("Radio and Television Orchestra of Italian Switzerland") conducted by Marc Andreae with soloist Heidrun Holtmann. - CONCERT SEGMENT: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F Major, K. 37 and Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, K. 41, performed by the Orchestra della Radiotelevisione della Svizzera Italiana ("Radio and Television Orchestra of Italian Switzerland") conducted by Marc Andreae with soloist Heidrun Holtmann, recorded in the Teatro Scientifico del Bibiena ("Bibiena Scientific Theater") in Mantua, Italy, in 1989. Episode 3: https://rumble.com/v4n7vaw-mozart-on-tour-milan-learning-by-travelling-episode-3.html

A 1991 Documentary series hosted by Andre Previn and Michael Kitchen as reader of Mozart′s letters. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart spent a third of his life travelling, and the 13-part 'Mozart on Tour' series focuses on these journeys and their influence on his life and work, highlighting a piano concerto that demonstrates his musical development at the time of each trip. Mozart on Tour was produced to coincide with the 1991 bicentennial of Mozart′s death. Each episode is centred on a different European city and combines travelogue-style narration with musical excerpts and period re-enactment. Conductor and composer Andre Previn provides the historical and musical background, and actor Michael Kitchen reads from the many letters that Mozart wrote home while on his travels. Each episode includes a full performance of one of Mozart's twenty-seven piano concertos played by an internationally renowned soloist, orchestra and conductor. The performances take place in appropriately historical settings. Episode 1 - DOCUMENTARY SEGMENT: During his childhood, Mozart and his family visited London from April 1764 to July 1765. It was a happy and successful visit in which the court of King George III idolized him and his family and Mozart met and associated with some of the most important musicians of the time. Among them were Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782) and Karl Friedrich Abel (1723–1787), both of whom had spent a significant amount of time in Italy and were influenced by musical developments there. The Mozart family also became friendly with Giovanni Manzuoli (1720–1782), an Italian vocalist residing and performing in London at the time, and became familiar with his style of virtuoso singing. Bach, Abel, and Manzuoli gave Mozart first-hand exposure to the Italian musical style that would influence him for the rest of his life, the Italian school of musical composition, and the pianoforte, a fairly new instrument at the time. These experiences inspired Mozart's style, which culminated in works like 1782′s Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major. - CONCERT SEGMENT: Piano Concerto No.12 in A Major, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with soloist and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy. Recorded in the Great Hall of Lancaster House at Hampton Court Palace, London. Episode 2: https://rumble.com/v4n7glc-mozart-on-tour-mantua-initial-steps-episode-2.html

A 2015 Arts Documentary hosted by Rick Wakeman. Antonio Vivaldi’s the Four Seasons is the most popular piece of classical music of all time. There have been over 1000 different recordings , selling tens of millions of copies. It’s become so ubiquitous – in lifts, as phone ring tones or on call-centre answering machines – that it has been denounced as Muzak for the middle classes.

