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Great Performances

Arts and Music Series / 6 Seasons

Great Performances brings the best in the performing arts from across America and around the world to a US television audience. It presents a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.

Watch Latest: S52 E7

1h 30m / TV-G

Twilight: Los Angeles - Latasha Harlins

2m 47s

In 1991, Soon Ja Du, a Korean store owner, received a light sentence in the shooting death of Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old African-American. Anna Deveare Smith portrays an African-American community activist who repudiates defense attorney Charles Lloyd and draws a parallel between Latasha and Rodney King. Smith also portrays a Korean liquor store owner describing tensions with young customers.

"Pines of Rome" with Andris Nelsons, BSO Music Director

Composed in 1924 by Ottorino Respighi, "Pines of Rome" is the second orchestral work in his "Roman trilogy." "Fountains of Rome" (1917) is the first and "Roman Festivals" (1926) is the third. The four movements of "Pines of Rome" depict the city's trees in different locations at different times of the day. Boston Symphony Orchestra: Andris Nelsons’ Inaugural Concert airs May 29 at 9 pm.

Boston Symphony Orchestra: Andris Nelsons’ Inaugural Concert

35s

The start of BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons’ tenure with the orchestra features two of the conductor’s close colleagues: his wife, the acclaimed Latvian soprano Kristine Opolais, and the outstanding German tenor Jonas Kaufmann, each singing selections from the Wagnerian and Italian verismo repertoires. The inaugural concert was filmed in September 2014.

Jonas Kaufmann and Kristine Opolais: "Tu, tu, amore? Tu?"

2m 59s

Jonas Kaufmann and Kristine Opolais—both frequent collaborators with conductor Andris Nelsons, Opolais' husband—join Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra to perform the duet “Tu, tu, amore? Tu?” from Puccini’s opera Manon Lescaut. In an interview, Kaufmann jokes that performing a physically passionate duet on stage with Opolais while her husband conducts is simply part of the opera business.

Andris Nelsons Conducts Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana

2m 12s

Cavalleria rusticana is a one-act opera by Pietro Mascagni, which received its U.S. premiere in 1891 in Philadelphia. The tragic love story is set in a Sicilian village. Its symphonic Intermezzo has been heard outside opera houses in film soundtracks including Raging Bull and The Godfather Part III. Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra in his inaugural concert with the BSO.

Jonas Kaufmann and Kristine Opolais: La Boheme Act I Finale

2m 47s

Tenor Jonas Kaufmann and soprano Kristine Opolais join Andris Nelsons at his inaugural concert as as Boston Symphony Orchestra Music Director to perform "O Soave Fanciulla," the Act I Finale from Puccini's opera La Boheme. Born in Riga in 1978 into a family of musicians, Nelsons began his career as a trumpeter in the Latvian National Opera Orchestra before studying conducting.

GP at the Met: Les Contes d'Hoffmann

34s

Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo stars as the tortured poet unlucky in love in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann on Great Performances at the Met Sunday, May 10 at 12 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). Offenbach based the opera on three stories by E.T.A. Hoffmann. The production is by Broadway director Bartlett Sher. Soprano Deborah Voigt hosts the broadcast.

GP at the Met: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

34s

James Levine leads Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (“The Master-Singer of Nuremberg”) in its first Great Performances at the Met broadcast. Michael Volle is the cobbler-poet Hans Sachs, starring with Johan Botha as Walther, Annette Dasch as Eva, Johannes Martin Kränzle as Beckmesser, Hans-Peter König as Pogner, Paul Appleby as David, and Karen Cargill as Magdalene. Renée Fleming hosts.

Annie Lennox: Nostalgia Live in Concert

39s

The concert of her Grammy-nominated album features Lennox’s takes on iconic American compositions by such artists as Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Billie Holiday and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, as she pays tribute to some of the greatest artists of the 20th century.

Annie Lennox: Nostalgia in Concert - "Mood Indigo"

2m 36s

"Mood Indigo" is a jazz standard composed in 1930 by Duke Ellington and Barney Bigard, who played with Ellington's band for 15 years. The lyrics are by Irving Mills. Annie Lennox: Nostalgia Live in Concert airs on PBS on April 3, 2015 at 10 pm (check local listings).

