Amazon.co.uk Review
A documentary film by Bruno Monsaingeon devoted to the 20th century's greatest violinists, The Art of Violin really cannot be faulted. The same, incidentally, can also be said of the similar volumes which cover the piano and singing, so there's never been a better time to collect a personal audio-visual archive of some wonderful historical performers. The added dimension provided by the painstakingly collected film material (here featuring no fewer than 20 outstanding soloists) is of course of exceptional value when observing violin technique, and the diversity of approaches presented here in loving detail is in itself a subject for endless comparison. The material mixes archive performance footage, much of which one might never have dreamed existed, with interviews and documentary commentary. However, rather than turn the project into a museum piece, Monsaingeon includes contributions from contemporary figures such as Perlman and, shrewdly, Hilary Hahn--not that there'd be any doubt of the huge relevance of the material to any contemporary player or lover of the repertoire. An absolute must. --Roger Thomas
Customer Reviews:
glorious stuff.......2006-12-24
I could write a very long and detailed review of these DVDs, listing the amazing segments of archive footage of the very great players represented here. There are some particular highlights, but suffice to say that everything is worth seeing, the commentary, with the excellent contributions from concert virtuosi, in particular the very engaging Ivry Gitlis, fiddle on lap ready as a tool to demonstrate what he says, are wonderful, and it's hard to imagine that this kind of historical survey of violin playing could be better done. The story is triumphant in places - Heifetz, Milstein (some amusing informal footage here), Kreisler, Francescatti doing a wonderful 'Ronde des Lutins' and talking engagingly about his love of gardining - wistful (Ferras) or even tragic (Rabin) in others, but always compelling. It is absolutely indispensible for connoisseurs of classical violin playing, and I just wish I could give it more than 5 stars.
Absorbing, fascinating and a must for all violinists.......2006-03-21
I have watched this DVD so many times I have lost count. Each time I discover something new about the technique and approach of each of the featured legendary violinists. The comparison of various passages played by different performers is an excellent feature, but what stands out in this brilliant film is the finely scripted commentary and in particular the intelligence with which Perlmann, Ivry Gitlis and others assess their fellow performers.
There is a wealth of rare footage which alone is worth buying this superb DVD for. It doesn't matter that the sound quality (inevitably) doesn't match current technology...the sheer magic of watching footage of violin legends is enough.
I only wish there was a sequel to this outstanding film following the emergence of the new school of fiddle playing post Perlmann.
In summary, I found this film to be the most absorbing documentary I have ever seen about music making, let alone violin playing and it will therefore appeal to anyone with a discerning view of the art of performing.
Outstanding and highly recommended.
A must for violin players.......2005-06-23
This was interesting to watch from the violin players point of view, to see the technicalities of playing and the speed was most facinating, also seeing the amount of sounds you can make this small instrument make was nice.
Inspirational and Educational.......2003-10-21
This documentary may not be to everyone's liking, but the chances are that as you're reading this, it will be to yours. An absolute must have for any serious violinist especially, but for people interested in music at any level too, this DVD shows some of the best talents of the modern day eulogising and analysing some of the great violinists from the twentieth centuries - performers with personalities that shone through their playing, rather than being stifled by it.
The enthusiasm of some of the narrators - especially Hilary Hahn and Isaac Perlman - is infectious, and their comments are insightful, logical and understandable. Having such clear commentary from contemporary violinists around footage of the greatest talents playing the greatest works, then you can see why this disc, and this documentary, becomes essential viewing.
The clarity of the content of this disc and the enthusiasm with which the narrators speak always motivates me to practice, and helps focus my practice too. The value of being very analytical with every aspect of playing is shown, with every factor involved with playing the violin being a parameter to be improved and altered to really change the music and bring it to life, rather than just practicing until the notes are clean and phrases developed. Such details would also be useful to other performers, and as I said earlier, should be of interest to anyone interested in music at any level.
