Telephony Movie Reviews

This is a treasure that I've found that I can't do without. Price was the star here. But check out an even better find...
Volumn One... The Great Stars of Opera - Telecasts from the Bell Telephone Hour 1959-1966

Essential. The earliest performances available, as amazing as they are heartbreaking, with an unsurpassed "Corsaire" pas de deux with Lupe Serrano.

Nothing more needs to be said that has not been said (especially by the descriptive reviews here). Miss Sutherland sings all her signature arias and scenes perfectly. She is a true bel canto princess and will always be known for her voice and flexible technique. Get this DVD to cherish one of this century's most beloved sopranos.

Don't believe the person(s) who say not to get this fabulous recording because it has poor sound and video. He is not telling the truth. I have the DVD, and the sound and picture good. As good as my Callas documentory at least. Remember it's remastered.
This is the most spectacular display of singing I've ever heard. I hate saying it, it sounds like a cliche. But I have no way of stating what is the absolute truth. This recital is nothing sort of phenomenal. Everything you've heard about Dame Joan being the greatest coloratura on the planet I will echo. And I can't even find words to describe just how stupendous this Dvd is. All I can say is, get it, listen to it, and you'll fall in love with it.

Ignore the "basher" who says the sound and film is not good. It is a DVD, the sound and video is fine. I happen to own this dvd, so I know, and I consider it one of my treasures. The singing by the very young Dame Joan is incomparable. The voice itself is so fresh and girlish. Yet so large and flexible. What she does with the coloratura fireworks is nothing short of spectacular.

The highlights are too many to name. But for sure the mad scene from Hamlet is one of them. She tosses off coloratura scales and runs like they were nothing, staccatos like a machine gun, and her high notes are awesome! They are huge... yet full of ring and they are as clear as can be. Oh, yeah, they're also dead on and effortless. As for her celebrated trill, it's in full bloom here. She can do it flawlessly with ease and as high as high B!

Absolutely the highlight of the entire set is another mad scene, the one from "Lucia di Lammermoor". Dame Joan sings this better than both of her legendary recordings for Decca Records. You have to see this one to believe it. I personally had my jaws dropped on the floor for the entire scene. Actually my jaws were dropped from the first aria of this monumental DVD to the last. This really is Dame Joan Sutherland in her prime. The very best.

I give this the highest recommendation I can make.

It was a joy to see Morini play, albeit just for one movement. She was one of the pre-eminent violinists of the Vienna School, the sound as dictinct from the Russian School is so lean and so elegant. She was the perhaps the only vioinist whom Heifetz really admired. Heifetz actually took his violin to her asking her to teach him her staccato-- Menuhin also asked Oistrakh to share with him his staccato too.

We also have Menuhin and Oistrakh in this DVD. Menuhin played part of the Paganini whereas the Oistrakhs played part of the Bach souble concerto. Fans of Menuhin and Oistrakh of course would not like to miss them.

What are really outstanding in this DVD are: 1/ Isaac Stern's Saint-Saens. Having heard his marvelous performance, one have to upgrade him to one of the greatest masters of all times-- as a whole even better than many of Oistrakh's playing; 2/ we have a top representive of the finest Viennese School of viloinists, Morini which is so different from those violinists of the Modern Russian School: she played with such grace and assurance, and was definitely an aristocrat of violinists. She was the one who automatically moved Furtwangler to tears upon the very sight of her after WWII...

Sure Elman sold most records at his time and my daughter in fact grows up with his music. But here somehow, one gets the feeling that Elman is lost in his quest for a beautiful sound.

We also have Ricci and Rabin, the two child prodigies. On this occasion, it's interesting to see who gets it better as they are both playing the third movt of Tsaichovsky.

What is more interesting would be Francescati though. Here we see some colourful playing , not just the sunshine we used to have from this master.

As bonus, we have two pieces by Piatigorsky. Both wonderful works. It's not as long as Walton Concerto from the newly issued EMI, but lovely little pieces. If one ever finds Rostropovich too tense, one ought to lend his ears to Piatigorsky. He was handpicked by Furtwangler to become the principal cellist of Berlin Philharmonic; he also played quite a lot of chamber music with Horowitz and Mehuhin and later with Milstein. He also took up Feuerman's place and teamed up with Heifetz. Horowitz ranked him the best cellist of his time after Casals.

