In the Maze – The Musician Jörg Widmann

In the Maze - The Musician Jörg Widmann

A film by Holger Preuße, 42 / 52min., BR/ARTE 2022

Music takes on a life of its own in the moment of writing, believes Jörg Widmann. It assumes its own form, becoming a living being that forges its own path. As such, it remains a fragment, because it is not what he, the writer, had intended.

For Widmann, the image that best describes this progression is a maze. Today, this has become the theme that runs through his life’s work, one that he has explored musically over the course of six distinct pieces. In the maze, one gets lost and bumps into things. There are moments “where it doesn’t go any further. And that is something that I often experience as problematic and very painful in composing. As happy as composing is.” Increasingly, he is led out of the maze of composing into which he has been drawn by his other role of clarinettist (for many years considered one of the world’s best) by his activities as a conductor.

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We follow Jörg Widmann into his maze, reaching for the thread that runs through his life and work. Together with him, we experience the ups and downs, the euphoric moments as well as the moments of crisis that are brought about by the process of writing. We encounter him backstage and on stage. And we discover that it is in fact a bundle of threads that intertwine to form a tangle, whereby the composer without the clarinettist, the conductor without the composer, or Jörg Widmann without the human, is inconceivable.

The film accompanies Jörg Widmann in the composition of his trumpet concerto “Towards Paradise (Labyrinth VI)”, commissioned by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. We witness the piece take shape, from the first drafts to the premiere performance. As clarinettist and conductor, we see him at the Salzburg Festival, in the Boulez Hall and at the Konzerthaus Berlin, and experience this ‘universal musician’ alongside Daniel Barenboim (as pianist), with the celebrated violinist Anne Sophie Mutter, for whom he composed his String Quartet No. 6, and during a concert tour of Taiwan together with his sister, the violinist Carolin Widmann.

Paul Dessau – Paul Dessau Let’s hope for the Best

Der Komponist Paul Dessau - Von Hamburg über Hollywood in die DDR

Ein Film von Anne-Kathrin Peitz, 53 min., NDR/ARTE 2023

Paul Dessau (1894-1979) has been a violin prodigy, became Otto Klemperer’s assistant and finally an accomplished conductor. He wrote operetta and film music – from mountain films with Leni Riefenstahl by director Arnold Fanck to Walt Disney’s animated films. Born in Hamburg, he was a soldier in World War I and a Jewish exile in France and the USA in WWII. In Hollywood, he meanwhile worked on a chicken farm and wrote the sounds for some celluloid blockbusters as an anonymous “music slave” for the major studios.

As a convinced communist, Paul Dessau settled over to the GDR in 1948. He worked with Bertolt Brecht as well as his fourth wife, the stage directing idol Ruth Berghaus, and had a significant influence on the socialist music scene and stage art. He became a music teacher for children at his son Maxim’s school in Zeuthen. His works were taught in schools, his “Thälmann-Kolonne” became soon very popular, but at the same time he was condemned as a formalist because of his often idiosyncratic tonal language. He became a GDR state composer who was mainly celebrated on the outside, but sharply criticized on the inside.

With over 430 works to his name, Paul Dessau has been what a workaholic is being called, with his explosive, often unwieldy sound language an inconvenient man who wanted to change society and help shape it: “Music is not a medium for relaxation. Absolutely not. There are pills or walking for that, which is cheaper. Music is really exhausting – to make and to listen to.”

Who has this man of conviction been, who truly fought for musical innovation and clung to the communist idea with almost naïve steadfastness? Who was this person whose appearance could be just as ornery and edgy, witty and contradictory, laconic or loving as his music?

“Paul Dessau: Let’s hope for the best” by Anne-Kathrin Peitz sketches an artist’s life between conformity and repulsion, political idealism and musical individuality, in which the changeable German-German history of the 20th century is strikingly condensed as if under a burning glass.

