Typical show: simple formula
Quality TV video and audio done right
Quality TV video and audio done right
Who's who, what's what… And our special Oil Can Nossen animation. See who we've chosen to play what; do the lighting, filming, sound recording; makeup, costumes; transport; editing and other no-fakery post-production, etc. And Szrabe's gowns. Sponsors, advertisers, placed products prominently highlighted.
Twenty-seven concertos to get done. Your fly on the wall as we sagely ruminate on the infinity of destinations and situations to choose from. We want unusual venues in unconventional locations. We'll go anywhere interesting in the world (within reason). Any ideas? The location chosen, see our fixers do the arithmetic, networking, planning and logistics. How do we cover all our expenses in advance? Can we pre-sell anything to TV stations, sponsors, advertisers etc.? If not, how do we afford to do it?
Point-of-view look at how we get where we're going, which won't always be easy. Challenges, obstacles, flat tyres, insane itineraries, nail-biting adventures. Will we run out of money? Who will quit first? Will the piano survive? Eventually rolling into town. Is the air breathable? Is the water drinkable? Where are all the animals? Socialising, explaining, exhorting, exploring. Finding indigenous musicians (who might have never heard Western classical music) and other receptive types.
Setting up our respective instruments and getting down to it. Tuning the piano. Which way up that pesky paper with all the dots? Technical problems of playing. Memorising. Interpretation: what works musically and doesn't. New readings of old favourites. What would sound familiar to Mozart (1756-1791; we'll hold seances and ask him). Intriguing peek into individual music-making. Comments and commentary. At least one Ricardo Musica master class. Now you're hooked.
An interlude. Our homage to the BBC's Down Your Way. Out and about with a huge microphone and professional pocket recorder, Franklin Engelmann and Charles Kuralt style, in search of the natural, surprising and unexpected. Talking to real people about themselves and local things; reviving the lost art of conversation (hint: it's reciprocal). You'll feel connected to genuine folks you thought had become extinct. Local culture and customs, flora and fauna, attractions, distractions, birdsong, history, architecture, controversies, businesses, industries, eccentrics, weirdos, poverty and wealth, joy and sadness, life and death.
Putting it all together group-wise. Distinctively fresh and original Ricardo Musica style: expunging clichés, conformity, conventions, misconceptions, misunderstandings, stereotypicality etc. Squeezing the last drop of sklernsk out of every note. Nothing hack. No compromises. No conducting. No pretentious nonsense. No dysplaying!!! Comments and commentary. Fascinating back stage view of how it's all done.
Part of the fun: Ricardo Musica domestic arrangements. Scoring some good meals and a decent place to sleep. We'll go house to house as needed. Putting the piano and other instruments to bed. More local experiences: cooking talents, produce, recipes, sounds, sights, smells. We'll do chores. Finding local stuff to sell on the Ricardo Musica online store.
Each episode's culmination: Mozart done live, right and different. No big-deal ticketed events. We'll play our chosen concerto(s) spontaneously, somewhere unconventional, for anyone around at the time. Makeup, costumes and disguises. Savvy advertising and product placements. Watch reactions and responses! Each episode will be limited to extracts. The full performance will be available to stream / download separately.
We've barely got to know you — so much more to play, discover, enjoy, consider, smell, eat and discuss before we go. But in twenty-four hours or less — before we're run out of town —we'll be picking up the pieces, piling into the minibus, bidding "Goodbye!" and slogging on to the next. Another concerto or two in the can.
Catch it on TV worldwide and YouTube. Ricardo Musica delivers what other TV reality shows don't: the realities behind the reality. Each ~40-minute episode will be a quirky mixture. You'll get a handheld raw view of what goes on back stage; a polished program of mould-breaking music-making with all the trimmings; an insight into how the finished episode is put together in the studio, and an insider's view of how we pre-sell and sell it to TV stations, sponsors and advertisers. Quality entertainment throughout.