Leonardo da Vinci | Ken Burns Documentary | Caroline Shaw

[EERecordist]

Caroline Shaw is a mid-career 20th (21st!) Century classical vocalist, violinist, and composer. She has many awards. A new project is scoring a 2 part, 4 hour total documentary. It will be released on PBS November 18, 2024. Some of the film is like a Godfrey Reggio film, ambient imagery with picture cut on the musical phrases.

The soundtrack is out on Nonesuch. https://carolineshaw.bandcamp.com/album/leonardo-da-vinci-original-score

Postscript: I came across Shaw when she was produced by Third Angle Modern Music https://thirdangle.org, a local modern music presenter. She and modern dancer Anya Saugstad performed in a unique local venue. Sandy Bodecker brought skateboard shoes to Nike. Before Bodecker passed from cancer, he built a modern building with Skylab Architecture https://www.archdaily.com/982512/the-n-m-bodecker-foundation-skylab-architecture. The Bodecker Foundation https://www.bodeckerfoundation.org/ has free creative programs for about high school age youth taught by accomplished creative professionals. The building has a pretty good recording studio, visual studios, and a skate bowl. The Shaw performance of Graveyards and Gardens https://www.graveyardsandgardens.com/ was in the skate bowl. Shaw maintains an active touring and recording career.

What is new comes out of things before: Caroline Shaw and Anya Saugstad at Bodecker Skate Bowl • Oregon ArtsWatch

Concert of music and dance, with a last-minute replacement, explores memory in a unique setting.

www.orartswatch.org

 

[Blumlein 88]

Do we really need another Leonardo da Vinci documentary?

YES, yes we do.

Thanks for posting this as I will be on the look out for the release. The music is nice.

 

[Timmy]

A new project is scoring a 2 part, 4 hour total documentary.

Well – I heartily detest those »documentaries«, set up like flashy TV ads and trying to lure people of low mental competence into believing ridiculous shiny fairytales about ancient live and times.

 

[amirm]

Excellent! I have her "Narrow Sea" album in my library. It is excellently recorded in addition to being very good music.

 

[Astoneroad]

Do we really need another Leonardo da Vinci documentary?

YES, yes we do.

Thanks for posting this as I will be on the look out for the release. The music is nice.

I'm Leonardo / Renaissance / Florentine fan also. This is a great book about 90 days in 1502 when Leonardo, Machiavelli and Cesare Borgia were together on a military campaign, non fiction, fascinating. One of the things that draws me to 15th+ century Florence is that all these amazing people were living in the same place at the same time and knew (and disliked) each other... lol. I'm looking forward to the Burns bio to see what he gets wrong... if anything... lol.

I'd add "The Florentines" and "The Medici" to your reading lists as well. Once you've got the cast of characters... history weaves very entertaining tales.

 

[GrumpE1]

Terrific! Thanks for the heads up.
Ken is a fine documentarian, and this looks to be another for the collection.

 

[jeroboam]

Well – I heartily detest those »documentaries«, set up like flashy TV ads and trying to lure people of low mental competence into believing ridiculous shiny fairytales about ancient live and times.

Yes indeed overly romanticized and a high gloss applied (pardon the pun). The truth is Leonardo was in fact an Englishman from Hull called Vincent Leonard who worked as a painter and decorator. Having found himself in a spot of bother with the law he scarpered off to Italy. He was accompanied by his girlfriend,Lizzy who was somewhat of a vain beauty. She was constantly nagging Vincent to paint her portrait and he finally relented. Obviously he couldn't title the artwork ''The Moaning Lizzie''.
I'll see myself out.