Samuel Barber: Absolute Beauty
A documentary about the composer of the Adagio for Strings
Overview
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.
Top Cast
Thomas Hampson
Self
Leonard Slatkin
Self
Marin Alsop
Self
John Corigliano
Self
Jenny Oaks Baker
Self
Similar Movies
Frank Zappa: A Pioneer of the Future of Music
2007
House of Ricordi
1954
60bpm
2025
The Winners
1999
Pavarotti, Birth of a Pop Star
2017
Swan Lake - Filmed for IMAX
2024
The Life and Loves of Beethoven
1937
Saishuu Gakushou Hibike! Euphonium - Kouhen
Amadeus
1984
About the Looking for and the Finding of Love
2005
Notturno
2006
Beyond the Universe
2022
