16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Teaching Children Music, March 23, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Liszt's Rhapsody [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I used this video in an elementary school music class. I watched the video 10 times and I enjoyed it every time.
The video presents a lot of facts about his life in an enjoyable format suitable for school age children. It would also be good for older students who are just learning about the composers and their times.
You may need to draw out the facts from the movie a little like: "Liszt was the first to position the piano to the side so the audience could see his hands and was the very first to present a concert with this kind of showmanship," but there is a lot about him and bits of his most recognizable music in the soundtrack.
Of the six videos I have seen in the "Composers Series" I like this one best.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Little known facts about Liszt's encounter, October 3, 2004
This review is from: Liszt's Rhapsody [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I know this movie is for children, but some of the reviewer here are missing the point.
I thought this movie was well written to teach children (and to remind adults) who we are; all of us are different and unique, from the children's point of views. In this movie, Josi Sarai,the gypsy boy.
The real life Franz Liszt's adventure with Josi is very little known to the public but it was a fact. And the most of the outline was fairly accurate and true, except those little details such as; Liszt was not the one to conceive the idea of training gypsy boy, but Count Teleky, who is a comic relief in this movie-the real life friend of Liszt "bought" the boy from the family and brought him, dropped him on the door step of Liszt. (But that might not be appropriate for educational material, I guess.)
Liszt did not found "Rhapsody" by encountering gypsies on the street corners, but he actually visited them in the camp, stayed wih them, observed the lives closely, and was inspired by them to put together his series of hungarian national melodies, and then, revised them to the popular version of "Hungarian Rhapsody".
Anyone interested in finding out what happened to Josi?
He rejoin his tribe and married a gypsy girl roughly ten years after he left Liszt. They had a boy, and named him after Liszt.
Liszt was honored to know he was a Godfather of the boy, sent "little Frankie" a violin. (I'm paraphrasing from the book written by Liszt "Gipsy in Music")
There you have it.
I understand the difficulty of putting the facts, all explained with accuracy in 60 minutes children's educational material.
And I thought it was well put together.
If teachers who wish touse this is a classroom music project, or some of the viewer wish to research the life of Liszt, I highly recommend three books of "Franz Liszt" by Dr.Alan Walker, and the CD series by the pianist, Dr.Leslie Howard.
Personally, I love this video and I know the whole thing by heart.
My rating of 4stars are infinitely close to 5. The actors of these three main characters did great job. (And Drew is a fine violin player, might I add.) The restriction of 60minutes and guideline for educational material took away the little piece of star.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
BAD STORY great music!, January 28, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Liszt's Rhapsody [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This sad fictional account of Liszt makes this great monumental artist seem like a lame duck. A far better story could have been created to show Liszt as the great artist and person he really was... as those great qualities are enough to procure admiration and instill motivation in any young child! So please, dispense with giving children the notion that this great man was a wimp! It's only Liszt's music that rescues this tale from "zero stars" oblivion!
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