American composers have long struggled against the momentum of the Western European classical tradition and the prestige it has held in America's cultural life. "I did not want to have any stricture at all, I wanted to be completely free." So spoke Harry Partch, describing not only his own path, but also that of two other influential American composers: Lou Harrison and Terry Riley. They were attracted to musical ideas and sounds outside of the surrounding classical mainstream. Together they offer a deeper understanding of what those alternatives are and how they have affected American culture.

A look at the life and work of composer Nino Rota.

The genius Spanish painter Salvador Dalí undertakes an amazing journey through the unknown mental territories of Upper Mongolia in search of a giant hallucinogenic mushroom while paying an experimental tribute to the French poet Raymond Roussel (1877-1933), a visionary and eccentric writer, precursor of the surrealists and much admired by them.

Piazzolla and his Quintet perform with the Cologne Rundfunk Orchestra conducted by Pinches Steinberg in this film by Jose-Montes Baquer. Piazzolla is also featured in conversation.

Sir Neville Marriner conducts the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields chamber orchestra and Sheldon Schwartz dances the title role in this 1980 production of Stravinski's one-act ballet, choreographed by Heinz Spoerli. The story centers on Naples man-about-town Pulcinella (Schwartz), who woos all the local maidens and fakes his own death to escape an army of angry suitors. This production also stars dancers Amanda Bennett and Loya Molloy.

German-Brazilian production on the life of Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos.

"Butoh: Body on the Edge of Crisis" is a visually striking film portrait shot on location in Japan with the participation of the major Butoh choreographers and their companies. Although Butoh is often viewed as Japan's equivalent of modern dance, in actuality it has little to do with the rational principles of modernism. Butoh is a theater of improvisation which places the personal experiences of the dancer on center-stage. By reestablishing the ancient Japanese connection of dance, music, and masks, and by recalling the Buddhist death dances of rural Japan, Butoh incorporates much traditional theater. At the same time, it is a movement of resistance against the abandonment of traditional culture to a highly organized consumer-oriented society.

The narration of the encounter of Antonio Vivaldi, George Friedrich Haendel and Domenico Scarlatti during the 1709 Venetian Carnival.

Live performance from Cologne Opera. Conlon conducts a skittishly dynamic performance of Don Giovanni. He relies on Thomas Allen’s tough Don to give the work much of its dark menace and on Holle’s terrifying Commendatore to provide the moral outrage – his job is to keep things moving, and he does. The exteriors – blank city spaces reminiscent of the paintings of Giorgio De Chirico – and moodily claustrophobic interiors mirror effectively the anguish of the orphaned Anna and the abandoned Elvira; this is a performance in which the two women victims of the Don function effectively as correctives to his libertine charm. Andrea Rost as Zerlina brings real delicacy to her role, reminding us that “La ci darem la mano” is a duet about her flirtation with Don Giovanni and not just a famous stand-alone moment. This is an admirable presentation of a fine performance.

A group of song-and-dance performers put on an evening of vaudeville, ragtime and blues in a 1926 New Orleans club.