A 1987 Trilion Pictures production presents George Frederick Handel's "Water Music" from The Banqueting House - Whitehall London. Musicians and dancers perform at the Banqueting House in Whitehall, London in authentic Baroque costume and with period surroundings. English Bach Festival Dancers Choreography by Belinda Quirey Costumes (from original designs) by Derek West The English Bach Festival Orchestra Conducted by and Solo Violinist: Christopher Hirons Director: Derek Hanlon The Water Music (German: Wassermusik) is a collection of orchestral movements, often published as three suites, composed by George Frideric Handel. It premiered on 17 July 1717, in response to King George I's request for a concert on the River Thames. The Water Music opens with a French overture and includes minuets, bourrées, and hornpipes. It is divided into three suites About the Baroque Dance: When we think of "baroque dance", we often think of enormous wigs and frilly dresses, a rond de jambe and graceful entrechats. This is of course true, to a certain extent: as the Belle Danse developed during the 17th century, it was a dance reserved for the nobility and gentlemen, wearing their finest clothes. However, under the reign of Louis XIV, the baroque dance was not only a source of entertainment or a simple pass-time. Quite the contrary, it was a veritable art-form, with a social and political impact. In 17th century France, dance was an integral part of a gentleman's education. The nobility learned to read and to write, to handle weapons, and to dance. But what did baroque dance actually look like? "This dance is built upon the premise that if you can walk, you can dance", explains choreographer Béatrice Massin, advisor to director Gérard Corbiau for the film Le Roi Danse (2000). "Everything is built from very simple elements since the ball dances were necessarily accessible to all, nobody was a professional at this time. The baroque body was a round one, fully capable of taking advantage of the space. A body that takes pleasure both in volume but also in height. On every strong beat, for example, the body rises. There is a particular way of using the arms since the shoulders were not free when wearing court costumes. In the baroque dance, the ports de bras (name of a general arm movement in dance and ballet) thus remains oriented towards the pelvis and the lower part of the body, whilst the bust stretches upward, as if to assert grandeur and ease. As for the steps, the premises of classical dance with entrechats, chassés, and pas de bourrée... All variants that were built from a walking step."

A 2016 GEDEON Programmes Documentary directed by Marc Jampolsky. Audio in English, with subtitles in English (click on CC). The best-known and most impressive castle in the Loire valley, Chambord has remained an enigma to generations of researchers. Who was the architect? What significance did King Francois I, who commissioned Chambord, want the castle to have? And what role did his friend and “king’s architect” Leonardo da Vinci play? Conceived by a young monarch who loved hunting and chivalry, this “dream in stone” is still a puzzle to researchers 500 years later, especially since no preliminary designs have ever been found. Why did the King embark on this epic project in the heart of the marshlands in 1519?

A 2009 Arts Documentary narrated by Samuel West. Audio in English with subtitles for the Italian parts. The extraordinary story of one of world's great, lost masterpieces: Caravaggio's "The Taking of Christ". This film traces the painting's journey from its birth in Rome in 1602 to its amazing re-discovery in 1990. "The Taking of Christ" by Italian Baroque master Caravaggio today holds pride of place in the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin. Its subject is the arrest of Jesus, the moment when the son of God, is betrayed with a kiss - the Judas kiss. 400 years ago the painting was one of the most costly and celebrated artworks of its time, but in a confusion of discarded fashions and lost fortunes, it vanished. Its rediscovery is one of the most extraordinary detective stories in the history of art, traversing time, countries, war, social upheaval and family fortunes.

A 2019 Biography Documentary, written and directed by Markus Auge. Audio in German with English subtitles. He was a patron of science and a reformer on the one hand, a brutal power-seeker on the other. Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, king and Holy Roman Emperor from 1212 to 1250, was a man full of contradictions. He was one of the most fascinating and at the same time most contradictory rulers of the Middle Ages: Frederick II, the last and at the same time the greatest emperor of the Staufers. To some he was the Messiah Emperor and the Prince of Peace, a universal genius with great, creative intelligence, the "Stupor mundi" ("wonder of the world"), but to others he was the beast of the apocalypse that had emerged from the sea, the Antichrist, the beast on the throne. He was a patron of science, a reformer, and might even be called the first modern ruler. Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1212 to 1250, was an exceptional figure on the Roman-German imperial throne. Born and raised in the multi- ethnic state of Sicily, his reign was influenced by Byzantine and Norman traditions that allowed Jews and Muslims a large degree of freedom. All the royal houses in Europe are said to have looked up to him in awe. He saw himself as successor to the Roman emperors and ruler by the grace of God – a notion that was bound to collide with the Pope's claim to universal power. Frederick waged a bitter battle to maintain his power with five different popes. The Church excommunicated him several times and branded him a heretic and anti-Christ. Frederick responded with the sword, for the emperor was prepared to resort to brutal violence to defend his supremacy. He even arrested his own son and left him to rot in the dungeon. A ruler rife with contradictions and a man who, 800 years after his death, has lost nothing of his fascination.

