Customer Reviews

BBC Great Composers [VHS]

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This has to be by far the best, most professionally produced video series on composers today. Kenneth Branaugh's voice-over is a delight and adds to the dramatic scope of the production. Kudos to the BBC!

One of the special highlights is a scene showing the "surgical operation" on Beethoven's 200-year old hair by a modern physician. On-location shooting in Germany and Vienna complete with re-enactments (all too rare in most Classical Composer vids) makes for exciting pacing. Truly deserves repeated viewing. Another great hallmark is the impassioned choreography of camera with music playing -- who says Classical Music is dull!? You also get plenty of interviews with noted scholars and pre-eminent conductors -- some of them sadly already departed, like Sir George Solti. For those -- like me -- who've never had the opportunity to actually hear some of their favorite conductors speak, this set is a revelation!

I've viewed the Beethoven one alone some 5 times. Admittedly, I taped these episodes -- sans the Bach -- when it aired on PBS about a year ago, but am seriously considering purchasing the whole set for better quality and the inclusion of the Bach video. It's that Good!

I've sampled Hans Conrad Fischer's "Life of Anton Bruckner" and Biography's "Beethoven" video, but none can compare to the production value on this set. For any lover or new-comer to Classical Music, this set is a MUST. Absolutely recommend it.

When I first saw this program, it was during a late-night fit of insomnia a year ago. I turned on the TV, flipped through a few channels, and stopped dead when I heard a tidbit of gorgeous, heartwrenching music playing to a program on PBS. It seemed to be a biography...on Gustav Mahler! Now, at the time, I was 18 years old and I had been a classical music fan for just a month or so. But I sat glued to this Mahler program. I learned all about the correlation between his sad, troubled life, and his stormy, tempestuous music. I couldn't have changed the channel if I tried. It was mesmerizing. At the end, when they announced that they would explore the life of Tchaikovsky the next week, I was thrilled. I made a mental note to catch the program, but they must have switched timeslots because I couldn't find the program the week after that. I was pretty let-down about that. But, to my immense joy and complete astonishment, I found the ENTIRE four-tape set at my local library! I took the set home and totally consumed it, hour after hour. It was the most fascinating thing I'd ever watched, and it inspired me beyond measure to soak up all the musical knowledge I could. What makes this set completely astounding is that it utilizes both the music of the composers, and the commentary of expert musicians/conductors/historians to actually put you in the composer's mind! The bits and pieces of music that they showcase are worth the entire price tag in and of themselves. Especially in the Bach program, where a young tenor delivers a STRIKING performance of "Erbarme Dich Mein Gott" from the St. Matthew Passion. It will literally bring tears to your eyes. I really hope that the BBC eventually brings this set to a DVD format. A treasure like this shouldn't be allowed to fade into dust. In closing I'd like to say, this set of tapes changed my life completely. If it can make an 18-year-old classical novice appreciate this music, imagine what it can do for you.

---Barrett

A very interesting and entertaining look into some of the greatest composers of our time. I just discovered the genius inherit in many of these men, and surprisingly through movies. The Arthurian movie Excalibur had a tremendous Wagner score, I believe the search for the Holy Grail piece, and this lead me to Bach--which lead me to this series through research. Of course I was already familiar with Beethoven and Mozart but more in depth information on their music and life was enjoyable.

What this program has successfully done is blend both their music and their lives into coherent and understandable show. Success is almost guaranteed though, as any program that combines the music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and Puccini would have to blunder greatly to achieve failure. Though I would not recommend this for true beginners in classical music who know very little about any of the men, as this is aimed more at the intermediate classical enthusiast. Knowing a little bit about each man's music and possibly life before watching them would be recommended.