Originally bundled with his live sonata performances, the masterclasses on Beethoven sonatas given by Barenboim are now separately available for about 40 USD in Taiwan. It comes with two DVD’s and for all purposes the video and sound quality is excellent, though I still miss the HD broadcast shown last year on NHK BS hi.The young pianists instructed by Barenboim include Saleem Abboud Ashkar, Alessio Bax, Jonathan Biss, David Kadouch, Shai Wosner, and Lang Lang.
In every episode, the student plays a full movement of a chosen Beethoven sonata, to the exclaim of the master and the audience. And then from the seemingly perfect performance, Barenboim always finds something subtler that the student should improve. At the end of the instruction the master usually gives a short summary and takes the questions from the audience. The performance of the master in a concert is then shown to conclude the episode.
This is enlightening and indispensable material for piano teachers and students. But to outsiders, the interaction between the master and the student is not only fun to watch, but also offers more insight to aid the appreciation of Beethoven’s music and the performance. You will probably learn more about Beethoven’s piano music from this pair of DVD’s than from any other recordings.
EMI Classics 5099950489091
Product web page on EMI Classics site.