Russian Ark (Russian: Russkij Kovcheg) is a 2002 German-Russian co-production experimental historical drama film directed by Alexander Sokurov. Audio in Russian with English subtitles. In Russian Ark, an unnamed narrator wanders through the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, and implies that he died in some horrible accident and is a ghost drifting through the palace. In each room, he encounters various real and fictional people from various periods in the city's 300-year history. He is accompanied by "the European", who represents the Marquis de Custine, a 19th-century French traveler. A grand ball follows, featuring music by Mikhail Glinka, with many of the participants in spectacular period costume, and a full orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev, then a long final exit with a crowd down the grand staircase. The film was recorded entirely in the Winter Palace of the Russian State Hermitage Museum on 23 December 2001 using a one-take single 96-minute Steadicam sequence shot. Russian Ark uses the fourth wall device extensively, but repeatedly broken and re-erected. At times the narrator and the companion interact with the other performers, whilst at other times they pass unnoticed. The film displays 33 rooms of the museum, which are filled with a cast of over 2,000 actors and three orchestras. Cast & Characters: Alexander Sokurov as Narrator Sergei Dontsov (Sergey Dreyden) as the European (Marquis de Custine) Mariya Kuznetsova as Catherine the Great Marksim Sergeyev as Peter the Great Anna Aleksakhina as Alexandra Feodorovna Vladimir Baranov as Nicholas II

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Episode 4: Florence, 1537 - Alessandro de'Medici the Duke of Florence, lies murdered in his bed. His cousin is plucked from obscurity to lead Florence. He is just 17. His rivals think he's a puppet, but despite his youth, Cosimo de'Medici, the new Duke of Florence, is ambitious. The Making Of: https://rumble.com/v4mhknc-the-medici-making-of.html NOTE (on Cosimo I de' Medici): Cosimo I was not a nobody. It is true that up to the time of his accession, Cosimo had lived only in Mugello (the ancestral homeland of the Medici family) and was almost unknown in Florence - although, many of the influential men in the city favoured. However, he was the son of the famous Ludovico de' Medici (known as Giovanni dalle Bande Nere) and his wife Maria Salviati, herself a granddaughter of Lorenzo the Magnificent. He was the grandson of Caterina Sforza, the Countess of Forlì and Lady of Imola, and one of the most famous women of the Italian Renaissance. The reason they chose him was exactly because of his lineage, and because the only male child of Alessandro de' Medici (the first Duke of Florence and the last lineal descendant of the senior branch), was born out-of-wedlock and was only four years' old at the time of his father's death. Thus the senior branch line of the Medici (those descended from Cosimo the Elder) died with Alessandro. Cosimo I united the two branches of the Medici family; the senior branch through his mother Maria Salviati (the daughter of Lucrezia de' Medici, the eldest daughter of Lorenzo de' Medici and Clarice Orsini) and the "junior" branch (the so-called "Popolani" ) who were descended from Lorenzo the Elder, the younger brother of Cosimo de' Medici the Elder. As such, he became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany. Marie de' Medici, Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV, was his granddaughter.

Episode 3: Florence, 1501 - 26-year-old Michelangelo carves a giant masterpiece which will come to symbolize his struggle against a family he once adored. Raised from a young age alongside the Medici heirs he watched as they were cast into exile with a price on their heads. Now they are searching for a path back to power. Episode 4. https://rumble.com/v4mgwtt-the-medici-godfathers-of-the-renaissance-power-vs.-truth-episode-4.html

