The Art of Violin

[suburbanmyth]

video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6671991633406611311#

I fell asleep last night watching this show (it's ok!! I was taping it!!!) and dreamed of playing on stage with Kreisler, haha! This documentary is absolutely fucking BRILLIANT... to see all these live performances.... interview footage... it's amazing to me. I inherited a record collection containing some very, very old recordings by these violinists but, of course, the quality is a bit worn. I can't tell you how awesome it was to listen to the beautiful performances they have in this doc. I think it came out in the early 2000's so maybe you've all seen it already...

"This two-hour program covers the world's most celebrated 20th-century violinists, including Jascha Heifetz, Fritz Kreisler, David Oïstrakh, Yehudi Menuhin, Isaac Stern, Eugène Ysaÿe, and many others. Thanks to an outstanding treasure trove of rare footage, today's audiences can now re-experience the unique sound and style of each of these influential artists. Complementing this rich archival material are contemporary virtuosos including Itzhak Perlman, Ida Haendel, Hilary Hahn, Ivry Gitlis, and Mstislav Rostropovich, providing insight on the tradition of the violin and the heritage of its 20th-century masters."

QUESTION: If you could go see either Pinchas Zukerman or James Ehnes, who would you see? They're both coming to Vancouver to play with the VSO and I haven't seen either of them. I only have $$ to go to one of the shows.. maybe... unless I blow it all and go to both!

[dannyboy]

Wow. Never before have I wanted to play violin so badly, and I'm only 15 minutes in. Seriously, certain violin pieces just make me want to break out in tears and others make me want to stomp my feet and clap my hands. It's such a versatile instrument (compare Owen to Itzhak Perlman to Charlie Daniels) and can sound great on any style. I can't really picture Charlie Daniels playing classical music or Perlman playing bluegrass but that's the beauty of the instrument. The way one person plays, like Perlman says in the documentary, is so completely different from the next person, even in terms of classical violinist compared to classical violinist. I would venture to say that it is the only instrument (with the exception being maybe the piano) that can provide such variety of sound. Violin, my hat goes off to you.

[Ren]

Pam, support Canadian talent! Go see Ehnes. Even though he's playing Tchaikovsky, there is Mahler 1 on the program (my favourite Mahler) and a Scott Good premiere! Premieres are the best, you get to be a part of history. And Scott Good has a name perfect for accurate and pun-tastic headlines.

Pinchas, while I suspect he is a "Master" of many things, is not Canadian (although married to the scandalous Canadian cellist Amanda Forsyth, she is crazy) and is playing on an all-Beethoven concert. I love Beethoven, you guys, but all-Beethoven concerts are sort of bland.

Whoa! Opinions!

[suburbanmyth]

Thanks, Esther!!! You have very convincing opinions.