The Art of Henryk Szeryng

Rating:
Summary: A Maestro With a lot of Gentility
Review: Here is the violinist who came from where Chopin was borned. He was first prepared by Auer's assistant ( in St Petersburg ) and then as recommended by Huberman learned from Carl Flesch. He later also bacame a pupil of Thibaud in Paris. He was the one who had taught Ida Haendel, the Queen of Violin and whom Mutter craved so much for his comments.

First, it must be pointed out that when the Beethoven was filmed before his sudden death in 1988 when Szeryng was still at his best: there wasn't any sign of aging whatsoever. His Beethoven was absolutely in command.

However, one is left in amazement as how the Maestro was able to get support from this rather amateurish orchestra. But the fact is clear: HE DID! They got on nicely and beautifully.

But the angle of view is not the best one would expect: seeing the back of his left hand most of the time, rarely any depiction of his fingertips nor the vibratos. Nor was his right hand is sufficiently covered. But the quality of photography is perfect and so is the sound. His tones and lyricism are well captured. To some, he may sound more like Mozart than Beethoven. But I suspect his interpretation is exactly what Beethoven intended it to be. Anyway, it's classical in approach, very lyrical and yet powerful.

The quality of the B/W is not equally well in terms of the picture and sound. For the first B/W, the picture quality is especially poor. Fortunately the sound is acceptable. Who cares about these things when we have a Maestro playing right in front of you anyway?

When you hear these pieces recorded in 1960-- some 28 year before his Beethoven, we see the difference. Well, not so much in terms of his command or facility. Rather I would say it's natural change of mentality. Must we compare the beauty of Spring or Summer with say Autumn, even if we do have some preference?... Yet, we do have two Bach's Fugues here, one from each period with the latter blessed with perfect sound if not with equal drive.

Not only does his Bach conatain everything one could or should hope for, I especially take delight in his little pieces say, his Brahm's Hungarian Dance, Sarasate's Zapateodo, Suk's Damour or the Mexican Lullaby: each is fairly and squarely a gem. Only Menuhin could compare with his colourful tone, yet the latter is often too strong and too condensed for easy enjoyment.

My only complaint is, this DVD is rather short: only 79 minutes in total.

Rating:
Summary: Master violinist displays his skills
Review: It's unfortunate that so many of the greatest violinists lived and performed before video and audio technology evolved to its modern state. How we would love to watch Heifetz or Oistrakh or Milstein performing their greatest pieces on DVD with razor sharp digital video and state of the art audio. But life isn't always fair, and sometimes you have to settle for the cards dealt to you. Such is the case with this DVD. Szeryng displays his mastery of the instrument here in two video performances some three decades apart. The 1960 video is black and white with equivalent audio. The 1988 video has a much better quality, of course, but the audio (all mono) is considerably lacking. If you can get past the fact that the performances were captured on equipment that is inferior by today's standards you won't have any trouble enjoying them. Szeryng is around 40 in the earlier performance and is obviously in his prime. In the 1988 performance he is around 70 but still playing at an impressive skill level. I bought this DVD primarily to watch his performances of Bach's Fugue in G Minor. It's amazing to watch his two performances 28 years apart and see the same technique, interpretation, and even bowing patterns. In the 1988 video the camera angle misses a lot of what is happening with his left hand, but the 1960 video has it all captured for you, leaving you to figure out his methodology between the two. For a bonus you can listen to him playing an audio-only performance of Bach Concerto No. 1. Also included is a very informative bio on Szeryng. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Master violinist displays his skills
Review: It's unfortunate that so many of the greatest violinists lived and performed before video and audio technology evolved to its modern state. How we would love to watch Heifetz or Oistrakh or Milstein performing their greatest pieces on DVD with razor sharp digital video and state of the art audio. But life isn't always fair, and sometimes you have to settle for the cards dealt to you. Such is the case with this DVD. Szeryng displays his mastery of the instrument here in two video performances some three decades apart. The 1960 video is black and white with equivalent audio. The 1988 video has a much better quality, of course, but the audio (all mono) is considerably lacking. If you can get past the fact that the performances were captured on equipment that is inferior by today's standards you won't have any trouble enjoying them. Szeryng is around 40 in the earlier performance and is obviously in his prime. In the 1988 performance he is around 70 but still playing at an impressive skill level. I bought this DVD primarily to watch his performances of Bach's Fugue in G Minor. It's amazing to watch his two performances 28 years apart and see the same technique, interpretation, and even bowing patterns. In the 1988 video the camera angle misses a lot of what is happening with his left hand, but the 1960 video has it all captured for you, leaving you to figure out his methodology between the two. For a bonus you can listen to him playing an audio-only performance of Bach Concerto No. 1. Also included is a very informative bio on Szeryng. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Virtuosity... and the ability to speak with every note!
Review: My top three favorite violinists of all time include David Oistrakh, Leonid Kogan, and of course Henryk Szeryng. There is a reason they all have performance DVDs available.

This video contains a mixed bag of performances presenting two telecasts nearly 30 years apart. Performances include:

>December 25, 1988 (color)
1)Beethoven - Violin Concerto
2)Bach - Fugue from Sonata 1
3)Marroquin - De Mi Patria
>Feb 1, 1960 (black and white)
4)Pugnani - Largo Expressivo
5)Bach - Fugue from Sonata 1
6)Brahms Hungarian Dance 17
7)Marroquin - Mexican Lullaby
8)Sarasate - Zapateado
9)Suk - Chanson d'armour
>Bonus/Audio Only/1951
10)Bach Violin Concerto 1

If there is any doubt regarding the ability of Mr Szeryng consider that almost everyone I know consider his performance of the Bach Sonatas and Partidas to be the best ever recorded.

The footage from 1988 was after he was in his prime and was recorded around the time of his death so his playing is not up to what it once was in the 60s and 70s but Im such a huge fan that it doesn't matter.

The recital from 1960 will leave you in awe because of his ability to play rediculously difficult passages with grace and completely effortless technique and then turn around and stun you with his expressive phrasing and vibrato. His tone is also fantastic and his sence of timing is just so there. My only complaint is I wish there was more footage.

When you see this video you will understand why Mr Szeryng is one of my top three all time violinists. If you like this, make sure to get the Kogan and Oistrakh DVDs if you are looking for more examples of virtuosity and the ability to speak with every note.