Letter to Peter, on Saint François d'Assise by Olivier Messiaen (1992)

Run Time: 1h22m | Release: 01 Jan 1992

Genres: Music | Documentary |

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Overview:

In 1992, Olivier Messiaen's epic opera "Saint François d'Assise" was brought to the Salzburg Festival in a staging by Peter Sellars. The distinct visual appearance that Sellars lent to the opera, where video monitors with powerful images are used as a sort of high-tech metaphor for a cathedral's stained glass, drew critical acclaim and is still talked about as a watershed moment in opera to this day. This film here is a 75-minute documentary on the 1992 staging. Jean-Pierre Gorin filmed Sellars, baritone José van Dam (St. Francis) soprano Dawn Upshaw (The Angel), and the LA Philharmonic and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen as they rehearsed for the big day. There are interviews with these artists, though Sellars gets most of the screen time. The documentary is very much about Sellars' vision for Messiaen's theatrical drama. Very little is said about Messiaen's music.

Cast Of - Letter to Peter, on Saint François d'Assise by Olivier Messiaen

Crew Members

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Esa-Pekka Salonen

Self - Conductor

Dawn Upshaw

Self - Soprano

José van Dam

Self - Bass-Baritone

Urban Malmberg

Self - Baritone

John Aler

Self - Tenor

Tom Krause

Self - Baritone

Ronald Hamilton

Self - Tenor

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