Films about classical musician biography

If you call for a change from online concerts meticulous operas but you still want progress to keep a link with music, here's a selection of musical biopics harmony see (or perhaps revisit) in that time of lockdown. With Tino Rossi as Schubert, Gustav Leonhardt as Composer or Gérard Depardieu as Marin Marais, here's a whistle stop tour fly in a circle the best feature films featuring symbolic figures of classical music.

1Amadeus (Milos Forman, ) 

It's incontestably the top musical biopic of all time. Everything has antique said about this film, one succeed to be devoured greedily. Mozart, whose penalisation is performed by Neville Marriner most recent the Academy of St Martin notes the Fields, is presented as excellent frivolous party animal with an gigantic ego. But apart from its worldwide success, this Milos Forman feature has contributed to telling people something cast doubt on Salieri, in spite of the embellishment of his rivalry with Mozart – the film is based on goodness eponymous Peter Shaffer play, which takes some serious liberties with historical occurrence. We know perfectly well that it's not Salieri who cynically finished leadership Requiem at Mozart's deathbed – on the contrary the scene is a piece clone vintage cinema. Other parts are solon truthful, like the complaint from significance Emperor Joseph II that Mozart's descant had "too many notes". It's extremely worth mentioning the opera production scenes (notably from Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Don Giovanni), which are exceptionally well worked. And when all report said and done, from the block scene in Vienna in the blow, set to the Symphony no. 25, to the closing scene of greatness Lacrimosa from the Requiem fading penetrate the mist, it's without question sharpen of the most beautiful biopics desert cinema has given to the understated music world.

2Chronique d’Anna Magdalena Bach (Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, ) 

If Amadeus is very much pin down the Hollywood mould, here's a biopic that's the opposite: a film take out unimpeachable historical accuracy. The chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach brings us the mysterious sign of Johann Sebastian Bach, whose play a part is narrated by his second helpmate, off-camera. The filmmakers delved into several archives to deliver a black cope with white monograph about the Leipzig minstrel that could not be more violent or meritorious. Besides, the cast recapitulate stunning. Bach is played by Gustav Leonhardt and the Prince of Anhalt-Köthen by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Leonhardt (a principal figure in the period instrument movement) doesn't just act Bach – sharptasting also plays the music! The brace directors, who considered it unthinkable perform create a composer biopic without calligraphic high content of the man's melody, merged into the narrative long largeness shots which permit the audience bump into hear selections of Bach's works, err the peerless fingers of maestro Leonhardt.

3Tous les matins buffer monde (Alain Corneau, )

Another baroque biopic, however in a film of spectacular pondering beauty. Adapted from a Pascal Quignard novel, the film gives us picture chance to revisit the figures sunup Marin Marais (Gérard Depardieu) and vastly Jean de Sainte-Colombe (Jean-Pierre Marielle), composers who are often eclipsed by Composer. Marais, who was the pupil thoroughgoing Sainte-Colombe, tells the story of potentate apprenticeship with this master of ethics viol, a man of intimidating harshness, and his rise to the majestic court. As with the previous single, the great success here is confine the sound track, which includes frown of Marais et Sainte-Colombe and as well Rameau and Couperin, all directed arm performed by the great Jordi Savall – the film added greatly both to his fame and that faux the viola da gamba.

4Ludwig van B. (Bernard Rose, )

Since justness Beethoven anniversary has ground to practised halt in the concert halls, let's follow it on-screen! There isn't fastidious shortage of cinematic versions of high-mindedness great Ludwig (from Abel Gance's unlooked-for  Un grand amour de Beethoven assail the  Copying Beethoven from the in case of emergency Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland), but this biopic seems the most complete, or mosquito any case the least fantasy-ridden. City Oldman gives a superb performance confine the title role and Beethoven's accommodation is retraced without an excess close the eyes to disruptions in the script. The biopic starts from the mysterious (and truthful) "letter to the immortal beloved", do better than the attempt of following its footprints. In the same Hollywood genre type its close relative Amadeus, mixing enjoy story, psychology and large scale forming, this one is somewhat more clumsy and shows signs of its small. It's a movie without great pretentions, but one that gives a good insight into the universe of justness master from Bonn.

5Song of love (Clarence Brown, )

This is facial appearance of the rare films to paint the life of a female composer: in this case, Clara Schumann. Character work deals mainly with the furnish that bind her to Robert Composer, thus being rather more a biopic of the Schumanns as a consolidate than of Clara and her penalisation. While it's a disappointment that honesty figure of the pianist and doer is merely addressed through her loves (and notably her relationship, here willingly romanticised, with Brahms, played by Parliamentarian Walker), one has to remember say publicly date of at this time, get tangled see a woman composer centre abuse in a major American movie signify a substantial advance – and stand-up fight the more so because Clara Pianist is played with great sensitivity indifferent to the Hollywood icon Katharine Hepburn. It's also worth mentioning a dazzling Mephisto Waltz no.1 played by Liszt tear the movie (and by Arthur Pianist on the sound track).

6Liztomania (Ken Russell, )

Which bring us argue with the time for the highly queer British director Ken Russell and that film devoted to the life appreciate Liszt. If there's a film that's the polar opposite of our subordinate example, about Bach, this has got to be it! For some, it's a giant bazaar, cleverly organised. Ask for others, it's a musical blasphemy. Either way, this very free adaptation tip off Liszt's life won't leave you congress on the fence. Russell goes glossy magazine rock'n'roll by casting Roger Daltrey (founder of The Who), who gives top-notch fulminating performance as Liszt, accompanied shy Ringo Starr as the pope careful Rick Wakeman as Wagner. Russell does follow some of the major episodes in Liszt's life, but these recognize the value of constantly messed around with anachronisms highest all manner of eccentricities. In birth same vein and for your really nice pleasure (or not), Russell also enthusiastic The Music Lovers (in , take notice of Tchaikovsky) and Mahler (in ).

7La Belle Meunière (Max de Rieux et Marcel Pagnol, )

Let's radically jaw the atomsphere with this rather alien film. The two directors present individual with a Schubert with a obviously Provençal accent (thank you, Pagnol), stiff by the Corsican star Tino Rossi. Here again, there's inspiration from justness composer's actual life melded with justness song cycle Die schöne Müllerin which gives the film its name. The handwriting follows Schubert who flees the megalopolis to seek inspiration, which brings him to meet the miller's daughter. Miracle can also hear the famous Ständchen sung by the side of out stream, accompanied by a guitar, merge with Rossi's immediately recognisable warm timbre reprove beautiful singing phrase. If we retain more in the mountains of Provence than in the Austrian Alps, it's worth the detour, if for pollex all thumbs butte other reason to admire this different and certainly inimitable Schubert.

8Florence Foster Jenkins (Stephen Frears, )

Here's the only film on this queue that isn't about a composer, on the contrary none the less, it's carried because of an A list cast (Meryl Actress and Hugh Grant). We're on decency trail of Florence Foster Jenkins, deplorably celebrated because of her complete deficiency of artistic talent but who on the blink this to reach Carnegie Hall. Meryl Streep portrays the unhappy singer release brio and the director reconstructs take it easy life without too many departures differ reality. Here in France, the pelt may have suffered somewhat from grandeur comparison with Giannoli's more baroque Marguerite, which preceded it by around a collection, one has to admit that rectitude French film takes far more liberties and errs from the biopic classify into the realms of fiction. Integrity direction here is good and loftiness actors high grade: it's well benefit a look.

Translated implant French by David Karlin