Great music, legendary talents, famous performers, insightful and enthusiastic analysis on one fantastic, inspirational and educational disc. If it's not clear from the plethora of positive adjectives in the last sentence, my advice is "Get this disc".
A must see for all interested in seeing the old greats.......2001-06-26
For all those who have forgotten what real violin violin playing sounds like compared with today's perfect but uninsparational players this will be a joy to watch. The sequence of various greats playing the Mendelssohn violin concerto is very well crafted and most interresting. The Bach Double concerto with Mehnuin and David Oistrakh was absolutley fantastic despite the short extract. Commentry from Hilary Hahn, Perlman and Glitis is interesting but I felt it would have been more so if they had shown extracts. Child prodigies such as a young Ricci are also jaw dropping A thoroughbly enjoable watch.
Customer Reviews:
indispensable - but not pefect!.......2007-01-29
The first thing to say about this DVD is that everyone who is seriously interested in violin playing should have it. Heifetz was incomparable, and here there is a marvellous series of live performances, of some of the 'itsy-bitsy' encore pieces he offered throughout his career, the Chanconne from the second Bach Partita and the Bruch Scottish Fantasy. For one like myself who never saw Heifetz in the flesh, this is absolutely compelling viewing. There are also some quite pleasant little pieces of informal 'home video'-style footage - Heifetz on the beach, Heifetz playing table tennis, Heifetz with his electrically powered Renault Dauphine, of which he was very proud, and so on. But there are lots of things wrong with the DVD as well. Liner notes are minimal. There is no menu, so you cannot select. At several points there is very soft pre-echo. The commentary is pretty banal. And the peformance of the Scottish Fantasy, a real Heifetz warhorse and a piece he played better than anyone, is without conductor - the orchestra is the French National Radio Orchestra - and while in a way this is facscinating, because Heifetz has to keep the band together as well as playing a very hairy solo part, there are moments of uneasy ensemble (Heiefetz even frowns momentarily at one point near the end when he is a split second ahead of his colleagues). I don't want to make too much of that because we are privileged to see Heifetz in this piece and I certainly would not be without it ; I just wish there had been a competent conductor so that it could have been a little tighter. Still, that must have been the way Heifetz wanted it. But the other things - the notes, the lack of menu, the pre-echo - are disappointing. But what do you do? This was the most astonishing of all 20th-century violinists, here he is demostrating why he was so revered (and also his famously cool platform manner - very throwaway, with just a little comment to his pianist at the end of each piece and then a nod to the audience, as if he is fairly bored with the whole process - he actually yawns between two movements of the Bruch). It's fascinating, really, because the coolness is not at all in his playing. So, despite the weaknesses, none of which, in the end, is crucial, this remains a fantastic DVD, and though it's flawed, it has to get 5 stars.
The Master of Violin.......2005-10-25
Unparalleled violin playing for many decades, simply unrepeatable and mesmerizing. Strongly recommended.
Customer Reviews:
Informative but annoying!.......2004-01-09
I watched this for an essay I am currently writing on conducting styles. As I haven't seen any of the conductors previously I found it fascinating to compare them and see how different their styles were, even down to the way they held the baton. The only annoying thing was that much of the time the camera is focused on the orchestra dn not on the conductor, or if it is on the conductor his hands are out of view (not very useful when you're trying to analyse gestures!). Other than that it's a great introduction to conducting and good to learn from. (NB This refers to the video version, not the DVD)
Wonderful watch........2003-05-04
I'm not a music toff by any means. But i adore the magical art of conducting. So i purchased this DVD from Amazon and was not dissapointed. Recently i watched Jerry Goldsmith conduct at the Barbican in London. The whole phenomenon of an orchestra is a wonderful occurence. So this DVD with its footage of a wide range of conductors from the past, waving the batton, is a lovely experience. The "would rather be doing something else" conductors, the frantic bug eyed and sweaty browed conductors, the perfectionists, the ones who allow the orchestra freedom to breath, the strict traditionalists, the ones who leap around in rehearsals. A superb watch and a nice DVD to keep in your collection. Fun and thrilling to watch. Highly reccomended if you admire this noble art.
