A collection of performances by the Grammy-winning Kronos Quartet of works in their repertoire, plus candid discussion about the works. Essential viewing for fans of contemporary music.
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present a showcase of modern compositions and a couple of early music arrangements (incidentally demonstrating areas of commonality yet again), featuring a wide rang...
present a showcase of modern compositions and a couple of early music arrangements (incidentally demonstrating areas of commonality yet again), featuring a wide rang...
present a showcase of modern compositions and a couple of early music arrangements (incidentally demonstrating areas of commonality yet again), featuring a wide range of composers including Piazzolla, Riley, Adams, Partch, Schnittke and Hendrix, among several others. Several of the pieces are introduced, pre-concert-talk fashion, by individual members of the group and, while their comments aren't exactly revelatory, it's a feature well worth having and should be a compulsory ingredient for all music DVDs. The individual performances are up to the quartet's usual impeccably high standards, while the accompanying graphics are interesting or intrusive, depending on taste. As far as the programme structure goes, things are pretty straightforward, as they are with most other music DVDs: one hankers after some more detailed interview material, say, or on-screen composer biographies rather than those in the accompanying booklet which, running as it does to 32 multilingual pages, rather subverts the altogether handier text-carrying potential of the DVD itself. However, the music's intriguing stuff, and any Kronos fan or devotee of new music in general will appreciate this disc. --Roger Thomas
present a showcase of modern compositions and a couple of early music arrangements (incidentally demonstrating areas of commonality yet again), featuring a wide range of composers including Piazzolla, Riley, Adams, Partch, Schnittke and Hendrix, among several others. Several of the pieces are introduced, pre-concert-talk fashion, by individual members of the group and, while their comments aren't exactly revelatory, it's a feature well worth having and should be a compulsory ingredient for all music DVDs. The individual performances are up to the quartet's usual impeccably high standards, while the accompanying graphics are interesting or intrusive, depending on taste. As far as the programme structure goes, things are pretty straightforward, as they are with most other music DVDs: one hankers after some more detailed interview material, say, or on-screen composer biographies rather than those in the accompanying booklet which, running as it does to 32 multilingual pages, rather subverts the altogether handier text-carrying potential of the DVD itself. However, the music's intriguing stuff, and any Kronos fan or devotee of new music in general will appreciate this disc. --Roger Thomas
Plot: Using music and images the Kronos Quartet perform some of their favourite pieces including: Riley - 'Cadenza On The Night Plain', El Din - 'Escaly', Zorn - 'Cat O' Nine Tails', Bingen - 'O Virtus Sapiente' and more.
Release details
DVD Region: Region 2 (Europe)
Studio(s): ARTHAUS MUSIK; SELECT MUSIC & VIDEO DISTRIBUTION
Release date: 03/07/2000
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: 100 050
Barcode: 4006680100500
DVD Description
A collection of performances by the Grammy-winning Kronos Quartet of works in their repertoire, plus candid discussion about the works. Essential viewing for fans of contemporary music.
...of the film. At least one star of my rating belongs to the soundtrack, composed by Clint Mansell and featuring the Kronos String Quartet. For the most part it's an unsettling, eerie electronica piece, which is perfectly matched to the mood of the film. But there are moments when the music takes off and grabs you by the ears. An orchestral version of it was used on the trailers for Lord of the Rings, so you might recognise it from there the first time you watch this film, but here it's in the original form and it's absolutely stunning. Combined with the most powerful scenes in the film, it's such a sad piece of music, and it's partly why the end of the film is so difficult to watch. Without a doubt it's one of the best pieces of film music I've ever heard.
If I had to choose one word to describe Requiem For A Dream it would be… erm, what...
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Advantages: Bio-Boosting Action Adventure Disadvantages: Doesn't live up the Manga
...Sean Barker has a secret, a secret that leads him out in the middle of the night, that leads him out to hunt, to fight, to kill, because inside Sean lives a alien entity called the Guyver... a entity which he call on to encase him in Bio-Booster Armor proving him with superhuman strength, reflexes and an array of weapons...
Haunted by nightmares of the Guyver's origins, Sean is led to an archelogical site after reports of strange monsters and a picture of caves painting are leeked to a expose show, resembling the things in Sean's dreams. There he meets Cori, her father Marcus and the operations director of the gig Crane...
After an encounter with a Zoanoid ("shape changing killers") near the dig Sean realises that the entire dig is being funded by the Kronos Corp. The dig unearths an ancient alien spacecraft, which calls out to him...
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Advantages: Masterful, engrossing, original Disadvantages: A nightmare brought to life
...in an important way: the editing highlights the ritual of use, and the comfort that ritual provides to the user. In the process, he's created a film that unlike most other "drug" films, like "Trainspotting", manages for once not to glorify drug use (no jaunty Blur and Pulp songs here); not even a little bit.
Credit also to Clint Mansell (yes, THAT Clint Mansell of PWEI fame) and The KronosQuartet who have created a wonderful score for this movie that is akin to Michael Nyman jamming with The Chemical Brothers.
With this movie, Aronofsky sends a couple of messages. One, of course, is about how much drug use can fuel your delusions and what that combination can take away from you. The other message is that the director is now a major American filmmaker. My mind is already spinning just thinking about the "Batman" movie he's about to make - now...
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helpful 22.02.2001
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