The world’s greatest paintings brought into your living room
An exciting new DVD art series known as 1000 Masterworks (or Meisterwerke in German) has recently been released by ArtHaus Music and is distributed by Naxos. It is based on a highly successful German TV program that has been adapted for the DVD format. A total of 16 DVDs have been released to date and I hope that others are in the offing. I have viewed two and what I saw and heard was so impressive that I decided to bring this to the attention of art lovers.
With the name 1000 Masterworks, I approached the review with some trepidation fearing that I would be inundated with hundred’s of images. But this was completely unfounded. Only five paintings are featured on each DVD. The discussion on each painting is concise and geared to give the viewer a greater understanding of the specific painting. The spoken dialogue is in English, French or German. The images of the paintings are of high quality and there are many close-ups of various sections of the painting under discussion.
In addition to the selected painting, works by other masters who inspired the artist are often featured. Additional noteworthy creations by the artist are often shown and the influence on subsequent art movements highlighted. This gives an excellent perspective leaving one with a greater understanding and deeper insight into the specific painting as well as the artist and their place in the pantheon of art history.
In the Portrait in the Renaissance, seminal paintings by Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Durer, Lorenzo Lotto, and Luca Signorelli are all lucidly explained. In the DVD on the Baroque, works by Anton van Dyck, Peter Paul Rubens, Diego Velazquez, Rembrandt van Rijn, and Michelangelo Caravaggio are critically analyzed. My understanding of these art movements was considerably enhanced after viewing these informative DVDs.
The DVDs released cover many of the seminal developments in art history. Each one focuses on one specific art movement beginning with the Italian and Northern European Renaissance. It also covers Flemish paintings from the early and mid-1400s. Other art developments and styles reviewed include mannerism, which served as a link between the renaissance and the Baroque movement. In this art style, the human form is depicted in exaggerated poses and in unrealistic settings. The series then advances to impressionism, German Romanticism and German Expressionism. The latter traces the development of the two major twentieth century schools of this genre including Die Brucke (The Bridge) and Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider).
Cubism and Futurism, the two art movements which revolutionized twentieth century painting are also included. There are also DVDs on the Bauhaus School, Surrealism, Symbolism & Art Nouveau, American painting from the 1950's and 60's as well as abstract expressionism. Some more esoteric epochs are included such as social realism in the now defunct German Democratic Republic (GDR).
Another focus of the series highlights great museums and includes individual DVDs of famous paintings in Paris’s Musee du Louvre, Berlin’s National Gallery and New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Hopefully other museums will soon be made available.
I was somewhat perplexed by some of the painting choices and there appear to be some curious omissions. The DVD on Mannerism lists paintings by Parmigianino, Massys, Arcimboldo, Giulio Romano and Paolo Veronese but not the great mannerists, Bronzino and Correggio.
The DVD on Impressionism includes well known artists such as Mary Cassatt, Max Liebermann and Gustave Caillebotte as well as some lesser known luminaries (Albert Edelfeldt and Peter Severin Krøyer). Surprising Manet, Pissarro, Monet and other famous members of this school are given short thrift. Other omissions include Vincent van Gogh, Manet, Monet, Cezanne and Picasso to name only a few.
On the other hand, I stress that to date I have only seen two DVDs. Hopefully this series represents a continuous ongoing process and the artists mentioned above may well be added to the impressive and highly recommended 1000 Masterworks in the future releases.
1000 Masterpieces is released by Arthaus Musik in cooperation with Naxos which is the world’s leading classical music label. Their huge catalogue comprises classical music CDs and DVDs as well as other genres including jazz, new age, educational and audio-books together with state-of-the-art sound and consumer-friendly prices.
Legend to Figures
Fig 1: 1000 Masterworks: The Portrait in the Renaissance: Portrait of an unknown cleric, Albrecht Durer, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Fig 2: 1000 Masterworks: The Baroque. Samson and Delilah, Anthony van Dyck, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
In honor of its 75th anniversary, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) recently put on a two-week music extravaganza with participation of some of the greatest artists in the world. Conductors who made an appearance included Zubin Mehta Valery Gergiev, Christoph Dohnanyi, Gianandrea Noseda and Kurt Masur. Amongst the prominent soloists were Evgeny Kissin, Murray Perahia, Daniil Trifonov, Pinchas Zukerman, Vadim Repin, Gil Shaham and Julian Rachlin.
The IPO’s home base in Tel Aviv, the Frederic R. Mann Auditorium, is currently undergoing refurbishment so the concerts took place in a converted hanger in Tel Aviv’s port. This large cavernous space was not very conducive to music making. It was difficult to see orchestra and soloists although the management did project the happenings on stage onto giant screens, which did to some extent add an element of intimacy.