Episode 2: Florence, August 1466 - Lorenzo de' Medici, the 17-year-old heir to the dynasty, foils a murderous plot against his father and saves his family from a coup d'Etat. The Medici still dominate Florence, but now take extra precautions, picking a useful bride for Lorenzo. Clarice Orsini, a baron's daughter and cardinal's niece, brings connections, class, and military muscle to the Medici dynasty. In the workshops of Florence, business has never been better. Under Medici patronage, artists like Sandro Botticelli go on to redefine the Renaissance itself. For now, Botticelli's “Adoration of the Magi” confirms his position at the heart of Medici power. Episode 3: https://rumble.com/v4mgc7b-the-medici-godfathers-of-the-renaissance-the-medici-popes-episode-3.html

A 2004 PBS Empire Special, History Documentary narrated by Massimo Marinoni. Audio in English with English subtitles (Click on CC). From a small Italian community in 15th century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. They would also ignite the most important cultural and artistic revolution in Western history - the European Renaissance. But the forces of change the Medici helped unleash would one day topple their ordered world. Episode 1: Europe, 1400 - A continent torn apart by war and plague is dominated by the authority of the Catholic Church. In the towns and cities live merchants and entrepreneurs who sense that their world is changing. With increasing trade and wealth an appetite for enlightenment develops. No longer neglected in the shadows of the Church, classical philosophy, poetry, art and sculpture begin to reach a new audience. This is especially true in cosmopolitan cities like Florence, home of Cosimo de'Medici. Episode 2: https://rumble.com/v4mg7qx-the-medici-godfathers-of-the-renaissance-the-magnificent-medici-episode-2.html

The final episode is devoted to Puccini, the worthy successor to Verdi. Puccini's operas are cinematic in their scale with ravishing, passionate and clever music, as he took Italian opera into the 20th century. Pappano looks at five of Puccini's most popular operas - La Boheme, Tosca, Madame Butterfly, Gianni Schicchi and Turandot. He travels to Rome to meet stage director Franco Zeffirelli and talk about Puccini and Zeffirelli's famous production of Turandot. Pappano also talks to one of the great Puccini interpreters, the soprano Renata Scotto, about the composer, Madame Butterfly and the role of Mimi in La Boheme. Also featured are soprano Angela Gheorghiu, tenors Jonas Kaufmann and Roberto Alagna and baritone Sir Thomas Allen.

The second episode focuses on Verdi, whose operas are central to Pappano's conducting repertoire and the backbone of the international opera scene. It shows how Verdi's music was influenced by composers such as Bellini and particularly Donizetti, whose gothic masterpiece Lucia di Lammermoor is explored with the help of soprano Diana Damrau. Pappano looks at six of Verdi's most famous works - Nabucco, Rigoletto, Don Carlo, Otello, Falstaff and La Traviata, the last of which Pappano rehearses and conducts at the Royal Opera House with the starry cast of Renee Fleming, Joseph Calleja and Thomas Hampson. Pappano travels to Le Roncole in northern Italy where Verdi was born amidst a turbulent political environment, and politics became a major influence on Verdi's operas in later life. He conducts Va Pensiero from Nabucco at a vast open-air concert in Naples, a chorus which was to become a powerful symbol of political unity for the Italian people. Episode 3: https://rumble.com/v4m6uo5-opera-italia-the-triumph-of-puccini-episode-3.html

A 2010 Arts Documentary hosted by Antonio Pappano. Audio in English with English subtitles (Click on CC). Three-part series tracing the history of Italian opera presented by Antonio Pappano, world-renowned conductor and music director at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The series features sumptuous music, stunning Italian locations and some of the biggest names in opera as contributors. In the first programme, Pappano takes a whistle-stop tour of the beginnings of opera, from Monteverdi to Rossini. He also looks at the works of two non-Italian composers, Handel and Mozart, both of whom were pivotal in the development of the art form. Along the way he enlists the help of some of the world's greatest singers - Juan Diego Florez, Joyce DiDonato, Danielle de Niese, Sarah Connolly and Pietro Spagnoli. Episode 2: https://rumble.com/v4m6i88-opera-italia-viva-verdi-episode-2.html