The picture of this series is barely acceptable though. The colour is like what we had when we first have colour pictures and the grains are not fine enough and the preservation of the film is far from the best. The sound is fortunately more than acceptable. But again, it's somewhat discounted by standard of the orchestra. Otherwise, this DVD should deserve a 5 stars.

This is a great video especially if you are a musical historian or if you play violin. You may become frustrated by the many excerpts of full length concertos because the entire concerto is not presented. Keep in mind they were aried live on national television and the show only permitted little time for performaces so they had to decide what will be played with the length of time available. In all actuality, we are lucky to see these performance that have never before been issued.

Stern-Saint-Saens Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso:
Not my favorite performer but he is in his prime at the time this was made and his intonation is better than usual. His timing is still lacking for my tastes and perhaps a lack of inspiration kept me from fully loving this performance. What I did like was that the fingers of his left hand can clearly be seen so we can see his choice of fingerings, shifts, vibrato, and phrasing style which can be used to better understand the mechanics of how to play the piece correctly.

Francescatti-Debussy La Fille aux Cheveux de lin:
Im not really the biggest fan of Debussy but this is a good vehicle for Francescatti to show off his wonderful tone, I don't think I have ever heard a tone like that before or since.

Francescatti-Sarasate Zigeunerweisen:
I like Francescatti for the more singing style material and not as much the virtuoso material. His tone is again fantastic but his intonation and timing are not entirely satisfying to me on this one, but I loved watching and hearing him play anyways. More insight on how to play this unbelievably beautiful and difficult piece.

Rabin-Tchaikovsky Concerto Movement 3:
This is the guy that made me want to play violin, his bowing and intonation is completely faultless, his tone is full, his timing deadly accurate. No doubt about it Rabin was a monster violinist with an awesome tone. This performance is very strict with the rythm and contains deadly accuracy, while some may perfer a more loose and playful interpretation. This video only confirms what I already knew, he could play the Tchaikovsky as well and convincingly as anyone who ever lived. Remember Rabin is the violinist who even Galamian said he has "...no weaknesses, not ever." I honestly see Rabin as a mix between the virtuosity of Heifetz (who he greatly admired) and the beauty of Francescatti. It is apparent to me his playing is not quite what it was in 1959 but it is really really great have a chance to watch his technique.

Rabin-Kreisler Caprice Viennois:
I absolutely melted inside when I hard Rabin play this. What an awesome melody proceeded by that spine-tingling chromatic passage. This clip shows Rabin's ability to play with completely effortless and flawless technique and at the same time play with sensitivity and incredible beauty and expression.

Rabin-Kreisler Tambourin Chinois:
Not my favorite piece but it is difficult and played very well. I remeber the first time I listened to Kreisler's music and thinking that he must have known Paganini's music intimitely.

Mischa Elman:
Not one of my favorite violinists but this is a good example of his golden tone that everyone fell in love with during his day. The Wieniawski here is such a beautiful piece of music.

Morini-Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 mvmt 3:
This clip totally blew me away! Morini studied with Sevick and has such an articulate bow technique, her staccato is simply nothing less than powerful and commanding. Perhaps the Bruch should be played a bit more smoothly and not as choppy but I loved this performance anyways, especially considering the high level of difficulty involved in performing it. I read in one of her CDs that Bruch himself consulted with her about his intentions for this piece so we can know by watching this that is it close to the composer's intent.

Menuhin-Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 mvmts 2 & 3:
Im not really big on Menuhin especially for virtuoso material but I love when he plays melodic and singing pieces. The second movement was played with true beauty and elegance. Again, it is useful for me to see a virtuoso's left hand to better know what their preferences are for fingerings and shifting.

David & Igor Oistrakh-J.S. Bach Double Concerto mvmts 2 & 3:
So beautiful and romantic, I feel like I am in heaven when I see and hear this. Not much more needs to be said.

Ricci-Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto mvmt 3:
I really enjoyed this, Ricci plays really great here. I can't help but to wonder how good he was when he was a child. Some of Ricci's recent recordings reveal poor intontion but not here, truly a fantastic performance. I respect Ricci for daring to play what very few do, of course he was the first to play all Paganini caprices.

Piatigorsky-Faure Elegie, Saint-Saens Allegro Appassionata:
Piatigorsky toured with Horowitz and Milstein and was one of the best cello soloists the world has known. The Faure is such an emotional composition and is played here with all the necessary beauty and sensitivity that is required, it does things to me that I can't explain. The Saint Saens is a real show off piece so the two show a talent of great sensitivity and feeling and the ability to display chops with subtance, Bravo!

