PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Bach Performance on the Piano (Angela Hewitt) (2008)

Bach Performance on the Piano (Angela Hewitt) (2008) (NTSC)

If you create a user account, you can add your own review of this DVD

Released 28-Mar-2008

Cover Art

This review is sponsored by
BUY IT

Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Classical Main Menu Audio & Animation
Booklet
Rating Rated E
Year Of Production 2008
Running Time 212:45 (Case: 210)
RSDL / Flipper RSDL (83:08)
Dual Disc Set
Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 1,2,3,4,5,6 Directed By Uli Aumüller
Studio
Distributor
Hyperion
Select Audio-Visual Distrib
Starring Angela Hewitt
Daniel Müller-Schott
Case Amaray-Opaque-Dual-Secure Clip
RPI $59.95 Music Johann Sebastian Bach


Video (NTSC) Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None Audio Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Audio dts 5.1 (768Kb/s)
Audio Linear PCM 48/16 2.0 (1536Kb/s)
English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 480i (NTSC)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.78:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English
German
French
Italian
Spanish
Japanese
Chinese
Chinese
Russian
Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    The title of this DVD release should really be "Angela Hewitt's Performance on the Piano". It features perhaps more of the toothy Canadian pianist than is desirable. Not that there is anything particularly wrong with her pianism. It is more to do with her opinions on playing Bach and (to a lesser extent) her mannerisms that put her in an unflattering light.

    This two-DVD set contains a two-and-a-half hour lecture on the playing of Bach and a one hour concert given by Hewitt featuring an all-Bach programme. The lecture was recorded in the Fazioli piano factory and features the pianist discussing various topics in the playing of Bach as well as some musical examples. The lecture is divided into chapters such as Phrasing, Tone, Articulation, Fingering, Pedalling etcetera. Hewitt reads somewhat awkwardly from a prepared script - one can see the autocue reflected in the piano at one point. She also has an annoying delivery which involves a series of somewhat overdone or mannered facial expressions. But more disconcerting is the didactic nature of the lecture, where there appears to be only one way to play Bach - the Hewitt way. Fair enough for an artist to be confident in their own technique, but most would recognise that there is more than one way to play Bach, especially given (as Hewitt points out) that he left few indications other than the notes themselves in his scores, and that he composed his music on something other than the modern piano on which Hewitt and many others play his keyboard music. I also found some of her comments condescending. For example, in reference to a piano competition at which she was a judge and in which competitors were required to play two short Bach pieces, she recalls that many launched immediately into the second piece after the first with little pause, even when the two pieces had a different mood or character. This she characterises as showing "a high degree of insensitivity". A more generous assessment might have been that the competitors showed a high degree of nervousness and rushed through their programme as a result.

    This being said, there were some insights for a layperson like me in the lecture and probably would be for piano students, at whom this is squarely aimed. The concert features three works, the Partita No. 4, the Italian Concerto and the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue. The middle work is the most familiar to me and was slightly disappointing in that parts of the outer movements lacked character and seemed rushed and even disjointed, certainly in comparison to another Hewitt recording of the work which I have on CD. However the audience seemed to lap it up. Having never seen Hewitt perform before I was distracted by the constant physical performance she gives, other than playing the work that is. Her playing is accompanied by every kind of facial expression, swaying and dipping of the head, and each piece was concluded by her lifting her arms as if in triumph - "look what I just did" was what it made me think was going through her head. Possibly I am being less than generous, but I much prefer the more aristocratic playing style where the emotion comes across through the music alone and not any added gymnastics.

    Ms Hewitt certainly has her admirers and if you are one of them you will probably enjoy much of what is here. If you haven't seen her play in person then you may be as taken aback as I was. Caveat emptor.

    This DVD is released by the Hyperion label and has catalogue number DVDA68001.

Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.

Track Listing

1. Partita No.4 in D major BWV828
2. Italian Concerto in F major BWV971
3. Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue in D mino

Transfer Quality

Video

    Both parts of this programme were shot on video and are released in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The video is 16x9 enhanced.

    The video quality is disappointing, at least when screened using front projection to any large size. It is better appreciated on a television or monitor display. The video is kind of sharp but detail is compromised. In the wider shots in the lecture where Hewitt is seen at a distance, she seems at times to have two sets of eyes so fuzzy is the video. There is quite a lot of pixelation at times.

    The lecture and concert are both well-lit so there is no issue with shadows. Colour is a little dull though flesh tones are generally accurate and black levels are good.

    Aliasing is the main culprit in terms of video artefacts, being present in the pianist's hair as well as on the strings of the piano. Some cross-colouration artefacts are also visible. During the concert there is noticeable horizontal banding, probably caused by interference of some sort.

    The lecture disc is dual-layered. I did not notice the layer break, but it occurs at 83:08. The concert disc is single-layered.

    Optional subtitles are provided for the lecture in a variety of languages. All are in clear white text and the English subtitles look to be word-for-word with the text of the lecture.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The lecture is available in Dolby Digital 2.0 only. Three audio tracks are provided for the concert. I listened to the DTS 5.1 track and sampled the Dolby Digital 5.1 and the LPCM stereo tracks.

    The recorded sound is good, if somewhat close. The piano sound is full and rich though sometimes I thought it was a little too hard. The acoustic favours the front speakers and there is nothing in the way of directional effects. The low frequency effects channel nicely emphasises the bass sounds without resulting in any thumping and stage and pedalling noises did not seem to be picked up.

    Hewitt's diction in the lecture component is clear and easy to understand.

    The Dolby Digital track is less warm than the DTS to a surprising degree, though in terms of detail there really isn't any difference between them. The stereo track seemed more detailed and realistic than either of the surround tracks, but was also less involving.

    There were no issues with audio sync.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

Main Menu Audio and Animation

    Music and vision from these discs.

Booklet

    More of an insert than a booklet, this four-page sheet contains a complete track listing and biography of the performer.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    This release appears to be identical worldwide.

Summary

    Whether you enjoy this programme and find it informative may depend on your reaction to the performer.

    The video quality is less than ideal.

    The audio quality is good.

    No substantial extras.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Philip Sawyer (Bio available.)
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Review Equipment
DVDSony DVP-NS9100ES, using HDMI output
DisplaySony VPL-VW60 SXRD projector with 95" screen. Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderBuilt into HD DVD Player, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum.
AmplificationReceiver: Pioneer VSX-AX4ASIS; Power Amplifiers: Elektra Reference (mains), Elektra Theatron (centre/rears)
SpeakersMain: B&W Nautilus 800; Centre: Tannoy Sensys DCC; Rear: Tannoy Revolution R3; Subwoofer: Richter Thor Mk IV

Other Reviews NONE