Music

Opera Special: Georges Bizet: Carmen

Arts Channel – Monday 24 December, 7.00pm

Bizet’s Carmen is reputed to be the most famous opera in the world. Maestro Daniel Barenboim presents his musical view on this classic opera. Marina Domashenko’s rich mezzo soprano voice makes her ideal for the title role in Carmen. After the premiere the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote about Rolando Villazon: “A perfect José, sung as he hasn’t been sung in a long time… This young Mexican tenor alone makes it worth seeing.” The new Carmen by stage Director Martin Kušej is one of the current significant opera events.

World Music Performance: Ragus

Arts Channel – Saturday 22 December, 9.00pm

Filmed at Dublin’s famed Olympia Theatre late last year, where Ragús performed to record-breaking crowds, this show captures the spirit of the music, song and dance traditions of the Aran Islands. Featuring an ensemble cast of award winning traditional musicians, singers and dancers, Ragús is real Irish entertainment – a journey to the heart of the living tradition, that encapsulates and exhibits newfound confidence in Ireland’s music and dance heritage. Highlights include assorted jigs and reels, The Christy Moore classic The Two Connelleys and Robbie Burns immortal Green Grow the Rushes.

TUESDAY 15th JANUARY

DOCUMENTARY/MUSIC

The definitive story of the making of a phenomenal album that has truly earned its place in the pantheon of rock music history.

One of the most popular albums of all times, Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 album RUMOURS spent 130 weeks on the US Billboard album chart and won the Album of the Year award at the 1978 Grammy Awards. The record almost wasn’t made. John and Christine McVie were in the process of separating, the relationship of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks was turning sour and the turmoil between the five members was high. These emotions were channelled into the songwriting process in Sausalito, California that became RUMOURS. Featuring interviews with Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, and Stevie Nicks, along with the studio engineers and producers, this documentary tells the story of the making of this smash album. Featuring the hits Dreams, Don’t Stop, You Make Loving Fun and Go Your Own Way, along with oft-heard tracks Songbird, The Chain and Gold Dust Woman.
PRIME ROCKS: FLEETWOOD MAC, Tuesday 15th January at 9.30pm

TUESDAY 8th JANUARY

DOCUMENTARY/MUSIC
This album arguably rewrote the rock’n'roll rulebook. Nihilistic, visceral and utterly exhilarating, the impact this raw punk racket had on music continues to be felt even today.

British manager Malcolm McLaren assembled a ragtag quartet of working-class youth and transformed them into a revitalizing force that put the rebellion back into rock. McLaren’s band, The Sex Pistols, not only gave voice to the seething cultural resentments of their time but also influenced countless generations of punk and other forms of underground music –all on the basis of their lone 1977 album NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS, HERE’S THE SEX PISTOLS. Tonight’s episode of PRIME ROCKS offers a behind-the-scenes look at the definitive album of the British punk movement through archival footage, interviews with surviving band members, and legendary tracks like No Feelings, Pretty Vacant, God Save the Queen and Anarchy in the UK.

PRIME ROCKS: SEX PISTOLS, Tuesday 8TH January at 9.30pm

2007 Nobel Peace Prize Concert
Sunday December 30, 9:30pm

On December 11 this year, artists from all over the world will be gathering at the Oslo Spektrum to help spread the message of peace and celebrate this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureates. The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Concert screens on Sunday December 30 at 9:30pm, on TVNZ Showcase on TVNZ 6.

The concert will be hosted by actors Tommy Lee Jones and Uma Thurman, and will include performances by world-renowned Kylie Minogue, Alicia Keys, Melissa Etheridge, Annie Lennox, Juanes, KT Tunstall, Earth Wind & Fire, Junoon, Morten Harket and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize Concert will honour laureates Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for their efforts in building up and disseminating greater knowledge about man‐made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract this environmental disaster.

The Nobel Peace Prize award is given annually to an individual whose humanitarian efforts exemplify a spirit of generosity and leadership that will help spread the positive message manifested by the Nobel Peace Prize throughout the world.

The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Concert, presented by the esteemed Norwegian Nobel Committee, is broadcast to more than 100 countries worldwide.

NEW YEAR’S DAY

PRIME ROCKS: PAUL SIMON

Paul Simon’s Graceland album introduced audiences to the sound of South African music.