The film portrait consciously traces the contradictions in Dessau’s character, life and work and embeds the man and his music in the historical context. The cinematic approach to the protagonist and his sound cosmos becomes a jigsaw puzzle, both literally and figuratively, whose individual – often disparate – pieces slowly come together to form an overall picture.

In staged concert scenes, artists translate his sound into body language and tongue-in-cheek cartoons his song humoresques into associative picture stories. Musicians play in quarries, orchestral works become music clips, pupils of the “Paul Dessau” comprehensive school in Zeuthen walk in the footsteps of their namesake. Historical recordings evoke the world and stations of Dessau’s life, and the composer himself has his say in rarely shown archive scenes. In addition, interview partners – from politician Gregor Gysi to former concert hall director Frank Schneider or the American jazz composer Jack Cooper as well as composer and pianist Steffen Schleiermacher – try to create a portrait of Paul Dessau not only with words, but actually by doing a puzzle.

The General and the Electrician – Power Struggle in Poland

The General and the Electrician - Power Struggle in Poland

A Film by Holger Preuße, WDR/ARTE, 43/52min, 2021

They are two people who could not be more different: Here, the general who had made his career in the party and the military, eventually rising to become the most powerful man in Poland; there, the electrician who challenged the powerful and became the leader of the first independent and free trade union in a socialist country. In the winter of 1981, the situation escalated and the military and state leader, General Wojciech Jaruzelski, knew no other way to contain the growing influence of the Solidarność union under his leader, Lech Wałęsa, than to impose martial law on December 13th.

Now, 40 years later, the film looks back on the biographies of the two dissimilar men who were closely interwoven for a decade – until the trained electrician succeeded General Jaruzelski in the office of President in December 1990.

The film tells the story of the battle between two rivals and lets close confidants and contemporary witnesses have their say. For example, the union leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Wałęsa; the co-founder of Solidarność, Bogdan Borusewicz, who called on Wałęsa to take part in the great strike in August 1980; Wałęsa’s collaborator Anna Maria Mydlarska; former Le Monde Poland correspondent Bernard Guetta; the underground fighter and documentarist of Polish martial law Małgorzata Niezabitowska; Jaruzelski’s press spokesman Jerzy Urban and Stanislaw Ciosek, who on behalf of Jaruzelski conducted political negotiations with Wałęsa during his internment.

With the help of archive material and interviews, the documentation revives the turbulent times in Poland in the 1980s, thus providing an insight into this important chapter of contemporary European history. The GDR civil rights activist and long-time head of the Stasi Documentation Authority, Roland Jahn, believes that the fall of the Berlin Wall would not have been possible without the political events in Poland in the 1980s.

At the end of the film, Lech Wałęsa sums it up in his well-known pragmatic way: “I’m not a classical politician. I actually didn’t want it, I just filled it out. I was raised with the ambition that if I set out to do something, I have to get the best out of myself. “

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Iris Ehlbeck-Gehlert

Production Manager, Managing Co-Director

Contact:

+49 30 44 03 169 – 0
iris.gehlert[at]berlin-producers.de

Iris Ehlbeck-Gehlert always keeps an overview and, as head of production, has been the organisational talent of berlin producers and its sister companies for over fifteen years. She juggles figures just as confidently as she deals with demanding (and less demanding) colleagues, filming problems and funding applications. She also takes care of IT problems, occupational safety and – together with her colleagues from production – the most important thing of all: making sure the supply of chocolate never runs out.

Since July 2025, Iris has also taken over the co-management of Berlin Producers together with her colleague Saskia Geisler.

Claus Wischmann

CEO sounding images and shareholder berlin producers

Contact:

+49 30 44 03 169 – 22
claus.wischmann[at]berlin-producers.de

Claus Wischmann is author, director, producer and executive director at sounding images GmbH.
He has worked together with numerous European broadcasters and his music themed films have won awards all over the world, including the German Film Prize Nomination for his acclaimed film Kinshasa Symphony. He is also a partner in the Berlin Producers GmbH.

