‘Mariss Jansons: A Tale of Four Orchestras’ is a film by Peter Maniura, which tells the Latvian maestro’s story through the eyes of the four leading orchestras which he led.
The Riga Jurmala Music Festival has announced the commissioning of a documentary dedicated to honouring legendary Latvian conductor Mariss Jansons (1943-2019), due for broadcast in early 2022. ‘Mariss Jansons: A Tale of Four Orchestras’ will be directed and conceived by Peter Maniura, an award-winning television producer and director with more than twenty-five years’ experience in music and arts broadcasting at the BBC, the European Broadcasting Union and independently.
For the first time, Jansons’ story will be told through the eyes of the musicians from the four ensembles for which Jansons was either Music Director or Chief Conductor: the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Concertgebouworkest and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Paying tribute to the legacy of a conductor that marked each of them, the orchestras will contribute specially filmed performances.
In addition to archival material featuring performances by and interviews with Jansons, new interviews with the orchestra musicians and others will provide insight into why Jansons was so profoundly appreciated both on and off the conducting podium. Latvian Television and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) have already provided support by filming and access to their rich archives; the list of partners will expand during production.
