AROUND THE WORLD IN 50 CONCERTS (Heddy Honigmann, Netherlands). 94 minutes. Rating: NNN
The title’s a misnomer. Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra may have gone around the world, but veteran documentarian Heddy Honigmann keeps the focus on three cities: Buenos Aires, Soweto and St. Petersburg.
Her subjects in those locations are engaging, but they’re part of what should have been a separate project on the power of music around the globe.
This doc shines brightest when it tracks the logistical challenges of packing up a full orchestra for an overseas flight or when it focuses on percussionist Herman Rieken and double-bassist Dominic Seldis. More sequences with the musicians themselves would have made this fine film even stronger.
