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Shattering Conceptions is a dance short film that explores the stages of grief through the fractured lens of depersonalization, anxiety, and depression.
In the made-up country of Alanien, King Alexander I has been overthrown while abroad. Now, he's in Vienna with his daughter, the city of his fondest memories since studying there as a boy. It doesn't take long for the charm of Vienna to work its magic on the former king: he quickly comes to terms with the new situation and is able to enjoy the Austrian capital sans all the ceremony and trappings which would otherwise accompany him on a state visit. The princess is content with preparing herself for a career as a pianist concert, while the former king takes a job as a chauffeur in the embassy of the country he once ruled. The revolutionaries are shocked; and his days in Vienna are numbered.
Paulo, a young piano tuner who works in his father's restoration workshop, wants to be a concert pianist. During a day of work, he tries to find the whereabouts of a letter from a music conservatory that he anxiously awaits.
With the help of a rich young woman, a singer who lives in the precarious housing area that existed in Puerto Nuevo comes to fame.
The daughter of René, King of Provence, who has been blind since birth, is unaware of her misfortune thanks to her father's diligence. She is betrothed to Robert, Duke of Burgundy. Her father hopes to restore his daughter's sight before the wedding with the help of a Moorish doctor. Robert and his friend Godfrey of Vaudemont, Count of Isonde, Champagne, Clervaux, and Montargis arrive at the castle. Robert is in love with Matilda, Countess of Lorraine, and wants to ask King René to break his promise. Vodemons sees the sleeping Jolanta, falls in love with her, and asks the king for his daughter's hand. Upon learning that Robert loves another, the king agrees to the wedding. The doctor's efforts are successful, the girl regains her sight and, happy, gets married.
A production of Mozart's opera recorded live at Zurich Opera House in 2000. Cecilia Bartoli leads an all-star cast including Roberto Saccà, Liliana Nikiteanu, and Agnes Baltsa. The conductor is Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Filmed live at the Zurich Opera House in February 2000 on a set which visualises the subtitle "The School for Lovers", the plot revolves around two army officers arguing about the fidelity of their brides, then setting out to test their chastity. Despite the often playful humour, this is not only psychologically telling music-making, but reveals Mozart exploring the structure of opera, discarding convention to mix large ensemble sections with arias for as many different combinations of singers as possible. With Liliana Nikiteanu attractively contrasted with Bartoli, and thoroughly convincing performances by Roberto Sacca (Ferrando) and Oliver Widmer (Guilelmo), this Così has a freshness and flow which, coupled with the timeless romantic themes, feels very contemporary.