Henri Pousseur

This portrait of renowned composer Henri Pousseur arrives just days after his death at the hands of bronchial pneumonia, aged 79. The documentary goes some way towards conveying Pousseur's warmth and openness as well as giving some impression of the breadth of his career and its accomplishments. The film documents Pousseur taking one last trip to Basel's Fondation Paul Sacher, to which he's donated his full archive of sound materials, research and memos. In addition to spending time during the journey capturing Pousseur in anecdotal mode, the camera crew sit in on a rehearsal with the composer and his musicians and later document him giving notes on some of his classic works. A true giant of 20th century music, Pousseur will be greatly missed by legions of followers of experimental composition, and while this documentary offers only a fragment of reflection on his life's work, it still offers the viewer an essential and all too rare glimpse of one of the greats going about his business.