Gidon Kremer – A Portrait

Accentus has started filming for its portrait of Gidon Kremer “Overcoming Boundaries and Building Bridges – Gidon Kremer", a film by Paul Smaczny.

A production of Accentus Music in co-production with ZDF/arte.

“These days, the whole arts industry is more market oriented than ever. ‘Value’ is measured in terms of money, income and statistics. All too often we are tempted to believe that the primary goal of art is to entertain people. A true artist is called to swim against the waves of popularity, to dive into the deep waters of human souls and to rise to the challenge of achieving the impossible.”
(Gidon Kremer on receiving the Praemium Imperiale in Tokyo in October 2016)

Gidon Kremer is one of the most exciting artists of our time. On the occasion of his 70th birthday, a quiet and thoughtful portrait of the great violinist and intellectual emerges. It will focus on Kremer’s current work with the Kremerata Baltica and will also take a look back at the stations of an unprecedented artistic career. It is an examination of an artist whose life is inextricably linked to the music history of the second half of the 20th century and the early 21st century – the portrait of a musician who continues to influence music life and musical discourse to this day.

Filming for this portrait has started at the end of March in Paris, where Kremer and his orchestra, together with Arvo Pärt, rehearsed for concerts at the Fondation Louis Vuitton that combined new works of the legendary composer with Victor Kissine’s arrangement of a Schubert Fantasy. The film will also accompany Kremer to Russia, Japan, and across Europe.

Overcoming Boundaries and Building Bridges
Gidon Kremer – a Portrait
A film by Paul Smaczny

Production Company Accentus Music
Co-Production Company ZDF/arte
English title Overcoming Boundaries and Building Bridges - Gidon Kremer: A Portrait
Director Paul Smaczny