Media

2009 HKU Concert Series: In Search of Beethoven: Asian Premiere of a New Documentary

22 Oct 2009

 

Presented by School of Humanities (Department of Music)

The School of Humanities, Department of Music at the University of Hong Kong will present a film screening of In Search of Beethoven - Asian Premiere of a New Documentary with the award-winning film-maker Phil Grabsky.

The screening is open to the public, admission is free - all are welcome. Director Phil Grabsky will meet the audience to discuss the life and works of Beethoven before the screening. Members of the media are cordially invited to cover the event. Details are as follows:

Thursday 29 October 2009, 7:30pm
Rayson Huang Theatre, HKU
FREE ADMISSION. Seats are Limited - First Come, First Served.
Enquiries: 2859-7045, http://www.hku.hk/../music/concerts 

Award-winning filmmaker Phil Grabsky and Seventh Art Productions, the makers of 2006's arthouse hit In Search of Mozart, return with a new feature-length biographical film about the life of Ludwig van Beethoven, In Search of Beethoven. The Film follows with a successful tour of the USA and Australia in 2009, will have its Asian Premiere at The University of Hong Kong.

In Search of Beethoven takes a comprehensive look at the composer's life through historical research and Beethoven's biography and letters, but with the emphasis always on the performance - and interpretation - of Beethoven's music. From his early piano concertos through the Moonlight Sonata, Für Elise, and the immortal notes of the Fifth and Ninth Symphonies, Beethoven's music remains as beloved, popular, and relevant as any work of art has ever been.

The film brings together the world's leading performers and experts on Beethoven to reveal new insights into this celebrated composer. The line-up of performers and interviewees includes Gianandrea Noseda, Sir Roger Norrington, Riccardo Chailly, Claudio Abbado, Fabio Luisi, Frans Brüggen, Ronald Brautigam, Hélène Grimaud, Vadim Repin, Janine Jansen, Paul Lewis, Lars Vogt, and Emanuel Ax, among others.   

Press for In Search of Beethoven

"One of the finest movies about a great musician I've ever seen" The Observer (UK)

"Expertise and passion combined...... high-class" New York Times

"highly entertaining and informative an extraordinary collection of musicians, conductors and musicologists" Time Out, London

"Superb...The film will give those who already know about Beethoven enormous pleasure, and provide any receptive 12-year-old with an ideal introduction to the man and his music" The Telegraph (UK)

"The film's real resource is its impressive array of talking heads, their intimate familiarity with the music, and their ability to impart graspable insight" Village Voice, New York

"An endearingly human biography.... every bit as wonderful as In Search of Mozart." Chicago Tribune

"beautifully lensed and intelligently crafted" Variety

For more information and the film stills, please visit: http://www.insearchofbeethoven.com/

Media Contact: Ms. Phyllis Mak, Tel: 2859 8048, Fax: 2548 5231 / Email: kpmak@hku.hk or Ms. Trinni Choy (Assistant Director, Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2859 2606 email: pychoy@hku.hk