Arthur Grumiaux is, without a doubt, peerless in the Mozart violin field. Indeed, so good was his Mozart that the No.3 concerto virtually became "his", and he used it in his -very successful- US debut.
Similar in vibrancy and integrity to his Bach Sonatas and Partitas cycle, one feels that the Mozart presented here is how Mozart would have wanted it (if he had contemporary instruments under his disposal). The tone is uniformly pure, while the vibrato is sweet, but not overly so. Perhaps the key to playing Mozart is negotiating the deceptively difficult solo line with panache, while maintaining the classical sensibilities of this period (no mean feat, believe me). In this regard, Grumiax passes these tests with flying colors, stamping the piece with his own vision but never violating the Mozartean style.
Grumiaux never sounds rushed or panicked. He is a veritable rock of Gibraltar in his rendition of these marvellous pieces, and it is a pleasure to hear him. To my mind, there is no finer version to ask for.

This movie is definitely schmaltzy, of this there can be no question. However, as another reviewer so eloquently stated said, it works. After all, it's not so often that one feels quite so shamelessly manipulated by a movie yet remains wearing a smile to the end.
The four actors comprising the four "limbo-ed" souls are excellent in their own right, with Tom Sizemore being especially good in a comical role quite unlike his other star turns. Elizabeth Shue must be one of my favourite heroines (you could tell she had it even back in "The Karate Kid"), and it is downright unbelievable that she hasn't appeared in any major releases as of late. She is utterly winning in her appearance here. Still, even her performance is eclipsed by Robert Downey, Jr., whose ability to capture his fellow actors' personal mannerisms (or I should say their characters' mannerisms) is a lesson in the art of imitation/impersonation. The sheer talent of Mr. Downey is a joy to behold, and it is a tragedy for the acting community (and the audience) that such a phenomenal actor has been so shackled by drugs and forced to act in such dreck as "Gothika".
"Heart and Souls" is a marvellous movie, well worth the 5 stars given. It reeled me in hook, line, and sinker.

What can one say about breakups? When you go through the first one, you think you've literally invented this level of pain, that no one else understands what you've been through, that this is a whole new (and extremely horrible) world you've managed to spiral into. Well, guess what, it's not.
I started reading this book going through my first real breakup, and it was almost uncanny how well it demonstrated each of the steps I had gone through, and what I had done to get there, and where I was heading. Indeed, there is something almost pre-programmed about the way we deal with these things, and Vaughn's book proves this quite beautifully.
When I first started burning through these self-help books, I was after something a bit more solid and based on real research. "Uncoupling" definitely fit the bill, and if you are more technically-minded, then this is the book for you.
Sadly, as one other reviewer pointed out, you never get to this book in time. If you're interested in reading it, you're probably on the verge of ending something, or have been the victim of such an end. But if misery loves company, at least you know you're on the -very- trodden path.

Although I personally dislike discussions on whether one recording is definitive or not, this question is an apt one in this case. Would this CD be on my desert-island-pack (where I can only have 5... hmm... alright ten CD's)? Well, it would be in the running for these concertos in terms of a contemporary rendition, but I would still have to opt for the usual suspects (Oistrakh, Milstein, Szigeti, etc...).
This brings us to another aspect of Mr. Shaham's playing: Although it is beautiful and technically impeccable fiddling, his playing does not have the distinctive mark that violinists of the past did. It is unfair to single out Mr. Shaham with this accusation, as it can be leveled at almost any violinist alive, but since Gil Shaham is considered the scion of violinists these days, I suppose more is expected of him. What it boils down to is that I will always go to his recordings if I want technically perfect, if occasionally soulfully devoid playing, such that I can form my own opinions of the piece without being burdened by too personal an intepretation.
Nonetheless, this CD rates 5 stars for its clarity, beauty, and the inclusion of the oft-maligned Solo Sonata.

An interesting collection of pieces presented quite nicely by Viktoria Mullova. Ms. Mullova is a Russian emigre (she defected when she was in Norway, tricking her KGB handlers by leaving her priceless violin in the hotel, and was considered Kogan's finest student. Although her technique pays fitting tribute to her teacher, her temperament, frankly, does not.
Still, these solo works are presented with a good deal of aplomb. The Bach partita is played in the contemporary style, and is really quite interesting to hear under Mullova's hands, and the technical twisters of the Bartok are tossed of with ease.
The Paganini, although one of my favorite pieces, is given its due.
Overall, a good collection, worthy of exploration, and a good way to hear Mullova's sound.