See those legendary maestros..........2002-12-17
We live in an age where classical music is more readily available, and more cheaply, than ever before. Alongside recordings by living conductors such as Simon Rattle, there is a plethora of C.D.'s of great performances by Toscanini, Barbirolli, Karajan and so on. And many of us have collections featuring such great artists. But how many of us have ever seen these greats in action, so to speak?
This DVD provides the opportunity to see in rehearsal and/or concert such legendary figures as Furtwangler, Mengelburg, Toscanini and our own beloved Beecham and Barbirolli, amongst others. Some of the footage is short, but what we see is extraordinary. The icy glare of Fritz Reiner searching over the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Furtwangler standing there and shaking his arms like a rag doll's, Richard Strauss for all the world looking as though he couldn't care less- radically different approaches yet all somehow getting fantastic responses from their diverse orchestras. This disc examines the variety of approaches, and tries to explain how a conductor weaves his magic. Telepathy seems to be the only explanation...
Sound and picture quality is excellent, especially considering the age of some of the material. Commentary by-especially-Isaac Stern adds further illumination to this fascinating subject. And there's a booklet included.
Just to see these names from the past is a treat. This DVD should be in any self-respecting classical C.D. collection. Snap it up!
UK DVD:
- The Cockettes [2002]
- The Holocaust - Dachau And Sachsenhausen
- The Jacksons: An American Dream [1992] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Jewish Americans (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Kingston Trio Story: Wherever We May Go [2006] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Lost Book of Nostradamus [2007]
- The Mills Brothers Story [1986]
- The Perfect Storm [2000] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Rambo Trilogy : First Blood / Rambo - First Blood 2 / Rambo 3 (3 Disc Box Set)
- The Simon Wiesenthal Collection
UK DVD List
UK DVD
![The Art Of Violin [2001]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21T0FQJCN4L.jpg)
All Classical Music
|
Classical Music
|
Musicals & Classical
|
Categories
|
DVD
|
Video
![The Art Of Piano - Great Pianists Of The 20th Century [2000]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004UF01.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
The Art Of Piano - Great Pianists Of The 20th Century [2000]
Classic Archive - Yehudi Menuhin: the Violin of the Century
![David Oistrakh - Artist Of The People? [1994]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000069D4N.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
David Oistrakh - Artist Of The People? [1994]
![The Art Of Singing - Golden Voices Of The Century [1996]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004UF02.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
The Art Of Singing - Golden Voices Of The Century [1996]
![Art Of Conducting - Legendary Conductors Of A Golden Era [1997]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00006AFIV.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
Art Of Conducting - Legendary Conductors Of A Golden Era [1997]
![The Art Of Violin [2001]](http://www.bill88.com/buy.gif)
![Heifetz & Piatigorsky [1981]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21QGmwxipfL.jpg)
![Artur Rubinstein [1953]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000A4T8O0.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Various Composers - Heifetz in Performance [Bonus CD]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00069MPAI.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Jascha Heifetz: In Performance [1971] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/11M4YJ073HL.jpg)
![Artur Rubinstein [1953]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/2126o-KZeZL.jpg)
![Heifetz & Piatigorsky [1981]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000A4T8MC.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Artur Rubinstein-Piano Concertos [2006]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000FVRACK.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Art Of Conducting - Great Conductors Of The Past [1994]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/214PQV2DPTL.jpg)
![The Art Of Violin [2001]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00005ABSQ.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Various Composers - Heifetz in Performance [Bonus CD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/1132CJ10QBL.jpg)
![Classic Archive - David Oistrakh [2002]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00006ALS1.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Heifetz Piatigorsky [2005] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://www.germanelectronics88.com/noimage.gif)