(PR) Viewers looking for new music programming will find exciting performances included in the PBS March 2008 line-up. From a happy, noisy family reunion concert with the Osmonds to a moving performance documentary from the Clash to an Oscar-nominated version of Peter and the Wolf, March programming has something for every music lover. New music specials from Andre Rieu, James Last, Sarah Brightman, Daniel O’Donnell, James Taylor, Martina McBride, and the High Kings are all on tap. Shangri-La, a remarkable special from China, explores new dance horizons. And new compilations of classics include a Hollywood treasure chest of singing and dancing and a trip through the 60s.
THE OSMONDS 50TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION
March 2008 (check local listings)
CC Stereo — From pop to country, from Branson to Broadway and “Dancing With the Stars,” in 50 years of entertaining, the seven performing Osmond siblings have never lost their touch or their huge fan-base. “Osmand-mania” re-ignites in this concert special, recorded before a live audience in Las Vegas at the Orleans Hotel Showroom. HD where available.
THE CLASH LIVE: REVOLUTION ROCK
March 2008 (check local listings)
CC Stereo — THE CLASH LIVE: REVOLUTION ROCK could turn a whole new generation on to the band whose breakthrough music opened punk to the world. Never-before-heard interviews let the Clash band members share the band’s story in conversation, while their intelligence and idealism shine through in the live performances, from around the world, that compose the majority of the film.
JAMES LAST AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL
March 2008 (check local listings)
CC Stereo — As the world’s most popular band leader offers his trademark party mix of classic standards, sing-along favorites and fast tempo foot-tappers, the band is soon on their feet dancing while they play, and it’s not long before the audience joins in!
SARAH BRIGHTMAN: SYMPHONY IN VIENNA
March 2008 (check local listings)
CC Stereo — This concert, taped January 16, 2008, in Vienna, Austria, features songs from Brightman’s new album, Symphony, including duets with Italian tenor Alessandro Safina and Spanish countertenor Fernando Lima, along with many of her best loved hits. HD where available.
DANIEL O’DONNELL AT HOME IN IRELAND
March 2008 (check local listings)
CC Stereo —With a combination of Irish tunes and American favorites highlighted by filmed trips to much-loved Irish cities and towns, DANIEL O’DONNELL AT HOME IN IRELAND is a perfect blend of music and the places that are dear to Daniel and the millions of people who call Ireland home. Taped on July 14, 2007, at new concert hall in Letterkenny, the program is a heartfelt reminder that no matter how far you travel, there’s no place quite like home.
GREAT PERFORMANCES “James Taylor: One Man Band”
March 2008 (check local listings)
CC Stereo — In July 2007, James Taylor teamed up with veteran television producer Don Mischer and Oscar-winning director Sydney Pollack to produce ”James Taylor: One Man Band,” a concert performance of songs interspersed with personal anecdotes, touching and witty reflections and never-before-seen home movies and photographs. Viewers will experience new performances of classic favorites “Carolina in My Mind,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” “Shower the People” and “Fire and Rain,” among other hits. HD where available.
GREAT PERFORMANCES “Martina McBride in Concert”
March 2008 (check local listings)
CC Stereo — GREAT PERFORMANCES captures the small-town girl with the big voice in peak form in this Moline, Illinois, concert. “Martin McBride in Concert” features selections from her nine albums, including the crossover hit “This One’s for the Girls,” and songs from her newest album, Waking Up Laughing. HD where available.
THE HIGH KINGS
March 2008 (check local listings)
CC Stereo — Renowned vocalists and musicians Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Martin Furey and Darren Holden have come together to create the most exciting Irish ballad group to emerge since the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. Backed by a band of world-class musicians, the High Kings’ outstanding four-part vocal harmonies re-energize the great Irish ballads and make exciting new songs from Ireland shine.
MY MUSIC: MY GENERATION – THE 60S
March 2008 (check local listings)
CC Stereo — The MY MUSIC series magic continues with this essential 60s folk rock, R&B and pop music compilation focusing on the years 1965 to 1969. From the soft harmony of to the psychedelic sound of Iron Butterfly, MY MUSIC: MY GENERATION – THE 60s has something for every viewer.
GREAT PERFORMANCES “Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival Chicago” (R)
Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
CC Stereo — Eric Clapton leads an all-star line-up of B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Jeff Beck and Buddy Guy in a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration from America’s blues capital, Chicago. Bill Murray hosts.
And continuing new music programs are coming in March and April from signature PBS music series:
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS continues its longstanding tradition of showcasing the best of original American music and beyond. Musical styles range from contemporary and traditional pop to rock, country, blues, bluegrass, Latin, folk, roots, and more.
GREAT PERFORMANCES, television’s longest-running performing arts anthology, continues to broadcast the best in music, dance, and theater.
GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET’s second season of opera telecasts from the Metropolitan Opera features Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, Verdi’s Macbeth, Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, Britten’s Peter Grimes, Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, Puccini’s La Bohème and Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment.
LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER makes the world’s greatest artists accessible to home viewers in virtually every corner of the United States. It remains the only series of regularly scheduled live broadcast performances on American television today.