Karajan - Mozart: Violin Concerto No.5 / Dvorak: Symphony No.9 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Karajan - Mozart: Violin Concerto No.5 / Dvorak: Symphony No.9 Blu-ray Movie Review

Henri-Georges Clouzot serves up a diabolically entertaining set of concert films.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 25, 2010

Mention the name Henri-Georges Clouzot to any fan of classic foreign film and you’re sure to get a dissertation on the “French Hitchcock” and his most famous films, The Wages of Fear and Les Diaboliques, both of which have received less than stellar American remakes. Back before M. Night Shyamalan supposedly invented the “big twist,” Clouzot was amazing audiences not just with unexpected plot turns, but perhaps more importantly with an elegant and fluid approach to staging and framing that has made his rather small output of feature films cult items for discriminating cineastes. (It’s no mere coincidence that a movie marquee in Tarantino’s recent Inglourious Basterds advertises Clouzot’s Le Corbeau). Clouzot’s brilliantly structured films fell out of favor with the looser New Wave which swept over French, and ultimately international, cinema in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, and the director was also hampered by long (inaccurate) allegations of Nazi sympathizing and, later, perhaps self-inflicted bouts of mental and physical ill health. Even some of Clouzot’s coterie of fans aren’t aware that he also directed a handful of documentaries in his life, most famously The Mystery of Picasso, an engaging 1956 portrait (no pun intended) of the famous artist which was awarded the Special Jury Prize that year at the Cannes Festival. Less well known, but certainly no less impressive, are Clouzot’s collaborations with the iconic conductor Herbert von Karajan. Von Karajan was always interested in new technologies and media, and he had long wanted to preserve his conducting for posterity on film. In the mid-1960’s Clouzot was physically incapable of working on something as arduous as a feature film (his Romy Schneider feature L’Enfer had turned out to be, a propos of its title, hell for the director and had never been completed). When von Karajan approached Clouzot with the idea of filming several performances, Clouzot may not have actually jumped at the idea, but he did in fact end up filming five von Karajan concerts, two of which are presented on this really fascinating new Blu-ray.

If the names Henri-Georges Clouzot and Herbert von Karajan aren’t enough to at least slightly pique your interest, the first performance on this Blu-ray is the only filmed collaboration between von Karajan and another titan of 20th century music, violinist Yehudi Menuhin. The two tackle Mozart’s alternately ebullient and almost vicious (something rather unusual for Mozart) Fifth Violin Concerto in A major. Filled both with the expected Mozartian lyricism, as well as some quasi-Orientalism vis a vis its supposed “Turkish” themes, this is a piece that leapfrogs huge stylistic variances in a breath. Von Karajan conducts the Vienna Philharmonic here, in what appears to be a Baroque castle parlor, replete with glass chandeliers and wall sconces aglow with lit candles. As the Blu-ray’s liner notes mention, it’s the picture perfect setting for what a classical music audience thought of as being the setting for “highbrow” art, whether or not that is actually the case.

Clouzot’s directorial flourishes throughout the Mozart are thrilling and always incredibly musical. Short but effective dollies track between Menuhin and various orchestral sections, and a variety of setups fills the screen with a really amazingly varied set of viewpoints. Clouzot gives us everything from the soundhole of Menuhin’s violin to an overhead shot taking in the scalps of the entire orchestra, conductor and soloist. In fact, I was personally curious throughout this beautifully filmed and edited piece if it had been through-played, or stopped and started as various new setups were accomplished. Alas, there appears to be no existing information on how exactly either this or the Dvorak also included on this Blu-ray were actually filmed. This is a thrilling performance in any event, and it’s a remarkable achievement whether it was stopped and started or played straight through with the cameras moving to and fro.

The second film included here is of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” in E minor. Probably the most famous orchestral piece in Dvorak’s oeuvre (a shame, in my not so humble opinion), Dvorak’s piece is famous for its utilization of folktunes, or at least quasi-folktunes, but it also owes an enormous debt to the most famous ninth symphony of all, Beethoven’s. Here von Karajan directs the Berlin Philharmonic in an elegantly balanced and at times ferocious interpretation. Clouzot’s directorial genius shines through again, with a variety of languid crossfades which help establish the dialogue between orchestral sections. Again we get bird’s eye views of the orchestra, but Clouzot is even more daring here, with huge swooping shots that hone in on individual players who are enjoying a moment’s solo.