Prizes

Deutscher Kamerapreis / Schnitt 2020, Beethovens Neunte
Festivals – Hofer Filmtage 2019, Boston Film Festival 2019, Der illegale Film
Golden Prague Best Documentary 2016, Gozo – Eine Insel, zwei Opern
Golden Prageu Vaclav Havel Award 2016: Überlebenskünstler
Vornominierung Deutscher Filmpreis 2015, Karneval!
Festivals – Nominierung Golden Panda Sichuan 2014, Karneval!
(Auswahl) – Nominierung Deutscher Filmpreis 2011,
Dokumentarfilm: Kinshasa Symphony
Nominierung Grimme Preis 2012, Dokumentarfilm
Kinshasa Symphony
Gold World Medal: New York Television and Film
Awards 2011: Kinshasa Symphony
Großer Preis Jecheon Internation Film Festival Korea
2010: Kinshasa Symphony
Publikumspreis, Vancouver Filmfestival 2010:
Kinshasa Symphony
Publikumspreis, Deutsches Filmfestival Ludwigshafen 2010: Kinshasa Symphony
Berlinale und IDFA 2010: Kinshasa Symphony
Fipa-Wettbewerb, Biarritz 2009, Festival Radio France et
Montpellier: Wagners Meistersänger, Hitlers Siegfried – Auf
den Spuren von Max Lorenz
Audience Award Golden Prague Festival 2008, Edita Gruberova
– Die Kunst des Belcanto
Deutschen Medienpreis Logistik 2002, „Ein Riese auf Reisen“

Filmography

Autor/Regisseur/Producer (Auswahl)

2023

MAGIC MOMENT OF MUSIC – Series (Producer, 20 x 52 min. ZDF/ARTE, C Major, Unitel, EuroArts)

2022

SEVEN LIVES OF MUSIC – THE KANNEH-MASON FAMILY (60 min. ZDF/3sat)

KLANGWÜTIG – DIE KARAJAN-AKADEMIE (52 min. ZDF/ARTE)

DER KOMPONIST PAUL DESSAU – VON HAMBURG ÜBER HOLLYWOOD IN DIE DDR (Producer, 52 min. NDR/ARTE)

2021

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIORA FEIDMAN – Show mit Anne-Sophie Mutter, Lang Lang, Iris Berben, Axel Prahl, u.v.a. (Producer, 70 min. ZDF)

THE LUCKY TENOR – JOSÉ CARRERAS (Producer / 30 und 45 min. BR, WDR, SWR, C Major)

2020
#MYMUSICALDIARY (54min.,WDR)

MONTSERRAT CABALLÉ SINGT NORMA (52 min., ZDF/arte)

2019
BEETHOVENS NEUNTE: SYMPHONY FÜR DIE WELT (Producer, 90 min, DW, ZDF/arte)

2018
THE ILLEGAL FILM (90 min.)

2017
STADT DER KÖNIGE – SCHÜTZENFEST IN NEUSS (90 min., WDR)

2016
ÜBERLEBENSKÜNSTLER (52 min., NDR/arte)

GOZO – EINE INSEL, ZWEI OPERN (54 min.)

2015
Max und Moritz, die unglaubliche Geschichte eines Kinderbuchs, RBB, ARTE (52‘), 2015

2014
Karneval! – wir sind positiv bekloppt, Kinodokumentarfilm in Koproduktion mit dem WDR, gefördert durch NRW Filmstiftung, BKM, DFFF, 2014 (93‘)

2013
ZU TISCH IN THESSALIEN (26 min., ZDF/arte)

2012
ZU TISCH IM RUHRGEBIET (26 min., ZDF/arte)

ZU TISCH IN DEN PYRENÄEN (26 min., ZDF/arte)

EIN TAG IM LEBEN DER GEIGERIN PATRICIA KOPATCHINSKAJA (26 min., ZDF/arte)

LORIN MAAZEL TRIFFT ALICE SARA OTT (43 min., ZDF/arte/Unitel)

2011
ZDF ZOOM: AUSGEBREMST (Beitrag, ZDF)

2010
FAHRT INS RISIKO: Die Eisstraße durch Sibirien (43 min., ZDF/arte)

ZU TISCH IN DER MOLISE (26 min., ZDF/arte)

2009
ZU TISCH IN DER HEDMARK (26 min., ZDF/arte)

KINSHASA SYMPHONY (90 min.)