I completely recommend this video as a companion to "The Art of Violin" video, the only thing is that if you are anything like me you will be wondering where these clips have been the last 20 years of your life???

This is the one to get if you're on a budget and want to see and hear the greatest singers of the 20th century in their glorious prime. We all have our favorites. But you can't mention divas without mentioning Price, Nilsson, Tebaldi, and Sutherland. All in top form. It was a real treat to see Price sing her Verdi arias so gloriously. She was certainly one of my favorite divas of all time. But then I also think Tebaldi is a contender for the voice of the century. Everyone knows that Nilsson is the Wagnerian soprano of the Century, but can she beat out Joan Sutherland, which mad scene from Lucia may well be one of the most astonishing thing ever to be put on tape. On the male side, my wife went crazy about Franco Corelli's drop dead gorgeous movie star looks. She keeps rewinding that portion of the DVD. I have to admit he is a good looking guy, but I'm more impressed with his superhuman tenor voice. He is probably the tenor of the Century along with Mario Del Monaco.
This is a thrilling opera potpouri that my wife and I can't stop watching. If it was a tape, we would have worn it out months ago! I give it 10 stars!

And the sound and picture is superb, very, very clear picture and the sound is stereo. The singing is magnificent. There are no highlights. Everything is wonderful. Sutherland, Corelli, Farrell, Price and Tebaldi. Who can beat these phenomenal singers?
A cheap price for a huge piece of opera history!

This VHS is supreme! Every single great diva and divo are represented. I find the picture and sound very exceptable. In fact, it's very good for that time period.
The highlights are too many to name. But if I was to name a few, it would be Leontyne Price singing the Verdi arias, Nilsson singing "In questa reggio", Franco Corelli, and Sutherland singing the mad scene for Lucia di Lammermoor.
I admit at being speechless after seeing and hearing Dame Joan perform this role in this tape. In all my life, I've never heard such singing of the most difficult music you can imagine. I know she's supposed to be the greatest coloratura of our time, but I never knew she was ever that good. Sorry for going on and on about this one, but gee, this is beyond praise.
Another interesting point is the different style of fashion and makeup the women had in those days. It's just a hoot.
There are some disappintments also, Callas was not what she was supposed to be. Her Vissi D'arte just wasn't that good.
But all in all, I love this tape, I must have played it a dozen times since I bought it a month ago. Bravo.

Maestro Arrau was a wholly musical artist.
Presenting a segmented Arrau is unacceptable because it would have been an open personal affront to him.
He worshiped Beethoven and would have never ever tolerated the "nightmare" of having to play only "the third movement of a Beethoven concerto"!
His conception of a concerto was that of an integrated, profound work of art, encompassing intricate developments of serious human endeavours.
Would anyone submit to admire only the bottom 1/3 section of a Michelangelo?
Let's not abuse Arrau for selling purposes!
No, thank you.

With this DVD we have two hours of music and a lot of pianists. In particular, we have we have three of the greatest American born pianists namely, Cliburn, Browning, and Janis, so that we can have an overall view of them.

Needless to say, the jewel of the crown remains fairly and squarely Arrau, albeit that we only have the 3rd Movt of Emperor supported by a somewhat amateurish orchestra. Another great attraction would be Casadesus, the only rival to Arthur Rubinstein at the time according to the latter. Even Horszowski admired the beauty of Casadesus's playing! We have an extra piece by the Casadesus family playing Bach. But we don't have enough of his hands!! Another great delight would be Johannesen, an extremely refined pianist of all ages. It was no coincidence that he was the last one to play: so that viewers are impressed all the more.

It goes without saying that Bolet is well worth our time, to say the least. For the rest like young Hollander (17 yrs) or the legendary Iturbi, we might simply take them as bonus or whatever.

The overall production, the sound or picture are not that impressing especially the orchestra. But who cares when we have these great pianists playing right in front of you. Note that we have 129 minutes of music from this DVD. It deserves either a 4 or 5 STARS depending what you expect from footages of this nature.

Indeed! Arrau only playing the 3rd movement of the "Emperor" is unthinkable. BUT, knowing Arrau personally since 1970, it is a priviledge to see him play, especially during his "younger" years.

In viewing the other pianists, only Bolet, Entremont, and Hollander do it for me. All in all, a good keepsake for posterity!