Butterfly Lovers is a music and dance film by director Marikki Hakola. A synthesis of the ever-popular Chinese violin concerto Butterfly Lovers and choreography inspired by Chinese martial arts and modern dance, the film is an imaginative interpretation of the ancient Chinese fairy tale A Love Story of Liang Shan Bo and Zhu Ying Tai. The film features violinist Takako Nishizaki, conductor James Judd, choreographer and dancer Dou Dou, dancer Ding Yue Hong and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Bonus feature:
Butterfly Tones - a documentary featuring interviews with Chen Gang, Takako Nishizaki, James Judd, Zeng Kang Mei and Dou Dou.
Luonnotar is a music film based on the symphonic poem composed by Jean Sibelius for soprano and symphony orchestra. The music composition is an interpretation of the first song of Kalevala, a myth about the birth of the world.
The film Luonnotar tells about "the time before beginning." The story conveys in a parallel manner two different creation stories: the Kalevalan mythology about the birth of the world is compared with naturalistic ideas about the birth of Earth and life.
The virtual stage, realized through computer animation, paints a spectrum of fierce natural powers, a convulsing scene where the mythical figures of the story travel, telling the story sung for thousands of years to new generations.
Sibelius modelled the Kalevala poetry to suit his modern music and for the soprano to sing.
Bonus feature:
- Sibelius and Luonnotar - the documentary Sibelius and Luonnotar (28 min.) shows the background of the symphonic poem via expert and musician interviews and concert recording.