A galvanizing classic of arthouse cinema, this full-length feature debut from Straub-Huillet made their reputation as rigorous observers of transcendent aesthetic experience, in a musical film as rewarding as it is precise. Featuring ensemble performances recorded live in front of the camera—often in the very spaces where the works originally premiered—and biographical excerpts from the diary of Bach’s second wife, the film defiantly eschews editorializing to emphasize the pleasures (and idiosyncrasies) of the music, and of a life in art. 

In German with English subtitles.

50th Anniversary restoration.

Exclusive NY Engagement. A Grasshopper Film release.