The Art of Violin
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Movie Reviews of The Art of Violin
Movie Review: Worth it if only for the classic clips
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this video upon recommendation from my violin teacher and I do not regret it. However as a documentary it is not completely satisfctory due to the focus on very few violinists without really giving sufficient reflection on the individuality of each. Many great violinists were completely left out or barely touched on in the documentary (Grumiaux for example only has a minute long clip in the early mendlessohn concerto panoramic sequence). Also the video completely ignores mentioning the great pedagogues of the violin (Joachim, Auer, Flesch) simply jumping from Paganini (who was only covered in gradiose terms without really giving his contribution much of substance) directly to Elman. The narrative is qute weak and few of the contributors are really able to articulate their mind (Perlman and Ivry Gitlis are an exception here, specially Gitlis who provide some really light hearted feel to the whole documentary). Purely as a documentary about the violin this video does not deserve more than 3 stars. That being said, the video clips of the many great violinists are truly magnificent to behold. Seeing the disciplined fingering of Milstein up close, or the blinding speed yet supreme control of Heifetz's bowing, or Grumiaux's blurring left hand in his signature fast wide vibrato was truly marvelous and insightful to their sound. For that this video derserves a four. I only wish there were more available video sources showcasing the art of these masters.Movie Review: Great Violinist...Some Mediorcre Commentators
Summary: 4 Stars
This program, first viewed on PBS, is among the best of its kind. Within the time span of two hours, Bruno Monsaingeon was able to depict all violinist at their best, some more than others. His ingenious beginning showed all the different emotions and textures that each character was able to show. The intimacy of Kreisler. The love from Stern. The demonic accuracy of Heifetz. The straightforwardness of Kogan. The technical mastery from Menuhin.Those not featured in the beginning was shown later. With Oistrakh playing the glorious Franck Sonata, Stern plays the moving Brahms sonata, Menuhin playing Bach Sonatas, Milstein playing Bach Partitas, Elman played Humoresque and Tchaikovsky, and SO MUCH MORE!!!
The only aspect that disappointed me throughout was the commentators. I did not feel all of them had a mastery of what they were trying to say. Some difficulties that irritated me were Perlman's inconclusive comparisons ("Kreisler has a more...intimate sound, whereas Heifetz is a knight in full armor."). How could sound be compared to a knight? Hilary Hahn's performance is also poor. She had very intelligent comments to make but was unable to clear, perspicuously tell us. Maybe it was the pressure but the constant breaks made me focus more on her talking than the actual content of her speech.
All the others were very good commentators.
Movie Review: Captivating and Unique
Summary: 4 Stars
As a confirmed violin junky, this was the documentary I had waited my whole life to see. It never could have lived up to my expectations, but it came close. My only real complaints are:
*The emphasis on Menhuin. He was great, sure, but hardly the epoch-maker he is played up to be in this. This is even more annoying considering how little consideration is given to Stern.
*The way Kreisler and Ysaye are glossed over simply because there is less archival footage of them. Surely the director could have cobbled together some still footage and some of their recordings and had a more fair and balanced discussion of their remarkable contributions to violin-playing and literature. Or, for that matter, the fact that it was they, among others, who pivoted the instrument from the 19th to the 20th century.
*No mention of Leopold Auer at all seems inconceivable, but somehow he is omitted from this film!
In short, "The Art of Violin" is more a rhapsody than a sonata-allegro, but it still charms.
Movie Review: Who needs Violin?
Summary: 4 Stars
Folks,
You are in for a treat. I'm half century old and I have two boys, 10 & 12yo. They've been playing violin since 4yo. Now they also play fiddle music. We are not a musically inclined family, by any stretch of the imagination, other than a half hour visit to an accordion school in Logan Square when I was five yo. I still remember event. Believe it or not, it actually inspired me for down the road. Digressing. Sorry. We have violin in our lives for no other reason but to simply enjoy its companionship. Everyone should learn to play an instrument. Watch the video and you too will be sold.
I actually found out about this video at my sons piano lesson in late 2010. The piano instructor had this playing on TV (PBS), so I learned about many great violinists and watched their performance. Indeed! A treat. Enjoy.
Movie Review: Great Footage, A Wonderful Overview of 20th century violinists
Summary: 4 Stars
This video contains some great archival footage. It is a wonderful introduction to the 20th century's great violinists, especially for an amateur or newcomer to the world of classical violin. I sometimes found the pace of editing too quick, and would have appreciated a bonus disc with some long, uninterrupted performances without the frequent cuts to commentary found in the feature version. On the other hand, the commentators themselves are modern professionals such as Hilary Hahn, Itzahk Perlman, and others, and their insights are often quite remarkable. Overall, this is a wonderful production, worth the price for anyone interested in learning more about classical violinists, or adding to a collection of hard-to-find archival footage.