Samuel Barber: Absolute Beauty
“A documentary about the composer of the Adagio for Strings”
2017•2h 10m•10.0•Released
MusicHistoryDocumentary
Known for his mournful "Adagio for Strings," Samuel Barber was never quite fashionable. This acclaimed film is a probing exploration of his music and melancholia. Performance, oral history, musicology, and biography combine to explore the life and music of one of America’s greatest composers. Features Thomas Hampson, Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop and many more of the world's leading experts on Barber's music, with tributes from composers Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson and William Schuman. The film was broadcast on PBS, and screened at nine film festivals internationally, with three best-of awards. It was named a Recording of the Year 2017 by MusicWeb International.
Director
H. Paul Moon
Languages
English
Studio
Zen Violence Films
Cast
Thomas Hampson
Self
Leonard Slatkin
Self
Marin Alsop
Self
John Corigliano
Self
Jenny Oaks Baker
Self
Recommended
7.3
The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story
2019
8.5
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
2022
7
Western Stars
2019
7.9
Live Aid
1985
6.9
Justin Bieber's Believe
2013
8.7
Metallica and San Francisco Symphony: S&M
1999
7.9
God Bless Ozzy Osbourne
2011
7.3
The Sound of 007
2022
7.2
Score: A Film Music Documentary
2017
6.4
Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience
2009
7.2
It Might Get Loud
2008
6.9
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
2019
7.7
The Last Waltz
1978
8
Music by John Williams
2024
7.2
Muscle Shoals
2013
7.4
Supersonic
2016
7.7
Adele One Night Only
2021
6.8
Howard
2018
7.5
Marley
2012
7.4
That's Entertainment!
1974
Similar Movies
8
Amadeus
1984
Jiří Bělohlávek: But I just love conducting so much
2019
5.7
No Songs of Love
2005
6.3
House of Ricordi
1954
You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story
1990
Tibor Frešo
1976
: Music and its History
2023
John Adams: The Gospel According to the Other Mary
2017
Písně z Gurre: Making of
2023
Písně z Gurre
2023
Rusalka v parku
2021
CODA
2014
Virtuoso: The Olga Samaroff Story
2009
10
Summer Night Concert: 2014 - Vienna Philharmonic
2014
Beethoven's Symphony
2022
7
Mr. Holland's Opus
1995
Víkingur Ólafsson - My Favourite Melodies
2025
Anna Bolena
2019
6.8
Four Minutes
2006
7
The Broken Melody
1934