Following The Ninth: In The Footsteps of Beethoven’s Final Symphony

[Chris]

Hello everyone,

I received an e-mail from Kerry Candaele, director of the film Following The Ninth: In The Footsteps of Beethoven’s Final Symphony. He wanted to give us all the chance to stream the film. Here is the text of his e-mail:

Hello,

I am offering to your members a free streaming of my film Following The Ninth: In The Footsteps of Beethoven’s Final Symphony. Released in 2014, the film has screened in over 300 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. It is the first film in a Beethoven trilogy. You can find out more about the project at www.beethovenhero.com, where there are media links and clips from the next film about Fidelio. Here is the link: http://beethovenhero.com/stream_ftn.html

Sincerely,

Mr. Kerry Candaele, Director of Beethoven Hero, a documentary trilogy about the global impact of Beethoven’s music.
Venice, CA
www.beethovenhero.com

So thank you to Mr. Candaele for sharing his film with us!

He also told me that we are welcome to pass the link along and that he would enjoy hearing our feedback. I will send him a link to this thread, so if you post your thoughts on the film here, he may see them.

[Peter]

Thanks for sharing that Chris - I've watched some but will have to return later. Interesting to hear the different stories and obviously the tremendous universal power of music, especially a work such as the 9th. I recall watching the Bernstein performance of it to celebrate the fall of the Berlin wall - very moving.

[Michael]

Thanks, Chris!

[Chris]

I just watched the film.

I thought it was an interesting and moving look at people who lived through some very significant events in recent history, events that encompassed both great tragedy and great triumph. The 9th was the thread that explicitly tied them all together, and that transformed the film from a set of unrelated stories into a cohesive whole that had the theme of Beethoven's work (and Schiller's poem).

Trying to weave the different stories together, combining interview footage with historical photos and videos, and layering the soundtrack with Beethoven's music must have been a serious editing challenge, and I think it was very successful -- the pacing and editing of the film were great.

[Joy]

This film was interesting about how people from different parts of the world who were experiencing dark times were so uplifted by this wonderful music. Of course this music is always emotional and elevating all at the same time. The ending was very powerful.

[AeolianHarp]

Thanks- bookmarked to watch over the next few days.

[dahc]

has the Jan Swafford book created a new revival?