Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen

2012
1h 14m

IMDb RATING

8.9/10

YOUR RATING

Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen (2012)

'Shining Night' is a tribute to a living legend, celebrating the life and music of the artist whom musicologist Nick Strimple has called 'the only American composer in history who can be called a mystic'. National Medal of Arts recipient and most frequently performed American choral composer, he spends his summers on a remote island in the Pacific Northwest. The film, winner of Best Documentary at DC Independent Film Festival and a Los Angeles Movie Award Honorable Mention, is described as 'a heartening rarity' by Wall Street Journal.

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A tribute to a living legend, celebrating the life and music of the artist whom musicologist Nick Strimple has called 'the only American composer in history who can be called a mystic'. Nati... Read allA tribute to a living legend, celebrating the life and music of the artist whom musicologist Nick Strimple has called 'the only American composer in history who can be called a mystic'. National Medal of Arts recipient and most frequently performed American choral composer, Morte... Read allA tribute to a living legend, celebrating the life and music of the artist whom musicologist Nick Strimple has called 'the only American composer in history who can be called a mystic'. National Medal of Arts recipient and most frequently performed American choral composer, Morten Lauridsen spends summers on a remote island in the Pacific Northwest. Featuring intimate... Read all

Director
- Michael Stillwater
Stars

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IMDb RATING

8.9/10

YOUR RATING

6User reviews

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Awards
- 3 wins

Soundtracks
Lux Aeterna
Composed by Morten Lauridsen
Performed by Polyphony and Britten Sinfonia, conducted by Stephen Layton
Courtesy of Hyperion Records

User reviews6

Review

Featured review

10/10

"Stunningly Meditative"

I just finished watching Shining Night: A Portrait Morten Lauridsen. WOW! This is a beautiful film by director Michael Stillwater. Stillwater has truly created a very special film! With his lens he pairs the natural beauty of the landscape with the tranquility and peace of Lauridsen's music. Early in the film we are taken from Waldron Island, one of the San Juan Islands, and transitioned away from a natural settings of beauty and stillness, to the stunning grand stone architecture of cathedrals. Stillwater makes this transition while maintaining the true softness this film needs and deserves. For me, his use of stain glass windows and sculpture helps create a transition that works. I also liked the opportunity to listening to Lauridsen speaking over his music. I found his voice and his music together stunningly meditative. This film will resonate with many - not just those who are already Lauridsen fans. The film is accessible, informative and best of all beautiful to watch and of course beautiful to listen to. Krista English, Director of ReFrame Film Festival

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