PALESTRINA - PRINCEPS MUSICAE (2008/2009)

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To achieve artistic and economic independency, the most important European polyphonic composer, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594), works with great diplomacy in the shadow of the powerful Roman Church. Despite strict ecclesiastical rules, he modernizes music.
During the time when Protestant Northern Europe separates from the Catholic Church of Rome and when Rome is no longer the center of power, the young Giovanni Pietro Aloysi, later called Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, is trained as a choir-boy in the circle of the „Roman School“ of polyphony founded by Costanzo Festa. Already in the middle of the 16th century, the talented musician - at only 25 - becomes the head of the Cappella Giulia at St. Peters. He is both artistically and economically dependent on the clergy and is subject to the grace and envy of the potent Popes. Since Pope Giulio III nominates him cantore ponteficio for life, the highest position in Rome for a musician at that time, Palestrina feels that he, at the age of thirty, is at the height of his career. However, the envy of the next Pope, Paul IV, and that of his singer-collegues lead to him losing the title and he is dismissed. He is deeply shocked and realizes that the greedy Roman clergy is more interested in secular politics than in the spirituality of music. This realization obsesses the musician and causes his artistic counterreaction. Within a few years he develops a new style in polyphonic art, the genus novus. A balance between word and sound and the equivalence of all voices are prominent. Music becomes freer than ever. In this style he composes the famous Missa Papae Marcelli, which becomes after the Council of Trent the model for sacred music. This composition corresponds to the ecclesiastic musical challenges for verbal comprehension. Suddenly Palestrina is back on top. The Jesuits, eager to win back Protestant Northern Europe for the Roman Church, become very attentive to Palestrina's music and call him to be the first music teacher at the Collegium Germanicum in Rome. These „Spanish Priests“, as they were called, know that music can reach people much deeper than words, directly to their souls, and that music can bring people back to the „true faith“. They are very successful in this endeavour. Princes, Kings and even the Emperor want Palestrina as the choir-master of their courts. However, experience has taught him not to become a pawn in the hands of the powerful. As all the other great Renaissance artists, Palestrina wants to take his destiny into his own hands and maintain his artistic independency. He demands enormous salaries for these positions, since he intends on staying in Rome. In fact, he soon becomes the head of the Cappella Giulia. And he is the first and only musician to receive the title of composer of the Cappella Pontificia "modulator pontificus”. Palestrina becomes the most important musician of the country. At the peak of his career, he receives a heavy stroke of fate. The plague and an influenza epidemic take away his two oldest sons and his wife. He is desperate and falls into a deep depression. He wants to give up composing and become a member of clergy. Again, however, he takes fate into his own hands. Strenuousness, ambition and the desire to secularity allow him to take another very pragmatic decision. He marries the rich widow of a fur merchant and finally has enough money to publish his scores. At least his work shall be immortal. Within a few years sixteen books are published with numerous compositions, Palestrina's „musical descendants“ which still fascinate us today.
Palestrina muore
Palestrina compone
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ITALY, 52', HD, colour - b/w, production: Brintrup Filmproduktion/ LICHTSPIEL ENTERTAINMENT

executive producer Paolo Scarfó SCARFILM ITALIA, Rome

with:
Domenico Galasso - Iginio / Stefano Oppedisano - Annibale / Claudio Marchione - Cristoforo / Renato Scarpa - Mons. Cotta / Achille Brugnini - Gioacchino / Remo Remotti - Filippo Neri / Giorgio Colangeli - L. Barré / Pasquale di Filippo - G. Severini
Franco Nero - D. Ferrabosco

Bartolomeo Giusti - the old Palestrina / Daniele Giuliani - the young Palestrina
Patrizia Bellezza - Virginia Dormuli / Francesca Catenacci - Lucrezia Gori

Jobst Grapow, Alberto Bianco, Francesco Cantone, Marco Celestini, Silvano Silvan
camera / sound:
Paolo Scarfó, Piergiorgio Mangiarotti, Oliver Kochs, Benny Hasenclever, Jorge Alvis
music recording / mix:
Francesco Sardella
cutter:
Georg Brintrup
music:
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
interpreter:
Ensemble Seicentonovecento
Cappella Musicale di San Giacomo
Coro di Voci bianche “J. J. Winckelmann”

Flavio Colusso - maestro di cappella
Donatella Casa - children chorus

music production

MUSICAIMMAGINE, Roma
Silvia De Palma - production manager
Johann Herczog - music historical adviser

Antonio Giovannini - counter tenor
Jean Nirouët - counter tenor
Maurizio Dalena - tenor
Renato Moro - Tenor
Raimundo Pereira - tenor
Luigi Petroni - tenor
Aurio Tomicich - bass
Andrea Damiani - liute
Andrea Coen - organ and fluite
Elisabetta Di Filippo - tamburin

and
Radu Marian - sopranist
choreography: Gloria Giordano
dancers: Allievi del Laboratorio "Corti in Festa" (Paola Cassella, Giulio D'Amore, Fabio De Bardi, Deborah Messina, Patrizia Sarzi, Daniela Zappa)
costumes:
Raffaele Golino
scenography:
Änne Schanz-Kölsch
graphic:
Carmine de Lillo
3D FX:
Piero Perilli
script:
Georg Brintrup, Mario Di Desidero
production manager:
Aloys Silva, Peter Naguschewski
first public showing:
ROMA - Auditorium Parco della Musica am 11 Nov 2009 um 18:00
broaedcasted / repetitions:
ARTE - Germany 15 March 2010 at 22:15 (first broadcast TV)

ARTE - France 15 March 2010 at 22:35 (first broadcast TV)

ARTE - Germany and France 21 March at 06:00 / 27 March at 05:00 (repetition)

RAI 3 - Italia il 25 marzo 2010 (Prima italiana, prima parte)

RAI 3 - Italia il 1 aprile 2010 (Prima italiana, seconda parte

ARTE - Germany. and France april 29th 2012 at 16:25 / may 17th 2012 at 3:55 (repetition)
festivals / screenings:

BOLOGNA - domenica 15 novembre, ore 17:00 Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica

BRINDISI - mercoledi 25 novembre,

NAPOLI - giovedi 17 dicembre 2009, ore 18:00 Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

PALERMO - lunedi 15 novembre 2010,

Prix International du Documentaire e du Reportage Mediterraneen - 15esima edizione

11-th International Television Festival ECO, Ohrid Macedonia - 02 - 05 June 2010

AAFF 2010 COMPETITION - AsoloArtFilmfestival

Golden Prague International Television Festival - october 16 - 20, 2010

L'AQUILA INTERNATIONAL FILMFESTIVAL - october 20 - 24, 2010

FIFA - Festival International du Film sur l'Art - Montreal - march 17 - 27, 2011

DHI - Deutsches Historisches Institut, Roma - 29. März 2011
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