An intimate portrait of a woman conductor of Bach

58 minutes

BLANCHE is a portrait of the choral conductor, Blanche Honegger Moyse, filmed during the preparation of her orchestra and chorus for a performance of Bach’s B Minor Mass.

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Comments:

Blanche is a remarkable person in many ways, not least of which is that she is now past her 90th birthday. When I made this film Blanche was 78 and many people were surprised that she still had the energy and stamina to keep up her strict rehearsal and performance schedule. That was thirteen years ago. Now she is 91 and nothing has changed. She still rehearses her chorale twice a week and recently conducted Bach’s ‘Saint Matthew Passion’ in New York at the Metropolitan Museum. Blanche has never paid much attention to her age; as always she cares only about the music and about the pursuit of excellence. As she says, ‘always going further, always being better.
– Director, Alan Dater, 2000

The final outcome of producer Alan Dater’s efforts is more than the profile of a singular musician. It is a reaffirmation of the relevancy and necessity of experiencing music, of musical appreciation, and the pursuit of musical excellence . . . This video is about an exceptional musician, and I highly recommend it.
— Forrest Guittar, Chorus!