BEI AUFTRAG ENTDECKUNG: Im Reich der heiligen Pflanzen
(43 min., ZDF/arte, Co-Produktion mit fact & film, Bremen; Nordmedia 2009)

2008
ZU TISCH IN CMABRIDGESHIRE (26 min., ZDF/arte)

ANDRÁS SCHIFF IM TEATRO OLIMPICO – Cappella Andrea Barca
(43 min., 54 min., 75 min., ZDF/arte)

AUFBRUCH IM NORDMEER – DER SCHATZ DER BARENTSSEE (45 min., WDR/RBB/arte)

DIE KUNST DES BELCANTO – EDITA GRUBEROVA
(55 min., 80 min., ZDF/ arte/SR/ORF/Unitel, erscheint als DVD

WAGNERS MEISTERSÄNGER: HITLERS SIEGFRIED – Auf der Spur von Max Lorenz
(43 min./52min., SWR, ORF, SF)

TRULS MORK SPIELT CHOPIN UND DVORAK (43 min./54 min., ZDF/arte/NRK)

2007
ZU TISCH IN OSTANATOLIEN (26 min., ZDF/arte)

ROYAL FIREWORKS – Das FreiburgeR Barockorchester und das
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment bei den Proms
(42 min., ZDF/arte)

2006
SCHÄDEN FÜR DIE EWIGKEIT – WAS VON DER KOHLE BLEIBT
(42 min./44 min., zwei Fassungen für WDR – “Die Story” und arte)

RUF DER TASTEN – DIE MEISTERSCHAFT DER AMATEURPIANISTEN IN BERLIN
(28 min., RBB)

EIN LADEN IN BERLIN – Eisenwaren C. Adolph (26 min., ZDF/arte)

DER SPIELER BORIS BEREZOVSKY – PIANIST UND VIRTUOSE (43 min., ZDF/arte)

2005
DER JUNGE MIT DER PERÜCKE – KINDER ERKLÄREN MOZART
(29 min., RBB, BBC, TW1, SVT, NPS u.a.)

SCHWERES BLECH UND SCHRÄGE TÖNE. DAS ABONNENTENORCHESTER
(26 min., RBB)

2004
CLANZ DER ERDE: Eisen in China (43 min., ARD/RBB/arte)

ZU TISCH IN DEN NIEDERLANDEN (26 min., ZDF/arte)

STIMME AUS DER KÄLTE: DIE SÄNGERIN VIVICA GENAUX (42 min., ZDF/arte; int. Version: 52 min.)

2003
SCHULGESCHICHTEN: Polen (26 min., ZDF/arte)

ZU TISCH IN WEISSRUSSLAND (26 min., ZDF/arte)

TRAUMSCHIFF AUF TESTFAHRT, Reportage (38 min., Pro7)

2002
NUN SAG MIR, KLEINE WEISSE WOLKE : VESSELINA KASAROVA UND DIE STIMMEN BULGARIENS
(45 min., ZDF/arte)

EIN RIESE AUF REISEN, 38 min., Pro7/Kabel1)

ZWISCHEN LAKEN UND LÜSTER: Das Grand Hotel Berlin (44 min., RTL/VOX)

2001
DAS GROSSE SPIEL: L’Opéra de Monte Carlo (30 min., NHK (Japan)/EuroArts)

2000
KOOPMANN IN FREIBERG, Musikfilm (25 min., DR2 (Dänemark), Mezzo (Frankreich) u.a.)