The Collection (2015-25) by Fly On The Wall, a British film studio dedicated to the power of classical music, is a landmark 10-year documentary project offering an unprecedented, unfiltered glimpse into the lives of elite classical musicians. Conceived by musician and filmmaker Stewart French, this ambitious online exhibition captures the raw essence of performance, the visceral experience of live music, and the often unseen creative processes of musicians.

Drawing on over 20 years of experience as a classical musician, producer, filmmaker, and writer, Stewart French has a personal fascination with “the raw, unfiltered magic that happens behind closed doors — moments of focus, anticipation, creative flow“. The project documents what musicians do best – playing live – but under a microscope, showcasing their unguarded or more intimate moments and the flashes of vitality that sit at the very heart of music-making.

This approach is underpinned by French’s signature single-camera, handheld approach, deliberately eschewing clever edits in favour of immersive, emotionally charged moments. By blending cinematic long-take narratives with the intimacy of portrait photography, viewers are taken into rarely-seen spaces – literally behind-the-scenes of classical music: iconic concert halls after dark, locked recording studios, and private rehearsal rooms. Locations such as London’s Royal Festival and Wigmore Halls or Vienna’s Ehrbar Saal, are presented not just as backdrops but as characters in their own right, where inspiration, discipline, vulnerability and genius converge. Each short film is further enhanced by an accompanying written narrative, providing fascinating insight, context, and untold stories from deep within the creative process.

Spanning a decade from 2015 to 2025, The Collection features 56 curated films chosen from over 300 raw, behind-the-scenes shoots, and showcases over 40 renowned artists, ranging from early music ensembles to cabaret trios, classical guitar quartets, and percussion collectives. Featured artists include internationally acclaimed figures such as pianists Marc-André Hamelin, Angela Hewitt, The King’s Singers, Lucy Crowe, Steven Isserlis, Alina Ibragimova, Richard Goode, Colin Currie, and many others.

The project is thoughtfully organised into several distinct chapters, each offering a unique thematic focus. For example, Fly On The Wall: The Singers features vocal groups like La Nuova Musica, The Choir of Clare College Cambridge, Voix Cabaret, and The King’s Singers, immersing viewers in early instrumental music and vocal harmony.

Fly On The Wall: Classical in the UK broadens the perspective to the British classical music industry, going behind the scenes at studio sessions and private locations across the UK. This includes uncut performances at a Hyperion recording venue with artists such as Ibragimova and Hamelin, and sessions with pianists Angela Hewitt and Richard Goode.

Fly On The Wall: Fazioli comprises three films from a visit to the Fazioli Pianoforte factory in Sacile, Italy, featuring performances by Nikolai Demidenko, Alexander Gadjiev, and Emmanuel Despax, as well as engrossing footage of the Fazioli piano makers and technicians at work.

There are equally fascinating chapters on music competitions; a single chapter of films devoted to pianist Boris Giltburg, chronicling a five-year partnership culminating in a single-night filming of Rachmaninov’s complete Etudes Tableau Op. 39; a poignant moment at Vienna’s historic Ehrbar Saal in 2021, filmed at the end of the pandemic, featuring Federico Colli’s first performance since lockdown, reworked into a visual album of Mozart’s piano works.

The final chapter, Behind Closed Doors, gathers some of the most private musical settings filmed between 2015 and 2023, showcasing the true reality of contemporary classical music-making in diverse and often unconventional spaces, from churches to school halls and private flats

This is a truly enthralling, compelling, intriguing and impressive online exhibition which will appeal to classical music lovers, musicians amateur and professional, and anyone with an interest in finding out what happens “beyond the notes” and the concert stage. Fly On The Wall: The Collection provides a vivid, authentic and contemporary portrait of classical music, fostering a deeper, more meaningful connection between audiences and the art form.

Fly On The Wall: The Collection runs until 21 January 2025 and can be viewed at https://theflyonthewallcollection.org