'A World Without Beethoven?' DW documentary wins music award
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Loading... - Enrique Pantoja
- 29 Jun 2022
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How different would music history have been if Ludwig van Beethoven had never existed? The 2020 DW documentary "A World without Beethoven?" explores how influential the famous German composer was. Sarah Willis, who plays french horn in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, traveled around Germany and the world, searching for the answer to this question.
Over the course of seven segments, the music documentary illuminates how Beethoven's innovations shaped the following centuries far beyond the boundaries of classical music. How did Beethoven change the image of the musician and the concert business? And what does his "Fifth Symphony" have to do with rock riffs?
Gala at the Luxembourg Philharmonic
The documentary, directed by Martin Roddewig, won the 2022 International Classical Music Award (ICMA) for best video documentary. The jury described the film as "witty and highly entertaining," adding that a world without Beethoven is "simply unimaginable."
The award was presented at a gala event at the Luxembourg Philharmonic on Thursday and was broadcast via livestream on Facebook and the DW YouTube channel DW Classical Music.
The ICMA are presented in 17 categories, from chamber music and opera to contemporary music. The awards' jury — which also includes DW-associated individuals — views, listens to and evaluates an average of more than 3,000 works every year.
Nine additional special prizes are also awarded, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, which this year went to Hungarian conductor Adam Fischer.
The Special Achievement Award honored pianist Michael Korstick, who has recorded all of Beethoven's piano sonatas. Gennaro Cardaropoli, a 24-year-old Italian violinist, won the Young Artist of the Year category.
An honor in Beethoven's big birthday year
"We are a group of 19 independent media from 14 European countries, active in print, radio, online and TV," ICMA jury president and music critic Remy Frank told DW. "Our goal is to explore the ever-growing music market in order to give both recognized as well as young artists and labels greater visibility and media presence," he said, adding that the artists "appreciate ICMA's independence and internationality." Read More...