Unfortunately the relationship between Clouzot and von Karajan deteriorated shortly after these performances were filmed, and the two were unable to continue working together. Von Karajan is remarkably subdued in these performances, sometimes barely moving at all, but behind the scenes (as is shown in the supplements discussed below), he could obviously be a bit of a pill to endure. Whether or not that had anything to do with this collaboration ultimately failing is anyone's guess, but it is a real shame for posterity that more of these gems weren't captured on film. Those of us who like classical music and are becoming more and more used to concerts being taped for broadcast or even released in all their hi-def splendor on Blu-ray need to recall that it was the nascent efforts of people like von Karajan and Clouzot, no matter what their eventual differences, that paved the way for current releases. Unitel is to be commended for having produced these pieces to begin with in the mid-1960’s and for the releasing them now for a new generation to enjoy.

Karajan - Mozart: Violin Concerto No.5 / Dvorak: Symphony No.9 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

These two performances arrive on Blu-ray with very, very nice looking AVC encoded transfers in 1080i and 1.34:1. Filmed in black and white, but with Clouzot's eye for chiaroscuro, lighting detail and very intelligent editing mean these "mere" performances have a filmic sweep unlike anything I've personally witnessed. Best of all, after some minor damage on the title cards, the films themselves look splendid, with gorgeous contrast, coal-black darks and wonderfully modulated grays and whites. In fact, I wish some of the classic black and white films we've had released on Blu-ray sported this sharp and well defined of an image. Fine detail is exceptional, to the point where you can actually see inside Menuhin's violin through the soundhole during some extreme closeups.

Karajan - Mozart: Violin Concerto No.5 / Dvorak: Symphony No.9 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unitel has done a superb job delivering a nicely precise lossless LPCM 2.0 mix for the music performances. There is in fact only one thing to really complain about, and I'm certain it's due to the original microphone placement at these filming sessions, namely, Menuhin's solo violin is sometimes buried in the orchestral mass when it really should be blazing out in front. Other than that passing qualm, these are deep, rich and expressive performances which have evidently been very well preserved and make it onto hi-def audio with wonderful fidelity and no noticeable damage to report. Dynamic range is excpeptional, and we're treated to both glorious highs and lows on the frequency spectrum here, with no cutoffs or dropouts.

Karajan - Mozart: Violin Concerto No.5 / Dvorak: Symphony No.9 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Though they're not billed as supplements, and in fact follow the concerts with no segue, there are two really fascinating interviews included, part of what was evidently a television special series von Karajan participated in called The Art of Conducting. The first interview finds von Karajan at the piano with Menuhin standing next to him, as the two discuss Mozart in particular and conducting and violin playing in general. We then get basically a brief Master Class in conducting as von Karajan works with the string section of the Vienna Philharmonic on just the first phrase (!) of the Concerto. Watch as von Karajan gently (well, kind of) demands different techniques from the players, asking for notes to be played on open strings, and then fingered, to hear the difference. Amazing stuff. The second, briefer, interview is with a musicologist and professor named Joachim Kaiser which centers around Dvorak, folksong and the Ninth Symphony. The first interview is in (sometimes halting) English, the second in German with optional English subtitles.

Karajan - Mozart: Violin Concerto No.5 / Dvorak: Symphony No.9 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

No, the concertmaster does not stand up and murder Menuhin in this Clouzot directed performance (though one wonders if he wanted to murder von Karajan). Of course I jest, but the real "twist" of these incredible performances is that they've been gathering dust in some archive for over 40 years. What an incredible pleasure to not only hear such impeccable interpretations, but to see these performances under the inspired directorial "conducting" of Clouzot. This is a must have (or at least a should have) Blu-ray for anyone with even a passing interest in either French cinema or classical music. Very highly recommended.