Cathy Berberian | 'Music is the Air I Breathe' | part one

Cathy Berberian 'Music is the Air I Breathe'
'Muziek is mijn adem'

These clips are fragments from a 70 minutes documentary made by Carrie de Swaan.

Interviews with:
Louis Andriessen, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Luciano Berio en Cristina Berio.

Director Carrie de Swaans 1994 VPRO production, Cathy Berberian: Music is the Air I Breathe, won top documentary honors at this years AFFMA Film Festivalat Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, California.
Mention Speciale Musique, Festival International du Film d'Art 1994, Paris.
Best Documentary, AFFMA Film Festival 2002, Holllywood



John Knap
johnknap@jasperina.net
www.jasperina.net

MUSIC IS THE AIR I BREATHE | PART TWO

Cathy Berberian 'Music is the Air I Breathe' 'Muziek is mijn adem' These clips are fragments from a 70 minutes documentary made by Carrie de Swaan

The 'Callas of the avant-garde', as singer Cathy Berberian was called,
played an important role in the development of vocal music in the 1950s
and 1960s, breaking down vocal taboes and developing new way to use the voice. Her unique abilities inspired such composers as John Cage and Luciano Berio and many others to write music for her.Cathy Berberian renewed the traditional recital with her feeling for theater and her sense of humour, causing quite a sensation among the audience. Her many-sided repertoire ranged from Monteverdi to contemporary music, including her own composition 'Stripsody', based on sounds from comic strips. Music is the air I breathe portrays her work and life. The film is composed of archive fragments of her art over a period of 25 years, of personal letters, home movies and interviews with musicians, friends and family, like Louis Andriessen, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Luciano Berio and Cristina Berio. Mention Speciale Musique, Festival International du Film d'Art 1994, Paris. Best Documentary, AFFMA Film Festival 2002, Holllywood written and directed by Carrie de Swaan camera: Hans Fels, Deen van der Zaken, Marlou van den Berge sound: Erik Langhout, Charles Kersten, Jozef Kucera editor: Hans Dunnewijk production: Joes Roelofs for VPRO television duration: 70 minutes

Video by:
John Knap
www.jasperina.net
johnknap@jasperina.net

MUZIEK IS MIJN ADEM
Cathy Berberian (1925 - 1983)
De 'Callas van de avant-garde', zoals zangeres Cathy Berberian genoemd werd, speelde een belangrijke rol in de ontwikkeling van de vocale muziek in de jaren vijftig en zestig. Zij doorbrak vocale taboes en ontwikkelde nieuwe manieren van stemgebruik. Haar unieke mogelijkheden inspireerden componisten als John Cage, Luciano Berio en vele anderen om voor haar te schrijven. Cathy Berberian vernieuwde het traditionele recital met haar gevoel voor theater en haar gevoel voor humor. Haar repertoire ging van Monteverdi tot en met eigentijdse muziek. Daaronder verstond zij niet alleen avant-garde composities, maar ook liedjes van The Beatles en haar eigen compositie 'Stripsody', die gebaseerd is op geluiden die in strips voorkomen.
Muziek is mijn adem geeft een beeld van haar leven en werk door middel van archieffragmenten van haar optredens over een periode van 25 jaar, persoonlijke brieven, home movies en door gesprekken met mensen die met haar werkten, met vrienden en familie, zoals Louis Andriessen, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Luciano Berio en Cristina Berio.
Mention Speciale Musique, Festival International du Film d'Art 1994, Paris.
Best Documentary, AFFMA Film Festival 2002, Holllywood
scenario en regie: Carrie de Swaan
camera: Hans Fels, Deen van der Zaken, Marlou van den Berge.
geluid: Erik Langhout, Charles Kersten, Jozef Kucera.
montage: Hans Dunnewijk.
productie: Joes Roelofs, VPRO
duur: 70 minuten

Met dank aan www.polderbits.nl
With special thanks to www.polderbits.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Cathy
• Berberian
• 'Music
• is
• the
• Air
• Breathe'
• polderbits

[xxxjasperina]

Thank you, Lesperto!

Cathy Berberian sings:

'Nana' from 'Siete canciones populares españolas' (De Falla).

[chazinko]

This woman was one of the Muse's special gifts to us. A thousand thank-yous for sharing this.

[johannes51]

veel dank! is heerlijk om weer te zien en te horen (hoewel geluid bij mij wat gebrekkig overkomt)

john

[Berdjum]

I have attended to too many concerts .... The 2 ones of Cathy Berberian in Pierrre Cardin's small theater have been unforgettable souvenirs and justify those too many and many times not so good concerts.

Most of the qualities of the Armenian Culture to its highest achievements have been concentrated in this female (lool !) what an artist !

[luisrvigil]

A true big musician

[MarcheseCadmio88]

What a woman... What a singer...

[00jimbo00]

""...today singers shuld avoid the kind of concentration on just pure sound...and now we have this wounderful voices like monserrat cavallé.. but they sing like cows and they have the mentality of cows...they just want the sound to come out.. they don't think of the meaning behind it..they are just thinking in the next ... note, the high note.. I think after the voices have gone they are just old cows""

i loved her!

[VELEZ212]

I want to hear the voice and interview but volume is way low ;(

[lesperto]

Great singer,great video! Does anybody know what she's singing at 5:30? Thanks.

[Ak1Morita]

It's great!!! "Beautiful voices but they sing like cows".