Kinshasa Symphony

Description

Two hundred orchestral musicians are playing Beethoven's Ninth -- 'Freude schoner Gotterfunken'. A power cut strikes just a few bars before the last movement. Problems like this are the least of the worries facing the only symphony orchestra in the Congo. In the 15 years of its existence, the musicians have survived two putsches, various crises and a war. But concentration on the music and hopes for a better future keeps them going. Kinshasa Symphony is a study of people in one of the world's most chaotic cities doing their best to maintain one of the most complex systems of joint human endeavour: a symphony orchestra. The film is about the Congo, the people in Kinshasa and the power of music. 'A superb and affecting documentary about some highly unusual musicians, the staggering challenges they face in their everyday lives, the amazing city they live in and the power of Beethoven's Ninth.

Runtime

95 min

Contributor

Geography

Genre

Date of Publication

2010

Database

Alexander Street

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