The Goethe-Institut Boston presents the following two documentaries on March 4, 2022, starting at 5 PM
At 5:00 PM: A Portrait of Andris Nelsons tracing the conductor’s stellar career and offering a glimpse into his life beyond the podium. Using rare and unpublished archive material, the 30-minute portrait directed by Carmen Belaschk traces Andris Nelsons steep career: from his musical beginnings in his native city of Riga and his training as a trumpeter (an instrument he continues to practice) to his first position as chief conductor at the Latvian National Opera at the age of only 24. The film travels to his hometown Riga and shows him on and off stage, at rehearsals and in concerts, in Leipzig and Boston. It gives insights into his working method through interviews with friends, colleagues and orchestra musicians.
Director: Carmen Belaschk, Digital, 31 min, Germany 2019, In English
At 6:00 PM: Die Thomaner. A Year in the Life of the St. Thomas Boys Choir Leipzig
Founded in 1212 the St. Thomas Choir Leipzig is one of the most famous and prestigious boys’ choirs in the world. This documentary accompanies “Die Thomaner”, aged between 9 and 18 years old, over a period of one year. Their unique world, from motets to boarding school and the football pitch, is distinguished by success, pressure to perform, doubt, pride, homesickness, and friendship. The film charts the breadth of the boys’ experience from the classroom to traveling on tour to South America.
Documentary by Paul Smaczny and Günter Atteln
Germany 2012, DVD, 113 min