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Amazon.co.uk Review
This is a feature-length, 106-minute documentary which presents in refreshingly straightforward fashion a portrait of 20th-century piano playing. The format is simple: short chapters on virtually all of the great pianists who have ever been captured on film, augmented by extracts from interviews, sometimes with the pianists themselves, or with later conductors and musicians of international stature, including specially filmed contributions from Daniel Barenboim, Sir Colin Davis, Egveny Kissin, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, Tamás Vásáry. The narration by John Tusa offers an overview of piano music through the century, though the heart of the film is the great quantity of rare archive historic footage, with extracts from performances by Gould, Horowitz, Paderwski, Rachmaninov, Richter, Rubinstein and many others. The interviews are short, but offer considerable insight, while the film of so many revered pianists brought together is a literal eye-opener, especially for those who have previously only known these masters from LP and CD. This is, like the companion programme The Art of Singing, as close to definitive as can a single film can get, even going so far as to include footage from the "silent" era with sound from corresponding recordings.
On the DVD: There are no special features, though the booklet provides a useful, very detailed chapter breakdown, an overview of the film, photographs and short biographies of many of the pianists. Because all the archive footage was shot that way, the film is presented in 4:3 television ratio. The archive material varies considerably in picture and sound quality, ranging as it does from early black and white to colour television video footage, all in mono. The new interviews are letterboxed within the 4:3 frame and are in colour and stereo. --Gary S. Dalkin
Special Features
4:3 Full Frame
DVD 5
French\German
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono English French German
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
English\French\German
DVD 5
French\German
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono English French German
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
English\French\German
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Having owned the videotape of this program I was pleased to get the new DVD version. It has additions to the tape. For one thing, although conducted primarily in English, there are English subtitles for those bits that are conducted in languages other than English. And there are also Japanese, Spanish and French subtitles for those who wish them. Some of the film footage is simply magnificent and extremely rare. For instance, one sees the elderly Francis Plante playing brilliantly; born in 1839, he had actually heard Chopin play! There is some tendency to cut away from music footage in order to continue the voice-over narration, and that is understandable, but it is also occasionally frustrating. Some have complained that there are only two female pianists represented - a long and impressive bit with Dame Myra Hess, and an uncredited bit underneath the credits with Annie Fischer - but then there are plenty of other male pianists who could have been included, too. The makers of the film only had two hours with which to work, so one can understand the omissions. There is a minimum of fawning, a fair amount of substantive information - both plusses. For those of us who are fascinated by both piano technique and ever-changing pianistic styles this DVD is indispensable. It was wonderful to see lengthy bits featuring, among others, Benno Moiseiwitsch, Josef Hofmann, Claudio Arrau, Emil Gilels, Sviatoslav Richter, Arturo Benedetto Michelangeli, György Cziffra, Alfred Cortot, Arthur Rubinstein and to have interviews with current musicians like Sir Colin Davis, Steven Kovacevich, Daniel Barenboim, Piotr Anderszewski, Tamás Vasáry, and Gary Graffman.
Recommended.
Scott Morrison
37 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
Here is an opportunity to discover some of the finest pianists of the 20th century. A stimulating repertoire of moving performances by the very best of musicians. Detailed examination of hands devouring and stroking the piano (usually a Steinway) in original performances. Interpretations dating back to Beethoven passed through generations of teachers to modern performances. Pertinent comments by reknowned pianists and conductors like Barenboim and Colin Davis on recordings from the archives. From Myra Hess in the National Gallery in 1942 to Horovitz in the Carnegie Hall in 1968, from rare performances by the 'note-perfect' Michelangeli to the dramatic performances of Richter, there is a unique opportunity to discover the style and genre that have influenced and shaped the interpretation of piano performances of today.
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The DVD 'The Art of the Piano' features great pianists of the 20th Century. The DVD is riveting from start to finish. The beauty of sound and individuality of these players is in stark contrast to what is heard today.
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