Ingmar Bergman (1918- 2007) made fifty films, directed more than 150 theatre productions and wrote several books, but the recurrent thread running through his life was music. He often said that if he hadn't become a director he would have wished to become a conductor, and went so far as to claim that ‘film and music are almost the same thing. They are means of expression and communication that go beyond human wisdom and that touch a person’s emotional centre.’ Bergman’s interest in classical music became evident early on in his career. Music in Darkness (1948) is about a pianist who loses his sight in a shooting accident, To Joy (1950) features a violinist who dreams of a solo career and Summer Interlude (1951) takes place at the Royal Swedish Opera. He admired all who could perform music, reserving his greatest love for pianists, and concert pianists are portrayed in Hour of the Wolf, Face to Face and Autumn Sonata.
One of Bergman’s favourite Swedish pianists was Roland Pöntinen, who here performs a number of pieces featured in Bergman’s films, by composers including Mozart, Chopin and Schumann. Pöntinen is joined by the Stenhammar Quartet in the second movement of Schumann’s piano quintet, used by Bergman to great effect in the award-winning Fanny and Alexander. Another of the director’s favourite performers, the cellist Torleif Thedéen, also contributes to the project, with the sarabandes from three of Bach’s suites for solo cello.
1 Sarabande, From Cello Suite No. 5 In C Minor, BWV 1011
Composed By – Johann Sebastian Bach
2 Aufschwung, From Fantasiestücke, Op. 12
Composed By – Robert Schumann
3 Nocturne In C Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 1
Composed By – Frédéric Chopin
4 Prelude In D Minor, Op. 28 No. 24
Composed By – Frédéric Chopin
5 Sarabande, From Cello Suite No. 4 In E Flat Major, BWV 1010
Composed By – Johann Sebastian Bach
6 Fantasy In C Minor, K 475
Composed By – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
7 Mazurka In A Minor, Op. 17 No. 4
Composed By – Frédéric Chopin
8 Sonata In B Flat Major, D 960: Andante Sostenuto
Composed By – Franz Schubert
9 Sonata In D Major, K. 535
Composed By – Domenico Scarlatti
10 Prelude In A Minor, Op. 28 No. 2
Composed By – Frédéric Chopin
11 Sonata In E Major, K. 380
Composed By – Domenico Scarlatti
12 Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 25
Composed By – Johann Sebastian Bach
13 Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: Sarabande
Composed By – Johann Sebastian Bach
14 Piano Quintet In E Flat Major, Op. 44: In Modo D'una Marcia
Composed By – Robert Schumann
