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
Le Concert de Paris 2026
2026
Frank Zappa: The Broadcast Archives
2008
The Broken Melody
1934
Mr. Holland's Opus
1995
Sting, Daniel Hope & Freunde in Berlin Mit Golda Schultz, Bruce Liu u.v.m.
2022
Beethoven Missa Solemnis
2012
Jiří Bělohlávek: But I just love conducting so much
2019
August Rush
2007
Not Mozart: Letters, Riddles and Writs
1991
Once
2007
Carmina Burana - Carl Orff in Venedig
2022
Anna Bolena
2019