There was a splendid recital by Evgeny Kissin, who is today at the very forefront of the world’s great pianists. The first half of the recital was marred by the incessant humming from the air-conditioning units which was only rectified after intermission. It was a great pity that this recital did not take place in a more appropriate intimate venue.
Despite these drawbacks, Kissin held the audience spellbound by his magnificent playing. In his rendering of Beethoven’s Moonlight sonata, his performance was divorced from sentimentality and he gave a deeply introspective account of this ever-popular work and finished off with a whirlwind account of the final presto movement.
This was followed by a performance of Samuel Barber’s neo-romantic sonata for piano op 26, which was premiered in 1950 by another Russian, Vladimir Horowitz. Kissin gave a superb account of this fiendishly difficult work. Although tonal in structure, with Kissin at the keyboard, it became readily evident that Barber incorporated some elements of the Viennese atonal school into this work. Especially noteworthy was the very demanding concluding fourth movement, a fugue, which is often performed by itself as a stand-alone composition.
The rest of the concert was devoted to Chopin. Kissin did not over indulge the romantic aspect of this composer’s music and his rendering of the Nocturne Opus 32 no.2 was well thought out and beautifully structured. He then gave a magisterial account of Chopin’s third piano sonata, the composer’s last major work. Particularly arresting was the slow largo trancelike third movement and he brought out all the power of the final movement ending with the dramatic crescendos. This was a fitting climax to a great concert.
The final concert of the festival was devoted to a performance of Beethoven’s first and ninth symphonies. Ken-David Mazur, the son of Kurt Mazur, was at the podium for the first symphony. He coaxed lush flowing string playing from the IPO and there were some lovely woodwind passages in the first movement. All told, this was a solid respectable performance.
Honorary Guest Conductor of the IPO, Kurt Mazur, took over for the ninth symphony. As is his usual practice, he conducted without a baton. He looked somewhat frail and with his minimum arm gestures, it must have been difficult for the orchestra to follow him. Most of their cues came from his facial motions and eye movements. Nevertheless, the orchestra responded magnificently.
Mazur took the first movement at a rather slow, but measured pace. In the third movement, woodwinds, brass and strings combined to give a sublime account of this adagio, arguably the greatest orchestral music that Beethoven ever composed.
The vocal forces made their appearance in the final movement, which contains the famous Ode to Joy by Friedrich Schiller. Beethoven was never kind to his singers and the acoustically hostile environment compounded their problems. Of the soloists, the most satisfying was Ruth Ziesak, whose soaring soprano could be clearly heard above the orchestra and choir. Veteran bass Kurt Rydl did not have a good night. The real heroes were the magnificent Gary Bertini Israeli Choir and the Jerusalem Academy Chamber Choir. All told, this concert was a fitting climax to a remarkable anniversary celebration.
After this festival, it was back to business as usual with the regular subscription series. In Jerusalem, the 24-year-old Chinese virtuoso pianist, Yuja Wang, selected Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto, the so-called Rach 3 for her debut. Because of its technical and musical demands, this is regarded as one of the most difficult in the piano repertoire.
Yuja Wang gave an unforgettable masterful and mature performance, which completely belied her age. She brought a light touch to this work, displaying all the required virtuosity without too much showmanship. Everything flowed seamlessly from her fingers. She captured the Russian romanticism of the work whilst dispatching the many virtuosic passages with gusto and aplomb. Indeed she electrified the audience with a most memorable account of this piano concerto.
Peter Oundjian led the IPO in this concert. He was at one time, first violin of the notable Tokyo Quartet but has now branched into conducting and is currently Music Director to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He provided sympathetic accompaniment, although at times, orchestral participation seemed too passive and maybe a little more fire would not have been out of place.
After intermission there was a performance of Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances, the composer’s last orchestral work. After Yuja Wang’s tour de force, this was a hard act to follow. Nevertheless, Oundjian and the orchestra certainly conveyed the romantic sweep of the work. Particularly effective was the eerie and sinister waltz motive in the second movement and the Dies Irae which is part of the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass of the final movement. This was a lively performance but I would have preferred Oundjian to drive the powerful forces of the IPO to an even greater extent in the forte passages. This would have added significantly more dramatic contrasts.
A riveting performance that will not be readily forgotten
Jenufa is the best known of Czech composer, Leos Janacek’s operas. The young Jenufa is the unmarried stepdaughter of Kostelnicka who is a highly respected citizen in their village. In this tragic saga, Kostelnicka murders Jenufa’s newly born child. She perpetrated this vile act to maintain her honour and social standing in the village. Indeed she was so concerned with her potential humiliation, that she concealed Jenufa throughout her pregnancy. Her vain attempt to maintain respectability and standing in the village, hopelessly misfired.
The Canadian Daniel Dooner revived German director, Nikolaus Lehnhoff’s production originally staged for the Glyndebourne Opera. The simple but adequate sets by the German, Tobias Hoheisel, effectively portrayed the small parochial village in Moravia where the action is played out. British born Paul Hastie’s lighting effects were particularly noteworthy especially in Act 2, which is set in Kostelnicka’s house. This added much to the dramatic tension.
In the performance I attended, the role of Jenufa was taken by the Armenian soprano, Karine Babajanyan. Overall she gave a good portrayal of the role although her voice did sound a little strained in the lower registers. Of the male protagonists, pride of place went to the American tenor, Hugh Smith, in the role of Laca. This hapless peasant was hopelessly in love with Jenufa and he slashed and disfigured her face so that she would be rejected by his step brother Steva, who was Jenufa’s lover and father of her baby. Steva was sung by the English tenor Andrew Rees whose voice was certainly up to the part, although his stage demeanour failed to convey the hard-drinking womanizer, which is so central of the role of Steva.
The success of any performance of Jenufa stands or falls on the role of Kostelnicka. Indeed so pivotal is her part that the opera could have been named after her rather than her stepdaughter. In this performance, this difficult role was taken by Israeli Mezzo soprano, Dalia Schaechter, in her debut with the Israel Opera. Ms Schaechter has a remarkably successful career in Germany and has sung roles in Munich, Berlin, Zurich and at the Salzburg and Bayreuth festivals.
Kostelnicka is centre stage in the second act which is the linchpin around which the drama revolves. It is her searing monologues and the interaction with Jenufa, Steva and Lacca that represent the very essence of the opera.
Ms Schaechter’s glowing account of the role is something one will not readily forget. She successfully brought out all the anger, hostility, vengeance and murderous intent, emotions which are all central to the role. But there was also pathos as in her duet with Steva, when she pleaded with him to take back Jenufa and their newborn baby but to no avail. In this duet, she and Steva complemented one another and this was one of the high points of the performance. Only at the opera’s conclusion, after the frozen body of Jenufa’s baby had been discovered in the melting river, did Kostelnicka show remorse admitting that she was only motivated for her own welfare and not that of Jenufa.
The Israel opera was fortunate in having Dalia Schaechter in this role and she joins the roster of illustrious Kostelnicka’s in the past that I have been privileged to hear including Leonie Rysanek, Anja Silja and Eva Marton.
Lebanese born conductor, George Pehlivanian led the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion, the resident orchestra at the Israel Opera. He successfully coaxed the evocative music from the score and proved to be an excellent accompanist to the singers. All told this production of Jenufa was a great triumph for the Israel Opera.
Legend to the Figures
Figure 1: Act 3 of Jenufa. Photo credit: Yossi Zwecker
Figure 2: Act 2 of Jenufa with Barbara Haveman as Jenufa and Dalia Schaechter as Kostelnicka. Photo credit: Yossi Zwecker
On display are a total of 345 items from the private collection of the Museum’s co-founder, Ronald Lauder
This extraordinary collection is devoted in large measure to Viennese fin de siècle paintings and drawings by Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka, Gerstl and Kubin as well as decorative arts by Hoffmann and Moser. Of interest was a transfer drawing on black chalk and paper of Klimt’s Jurisprudence, one of the paintings commissioned by the University of Vienna but never displayed because the university authorities deemed it too pornographic. The painting itself was destroyed in the Second World War. Also included were a sizable collection of more modern works from German artists including Kirchner, Heckel, Klee, Beckman, Marc, Grosz, Dix, Schwitters, Polk, Beuys, Baselitz, Richter and Kiefer amongst others.
Egon Schiele (1890 - 1918)
Mime van Osen (1910) Watercolor, gouache, and crayon on paper The Ronald S. Lauder Collection.
Equally or perhaps even more impressive was Lauder’s large collection of paintings and drawings by Picasso, Matisse, Cezanne, Manet, Klee, Kandinsky, Seurat, Cezanne, Degas and van Gogh and sculptures by Brancusi and Picasso as well as four of Matisse’s woman’s back series.
The exhibit also included examples of medieval art and arms as well as some Old Master paintings by Albrecht Aldorfer and Quentin Massys amongst others. Lauder himself narrated the audio tour which stressed how he made some of his extraordinary acquisitions. One did however miss a more scholarly interpretation of this great art. Few if any modern private collections can rival this in its depth and breadth.
The comprehensive catalogue has scholarly contributions from several authorities with a foreword by Renee Price, Director of the Neue Galerie
On view till 2 April.
