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DVD 1:
Dancing on a Volcano – the musical revolution in Vienna at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century.
Richard Wagner, Arnold Schönberg, Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Alban Berg
Rhythm – when music in the west freed itself from the dominance of melody and explored the richness of musical pulse for its own sake. Igor Stravinsky, György Ligeti, Pierre Boulez, Gustav Mahler, Olivier Messiaen, Conlon Nancarrow, Edgar Varèse, Steve Reich
DVD 2:
Colour – the shift away from melody towards an emphasis on tone colour or “timbre“.
Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schönberg, Pierre Boulez, Olivier Messiaen, Toru Takemitsu, Maurice Ravel
Three Journeys Through Dark Landscapes - the effect of fundamental political upheaval on the music of Béla Bartók, Dmitri Shostakovich and Witold Lutoslawski.
DVD 3:
The American Way – the music of young men in a young country, individualists and innovators who nevertheless learnt from the music of the past, and from the music of other cultures.
George Gershwin, Charles Ives, John Cage, Elliott Carter, Morton Feldman, Aaron Copland, John Adams, Kurt Weill, Terry Riley, Leonard Bernstein
DVD 4:
After the Wake – Considers the musical legacy of two old men who had dominated the first part of the 20th century – Schönberg and Strauss – and looks at the post-war generation of young Europeans.
Richard Strauss, Arnold Schönberg, Anton Webern, Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinsky
Bonus: Filmed Concert of Karlheinz Stockhausen‘s Gruppen
DVD 5:
Threads – an eclectic, and very personal selection of works by 20th century composers like Luciano Berio, Hans Werner Henze, György Kurtág, Sofia Gubaidulina, Harrison Birtwistle, Oliver Knussen and Mark-Anthony Turnage to illustrate the rich variety of newer musical trends.
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra