Great Pianists of the Bell Telephone Hour (1959-1967)

Rating:
Summary: Awesome - but could be even better if . . .
Review: . . . the entire Beethoven concerto by Arrau had been included. The other reviewers really need to lighten up and recognize the time period and medium, because there is so little else available (currently). I would like to have more Cliburn as well. I am a big fan and the selections do not really do full justice to his virtuosity.

Otherwise the DVD is a great compilation of the famous and semi famous. I can also support the comment about the cheezy TV orchestra that accompanies a couple of the performers. Could it have been that difficult to line up a few quality performers in the old days?

Like I said, great DVD, in a late 50's early 60's kind of way. Sort of like the difference between tv superman and the later movie version. In this case the performance quality is there, it's just that you're peering through history.

I can also support the hands comment. I don't need to see the cheezy band or the endless facial expressions when it's the hands that count. Who was the camerman anyway!

Check the set decor out in some of these as well, sort of a cross between "Leave it to Beaver" and the Lawrence Welk Show. I love this stuff. I've got a neighbor up here in Bingo-town with a living room that was designed during what I call the "Kruschev Period". I love that Iron Curtain - 50's look.

Can you imagine if they threw a couple of Johnny Carson monologues in, or even a little Victor Borgia just to lighten things up a little? How 'bought Eddie Hascal or Mr. Wilson making a surprise appearance to congradulate the performers and present a cool parting gift - like a brand new color tv or a microwave. Don't tell me that wouldn't be cool.

Like I said I thought this DVD was great and a time capsule to be cherished. Now I'm on my way to fire up the old turntable . . .

Rating:
Summary: Another elusive videotape pioneer
Review: I love these compilation DVDs of this musical anthology. I also love the fact that these shows were originally broadcast on NBC and recorded on color videotape (from as early as 1959) and have been remastered- and now look and sound as crystal clear as a live performance. Sadly, only a few of these master videotapes (going on 45 years old) have been made accessible to the public in the last fifteen years. That's why this DVD series is so precious. My favorite scenes include Jorge Bolet's rendition of Rhapsody in Blue; a disgustingly young Van Cliburn performing Schumann and Brahms; Byron Janis performing the finale of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 and Grant Johannesen skating through Gershwin's Concerto in F. Many of these concert clips appear on the syndictated Classic Arts Showcase channel, but I suggest buying the DVDs in order to see the full performances. There are other Bell DVDs of opera singers, violinists, and even one with ballet dancers. This was the last avenue for commercially broadcast classical music, before it all migrated to PBS. Don't miss it.

Rating:
Summary: Great Pianists of the Bell Telephone Hour 1959-1967
Review: I truly enjoyed the fine performances of all the pianists on this tape with the slight exceptions of Jose Iturbi and Grant Johannesen. My highest accolades go to Byron Janis whose playing is beyond mere praise. He brings so much beauty, passion and excitement from the Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev that it takes my breath away.

Rating:
Summary: A rare glimpse of pianists from the past
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: A rare glimpse of pianists from the past
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: A rare glimpse of pianists from the past
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Cutting short Arrau is an affront
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: only one truly great pianist included
Review: This dvd opens with Claudio Arrau performing the final movement of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto, and everything else is sort of a disappointment by comparison. Although Arrau is lumped together on this disc with Phillipe Entremont, Van Cliburn, John Browning, Jorge Bolet, Jose Iturbi and other good pianists, he was one of the 20th century's truly great pianists in the category of Serkin, Rubinstein, Horowitz and Richter. (Robert Casadesus, who is technically fantastic in the final movement of Chopin's 3rd piano sonata - an unusual selection for him as he was not a Chopin player - is the other interesting artist on this dvd. If only he slowed down here and there to let the music breathe a little....) In any event, twenty or thirty seconds of watching Arrau at the keyboard is enough to differentiate him from the rest of the pack and worth the price of the disc. His hands are unbelievable and he produced music, not notes like the others. He was a great Beethoven player - enormously insightful and poetic.

Some other downsides re: this dvd - the orchestra is disappointing, but this is the fault of the conducter who is like an automaton; and the musical cuts are appalling - even some of the supposedly uncut pieces suffer abridgements. Otherwise, as stated above, worth acquiring for the Arrau performance.

Rating:
Summary: Other Than Arrau, we also have Casadesus, Johannesen ...
Review: 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.