Singer-songwriter Paul Simon had been on the cutting-edge of pop music throughout most of the 1960s and the ’70s, first as half of the seminal folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, and then as a well-received solo artist. But the rise of 1980s rock and new wave saw a decline in Simon’s commercial success, and the singer responded by experimenting with different musical styles–most notably, world beat–that culminated in his adventurous 1986 masterpiece, Graceland. Recorded in New York and South Africa, the album went onto sell 14 million copies and was named Album of the Year at the 1986 Grammy Awards. The album’s fusion of American folk-rock songwriting and buoyant South African rhythms not only broke new ground in pop music, but became Simon’s biggest-selling solo record and introduced Western audiences to the South African band Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Tonight’s PRIME ROCKS examines the making of Simon’s groundbreaking work through interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, music videos, and live performances of album tracks such as Boy in the Bubble, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, You Can Call Me Al, and Under African Skies.

PRIME ROCKS: PAUL SIMON, Tuesday 1st January at 9.30pm

New Zealand’s modern-day musical movement is captured in action on stage in Maori Television’s new series BASSLINE – premiering on Friday January 11 at 8.30 PM.

Presented by Te Awanui Reeder of Nesian Mystik fame and Helen Crown, BASSLINE is a series of events filmed in Auckland to showcase the cream of contemporary local music. Director Quentin Parr from Revolution Productions says the live atmosphere provides bands with an environment in which they “feed off” to deliver a highly energetic and visual show to the audience at home – something television to date has failed to truly capture.

BASSLINE allows viewers to get up close and personal with Kiwi artists through in-depth interviews and informative field stories, and provides a greater insight into the personalities and motivations behind New Zealand music. Che Fu, Katchafire and Cornerstone Roots are among the acts that grace the stage along with internationally renowned performers Shapeshifter and The Black Seeds who make their television debut with special tour episodes.

“New Zealand music – like our culture – is unique and the recent renaissance highlights the eclectic scope and diversity of the local music industry,” Quentin explains. “From Herbs to The Black Seeds, Aotearoa has been captured by bass-driven music. This type of sound has come to represent a generation and record sales are testimony to this.”

Coming up on BASSLINE:

CHE FU – Friday January 11 at 8.30 PM: Who better to kick off the series than one of the most influential pioneers of modern music in Aotearoa? As well as being one of the forefathers of New Zealand hip hop, Che Fu started his career as the heart and soul of Supergroove. He has created two platinum albums, numerous number one singles and has been the recipient of eight NZ Music Awards including Best Album and Best Male Artist.

OLMECHA SUPREME – Friday January 18 at 8.30 PM: Hailing from Wellington, this act truly reflects the diverse nature of the local music scene. Captained by Imon Starr, formerly of Rhombus and Nuvonesia, who has now moved on to form his own group with an original genre of music that he has labeled ‘Afro Futuristic Roots’.

SHAPESHIFTER – Friday January 25 at 8.30 PM: Exclusive live performances plus back stage with the boys during the Auckland leg of a national tour. Four music students from Christchurch formed this band in 1999 which has gone on to produce four albums, win countless BNet awards and be voted best live act in the people’s choice of the NZ Music Awards. Riddim Wise was only the second drum and bass album in the world to go gold.

ONE MILLION DOLLARS – Friday February 1 at 8.30 PM: Features the release of new album Soup Kitchen which follows the 2005 Energy State which had great press at the time (the NZ Herald judged this band as one of the country’s top 10 acts of summer 2006). BASSLINE talks to the group about the album and the unusual way in which it was recorded – in one sitting with a small audience of friends and relatives sitting in the studio.

HOUSE OF SHEM – Friday February 8 at 8.30 PM: Tipped to become a household name for roots and reggae fans around the country, this band hails from Wanganui and is almost entirely made up of one family. Spearheaded by Karl Perkins (formerly of Herbs and Mana), House of Shem contains five of his sons. A highly anticipated debut album is due to be released by Mai Music later in the year.

SOLAA – Friday February 15 at 8.30 PM: Originally formed in Christchurch in 1997 when the group’s keyboard player David Wright started up a band with old high school mates, Solaa has played alongside acts like Trinity Roots, Salmonella Dub, Shapeshifter and FFD, gathering an expansive fan base along the way. In 2006, they released their debut album Steps in Time which featured collaborations with Scribe, Ladi6, Nat Rose and Hollie Smith.

