Educational Media Reviews Online

Israeli-American concert pianist Ophra Yerushalmi’s appreciative film on Chopin explores myriad ways the music of the tragically short-lived 19th-century Polish-French composer and pianist is understood. Far from attempting a traditional biographical survey, new filmmaker Yerushalmi interweaves vignettes showcasing reception of Chopin’s music: as interpreted by students and professional musicians on keyboards (including a piano-accordion); as used to inspire choreographers like Isadora Duncan and Jerome Robbins or the art filmmaker Mikhail Kobakhidze; and even as ‘erased’ by the contemporary Italian installation artist Emilio Isgro. What Chopin’s music reveals about the man himself is also treated via analysis by psychiatrist Peter Neubauer. Polish poet Adam Zagajewski discusses Chopin as a symbol of Polish nationality.

Excerpts from many of Chopin’s works, each identified, are played throughout the film by a variety of pianists, all of whom are named and most of whom speak about what Chopin’s music has meant to them, comment on his place in history, or speculate on Chopin’s life (“Did they sleep together?” one of them wonders when discussing the composer’s liaison with George Sand). A couple of pieces are begun by one pianist and, via skillful film segues, continued by another. Different opinions on where to place the accent in Chopin mazurkas are aired. Talking heads, performing hands, dancing bodies, still pictures (of scores, paintings, sculptures, drawings), and outdoor scenes in France and Italy provide visual variety. Sound quality is generally good except for a few personal microphones; the piano Lucas Foss plays could have used a tune-up.

Composers Foss and John Eaton, dance historian Lynn Garafola, pianists Frederic Chiu (named for Chopin), Pavlina Dokovska, Jerome Lowenthal, Georges Pludemacher, and Abbey Simon participated in the film, as did students from the Juilliard School and the Mannes College of Music. Many of the people interviewed for this project speak English as a second language; in some cases, subtitles would enhance audience understanding, especially for people with little experience of Chopin. As an educational tool, the DVD will be most useful in conservatories with an emphasis on piano performance.