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Films For The Earth
A retrospective of music documentaries by Frank Scheffer
The way I would put it is that the river is in delta, there are many possibilities, and that we may even have left the river and gone into the ocean.John Cage
In his statement John Cage is referring to the development of the modern Western musical tradition. From the moment when modernism was born, around the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, until the present day.
Spiritually Mahler was the beginning of modern music. Luciano Berio
The river at the beginning of the 20th century is the music of Gustav Mahler. Then the river split in two with Schonberg and Strawinsky. After that the river came into a delta of possibilties with the music of Edgard Varese, Pierre Boulez, KarlHeinz Stockhausen, John Cage, Elliott Carter, Luciano Berio a.o. Now we are in an ‘ocean’ of possibilties where three things determine our actions: the huge amount of people living on the planet, the amazing changes through the development of technologie and the interpenetration of the cultures in our ‘global village’.
I might say that the purpose of music is, as it always was, is to bring about an enjoyment of the life that we're living. And that life now, I think more than any other time in history, involves ‘mind’. Our technology has extended, what I call ‘the central nervous system’. So, the whole of creation is like a single mind. And that mind needs to come to terms with itself, so that it’s not split against itself. And so that that can be the enjoyment of being alive with all the other people on the same planet.
John Cage
The River splits in two
27 June
Voyage To Cythera
1999, 52 min. (director/producer)
Doc. on the third part 'Sinfonia' ‘In ruhig fliessender Bewegung’ (that is based on the second part of the 2nd Symfony of Gustav Mahler) composed by Luciano Berio. The Swingle Singers with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Luciano Berio.
Prize: 'Certificate of Merit' Golden Gate Awards, San Francisco 2000
Conducting Mahler
1996, 75 min. (director/producer)
Re-mastered version 2022
Feature-lenght Doc. about the Mahler-Festival in Amsterdam (1995) with The Royal Concertgebouworchestra, Berlin Symphonic Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bernhard Haitink, Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, Ricardo Muti and Sir Simon Rattle.
Prize: 'Dutch Film Critics Award' at the Dutch Film Festival, 1997
28 June
Attrazione d'amore
1998, 55 min. (director/producer)
Doc. on the Fifth symphony of Gustav Mahler and chief-conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Riccardo Chailly.
Prize: ‘World Medal' The New York Festival 1999
Gustav Mahler – Singer for the Earth
2022, 52 min. (director)
Documentary about the music of Gustav Mahler and his love for nature with conductor John Warner and Orchestra for the Earth.
29 June
Five Orchestral Pieces
1994, 55 min. (director/producer)
Doc. on 'Fünf Orchesterstücke, opus 16' composed by Arnold Schönberg. Radio Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Michael Gielen.
The Final Chorale
1990, 50 min. (director/producer)
Doc. on 'Symphonies of Wind instruments' composed by Igor Stravinsky, Dutch Wind Ensemble conducted by Reinbert de Leeuw.
_________
A delta of possibilities
3 July
The One All Alone
2009, 90 min. (director/producer)
Feature-lenght Doc. on the French/American composer Edgard Varèse. The film shows his life as a genius in sound and a visionary for the future of music.
Official selection Venice Film Festival 2009
4 July
A Labyrinth Of Time
2004, 94 min. (director/producer)
Feature-lenght documentary on one of the greatest composers of the 20th century: Elliott Carter and his view on the development of modernism in the context of the dramatic history of that century.
Nominated: Dutch Film Festival: Best Feature Documentary, Dutch Film Festival: Best Editing
Prize: SACEM prize ‘Classique en images de Louvre’ best documentary on contemporary music, EDISON for best DVD 2007, First prize of the German Phonographic Critic Association, Golden Prague Best Documentary, Golden Prague Student Prize
5 July
Wagner's Ring
1987, 3'50” min. (director/producer)
Short experimental film on the complete opera 'Ring Des Nibelungen’ by Richard Wagner. Conceived by John Cage
Stoperas I & II
1987, 2'50” min. (director/producer)
Short experimental film on the complete opera's 'Europera’s I & II' composed by John Cage.
From Zero: 19 Questions
1995, 15 min. (director/producer)
Experimental film in 4 parts with co-director Andrew Culver (USA)
Prize: 'Silver Award of excellence' Houston International Film Festival, 1995
How to Get Out of the Cage /A year with John Cage
2012, 56min. (director, producer)
Documentary on John Cage celebrating his 100th birthday in the form of a re-edit of partially unused film material shot for the film ‚Time is music’ in 1987.
First Prize of the German Phonographic Critic Association.
6 July
Éclat
1993, 54 min. (director/producer)
Doc. on 'Éclat' composed by Pierre Boulez, with the Nieuw Ensemble conducted by Ed Spanjaard.
Helicopter String Quartet
1996, 77 min. (director/producer)
Doc. on the premiere of the 'Helicopter Streichquartett’ composed by Karlheinz Stockhausen, performed by the Arditti String quartet.
No 21 on the list of the 25 most intelligent films of all time (Taste of Cinema).
10 July
Frank Zappa - Phase II, The Big Note
2002, 90 min (director/producer)
Doc. on the American guitarist/composer Frank Zappa.
Music for Airports
1999, 48 min. (director/producer)
Experimental 'Ambient' video based on 'Music for Airports' composed by Brian Eno and arranged by Julie Wolfe, Michael Gordon, David Lang and Evan Ziporyn, performed by The Bang On A Can All-Stars.
In The Ocean
2001, 54 min. (director/producer)
Doc. on the 'present-day' composers in New York, Julie Wolfe, Michael Gordon and David Lang who founded 'Bang on a Can' and their influences, with Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Louis Andriessen, Elliott Carter, John Cage, Frank Zappa and Brian Eno.
__________
In the ocean
11 July
Gozaran/ Time Passing
2011, 90 min. (director/editor)
Part first of tetralogy of documentaries about the lost of musical traditions in our modern time of globalization. Feature-length Doc. about the young musicians of the Teheran Philharmonic Orchestra and it's chief
conductor, the Iranian composer Nader Mashayehki.
Official selection international competition feature lenght documentary IDFA 2011; Official selection Dutch competition IDFA 2011; First prize of the German Phonographic Critic Association.
12 July
The Inner Landscape
2019, 90 min (director)
Part two of tretalogy of documentaries about the lost of musical traditions in our modern time. A feature length documentary about the Chinese composer Guo Wenjing, Sichuan opera with Chen Tiemei and the Nieuw Ensemble conducted by Ed Spanjaard.
Premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, selected at the International Shanghai Film Festival, Soundtrack Cologne Film Festival, In-Edit Film Festival Barcelona, International Documentary Festival Hangzou China, Silk Road International Film Festival, Fuzhou China, Guazhou International Film Festival. Best documentary of the year award 6e SRIFF Fuzhou.
Si Fan
2021, 50 min. (director)
Opera film of Si Fan. A Sichuan opera with soprano Shen Tiemei and the Nieuw Ensemble conducted by Ed Spanjaard, composed by Guo Wenjing. Premiere Holland Festival 2021.
13 July
Half moon
2025, 91 min. (director)
Part three of tretalogy of documentaries about the lost of musical traditions in our modern time. Feature length documentary on Syrian clarinetist/composer Kinan Azmeh with Yo-yo Ma, Dima Orsho, Kevork Mourad and Ibrahim Keivo. Half Moon was premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam Januari 2025 and ended up number 10 of best films of the festival.
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