I caught my first glimpse (or I should say heard my first strain) of this recording in a somewhat serendipitous fashion: I had been searching through the then-mighty Napster for a good recording of the Bach G-minor Fugue, and was instantly struck by how great the violinist was in the file I managed to come upon. After some research, I discovered that it was Arthur Grumiaux, and I then wasted no time in getting the complete set of recordings.
Grumiaux's Bach is marvellous in sheer purity and vibrancy. He does not shy away from a contemporary rendition of these pieces, instead of encumbering himself with all-too-often artificial limitations of so called "performance practise". Instead, the violin literally rings like a bell when chords are played, while the line of the pieces is meticulously developed and maintained throughout (no mean feat, believe me).
It is hard to say which is the best recording of any piece, let alone something as frequently recorded as the Bach violin solo cycle, but this comes pretty darn close to such a title.

Yet another one of these hit-and-miss EMI "Classical Archive Series" DVD's is on the menu, although this is most certainly a hit, a very palpable hit.
Henryk Szeryng, though not as famous as his other illustrious colleagues, was an excellent violinist in his own right. Despite the fact that he came to fame a little bit later in his career than expected (through Sol Hurok, with Isaac Stern's mediation I believe), his recorded video legacy is quite large. An unabashed performer, Szeryng believed in the video medium, and cameras were welcomed (unlike Kogan, who apparently abhorred the damn things).
Thus, what we have here is a pretty good selection, covering the gamut of the violinist's art, from virtuosic trifles to magnum opuses for the instrument, and much in between.
The Brahms is, as the other reviewers say, quite weak in terms of orchestral support, and it is a shame that a better rendition of this piece was not available for inclusion. The Brahms is also marred by occasionally moronic camera angles, although this is a small gripe in what is still a very good performance.
Generally speaking, the remaining pieces are excellent, especially the Tzigane (played with great verve). The bonus clips are also quite interesting, in that they are in color, and they're also taken at a later point in Seryng's career. It is gratifying to see the great artist in fairly fine form, although his Scherzo Caprice does lack some polish (not to mention the fact that he looks kind of drunk).
This rates as my second favourite DVD of this series, and is a worthy addition to anyone's violin library.

This is one of those movies which you almost hate watching, simply because it's so infuriating in that you know what will happen. You know (spoiler coming up) that Bruce Willis will fail, you know his recurring dream is his future, you realize that nothing will be changed as the characters inexorably go towards their own destruction. But still, you have to watch. I suppose this review sounds far too much like a bad car wreck, but the fact remains that this is one of the most enthralling movie of the 90's, and an excellent entry into the more serious works of Brad Pitt. An excellent movie, well worth repeated watching. Look for an extremely interesting Astor Piazzola piece.

One can't help but feel somewhat tricked with this DVD. Why? Simply because there are far more clips of Oistrakh that were worthy of inclusion, including the entire Brahms concerto, Locatelli Labyrinth, Sibelius Concerto, Khachaturian Concerto, numerous Kreisler pieces, etc... Those clips were, to my mind, a good deal more interesting than most of the offerings on this well-photographed, well-restored, and all-round decent DVD. Nonetheless, it is always a pleasure to see Oistrakh, as his artistry is truly wonderful. Not just for die-hard Oistrakh fans, but also not my first choice for videos of him.

I am generally speaking a big fan of this Classical Archive Series, and am quite pleased with the compilations (though occasionally wish there were more pieces on these DVD's). Thus, it was without hesitation that I decided to purchase the Kogan DVD. After all, he's one of my favourite violinists, and a chance to see him in action is a treat not to be missed.
However, I have to admit I'm quite disappointed with this particular collection of his pieces. The selection is perplexing in its lack of pyrotechnics and finger gymnastics in which Kogan is virtually a nonpareil, and the footage has moments of what appears to be a bleaching of film (in the Beethoven Concerto). It is downright confusing as to why EMI didn't choose to include Paganini Concerto No.1 (in which Kogan excels, especially with the might Sauret Cadenza), or perhaps the Khachaturian concerto (which was briefly seen in "Art of the Violin").
The production still warrants three stars, however, if only because of the quality of playing, which really is quite fantastic. A collection of uninspired programming choices does not diminish the grandeur of Kogan's playing, and although I would recommend this DVD to die-hard Kogan fans only, there is still something noble in his contribution to the violin art.