DIRTY RECORDS – Friday February 22 at 8.30 PM: Two of New Zealand’s top MCs – David Dallas and PNC – perform in this hip hop double-header from the stables of Dirty Records. David is part of hip hop tandem Frontline which picked up the NZ Music Award for best hip hop/urban album in 2006. PNC featured on P-Money’s 321 Remix and won the 2007 NZ Music Award for best hip hop/urban album for his debut album Rookie Card.

UNITY PACIFIC – Friday February 29 at 8.30 PM: Che Fu’s father Tigi Ness is the front man for Unity Pacific which released their second album Into the Dread in mid-2007. That followed their 2002 album From Street to Sky which is also the title of the biographical documentary on Tigi’s life. Director Bryn Evans talks about this legendary musician and revolutionary who stood up against some big opposition.

THE MIDNIGHTS – Friday March 7 at 8.30 PM: A regular on the summer festival circuit, this band formed in 2002 and have played alongside acts such as Katchafire, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Salmonella Dub and The Black Seeds since then. A recently released debut EP Hot Country is a pre-cursor to their up-coming album.

THE BLACK SEEDS – Friday March 14 at 8.30 PM: Live and exclusive on the Auckland leg of their national tour. This crew formed in 1997, has notched up gold and platinum albums, and gathered a large international fan base culminating in the recent record deal with renowned European-based labels Sonar Kollectiv and Rough Trade NL. Not only do their albums sell but they are renowned for their live gigs.

CORNERSTONE ROOTS – Friday March 21 at 8.30 PM: This band formed in 2001 after a session at the Raglan Musician’s Club. Within six years, they have not only produced two highly acclaimed albums but have played alongside reggae heavyweights Burning Spear, Toots and the Maytals, Sly and Robbie and Lee Scratch Perry. Jamaican dance hall king Luciano has also recorded a track with the group on their latest album Free Yourself.

NESIAN MYSTIK – Friday March 28 at 8.30 PM: This Grey Lynn posse has been at the top end of the local music scene for five years, producing two highly acclaimed albums as well as several top 10 hits. The lads – including BASSLINE co-host Te Awanui Reeder – have supported major international artists such as Robbie Williams, Missy Elliot, Shaggy and The Black Eyed Peas and played to crowds in excess of 40,000.

KATCHAFIRE – Friday April 4 at 8.30 PM: The finale of the inaugural BASSLINE series. This popular ensemble from Hamilton has come to represent what is the heart of music in Aotearoa. In only a decade, Katchafire has produced three albums – Revival reached double platinum in Aotearoa – and played alongside reggae artists such as the Wailers, Third World, Shaggy and Damien Marley. Check out their new album, Say What You’re Thinking.

An insight into the heart and soul of New Zealand music through live performance, BASSLINE premieres on Maori Television on Friday January 11 at 8.30 PM.

PRIME ROCKS: THE BEST OF JOHNNY CASH TV SHOW

Our two-part special THE BEST OF THE JOHNNY CASH TV SHOW concludes tonight with a dizzying who’s who of country, pop, rock and folk artists who join the Man In Black on stage to make one of the most significant pieces of music television history.

PRIME ROCKS: THE BEST OF JOHNNY CASH TV SHOW, Tuesday, 11th December at 9.30pm

PRIME ROCKS: U2

MUSIC/DOCUMENTARY

Released in 1987, The Joshua Tree was a massive commercial success for Irish rock band U2. It is often praised by music critics and is considered one of the best rock albums of all time.

The story of the making of The Joshua Tree featuring interviews with Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen along with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois and manager Paul McGuinness amongst others. Features excerpts from Where The Streets Have No Name, With Or Without You, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Bullet The Blue Sky, Pride (In The Name Of Love).

PRIME ROCKS: U2 JOSHUA TREE, Tuesday 18th December at 10.00pm

Music Special: Pavarotti And Friends For Angola

Arts Channel – Saturday 8 December, 8.00pm

This year marks the 10th anniversary of PAVAROTTI & FRIENDS, one of the world’s best-loved and most popular annual concerts which unites a vast range of music genres and artists. Hosted by Luciano Pavarotti, international stars from the music world join the tenor on stage at the Parco Novi Sad in his hometown of Modena, Italy. All proceeds from PAVAROTTI & FRIENDS 2002 will be presented through the UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR) for medical, educational and water facilities to benefit almost 80,000 Angolan Refugees located in the camps of Mayukwayukwa, Meheba and Ukwimi, in the Zambia.