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Between 1965-68, the composer Luc Ferrari collaborated with director Gérard Patris on a series of filmed intimate portraits of great musicians, 'Les Grandes Répétitions' (The Great Rehearsals). Created for the ORTF, and encouraged by its director Pierre Schaeffer, these remarkable films were shown on French TV. They are remarkable not only for their exceptional content, but also for the creative camera work, including dynamic hand-held shots and croppings, and the juxtaposition of music and talk. Olivier Messiaen: Et Expecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum; Karlheinz Stockhausen: Momente; Edgar Varèse: Hommage À Edgar Varèse; Hermann Scherchen: Quand Un Homme Consacre Sa Vie À La Musique; Cecil Taylor: Cecil Taylor À Paris.
"Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum", the work by Olivier Messiaen, was a commission by the Minister of Cultural Affairs André Malraux and was to be performed on the 20 June 1965 at Chartres Cathedral, in the presence of President Charles de Gaulle. This documentary takes place during the rehearsal on the prior day.
Edgard Varèse died on 6 November 1965, a few days before the filming of the rehearsal of his work "Déserts" which he had to attend.
Filmed during rehearsals for the premiere of Stockhausen's monumental work Momente. The revealing rehearsal sequences are interspersed with Stockhausen speaking of his youth, work process and the genesis and meaning of Momente.
1967 documentary film originally aired on French television about Hermann Scherchen.
French television documentary about Cecil Taylor.