About

Known credits:
26
Birthday:
1934-09-30
Place of birth:
South Africa
Website:
N/A

Christopher Nupen

Overview

Christopher Nupen (born on 30 September 1934) is a South African-born filmmaker based in the United Kingdom specialising in biographical documentaries of musicians.

Nupen was born in South Africa to a family of Norwegian descent — his father, E. P. "Buster" Nupen (1902–1977), was a Test cricketer. His mother was Claire (Doombie) Nupen, née Meikle.

After studying law at university he moved to Britain to work in banking, then trained as a sound engineer with the BBC.

In 1962 he made High Festival In Siena about the summer music school at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena for BBC Radio Three and was subsequently invited by Huw Weldon to make films for the BBC. Using newly developed silent 16mm film cameras he created a new, intimate style of biographical film beginning with Double Concerto in 1966, featuring the collaboration of Vladimir Ashkenazy and Daniel Barenboim.

In 1968 he co-founded Allegro Films, one of the earliest independent television production companies in the UK. He went on to work on over 80 film and television productions about music.

The Trout, his film of a performance of Schubert’s Trout quintet by Jacqueline du Pré, Daniel Barenboim, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman and Zubin Mehta on August 30, 1969 at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, became a benchmark of classical music broadcasting. His close friendships with many of his subjects enabled him to communicate the spirit of the artists' work, such as in Jacqueline Du Pré In Portrait.

Surveys of the life and work of composers have also featured prominently in his work, including films about Paganini, Sibelius and Schubert.

His 2004 film We Want The Light explores the meaning of music in human experience, focusing on relationships between Jews and Germans.

In January 2008 he was a guest on Private Passions, the biographical music discussion programme on BBC Radio 3.

In 2019, his autobiography Listening through the lens was published in which he discusses his many award-winning films, the musicians he met, many of whom were to become life-long friends, and his varied and often astonishing private life.

Nupen's work has twice won "DVD of the Year Award" in Cannes and the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik.

Source: Article "Christopher Nupen" from Wikipedia in english, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Known for

Acting
2021 Listening through the Lens: The Christopher Nupen Films Actor Self N/A
N/A

Directing
2009 Alice Sommer: Everything is a Present Directing Director N/A
N/A
2008 Vivaldi Le Quattro Stagioni Directing Director N/A
N/A
2004 We Want the Light Directing Director N/A
N/A
2004 Jacqueline du Pre In Portrait Directing Director N/A
N/A
1999 Evgeny Kissin: The Gift of Music Directing Director 59
Average
1994 The Greatest Love and the Greatest Sorrow Directing Director N/A
N/A
1992 Nathan Milstein: In Portrait Directing Director N/A
N/A
1991 Evgeny Kissin Plays Schubert, Brahms, Bach, Liszt, and Gluck Directing Director N/A
N/A
1988 Tchaikovsky's Women and Fate Directing Director N/A
N/A
1987 Ashkenazy Observed Directing Director N/A
N/A
1985 The Language Of The New Music Directing Director N/A
N/A
1979 Beethoven, Mozart & Brahms Piano Concertos Directing Director N/A
N/A
1978 Itzhak Perlman: Virtuoso Violinist Directing Director N/A
N/A
1977 Andrés Segovia - The Song of the Guitar Directing Director N/A
N/A
1976 Segovia at Los Olivos Directing Director N/A
N/A
1975 Pinchas Zukerman: Here to Make Music Directing Director N/A
N/A
1970 The Trout Directing Director N/A
N/A
1970 The Ghost Directing Director N/A
N/A
1970 Vladimir Ashkenazy: The Vital Juices Are Russian Directing Director N/A
N/A
Jacqueline du Pré: A Gift Beyond Words Directing Director N/A
N/A

Writing
2009 Alice Sommer: Everything is a Present Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1999 Evgeny Kissin: The Gift of Music Writing Writer 59
Average
1992 Nathan Milstein: In Portrait Writing Writer N/A
N/A

Production
1977 Andrés Segovia - The Song of the Guitar Production Producer N/A
N/A

Crew
1998 Zubin Mehta: A World full of Music Crew Thanks N/A
N/A