New year, new first rate documentaries from First Run Features.

The first: The Cellist: The Legacy of Gregor Piatigorsky. It will hit January 20.

Piatigorsky was one of the 20th century’s greatest classical musicians, a beloved teacher and larger-than-life personality whose story may not be familiar to most audiences today. In 2015, with the blessing of the cellist’s family, filmmakers Murray Grigor and Hamid Shams began delving into the Piatigorsky Archives at the Colburn School of Music along with family materials, Piatigorsky’s autobiography and biographies.

Along the way they interviewed dozens of subjects–from Yo-Yo Ma and Zubin Mehta to a who’s who of former students. Incorporating footage spanning the musician’s life and times (everything from performances to home movies), photographs, annotated music sheets and some re-enactments, Grigor and Shams capture the vibrancy of the cellist’s life and adventures.

In 2015, filmmakers Murray Grigor and Hamid Shams embarked on an odyssey that led them from the Piatigorsky Archives at the Colburn School of Music to Los Angeles, New York, Moscow and beyond. Along the way they interviewed dozens of subjects, from Yo-Yo Ma and Zubin Mehta to a who’s who of former students. Unearthing a trove of material that span Piatigorsky’s life and times–including performances, home movies, photographs, annotated music sheets–they capture the vibrancy adventures and achievements.

Don’t take our praise for it. Coos Christopher Koelsch, President and Chief Executive of LA Opera: “An extraordinary achievement. What a huge pleasure it was to be in the presence of that towering individual, the awe he inspired and the joy he radiated. You can feel your admiration for the man in every frame.”