Samuel Barber: Absolute Beauty

A documentary feature film about the composer of the Adagio for Strings

BARBERFILM.COM

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. Featuring 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.
Available in streaming, DVD and Blu-ray formats
Trailer (and complete film via Vimeo On Demand)
Stills from the Film
Production & Presentation History
Filming "Dover Beach" with baritone William Sharp
Filming "Dover Beach" with baritone William Sharp
Filming "Dover Beach" with baritone William Sharp
Filming "Dover Beach" with baritone William Sharp
With Barber's nephew David Beatty, and Barbara Heyman
With Barber's nephew David Beatty, and Barbara Heyman
Gathering at Barbara Heyman's apartment for rough cut screening
Gathering at Barbara Heyman's apartment for rough cut screening
With Ulrich Klabunde at Rittenhouse Square
With Ulrich Klabunde at Rittenhouse Square
Ulrich Klabunde at West Chester University, in front of his commissioned Barber portrait
Ulrich Klabunde at West Chester University, in front of his commissioned Barber portrait
Festival world premiere in Cologne, Germany
Festival world premiere in Cologne, Germany
Program page at Muvi Film Festival in Portugal
Program page at Muvi Film Festival in Portugal
California premiere
California premiere
With David Beatty, nephew of Samuel Barber, from his maternal side related to Louise Homer
With David Beatty, nephew of Samuel Barber, from his maternal side related to Louise Homer
With my parents, sister and niece
With my parents, sister and niece
Performance of Adagio at California premiere
Performance of Adagio at California premiere
Sunday feature review in The Philadelphia Inquirer
Sunday feature review in The Philadelphia Inquirer
Review at Composition:Today
Review at Composition:Today
Review at MusicWeb International
Review at MusicWeb International
East Coast premiere at The Phillips Collection
East Coast premiere at The Phillips Collection
After my interview at WRTI
After my interview at WRTI
Coverage of my interview at WRTI
Coverage of my interview at WRTI
Announcement of broadcast premiere
Announcement of broadcast premiere
WHYY (PBS in Philadelphia)
WHYY (PBS in Philadelphia)
Control room at WHYY-TV
Control room at WHYY-TV
Satellite transmitter at WHYY-TV
Satellite transmitter at WHYY-TV
Screening venue at Frederick Film Festival
Screening venue at Frederick Film Festival
Screening at Queen City Film Festival in Cumberland, Maryland
Screening at Queen City Film Festival in Cumberland, Maryland
My cousin Andrea promoting the Michigan premiere
My cousin Andrea promoting the Michigan premiere
With Leonard Slatkin
With Leonard Slatkin
With Leonard Slatkin at post-screening discussion
With Leonard Slatkin at post-screening discussion
Best Director award at Royal Starr Film Festival in Royal Oak, Michigan
Best Director award at Royal Starr Film Festival in Royal Oak, Michigan
Featurette simulcast at Detroit Symphony Hall
Featurette simulcast at Detroit Symphony Hall
Official selection page at Plebeian Film Festival in San Diego, California
Official selection page at Plebeian Film Festival in San Diego, California
Cover for review in Fanfare Magazine
Cover for review in Fanfare Magazine
Cover for review in American Record Guide
Cover for review in American Record Guide
Review in The Whole Note magazine
Review in The Whole Note magazine
Opera News "Critic's Choice" review
Opera News "Critic's Choice" review
Program detail for screening at Reading Film Festival
Program detail for screening at Reading Film Festival
Screening at Reading Film Festival in WCR Center for the Arts
Screening at Reading Film Festival in WCR Center for the Arts
Cover for review in Journal of the Society for American Music
Cover for review in Journal of the Society for American Music
Review in The American Organist
Review in The American Organist
Featured for Midwest broadcast premiere on KETC-TV
Featured for Midwest broadcast premiere on KETC-TV
Screening at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Screening at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Featurette presented by Longwood Gardens
Featurette presented by Longwood Gardens
Bonus Clips
Piano Concerto

To Longwood Gardens

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