An Optical Poem
An Optical Poem

An Optical Poem

March 05, 1938 | 7 min

A dance of shapes. A title card tells us this is an experiment in conveying the mental images of music in a visual form. Liszt's "Second Hungarian Rhapsody" is the music. The shapes, all two-dimensional, are circles primarily, with some squares and rectangles, and a few triangles. The shapes move rhythmically to the music: receding from view or moving across the screen. Red circles on a blue background; light blue squares; white rectangles. Then, a red background of many circles with a few in the foreground. Red gives way to blue then to white. Shapes reappear as Liszt's themes re-occur. Then, with a few staccato notes and images, it's over.

Genres

Animation Music

Cast

Share on social media

More Like This

Waldbühne 2009 | Russian Rhythms
Waldbühne 2010 | An Evening with Renée Fleming
Waldbühne 2011: Fellini, Jazz & Co
Days of Happiness
André Rieu - The Christmas I Love
O, Fortuna! A portrait of the composer of Carmina Burana, Carl Orff
Tanglewood Music School and Music Festival
Keeping Score: Beethoven's Eroica
The Nutcracker
Grigory Sokolov - Live at the Berlin Philharmonie - Schubert & Beethoven
Allegro non troppo
John Cage: I Have Nothing to Say and I Am Saying It
Karajan - Bruckner - Symphonies Nos. 8 & 9
Currentzis conducts Beethoven Symphony No. 9
Siapa Dia
The Nutcracker
Beethoven: Piano Concertos 1-5 - Uchida, Rattle
Jack-Jack Attack
DORA - Escape into Music
Bruckner: Symphony No. 6