Helicopter String Quartet

Oct 1 1996 N/A 1h 17m
Documentary, Music

One morning, the late Karlheinz Stockhausen awoke from a dream that told him to take to the sky. Stockhausen envisioned four helicopters swirling in the clouds, with each of a quartet’s members tucked inside his own chopper, communicating through headsets, stringing away in sync to the rotor-blade motors. He immediately set forth to make that dream a reality. In 1995, Dutch film director Scheffer followed Stockhausen in the days leading up to the premiere performance of his Helicopter String Quartet in Amsterdam. The resulting film offers a rare glimpse of Stockhausen as he patiently dictates every agonizingly detailed measure to the Arditti Quartet.

Plot

This film is a documentary about the preparation of the amazing Helicopter String Quartet which Stockhausen brought to fruition simply because he had experienced it in a dream. The composer presents the music in a very accessible way, documenting the events that led to news headlines around the world in 1995. The musicians are seen rehearsing separately, and then in the helicopters themselves as they soar over Amsterdam transmitting their music down to the concert hall. If only the film included a complete performance such as the one thousands will experience when the event is recreated in the skies of Bonn in May 2000.

Written by

Frank Scheffer

Directed by

Frank Scheffer

Cast

Karlheinz Stockhausen, Irvine Arditti, Graeme Jennings

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

Netherlands

Production Companies

Allegri Film

Languages

English, Deutsch

Awards

1 nomination

Scores
# of Votes
37
Average Rating
6.9 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA