Barockstar - George Frideric Handel / With Howard Arman, Donald Burrows, Alan Curtis, Christopher Hogwood, Andrea Marcon, Sandrine Piau, Trevor Pinnock, Christine Schäfer / ArtHaus Musik / DVD Video 

UPC 807280137590

Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin Händelfestspielorchester Halle II Complesso Barocco The English Concert

A documentary by Ulrich Meyszies

Produced by Torsten Bönnhoff and Ulrich Meyszies

"Barockstar" tells the story of Handel's life as he journeyed through baroque Europe, leaving Germany for Italy and experiencing Florence, Rome and Ven- ice, before arriving in London to begin the career that would bring him a worldwide reputation. The film shows the original locations in Halle, Rome, Venice, Florence and London that Handel himself visited.
Stars and specialists in today's baroque music scene and descendants of Handel's friends and sponsors talk about their encounters with the maestro and his work, including Christopher Hogwood and Alan Cur- tis, Andrea Marcon, Trevor Pinnock and Howard Ar- man, Sandrine Piau, Christine Schäfer and Klara Ek, Prince Ruspoli-Sforza and Princess Claudia Ruspoli. Handel's music is performed for the film by The English Concert, the Händelfestspielorchester Halle, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and Il Complesso Barocco, one of the best baroque orchestras in the world.

,,Barockstar" erzählt die Biographie Georg Friedrich Händels als Reise durch das barocke Europa. Von Deutschland bricht Händel nach Italien auf, um schließlich in London eine Karriere zu machen, die seinen Weltruhm begründet. Der Film führt zu den erhaltenen Originalschauplätzen seiner Biographie - nach Halle (Saale), Rom, Venedig, Florenz und
London.
Stars und Spezialisten der Barockmusik und die Nachkommen seiner Freunde und Förderer sprechen über ihre Erfahrungen mit dem großen Komponis- ten, darunter: Christopher Hogwood und Alan Curtis, Andrea Marcon, Trevor Pinnock und Howard Arman, Sandrine Piau, Christine Schäfer und Klara Ek, Prinz Ruspoli-Sforza und Principessa Claudia Ruspoli. Mit The English Concert, dem Händelfestspielor- chester Halle, der Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin und II Complesso Barocco spielen einige der besten Barockorchester der Welt Händels Musik.

Review

"Singers love Handel because Handel loves them," says conductor Allan Curtis. The mutual admiration has extended to loyal audiences ever since the 18th century. The seasonal run of Messiah performances in the English-speaking world is only the crest of a tidal wave of current interest in the German-born composer's operas, oratorios and instrumental music. As the world prepares to mark the 325th anniversary of Handel's birth on Feb. 23, German filmmaker Ulrich Meyszies has created this lively, straightforward, hour-long documentary filled with great music, interesting anecdotes and gorgeous settings.

We follow Handel from birth into a well-connected family in Halle, Germany, his physician father's vain efforts to keep his prodigiously talented boy from becoming a musician, Handel's travels through Italy and his eventual settling down in the England of George II in 1712, to become the first composer ever to get a contemporary biography and the first living musician to get a statue in a public space, London's Vauxhall Gardens. At a time when composers ranked with servants, Handel lived in grand rooms, supported by royalty. He was also, for a while, a successful businessman, running his own opera company in London. It was when the public tired of Italian opera that Handel turned to oratorio, his second creative wind. There are nearly 20 minutes of extras, gathered up from interview outtakes. -- TheStar.com, John Terauds, December 15, 2009

SPECIAL FEATURES
Notes and commentaries by Donald Burrows, Alan Curtis, Christopher Hogwood, Andrea Marcon, Martin Wyatt and others Excerpts from Handel House Museum London, Bartholomäuskirche Halle (Saale) and The Foundling Museum About "Handel and Ruspoli", "The Handel organ in Vallerano" and "Handel and Hendrix"

• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 807280137590
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 18 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ November 17, 2009
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Arman, Howard
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ Italian, French
• Language ‏ : ‎ German (Dolby Digital 5.1), German (PCM Stereo), English (PCM Stereo)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Arthaus
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002LI90QO
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1