Search - Herbert Von Karajan - His Legacy for Home Video: Modest Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition on DVD

Impressive both visually and musically

R. Evans | Montgomery AL | 03/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been collecting videos of performances of classical music and have been impressed by other titles in the Karajan series (despite some objections to them from other Amazon reviewers). This video, however, especially impressed me. I had been worried that Karajan would be too much the focus of the films in this series and that the orchestra would be neglected. So far that has not been a problem, and in this video in particular there is an excellent balance, with the weight really being given to the playing (where it belongs). Karajan does not showboat (as well he might have done in a piece of music as spectacular as this one), and indeed his conducting here seems especially restrained and subtle. The sound is good (although obviously a CD would be better), but what most impressed me about this film was the artistry (in fact, the beauty) of the camera-work and editing. This film does not really seem to be a recording of a concert-hall performance (although an effort is made to give that impression); if it is, I would be astonished. However, the likelihood that it seems to have been filmed in a studio allows the director to get stunning close-ups of the musicians and their instruments. One really sees how the music is MADE. There are scenes in this film of the violins playing in unison that are as exciting as any filmed car-chase I have ever witnessed. I give this film a big thumb's up."

You won't be sorry!

Antonio Miranda | Odenton, MD USA | 09/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This item is excellent in every way: performance, camera work, sound. I can sincerely say I wouldn't change a thing."