A Labyrinth of Time

`My music always tries to reflect the human aspect. I want to avoid mechanical repetition.' This is one of the ways the American modern composer Elliott Carter (1908) characterises his music in the 90-minute portrait director Frank Scheffer made of this prominent musician. Scheffer portrays the person, the development in his music, the musical tradition it is rooted in and the time that Carter grew up in. This produces beautiful historical footage of the city of New York, old film excerpts, cinematic ingenuities to illustrate the music and statements by composer/conductor Pierre Boulez and pianist/conductor Daniel Barenboim. Scheffer composed the portrait very carefully, leaving space for the spectator's questions and thoughts. What is `time', for example? `It's hard to talk about time', says Carter, `because everyone's perception is different.' At that time, the World Trade Center in New York is still visible from the window.