Olivier Messiaen played a leading role in the evolution of 20th-century music. In this classic interview, the late composer talks on topics such as his love of nature and his fervent Christian faith, two themes that profoundly shaped his work; his views on rhythm and tonal color; his relationship with his mother, the poet Cécile Sauvage; and his professorship at the Paris Conservatoire. Film clips of Messiaen improvising on the organ and notating birdsong for his compositions—plus excerpts of his music, some of which are performed by his wife, the celebrated pianist Yvonne Loriod—provide a deeper appreciation of his special genius. (79 minutes)

After the acclaimed Met premiere of Thomas Adès's "The Tempest" in 2012, the composer returned with ...

The film traces the career of some of the winners of this new generation nicknamed the "K-Classics G...

A documentary on the life and work of the composer Sofia Gubaidulina.

A fascinating study of merging form with content, broken into four shorts, each complete with openin...

Composer Nico Muhly unveils his second new opera for the Met with this gripping reimagining of Winst...

"Three Tales" is a video music work by American composer Steve Reich and video artist Beryl Korot. I...

Jo Kondo (*1947) is one of the most interesting composers of contemporary music in Japan. His music...

The first experimental dance film from Croatia, which pays homage to the pioneer of experimental and...

This seminal work of avant-garde opera from composer Philip Glass and director Robert Wilson arrives...

Shot over the course of a year, this intimate portrait of provocative composer John Adams presents s...

Like many of John Adams’ operas, Doctor Atomic is based on recent world historical events—here, the ...

Insatiable lust reigned over senseless flesh. Like august flies, trying to escape certain death, pe...

Leonard Bernstein’s protégée Marin Alsop reveals how she smashed the glass ceiling to become an inte...

The movie captures the responses of 31 authors, musicians, filmmakers and dancers to Olivier Messiae...

I am sitting in a room is a sound art piece by American composer and sound artist Alvin Lucier compo...

Lucie, a contemporary music composer and performer, creates bizarre pieces using knitting patterns o...

José Manuel Ortiz, 32, has had a great interest and sensitivity towards music since he was very youn...

This documentary captures the overflowing energy and activity of one today's greatest composers, Phi...