Josh Groban, Renee Fleming, Joshua Bell and NY Phil Set for 'LA DOLCE VITA', Airing on PBS, 2/27

Dawning in the dark aftermath of World War II, the fertile mid-century decades of Italian cinema delighted international movie audiences with an eclectic mix of movie classics from groundbreaking directors, including Frederico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, Sergio Leone and many more. A major component of Italian cinema's enduring popularity continues to be a lush selection of sweeping film scores by composers like Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone.

Featuring Josh Groban, Renée Fleming and Joshua Bell, GREAT PERFORMANCES partners with the New York Philharmonic and music director Alan Gilbert for a concert of memorable movie themes with music fromAmarcord, Cinema Paradiso, Il Postino, and more.

La Dolce Vita: The Music of Italian Cinema will air on THIRTEEN'S GREAT PERFORMANCES Friday, February 27, 2015 at 9 p.m. (Check local listings.)

Josh Groban, Renée Fleming and Joshua Bell with the New York Philharmonic as seen in "Great Performances: La Dolce Vita." Photo credit: Chris Lee

"There's so much great music written for film, and to hear it played live by the New York Philharmonic is an amazing experience," Music Director Alan Gilbert said. "The bestfilm music is expressive and dramatic, which are the qualities that you look for all the time in music. The chance to make it come alive and paint pictures for the audiences is something I relish and love."

Presented in collaboration with Sugarmusic, the concert - taped in September -- includes video projection combining animated graphics and film clips designed by visual artist Giuseppe Ragazzini, under the direction of Giampiero Solari, and historical footage from Istituto Luce Cinecittà.

The program features suites and famous songs, many newly arranged and orchestrated by music consultant William Ross, from Academy Award-winning films including Federico Fellini's 8½ and La Dolce Vita;Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West; and Giuseppe Tornatore's Cinema Paradiso. For the program's creation, Sugarmusic made available its catalog of more than 2,000 Italian film sound tracks.

Together, Joshua Bell and Josh Groban previously performed and recorded the title song from Cinema Paradiso as well as Mi Mancherai from Luis Bacalov's Academy Award-winning score to Michael Radford's Il Postino. Ms. Fleming is featured in the Sony album We All Love Ennio Morricone, and has appeared on numerous sound tracks, including Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Hergé's The Adventures of Tintin as a comical Italian opera diva, Immortal Beloved, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Closer, and Rise of the Guardians.

The musical program follows below:

ROTA/Arr. and Orch. W. Ross

Theme from Amarcord

Stelvio CIPRIANI/Arr. and Orch. W. Ross

Suite from The Anonymous Venetian

ROTA/Arr. and Orch. W. Ross

Suite from La Dolce Vita

Ennio MORRICONE/Arr. and Orch. W. Ross

"Your Love" from Once Upon a Time in the West

ROTA/Orch. F. Gurian

Valzer del Commiato from The Leopard

Ennio MORRICONE/Arr. and Orch. W. Ross

"Non Penso a Te" from Incontro

Luis BACALOV/Arr. and Orch. W. Ross

Suite from City of Women

TROVAJOLI/Arr. and Orch. W. Ross

Suite from Profumo di Donna

ORTOLANI & OLIVIERO/Arr. and Orch. W. Ross

Theme from Mondo cane

ROTA/Arr. and Orch. W. Ross

Suite from Juliet of the Spirits

Andrea and Ennio MORRICONE/

"Se" from Cinema Paradiso

Arr. and Orch. W. Ross

ROTA/Arr. and Orch. W. Ross

Suite from 8½

Luis BACALOV/Arr. and Orch. W. Ross

"Mi Mancherai" from Il Postino

A production of THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET, La Dolce Vita: The Music of Italian Cinemais directed for television by David Horn and produced by Mitch Owgang and Richard R. Schilling. For Great Performances, Bill O'Donnell is series producer and David Horn is executive producer.

GREAT PERFORMANCES is funded by the Anne Ray Charitable Trust, the Irene Diamond Fund, the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Arts Fund, The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust, Rosalind P. Walter, The Agnes Varis Trust, The Starr Foundation, the Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, and PBS.

Visit GREAT PERFORMANCES Online at www.pbs.org/gperf for additional information about this and other programs.

About WNET - As New York's flagship public media provider and the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances,American Masters, PBS NEWSHOUR Weekend, CHARLIE ROSE and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams and MetroFocus, the multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. WNET is also a leader in connecting with viewers on emerging platforms, including the THIRTEEN Explore App where users can stream PBS content for free.

Pictured: Josh Groban, Renée Fleming and Joshua Bell with the New York Philharmonic as seen in "Great Performances: La Dolce Vita." Photo by Chris Lee.

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