Are there any classical music vids? Not jazz or opera stuff. Real classical orchestra shiz. I look'd but only thing that i could only are musical films like baraka, qatsi films, Fantasia...

Here's one from a posting in July.

In the UK, there's a whole cable channel - Classic FM TV that's as good as devoted to them.

From what I've seen they tend to be rather conservative and formulaic and often try to portray the musicians, using the language of rock videos. But then the whole direction is about reworkings of perennial favourites, rather than new music from contemporary composers. Why would the videos be any different?

That's the one genre that's missing, really, rotundus. Cheesy commercial mv's aside, we've barely scratched the surface with commissioned films for real classical, just Bugs Bunny, the stuff you mentioned, and art installations that feature Reich or Eno or whatever. (or this)

here is another videos.antville.org posted also in July (and also from me, hihihi) - but I guess the toccata is not really classic, benroll or is it?

• anyhow: Anna Netrebko did a DVD with clips to famous Arias directed by Vincent Paterson (???)
• I never saw one of these, but I'm sure they will be at least @ YouTube ...

my favourite: monkmus for satie.

Surely Bach is prog rock? Seriously though, I didn't see that vid and I can't now as it has been removed. The Monkmus is nice though.

Orchestral music and film have gone together forever, but part of the problem of the 'classical music video' is that music video is a promotional film for a three minute 'single'.

Most classical favourites are much longer, unfold more slowly and are usually one part of a larger opus. Of course there's no shortage of suites of dances, etudes and other short one off pieces. But as a general rule, the three minutizing of orchestral music often feels like dumbing down.

That said, I'd love to make a film for an orchestral piece. There's a Bartok dance I've got my eye on.

this is EXACTLY what you are looking for... www.classicartsshowcase.org

its amazing and apparently is broadcast for free over satellite, so its simply a matter of your cable company deciding to broadcast it... write them a letter... it has seriously been one of my favorite channels in san francisco for the last 5 or 6 years. I even like it better than VH1 Classic!

ryan j.

Notable attempts are when the music is appropriated in set pieces in films. I'd straightaway point to the John Malkovich-in-a-towel dance set piece in Spike Jonze's Being John Malkovich (which, as I imagine you know Ben, uses Bartok!). Of course there's also the Blue Danube Waltz in Kubrick's 2001, Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries in Apocalypse Now etc. NB, I'm only highlighting pieces which are basically uncut in dedicated set pieces.

As mvs become less about marketing and more the product themselves, a market for visually packaged classical pieces opens up. I like the idea of classical pieces (and yes rotundus, instrumental tracks, NOT OPERA!) having visual counterparts in the manner of Gondry's characterised instrumentation-choreography for Around The World.

In the meantime I'd direct you towards the impending (December!) release of a new film of Mozart's opera The Magic Flute which premiered in Venice and Toronto last week. It's notable because director Kenneth Branagh knew nothing about opera before tackling it: he's adapted it for screen using the same modernising inventiveness that he used for Shakespeare, including considerable SFX. There's a piece including clips here.