Nathan Milstein In Portrait DVD

Nathan Milstein: In Portrait DVD..... This is a film in two parts with one of the finest performing musicians of the 20th century, an artist whose career spanned 73 years and who won the admiration and respect of virtually every international musician of his time and the genuine affection of most of them.

Why master of invention? Because Nathan Mironovich Milstein's ability to invent new ways of doing things on the violin constantly impressed musicians, critics and the public alike throughout his career.

At the age of eleven, Nathan Milstein astonished Leopold Auer and Jascha Heifetz at his first appearance in Auer's class in St. Petersburg; it prompted Auer to ask his pupils, "Well, how do you like that Black Sea technique?" and the rumour went out that Auer was so stunned that he had fainted. Not a bad start for an eleven year old performer.

Less than a year later, he surprised Alexander Glazounov by inventing changes to Glazounov's violin concerto at a rehearsal with the composer himself conducting. Milstein recounts that Glazounov, peering over his moon glasses, inquired, "Don't you like what I did?" The young violinist instantly modified his playing to accord with the score, but after the rehearsal Glazounov generously invited him to play it his own way at the forthcoming concert.

This DVD contains both parts of our portrait film, NATHAN MILSTEIN: MASTER OF INVENTION plus the whole of the Kreutzer Sonata with Georges Pludemacher at the piano and the whole of the Bach Chaconne. Both of the latter works were filmed during Nathan Milstein's last public recital in the Berwaldhallen in Stockholm on the 17th of July 1986 when Nathan Milstein was 82 years old and still playing as the grandest of Grand Masters. Written and directed by Christopher Nupen.