Great Performances (1971)
The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.
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Episode 1 - Romeo and Juliet
Release Date: 2020-09-11Experience a ballet of Shakespeare’s classic from choreographer Kenneth MacMillan performed by dancers from The Royal Ballet set to a score by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev filmed on atmospheric locations throughout Budapest.
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Episode 2 - Now Hear This “Haydn: King of Strings”
Release Date: 2020-09-18Explore the work of famed composer Joseph Haydn’s career with host Scott Yoo and featured guest artists as he discovers how Haydn borrowed folk music from Scotland, Hungary and Austria to create his famous “Emperor Quartet.”
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Episode 3 - Now Hear This “The Schubert Generation”
Release Date: 2020-09-25Celebrate the work of Franz Schubert with host Scott Yoo as he plays with young musicians establishing themselves in North America's musical capitals by attempting to master the composer’s music.
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Episode 4 - Now Hear This “Becoming Mozart”
Release Date: 2020-10-02Join Scott Yoo, renowned violinist and conductor of the Mexico City Philharmonic, in Now Hear This Series 2, a four-part documentary miniseries presented by Great Performances that merges music, storytelling, travel and culture, as Yoo chases the secret histories of some of the greatest music ever written.
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Episode 5 - GRAMMY Salute to Music Legends® 2020
Release Date: 2020-10-16In collaboration with the Recording Academy®, Great Performances presents GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends®, the fifth annual all-star concert offering a primetime spotlight for the Recording Academy’s 2020 Special Merit Awards recipients. The 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Chicago, Roberta Flack, Isaac Hayes, Iggy Pop, John Prine, Public Enemy, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
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Episode 6 - One Man, Two Guvnors
Release Date: 2020-11-06Featuring a Tony Award-winning performance by CBS Late Late Show host James Corden, the hilarious West End and Broadway hit One Man, Two Guvnors by playwright Richard Bean delighted critics and audiences alike during its West End and Broadway productions in 2011 and 2012.
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Episode 7 - Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles
Release Date: 2020-11-13Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles is the first in-depth documentary that chronicles the story of the international Broadway blockbuster "Fiddler on the Roof" – exploring the unexpected richness of its themes as well as its vast reach across time and cultures.
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Episode 8 - Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn
Release Date: 2020-11-24Roundabout Theatre Company’s festive production of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn – The Broadway Musical returns to GREAT PERFORMANCES for a special seasonal encore. Inspired by the 1942 Academy Award-winning film starring Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby, Holiday Inn tells the story of Jim, a song & dance man who decides to leave Broadway’s bright lights to settle down at a Connecticut farmhouse. But country life isn’t quite what he expects until he meets Linda, the schoolteacher next door with talent to spare. Together, they turn his farmhouse into a seasonal inn with show-stopping performances to celebrate each holiday. But when Jim’s best friend Ted tries to lure Linda away to be his new Hollywood dance partner, will Jim be able to salvage another chance at love? Starring Bryce Pinkham, Lora Lee Gayer and Corbin Bleu, the score’s back-to-back Irving Berlin hits include “Cheek to Cheek,” “Easter Parade,” “White Christmas” and many more.
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Episode 9 - Lea Salonga in Concert
Release Date: 2020-11-27Captured in peak performance with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tony Award-winner Lea Salonga performs the beloved songs she made famous throughout her Broadway career, as well as her signature songs from the animated movie blockbusters “Aladdin” and “Mulan” from the Sydney Opera House.
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Episode 10 - From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2021
Release Date: 2021-01-01Ring in 2021 with host Hugh Bonneville joined by guest conductor Riccardo Muti and the Vienna Philharmonic performing a festive selection of Strauss Family waltzes.
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Episode 11 - The Magic of Callas
Release Date: 2021-01-15Explore the legacy of superstar Maria Callas in this documentary detailing her 1964 comeback at London’s Royal Opera House in “Tosca,” featuring insights from fans including Rufus Wainwright and opera stars Thomas Hampson and Kristine Opolais.
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Episode 12 - The Magic of Horowitz
Release Date: 2021-01-22Experience legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz’s 1986 Russian homecoming for a sold-out concert of personal favorites, featuring commentary from former manager Peter Gelb and virtuoso pianists Martha Argerich and Daniil Trifonov.
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Episode 13 - Great Performances at the Met: Renée Fleming in Concert
Release Date: 2021-03-19Experience the beloved American soprano perform arias by Puccini and Massenet to selections by Handel and Korngold from the intimate music salon of Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C.
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Episode 14 - Movies for Grownups® Awards 2021 with AARP The Magazine
Release Date: 2021-03-28Watch actors and filmmakers as they are honored for creating films that resonate with older viewers in this star-studded awards ceremony. Celebrating movies that matter, the Awards champion movies for grownups, by grownups.
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Episode 15 - Great Performances at the Met: Jonas Kaufmann in Concert
Release Date: 2021-04-02The superstar tenor sings a program of classic arias from the Baroque interior of the historic Polling Abbey located in the Bavarian countryside outside Munich, Germany. Selections from this performance include “Nessun dorma” from “Turandot,” “E lucevan le stelle” from “Tosca,” “Ah! lève-toi, soleil” from “Roméo et Juliette,” “La fleur que tu m’avais jetée” and many more.
