Ingmar Bergman(1918-2007) made fifty films, directed more than 150 theatre productions and wrote several books, but the recurrent thread running through his life was music. He often said that if he hadn't become a director he would have wished to become a conductor, and went so far as to claim that 'film and music are almost the same thing. They are means of expression and communication that go beyond human wisdom and that touch a person's emotional centre.' Bergman's interest in classical music became evident early on in his career. Music in Darkness(1948) is about a pianist who loses his sight in a shooting accident, To Joy(1950) features a violinist who dreams of a solo career and Summer Interlude(1951) takes place at the Royal Swedish Opera. He admired all who could perform music, reserving his greatest love for pianists, and concert pianists are portrayed in Hour of the Wolf, Face to Faceand Autumn Sonata.
One of Bergman's favourite Swedish pianists was Roland Pontinen, who here performs a number of pieces featured in Bergman's films, by composers including Mozart, Chopinand Schumann. Pontinenis joined by the StenhammarQuartetin the second movement of Schumann's piano quintet, used by Bergman to great effect in the award-winning Fanny and Alexander. Another of the director's favourite performers, the cellist TorleifThedéen, also contributes to the project, with the sarabandesfrom three of Bach's suites for solo cello.
Johann Sebastian Bach
from Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011
01 Sarabande 3'54
Robert Schumann
from Fantasiestücke, Op. 12
02 Aufschwung 3'23
Fryderyk Chopin
03 Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 1 5'09
04 Prelude in D minor, Op. 28 No. 24 2'41
Johann Sebastian Bach
from Cello Suite No. 4 in E flat major, BWV 1010
05 Sarabande 5'07
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
06 Fantasy in C minor, K 475 12'33
Fryderyk Chopin
07 Mazurka in A minor, Op. 17 No. 4 3'50
Franz Schubert
from Sonata in B flat major, D 960
08 Andante sostenuto 9'43
Domenico Scarlatti
09 Sonata in D major, K 535 3'18
Fryderyk Chopin
10 Prelude in A minor, Op. 28 No. 2 2'24
11 Sonata in E major, K 380 4'25
Johann Sebastian Bach
from Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
12 Variation 25 6'47
from Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008
13 Sarabande 5'53
Robert Schumann
from Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op. 44
14 In modo d'una marcia 9'15
Album total 78'28 |
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