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5.0 out of 5 stars
Menuhin's Fans Might Well be Disappointed, But..., April 17 2004
If you're a Menuhin fan, you will probably be disappointed. His part is mainly limited to the Bach Concerto for Two Violins (played with Oistrakh). And the collaboration between the two masters is more whimsical than musical. Furthermore, part of, if not the whole of, the footage is already available elsewhere. Having said that, this Bach is very illuminating in that we can see the very essence of these two top violinists. These two maestros are so juxtapositioned that we can compare them alongside virtually phrase by phrase. The second movement is especially intriquing. The directly to the heart sort of Menuhin's communication, the metaphysical sort of his yearning of must have created a lot of heat for Oistrakh who was soaked in sweats. And seldom was Oistrakh's playing so sublime and heartfelt if not equally spiritual. There is some more compensation for Menuhin's fans in seeing him conducting the Mozart Sinfonia played by the Oistrakhs. The Oistrakh fans certainly fare better. Not only do they see him playing a viola perhaps for the first time, they could also see how well his son/student is playing Moart. He did have his father's complete naturalness with the instrument, nor an absolute command like his father: There is some battling with the instrument at times. However, there is a sensibility and freshness which makes one think that, in terms of style and tone, Oistrakh the son would be a better partner for Menuhin even in the Bach. Anyway, his Mozart is superb, and in some ways he is even better than his father. We could also see Oistrakh in the Brahm's double concert with Rostropovich, something which neither the fans of Oistrakh or Rostropovich or any music lover could afford to do without. It was simply marvelous ( particularly the second movement, for Oistrakh's fans). For Rostropovich's fans, there is the bonus of his Bach suite #3 for solo cello. The quality of these films are good, sound and sight. The two orchestras are of the top notch. But there are 4 artists here, and the DVD runs 89 minutes, leaving only less than half an hour one artist!
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