Klemperer Conducts Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
(72 min; 1964; dvd; Black & White)

With Agnes Giebel (soprano); Marga Höffgen (contralto); Ernst Haefliger (tenor); Gustav Neidlinger (bass)

New Philharmonia Chorus and New Philharmonia Orchestra
Conductor: Otto Klemperer

A monumental interpretation of Beethoven’s iconic Choral Symphony that concludes with the Ode to Joy, conducted by one of the most towering Beethoven interpreters of his generation. Recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on 8th November 1964.

Introduced by Sunit Tandon

Spartacus (92 min; dvd)
Ballet by Yuri Grigorovich
With Vladimir Vasiliev, Natalia Bessmertnova, Maris Liepa, Nina Timofeyeva (The Bolshoi Ballet 1977)

Music: Aram Khachaturian 
Conductor: Algis Zhuratis

“The inherent cinematic approach in Grigorovich’s staging of Khachaturian’s score falls perfectly in place. Vladimir Vasiliev, as the slave who leads an unsuccessful revolt against the Romans, dances and acts at a heroic level that is the performance of a lifetime. …. It is also one of the best dance films ever made.” Anna Kisselgoff (The New York Times)

Introduced by Samaresh Chatterji

SCREEING SCHEDULE

The Tiger Poet: New and Selected Poems

By Amit Dahiyabadshah (2021)

The poems in the The Tiger Poet implore with an intimate immediacy beyond the borders of a virus and the country of India. The book brings the low growl of the regal tiger, the defiant cry of long-suffering humanity, and the proud heritage of his farmer-warrior Jat people from mountainous northern India to our wide world in this stunning volume.

Speakers : Shri Murad Ali Baig, Writer and Columnist, Ms Vinita Agrawal, Poet & Editor, Prof. Jaibir Singh Hooda, Prof. of Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies & Director, UCCE, M. D. University, Rohtak, Dr Priyanka Lamba, Associate Prof ., Dept of English, Dronacharya Govt PG College, Gurugram,Shri Amit Dahiyabadshah, Poet & Author of the Book

Presented by Ramchandra Gangoliya and party from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh

Ramchandra Gangoliya is a well-known folk singer and musician from Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. He is accompanied by artists on traditional folk instruments – manjira, dholak, timki, and kartal among others
 
Organised to mark World Music Day 2023

Puccini: Tosca
(120 min; 2011; dvd; English subtitles)

With Angela Gheorghiu (Flora Tosca); Jonas Kaufmann (Mario Cavaradossi); Bryn Terfel (Baron Scarpia); Lukas Jakobski (Cesare Angelotti); Jeremy White (Sacristan); Hubert Francis (Spoletta); Zheng Zhong Zhou (Sciarrone); William Payne (Shepherd Boy); John Morissey (Gaoler)

A Royal Opera House Production in association with the BBC
Stage Director: Jonathan Kent
Royal Opera Chorus and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Conductor: Antonio Pappano

Jonathan Kent’s atmospheric and evocative production of Tosca features three of the finest singers; Angela Gheorghiu’s sensitively portrayed Tosca is paired with Jonas Kaufmann’s intense and compelling Cavaradossi, while Bryn Terfel is thrillingly malevolent as Scarpia. Antonio Pappano’s masterfully paced conducting captures all the drama and beauty of Puccini’s exhilarating opera.

Introduced by Sunit Tandon

SCREEING SCHEDULE

Sitar Recital

By Soumendra Goswami from Delhi, disciple of Pandit Kushal Das

At 19:00
Hindustani Vocal Recital

By Shatavisha Mukherjee from Kolkata, disciple of Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar
 

Veena Recital

By Radhika Ramakrishnan from Delhi, disciple of Kalaimamani Vidushi R.Ramani

At 19:00
Carnatic Vocal Recital

By Sai Sundhar from Delhi, disciple of Dr. Radha Venkatachalam
 

Curated by Rajiv Mehrotra

The River (France/UK)
(99 min; 1951; French/Bengali/English)
A film by Jean Renoir

Recipient of the International Award, Venice Film Festival 1951; NBR Award for Top Foreign Film, National Board of Review, USA 1951; and Top Ten Film Award for Best Film, Cahiers du Cinema 1951

Based on a novel by Rumer Godden, the film is a lyrical account of a British teenage girl’s romantic awakening during the last years of the Raj. Although Renoir choose not to recreate India in a studio but to film on location in India itself.

(Collaboration: Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama)
 

Berlin 750 Years
(81 min; 1987; dvd)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Herbert von Karajan

In 1987, Berlin celebrated the 750th anniversary of its founding, and on May 1st, a significant musical event opened the official celebration of this anniversary. The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of its Music Director, Herbert von Karajan, played the Divertimento in D major, K. 334 by Mozart and the sensational tone poem Thus Spake Zarathustra by Richard Strauss. 

Introduced by Sunit Tandon

(97 min; 2022; Hindi with English subtitles)

Director: Shaunak Sen

Multiple award winner including Grand Jury Prize, World Cinema-Documentary, Sundance Film Festival 2022; Golden Eye Award, Cannes Film Festival 2022; Grierson Award (Documentary Film), London Film Festival 2022; Recipient of the Pare Lorentz Award, IDA Award for Best Feature, & IDA Award for Best Director, International Documentary Association Awards 2022; among others

In one of the world's most populated cities, cows, rats, monkeys, frogs, and hogs jostle cheek-by-jowl with people. Here, two brothers fall in love with a bird - the black kite. From their makeshift bird hospital in their tiny basement, the "kite brothers" care for thousands of these mesmeric creatures that drop daily from New Delhi's smog-choked skies. As environmental toxicity and civil unrest escalate, the relationship between this Muslim family and the neglected kite forms a poetic chronicle of the city's collapsing ecology and rising social tensions.