Famous Composers: The Life and Work of Johannes Brahms - DVD

Johann Sebastian Bach is now reckoned to be one of the great masters of music. He was not a great innovator but built upon the developments of harmony which had begun with the occurance of the renaissance of learning and an understanding of the world in scientific terms in the centuries before him. He was an astonishingly gifted musician and his life was a tortured journey of success and drawbacks. This film by Malcolm Hossick explores how he worked and lived and assesses the contribution he made to music. It is followed by a brief overview of his huge output. Bach was born in Germany into a talented musical family. His astonishing musical gifts showed at an early age and by his late teens he was organist at the local church and soon moving on to positions in the many small Princely courts which made up Germany at the time. In the German musical world he quickly gained a reputation as a master organist and composer. It was not until almost a century after his death that his greatness was fully recognised outside Germany. This film by Malcolm Hossick traces his life and work and ends with an overview of his music.

Beethoven was born into a musical family in Bonn. He was well taught and generally well educated. With the support of his local ruler he went to Vienna to further his musical studies. He was soon celebrated as a pianist and composer and spent the rest of his life in Vienna supported by generous patrons and free to compose as he wished. In spite of going stone deaf he was able to continue composing, producing some of his greatest works in his later years. The film details his life and times and is followed by an overview of his works.

The Polish composer Frederic Chopin is unique in that he composed almost exclusively for his own instrument, the piano. As a pianist he was self taught and had an astonishing talent for improvisation. As a composer he was a perfectionist in the classical mould and his wonderful compositions ensure that he is one of the best loved names in world music. The DVD traces his short life and includes an overview of his musical works.