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My favorite violin DVD by far.
It's literally impossible for me to stop the DVD during the playback of the Korngold concerto. and i've watched it half a dozen times. it's mesmerizing. Thanks for the review, Terez! I've been interested in this DVD for a while (it's on my Amazon.com wish list) and now I'm even more eager to see it. I also recommend for your list the DVD "Circling Around - The Violin Virtuosi") a documentary about the young violinists of the Indiana University String Academy. Very inspiring. Ooh, Karin, excellent suggestion!

And Jim, glad you feel the same about the Hilary DVD. I really thought the documentary was well done and nicely balanced, but it helps that I'm a fan of the Korngold (and Hilary) and saw her perform it live just last December. So, I'm probably a little biased. Nah, I still say it's a damned good show, period.

Totally off topic Terez, but some good news:

According to my snail-mail "Chamber Music" magazine, Eugene Drucker (of the Emerson String Quartet Druckers) has a new novel called "The Savior". Amazon has the release date as 7/17. (I have pre-ordered mine through my locally owned independent book seller). It is a novel about a violinist living in the Nazi state.

Sorry about the interruption, but I thought you might want to know...

Oh, Anne, that novel sounds SO powerful. I just popped over to Amazon for a look - gorgeous cover, but I don't know if I'd have the fortitude to get through the book. PROMISE me you'll let me know how it is. In fact, my goal in the next blog is to present a comprehensive list of music novels, since as that earlier blog stands now, you have to sift through 43 posts to get a complete list of all the excellent suggestions.

And now, back to our regularly schedule program...

This, too, is off the topic of classical musician documentaries, but I just went and ordered myself a copy of the film Shine. Fictionalized, certainly, but oh, what a wonderful musician story, and Hilary's DVD has sharpened my appetite for more.

Thanks so much for this review Terez!! I just got this DVD from Netflix the other day and can't wait to watch it! I love music documentaries. If you're looking for a few other good ones, I'd highly recommend these:

From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China
Oistrakh: Artist of the People?
Music from the Inside Out
Isaac Stern: Life's Virtuoso
Knowledge is the Beginning/The Ramallah Concert

Anne - Drucker would know. I believe his father was a musician who was a refugee from Nazi Germany. Don't know any of the specifics (release date, availability, etc.), but James Ehnes recently recorded a CD / DVD featuring performances on some of the instruments from the Fulton Collection in Seattle. Watch out for that, because I know that both Mr. Fulton and Mr. Ehnes have really high standards, both musically and technically, and I imagine it'll be really good. (And interesting from an instrument perspective; I don't know that there's really any DVDs out there at the moment that focus specifically on instruments.)

I wish more people would make violin DVDs; I think they're great resources. Looking forward to that list of music novels.

Ruth and Emily, thanks so much for the suggestions! James Ehnes is coming to the San Francisco Symphony next season and I finally get to watch him perform. Looking forward to it. Terez, I love the Hilary Hahn DVD, too. In addition to being a great performer, she is great at engaging the audience when she talks and helping us understand the music she plays and how she relates to it. She comes across as a very even tempered, down to earth person who knows and loves what she does.

I second the recommendation for David Oistrakh: Artist of the People. It reveals the relationship of the Communist Russian government to him. They pressured him relentlessly and inappropriately to win first prize in all his competitions to prove the supremacy of the USSR. They also used him to try to convince the world that they were not against Jews. Oistrakh would have liked to defect from Soviet Russia, but his family was there, so he stayed there. The DVD is very dramatic and beautiful and gives us another perspective on music and musicians.

The DVDs I have and adore:

"The Art of Henryk Szeryng", Radio Canada
"Heifetz, Rubenstein, Piatigorsky", EMI
"Aaron Rosand: Live at Mills College" VAI
"David Oistrakh" EMI
"Great Violinists of the Bell Telephone Hour" VAI

Plus others also mentioned...

I think Hahn is super because of her 'real' connections with people--I read her web site, and she seems 'so' grounded. Albert, you said it. And Pauline, you said it even more eloquently. (No offense, Albert!) Nice to hear your take on the David O. documentary, as well - I have one of his music DVDs but I really want to learn more about him. And Anne, thanks for your list contributions!