Annie Lennox: Nostalgia in Concert - "I Put a Spell on You"

2m 55s

Annie Lennox sings "I Put a Spell on You" in her live concert of her Grammy-nominated album Nostalgia. Her performance of the song at the 2015 Grammy Awards was one of the most talked about highlights of that broadcast. The song was originally written and recorded in 1956 by Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Lennox's version also opens the film "Fifty Shades of Grey."

Annie Lennox: Nostalgia Live in Concert - "Summertime"

2m 59s

George Gershwin composed "Summertime" for his opera Porgy and Bess (1935). The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based. Billie Holiday recorded the song in 1936 and it quickly became a frequently covered jazz standard. Annie Lennox: Nostalgia Live in Concert airs on PBS on April 3, 2015 at 10 pm (check local listings).

Annie Lennox: Nostalgia in Concert - "Georgia on My Mind"

2m 11s

Annie Lennox performs "Georgia on My Mind" from her Nostalgia album, live in concert. The song was written by Hoagy Carmichael (music) and Stuart Gorrell (lyrics) in 1930. It was covered by many artists before the 1960 recording by Ray Charles made it a hit. Annie Lennox: Nostalgia Live in Concert airs on PBS on April 3, 2015 at 10 pm (check local listings).

Mark Morris Dance Group: L'Allegro

33s

Choreographer Mark Morris’s signature work comes to television for the first time, hosted by Mikhail Baryshnikov. Morris garnered international fame for this piece, set to George Frideric Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato with poetry by Milton. This performance was filmed July 2014 at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain.

Mark Morris Dance Group: L'Allegro, "The Ladies' Dance"

2m 59s

In this section called "The Ladies Dance" in choreographer Mark Morris's signature work L’Allegro, Il Penseroso ed il Moderato, 12 women dance to an air for soprano representing a character "L'Allegro," a joyful person. The music is by Handel, with a libretto based on the poetry of John Milton.

Mark Morris on L'Allegro, a Masterpiece Dance

9m 45s

Choreographer Mark Morris shares insights on how the music of Handel, poetry of John Milton and art of William Blake inspired his dance L’Allegro, Il Penseroso ed il Moderato for the Mark Morris Dance Group, accompanied by live orchestra and chorus. Morris, dancers and artistic collaborators explain the structure of the dance, the music, as well as the set, costumes and lighting.

Mark Morris Dance Group: L'Allegro, "The Stupid Men's Dance"

1m 58s

Men slap one another in slapstick fashion in a part nicknamed "The Stupid Men's Dance" in choreographer Mark Morris's signature work L’Allegro, Il Penseroso ed il Moderato. The singing is an air for tenor, representing a joyful character, "L'Allegro." The libretto, based on John Milton's poetry, refers to going to see theater by Jonson or Shakespeare.

Mark Morris Dance Group: L'Allegro Excerpts

2m 40s

See excerpts from Mark Morris’s signature work, L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, filmed at his group's engagement at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain, in July 2014. The three sections seen here are Populous Cities from Act II; The Hunt, a playful scene from Act I; and the joyful finale. The music is by George Frideric Handel, with libretto based on John Milton's poetry.

GP at the Met: Il Barbiere di Siviglia

33s

Rossini’s classic comedy Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) features some of the most instantly recognizable melodies in all of opera. The dynamic young cast includes Lawrence Brownlee; Isabel Leonard; and Christopher Maltman in his first Met performances of Figaro, the title barber whose skills extend far beyond hair-cutting.

Bryan Adams in Concert

33s

Canadian born singer-songwriter Bryan Adams has been one of the most successful international performers in contemporary rock music, selling over 65 million records in a career that has spanned more than three decades. Filmed at Toronto’s Elgin Theater in July 2014, songs in this concert include “Here I Am,” “Summer of ‘69,” “Heaven,” and “Straight from the Heart.” Airs in March on PBS.

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