Stravinsky; A Stravinsky Portrait November 13, 2010

In 1966 Igor Stravinsky visited Toronto to conduct the CBC Symphony Orchestra for a major musical event: the recording of his Symphony of Psalms. The National Film Board of Canada was there, filming the maestro as he rolls up his sleeves and leads the orchestra and chorus. An informal study of a giant of the 20th century, Stravinsky documents the historic recording and follows the composer on his journey to Hamburg. On the ship the eighty year old jokes that he is not sea sick, but sea drunk; an interview with Stravinsky’s wife, American dancer and artist Vera de Bosset, leads to a discussion of Stravinsky’s special relationship with the ballet; later, a shared scotch with Nabokov offers an intimate glimpse into a meeting between old friends.

Followed by:

Stravinsky at home in California discussing his work with Rolf Liebermann, conducting an orchestra rehearsal in Hamburg, holding a press conference in London, and discussing creativity with old friend Balanchine. “Not constantly asking Stravinsky to do unnatural things, not filming the whole time, but building a friendship that would last a lifetime—his! Stravinsky had been filmed by CBS and didn’t like it; then he was filmed by CBC from Canada and hated it… Stravinsky loved this film and it was shown everywhere except in America

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