It is hard to put into words what I experienced in this film. (that is why we have music after all). There are so many levels of excellence here. First of all, this first time filmmaker has made a lovely documentary. It has the qualities one looks for in a documentary. He allows us to get to know his subject, informing and inspiring us. But the style of filmmaking is a work of art comparable to the artistry of Morten Lauridsen. The film feels like a symphony, weaving in and out of musical/visual motifs. This is perhaps not surprising, because the Michael Stillwater is a talented musical composer in his own right, which is why I was first drawn to the film. And maybe it took another musician to bring the enchanting music of Mr. Lauridsen into a visual work of art.
Morten Lauridsen is one of America's treasures. The Wall St. Journal called him the "best composer you've never heard of" and describes his music as "radiantly beautiful". He has been described as a mystic, but the film shows him also as a man, a nature lover, an artist, a teacher, conductor, performer, and lover of poetry, art, and all things beautiful. This music, that if I had to find words describe, I would use, mystical, transcendent, romantic, sumptuous, moving, even inspiring, is interwoven in the film with pictures of the life of Mr. Lauridsen, many interviews with him and other musicians. There are beautiful shots of Scotland and his stark home on a tiny island off the coast of Washington, where he lives for the half of the year that he is not teaching at USC.
I always find it fascinating to watch documentaries about artists. I am a musician, and getting a little bit inside the head of a creative genius is always inspiring to me.
I was lucky enough to see a screening of the film which preceded a concert of Lauridsen's music sung by the USC Chamber singers and accompanied on two songs by the composer on the piano. I was left speechless for days, swimming in the ecstasy of the kind of music that you are sure comes from angelic realms. If you have an opportunity to hear Mr Lauridsen's music performed live, do indeed rush to do so. But don't miss out on the experience of this film. It will allow you to bathe all of your senses in a work of art, and learn about a really fascinating genius composer at the same time.
