Schubert The Trout / The Greatest Love And The Greatest Sorrow

Introduction

Two award-winning films by Christopher Nupen, both using the composer Franz Schubert as their subject, each completely different, but complementing each other perfectly on a very welcome DVD release.

The first film, `The Trout`, is very simply a filmed performance of the Piano Quintet in A minor (known as `The Trout` through Schubert`s use of the theme in one of the movements which he had composed for his song of the same name). What makes it special however, is the fact that it`s played by Daniel Barenboim, Itzhak perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman, Jaqueline du Pré and Zubin Mehta. This is the celebrated film of the live performance from August 1969, when all the players were in their early to mid-twenties, and just before they were all to achieve worldwide acclaim as soloists in their own right.

The second is Nupen`s film from the early 1990`s, `The Greatest Love and the Greatest Sorrow`. This film doesn`t go into the details of Schubert`s life, but prefers to bring the viewer closer to how the composer felt about his `creative spirit`. The script of the film is mostly taken from Schubert`s own writings and the words he used for his later songs.

Video

The video on this disc is presented in 2 different aspect ratios. The menus and introductions and shown in anamorphic widescreen (16:9) while the main films are in 4:3 fullscreen.

The quality of the video in the later film is perfectly fine, but `The Trout` is typical old TV stock, however it seems to have been cleaned up somewhat from the old video I had of the same performance, and is none the worse for that.

Audio

Sound is presented in LPCM stereo and is perfectly adequate for the disc content. The quality of sound in the performance of the Piano Quintet is clear and as natural as you can get considering the age of the film.

Features

Extras are limited, although this isn`t a criticism considering the quality of the disc, to brief and tantalising glimpses into many other Christopher Nupen films (the one showing duets played by Perlman and Zuckerman has to be one of the greatest filmed musical performances of all time!). Nupen (and du Pré, in an audio intro to `The Trout` from 1978) give introductions to each of the sections, and the disc comes with a booklet giving concise details on the DVD content.

We also have the option to go play the performance of the quintet only (or get to each individual movement).

Subtitles are in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian.

Conclusion

There are few DVDs which have given me so much enjoyment, and which anyone with any interest at all in music will want to watch time and time again (more especially the performance of the quintet).

`The Greatest Love and the Greatest Sorrow` begins at the time Schubert was a torch-bearer at the funeral of Beethoven. The title of this film comes from a quote from Schubert`s diary as he described one of his dreams in great detail. The account is read out in full during the film, and through other personal letters and excerpts from his later, smaller and more intimate works, we are drawn into the life of a man who knew he was dying (he caught syphilis at the age of 25 and died 6 years later), and who felt an almost unbearable sadness in the knowledge that he would have to leave the place and the people he loved so much, but didn`t know when this would happen.

Overall, this is a highly effective documentary, although I dispute Nupen`s assertion that many people would state that Schubert was their favourite composer, yet wouldn`t put him up there with the likes of Bach, Mozart or Beethoven. His greatness as a composer is never put in doubt though and even though we aren`t exposed to his symphonic works (quite deliberately I`m sure, as this is a very intimate account of his last years) we still learn all we need to know about his state of mind and outlook on life through his own words and very well edited and performed excerpts from his music.

`The Trout` (a title the BBC apparently disliked, as they thought viewers would think they were advertising a fishing programme) is possibly the most watched classical music performance on television. It has been repeated several times in many countries, quite often breaking records for classical music viewing figures each time it`s on). It sprang from an age when public service broadcasting produced new and exciting ways of bringing the arts (especially music) to millions of people through the medium of television for the first time.

Each performer is a fantastic soloist in their own right (Zubin Mehta also trained as a Double Bass player, so his conducting was put aside for a while), but they play together, as good friends should, as an accomplished ensemble who have known each other for years. The programme also uniquely captures, although too briefly, the preparations a concert like this would need, taking us into the green room a few minutes beforehand, through the whole concert itself, and in the green room following immediately afterwards.

Some fascinating little details include Zuckerman`s hunt for a suitable viola (at that time he was known as a violinist) involving Charles Beare. We are told that "Charles Beare knows the whareabouts of nearly every good instrument in London". We are not told that Beare`s (nowadays anyway) doesn`t generally want to help unless your instrument is worth over 10 grand but that`s neither here not there, and I`m not bitter...honest!

Another amusing section involves the description of the performance being at "the new Elizabeth Hall" (sic) followed immediately by a shot of the outside of the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the adjacent Purcell Room with half the letters missing from each entrance. Ah well, at least the place is being redeveloped now.

Any performance involving Jacqueline du Pré is tinged with sadness, now we know what was to happen, however this film is yet another testament to her inate fun-loving musicianship, and it`s a pleasure to have this out on DVD. Roll on the rest of Chris Nupen`s films.

Thoroughly recommended!