Orchestral Music in the 20th Century

If you are intimidated by modern music, and fail to understand or rarely even listen to 20th-century masterworks, this phenomenal series will bring down the wall and expose you to the richness, variety and yes, moments of profound beauty, in the music. The perceptive, insightful narrative of Sir Rattle guides us through the century, with outstanding and brilliantly filmed musical performances, historical footage, artful videos and photography, and bonus features including composer biographies, picture galleries, additional listening tracks, and booklets of essays. No school or library should be without this series, spanning from Debussy and Wagner through the end of the century. In English or German, with subtitles in French, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese. 50 min. ea. (not including special features). Set of 7 DVDs

Vol. 1 Dancing on a Volcano. Rattle describes the musical revolution that erupted in turn-of-the-century Vienna, and then discusses the generation of ground-breaking composers who left tradition behind. Wagner, Schoenberg, Mahler, R. Strauss, Webern, Berg.

Vol. 2 Rhythm. In the 20th century, music in the west freed itself from the dominance of melody and explored the richness of music for its own sake. Starting with the driving power of Stravinsky's Sacre du Printemps, Sir Simon takes viewers on a vibrant sensory journey. Ligeti, Boulez, Messiaen, Mahler, Reich, Varese.

Vol. 3 Colour. Painting and poetry developed a more abstract style during the latter part of the 19th century, and music was quick to follow. Here Sir Simon looks at the shift away from melody towards an emphasis on tone colour or "timbre". Debussy, Stravinsky, Schonberg, Boulez, Messiaen, Takemitsu, Ravel.

Vol. 4 Three Journeys Through Dark Landscapes. Here Rattle examines the effect of fundamental political upheaval on the music of Bartok, Shostakovich and Lutoslawski. These 3 found a way to develop their own musical language while actively embracing the climate of change in Eastern Europe.

Vol. 5 The American Way. The focus here is the individualists and innovators who gleaned from the past and other cultures to create a dazzling display of energy and virtuosity in American music. Gershwin, Ives, Cage, Carter, Feldman, Copland, Adams, Weill, Riley, Bernstein.

Vol. 6 After the Wake. Sir Simon Rattle here looks both backwards and forwards, considering the musical legacy of the now old men who had dominated the first part of the 20th century, and the post-war generation of young Europeans, who were determined to erase the recent past and build a new music for a new Europe. R. Strauss, Schoenberg, Webern, Boulexz Stockhausen, Britten, Stravinsky.

Vol. 7 Threads. Sir Simon presents an eclectic, and very personal selection of works by 20th century composers to illustrate the rich variety of new musical trends he believes pave the way to the future. Berio, Henze, Kurtag, Birtwistle, Turnage, Knussen, Gubaidulina.

Running time: 350 mins plus special features