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Episode 16 - Beethoven in Beijing
Release Date: 2021-04-16Experience the international impact of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s historic 1973 trip to China, offering a story of cultural reversals and a glimpse into the worldwide future of classical music.
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Episode 17 - Romeo & Juliet
Release Date: 2021-04-23This stylized film of Shakespeare’s masterpiece from the National Theatre celebrates the theatrical imagination. In this contemporary retelling, a company of actors in a shuttered theater bring to life the tale of two young lovers who strive to transcend a world of violence and hate. Josh O’Connor and Jessie Buckley star as Shakespeare’s immortal star-crossed lovers.
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Episode 18 - Uncle Vanya
Release Date: 2021-05-07Tony Award nominee Conor McPherson breathes new life into Anton Chekhov’s masterpiece with his acclaimed adaptation of the drama, portraying life at the turn of the 20th century filled with tumultuous frustration, dark humor and hidden passions.
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Episode 19 - Great Performances at the Met: Lise Davidsen in Concert
Release Date: 2021-05-07The soprano performs arias and songs that brought her success around the world including selections from Wagner’s “Tannhäuser,” Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos,” Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut” and more from Oslo’s Oscarshall Palace in Norway.
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Episode 20 - The Arts Interrupted
Release Date: 2021-05-14Take an inside look at how arts organizations nationwide are surviving the pandemic and how they are maturing during the country’s reckoning with systemic racism, featuring interviews with artists and performances made during lockdown.
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Episode 21 - Great Performances at the Met: Aleksandra Kurzak & Roberto Alagna in Concert
Release Date: 2021-06-04Recorded in August, the married tenor and soprano duo perform arias and duets from the Château de la Chèvre d’Or perched on a cliff in the South of France. selections performed include the love duet from “Madama Butterfly,” the hilarious “Caro elisir” from “L’Elisir d’Amore,” and the Mexican favorite “Cielito Lindo.”
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Episode 22 - Andrea Bocelli: Believe
Release Date: 2021-06-05Enjoy the songs of the internationally beloved tenor’s 2020 album recorded on location in Malta. Selections performed include “Gratia Plena,” a duet with Cecilia Bartoli, and new interpretations of “Ave Maria” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
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Episode 23 - Mick Fleetwood & Friends
Release Date: 2021-06-05Experience an all-star concert honoring the early years of Fleetwood Mac and founding member Peter Green at the London Palladium featuring artists including Pete Townshend, Steven Tyler, David Gilmour, Noel Gallagher, Christine McVie and more.
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Episode 24 - Great Performances at the Met: Anna Netrebko in Concert
Release Date: 2021-06-18Recorded in February from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria, the megastar performs Russian songs by Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Tchaikovsky as well as selections by Debussy, Dvořák, Fauré and Strauss. Accompanied by Pavel Nebolsin on piano, the program also features mezzo-soprano Elena Maximova for duets from Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” and Tchaikovsky’s “The Queen of Spades.”
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Episode 25 - Great Performances at the Met: Joyce DiDonato in Concert
Release Date: 2021-07-02Experience a new performance by the American mezzo-soprano from the art-nouveau Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum, Germany, featuring Baroque works by Handel as well as songs like “La vie en rose” and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
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Episode 26 - Gloria Estefan: Sangre Yoruba
Release Date: 2021-07-09Gloria Estefan journeys through three of Brazil’s most influential cities, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Salvador, with Estefan as narrator and host, discussing the history of Samba and its many variations. Featuring regional celebrities like Maria Rita, Carlinhos Brown and Jorge Arãgo, the documentary looks at the African origins of Brazilian music and specific sites that have inspired artists.
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Episode 27 - Roots of Latin Jazz
Release Date: 2021-07-16Anaadi and the Raíces Jazz Orchestra perform Jorge Ben's classic from his debut album "Samba Esquema Novo," called "Mas Que Nada."
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Episode 28 - Great Performances at the Met: Diana Damrau & Joseph Calleja in Concert
Release Date: 2021-08-06Don’t miss Diana Damrau and Joseph Calleja’s captivating performance from the spectacular Royal Palace of Caserta.
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Episode 29 - Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age
Release Date: 2021-08-14Go backstage on Broadway from 1959 to the early 1980s through interviews with theater legends including Carol Burnett, Liza Minnelli, Dick Van Dyke and more touching on a variety of classic shows like “Bye, Bye Birdie,” “Pippin” and “A Chorus Line.”
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Episode 30 - Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2021
Release Date: 2021-08-27Enjoy the Vienna Philharmonic’s annual summer night concert under the direction of guest conductor Daniel Harding with piano virtuoso Igor Levit at Austria’s Schönbrunn Palace.
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Episode 31 - Great Performances at the Met: Sonya Yoncheva in Concert
Release Date: 2021-09-03Enjoy the talent of Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva as she performs arias by Verdi, Puccini and more from the Baroque Library in Schussenried Cloister in southwest Germany accompanied by Julien Quentin on piano.
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Episode 32 - Great Performances at the Met: Sonya Yoncheva in Concert
Release Date: 2021-09-03Enjoy the talent of Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva as she performs arias by Verdi, Puccini and more from the Baroque Library in Schussenried Cloister in southwest Germany accompanied by Julien Quentin on piano.