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However, there is a short clip of Barbirolli rehearsing ( a minute or so) which most revealing and was later directly commented upon by an EMI Record producer. We also have Beecham talking, rehearsing and performing. The consensus among the top musicians (Issac Stern, Menuhin, Hugh Bean etc) was: he was grossly underrated. But perhaps due to the availability of the films, the point is not sufficiently bourne out by the short clips here.

The point about Bernstein is well made out, pariticularly in the light of the commentaries by Issac Stern ( to a lesser degree by JE Gardiner) and the rehearsal/performance though short are neverthless self evident. So was the case of Weigartner and Busch.

We have some precise comments on Furtwangler by Menuhin, to be supplemented by Schwarzkopf and the then timpanist of the Berlin Philharmonic; such comments are to be seen from another angle by Hugh Bean and rounded up by an EMI Record Producer. I'm not sure if the point is well made out from the clips here; but that shouldn't worry serious music lovers who would have no problem referring to his CDs in the light of these comments.

The point about Klemperer, however briefly, is well made out. So is the case of Strauss or even Toscanini and Stokowski. Stokowski even explained in front of the camera the role of a conductor and what he was driving at. Likewise was the coverage of Bruno Walter and Szell, both in terms of comments and illustrations: both talked and rehearsed and performed. The coverage of Reiner is shorter but was no less forceful. The case of Koussevitzky is comparatively weaker though.

In a nutshell, very informative as to what music is, and how these great musicians make music, not so much as composers but more as interpreter of the composers' music. And having gone through it a second time, and to do it justice, I must add: it has deservingly won the Best Video - 1995 Gramophone Award 1995 (UK) & Choc de l'Annee 1994...The producer,or rather the musicans generally had much misgivings about Karajan: note Schwartkopf's relation of Furtwrangler's comment about Mr "Kar's way" treatment on Beethoven; Isaac Stern along other musicans emphasis on eye contact with the members which should be as important as the baton for the conductor etc...

A Great Film
I wish it had Eugene Ormandy in action though... since I study music in Philadelphia.
However, this is a great film.
A must have!!!!

A Must if you want to see these Maestros in Action
A very good survey of 16 of the 20th century's great conductors, some greater than the others, one must add.

The contributors are attractive enough. We have Jack Brymer, John Gardiner, Beecham himself, and a lot more. Among them Menuhin is definitely the superstar. His comments on Beecham, Furtwangler or Toscanini, just like his violin music, are so expressive and very much to the point. As to Isaac Stern, his remarks make a mixed bag. But once the question is rightly framed, like those on Bruno Walter or Bernstein, heis no less potent.

Comments on Reiner and Stokowski are very precise too. Or else, Klemperer on Walter, plus clips of the two rehearsing on their own are so illuninating. And we can even see Strauss himself actually conducting! These two alone are worth the price of this DVD. And of course, one may also be delighted by what Berlin Philharmonic's former timpanist's said of Karajan, "he is not a creator of any kind; he is a salesman, selling music, selling the orchestra and himself... but that was what we wanted..."

The length of the coverage, however, varies a lot perhaps due to the availability of the clips or whatever: some unnecessarily long and some unforgivably short. Moreover, they don't always support or illustrate the point the contributors are making. We even have George Szell talking about the justification of keeping an orchestra and the financial side of keeping one etc, quite irrelevant as far as the art of conducting is concerned. One may also grumble that quite a number of great European conductors are left unntouched. But the running time is already 164 min. plus a most interesting bonus. We perhaps couldn't possibly expect more.