COMPOSERS: Various
LABELS: EMI
PERFORMER: Yehudi Menuhin
CATALOGUE NO: 4 92363 9 ................#DI9
Bruno Monsaingeon's MENUHIN documentary, go a long way towards filling the void.
This beautifully crafted portrait of the legendary violinist includes a vast amount of archive footage from the Forties to the Nineties, much of it never seen before, linked together by Menuhin's own narrative. Menuhin, in a colourful collection of shirts and a variety of poses (including standing on his head), talks about his life and relationships — personal and professional - in an unassuming way.
The opening chapters are biographical, telling of his childhood and rise to fame, using shots or newspaper articles to advance the storyline. Menuhin gives favourable criticism to his younger self as he watches the clips on a small I V screen. Details of all the musical excerpts arc listed in the accompanying booklet, as well as in the form of subtitles.
The long central section entitled 'encounters' is a fabulous collection of Menuhin's performances with many of the major musical names of the last century, including Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Mstislav Rostropovich, Colin Davis, Pablo Casals and Herbert von Karajan, whom he describes as a 'poseur'.