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Chopin Saved My Life

  • Director(s):
    James Kent
    Producer(s):
    Susannah Price
    • United Kingdom
    • 2012
    • 52 min
    • HDCAM 1080/25p
    • English

Chopin’s Ballade Number One is such an extraordinary piece of music, it has cast a spell on millions people around the world. Less than 10 minutes long, it has become one of the most iconic and influential pieces in the classical music world. Performing it has been likened to climbing The Eiger: demanding extraordinary feats of control, speed, memory, power and dexterity. Fifteen year-old Momoka’s community in Sendai, Japan, was decimated by the earthquake. For Momoka, the Ballade is a perfect incarnation of the anguish and rebellion she feels but cannot allow to surface. For Paul, recovering from his 5th brain surgery, the piece is literally life changing - it was the Ballade’s emotional pull that he credits with the return of his memory. This moving film explores the transformative power of the piece, and the ability of music to profoundly impact our lives.

Strands

Festivals:

Credits

Commissioning Editor:
Tabitha Jackson 

Director Filmography

  • 2012, Inside Men
  • 2011, 9/11: Phonecalls from The Towers
  • 2005, Holocaust: A Music Memorial Film from Auschwitz

Contact

Marisa Erftemeijer

Production Manager

BBC World Wide

marisa@oftv.co.uk

+44 02074833637