Samuel Barber: Absolute Beauty (2017)

Known for his mournful "Adagio for Strings," Samuel Barber was never quite fashionable. "Samuel Barber: Absolute Beauty" is a probing exploration of the American composer's music and melancholia.

Director:

H. Paul Moon

Stars:

Marin Alsop, Pierre Brévignon, John Corigliano

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Marin Alsop	...	Herself
Pierre Brévignon	...	Himself
John Corigliano	...	Himself
Thomas Hampson	...	Himself
Barbara Heyman	...	Herself
Thomas Larson
J. Reilly Lewis
William Sharp	...	Himself
Leonard Slatkin	...	Himself
Terry Teachout	...	Himself

Storyline

Known for his mournful "Adagio for Strings," Samuel Barber was never quite fashionable. "Samuel Barber: Absolute Beauty" is a probing exploration of the American composer's music and melancholia.

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Plot Keywords:

library of congress | chamber music | classical music | music documentary | 

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Taglines:

A feature-length documentary about the composer of the Adagio for Strings

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | History | Music

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official Site

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 March 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Samuel Barber: Despite and Still

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zen Violence Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

User Reviews

The title says it all

This is a well-researched documentary about the life of the American composer Samuel Barber, who died in 1981. It has interviews with people who knew him in various ways, as well as older footage of interviews with Barber himself and many others, including his life-long partner Gian Carlo Menotti. Excerpts of his music range through most of his career. It shows where he grew up (West Chester PA), where he lived most of his working life (Mt. Kisco, NY), and where he studied, starting at age 14 (Curtis Institute, Philadelphia).

It is simply a must-see for any fan of Barber's music. And if you are not yet a fan yet, it is a good introduction. Barber lived in the 20th century and developed his own harmonic style, but he was a romantic at heart, closer in spirit to Brahms than to most others composing "classical" music at the same time.

It aired on some PBS stations on July 15.