Part of this article was originally published in The Jerusalem Post on 4 March, 2012
This exhibit attempted to replicate Diego Rivera’s one man show that was originally created specifically for The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in 1931. None of Rivera’s Mexican murals could be transported to the 1931 exhibit because they were immoveable. So the innovative artist devised a portable platform to display his frescoes as freestanding pieces. Working over a period of six weeks in a room specifically set aside for him at MOMA, Rivera completed his cycle of portable murals.
The current MOMA exhibit celebrated the 80th anniversary of the original show and featured five of the eight original portable murals. Pride of place went to the Mexican agrarian leader Zapata with a white horse, from MOMA’s own holdings. The remaining murals had been dispersed, and are housed in public and private collections in Mexico and the USA. MOMA managed to bring four of the remaining murals to this fascinating show.
Diego Rivera (1886-1957) Agrarian Leader Zapata (1931)
Fresco on reinforced cement
2011 Banco de Mexico Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F./Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Conspicuously absent were two belonging to the Philadelphia Museum of Art who declined to loan them for the current exhibit. The whereabouts of the final mural is unknown.
Although this certainly left a void, MOMA made up by exhibiting three working drawings, a prototype of the portable mural as well as several watercolors, drawings and prints from Rivera’s oeuvre. Rivera brilliantly conveyed the social injustices of the time as well as the exploitation of the Mexican peasants. These murals are as relevant today as they were when originally executed.
Leah Dickerman, Curator in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at MOMA and Anna Indych-López from the Art History Department, The City College of New York, have written a most informative catalogue.
On view until 14 May.
Part of this article was originally published in The Jerusalem Post on 4 March, 2012.
The Renaissance Portrait: from Donatello to Bellini
This showstopper exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art was co-organized with the Berlin State Museums. Almost sixty institutions and private collectors contributed works of art to this encyclopaedic survey comprising 160 masterpieces, which stressed the Italian contribution to this genre. Besides paintings, there was also an outstanding collection of manuscripts, sculptures, coins and medallions. Most of the major Italian artists were represented including Masaccio, one of the fathers of perspective. The exhibit focused on portraits of prominent citizens of the Italian city-states with special emphasis on Florence and Venice until the beginning of the 16th century, thus excluding Titian, the greatest portraitist of them all.
It was a real revelation to see how successfully these great artists succeeded in portraying the likenesses, emotions and personalities of their sitters. By so doing, these artists jettisoned the old established norm, which consisted of portraying an idealized human subject. For me, the highlights were the two spectacular portraits by Sandro Botticelli of the famed Florentine beauty Simonetto Vespucci, as well as those of Giuliano de Medici. Giuliano’s brother, Lorenzo the Magnificent, was represented by his death mask as well as a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci and some medallions.
Fig 1: Sandro Botticelli (ca. 1444-1510) Ideal Portrait of a Lady (“Simonetta Vespucci”) (1475–80) Tempera on poplar Städel Museum, Frankfurt.
Two magnificent female portraits by the Florentine brothers, Antonio and Piero del Pollaiuolo, also deserve special mention.
Fig 2: Antonio del Pollaiuolo (1431-1498) Portrait of a Lady (1460–65) Oil and tempera on poplar panel Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
Portraits of famous families and personalities from other city-states were also on view including the d’Este family of Ferrara, the Sforzas of Milan, the Gonzagas of Mantua and the Montefeltros of Urbino. Although the most famous portrait of Federigo, Duke of Montefeltro, by Piero della Francesco from the Uffizi was absent, the Duke was represented in a full-length portrait by Pietro di Spagna together with his son and heir Guidobaldo. The final section of the exhibit was devoted to Venice with dazzling paintings by the Bellini family, Mantegna, Carpaccio, Vivarini and Antonella de Messina.
The exhibit is accompanied by an outstanding scholarly catalogue edited by Keith Christiansen, Curator of European Paintings at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Stefan Weppelmann, Curator of the Gemaldegalerie, Berlin.
On view till 18 March.
Part of this article was originally published in The Jerusalem Post on 4 March, 2012.
The British Library is currently hosting a fascinating exhibit entitled “The Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination.” This relates to hand-written illuminated manuscripts dating from the 9th to the 16th centuries, which comprised the reading material of British monarchs. The exhibit is drawn almost exclusively from the library’s holdings of lavishly illustrated manuscripts and books.
It is a real privilege to see these beautifully hand-copied items close up. Since it is not over crowded, each gem can be perused in detail. Over 150 manuscripts are on display. It includes Bibles, histories, Psalters (a volume containing the Book of Psalms), genealogies, tales of mythological heroes, scientific works and accounts of coronations. One interesting point to emerge was the large number of French manuscripts in the collection.
One of the major highlights of the exhibition is a travel map itinerary by Matthew Paris for 13th-century pilgrims who wished to journey from London to Jerusalem. It shows the detailed route through England, France and Italy. On arrival at the Italian port of Apulia, pilgrims embarked on a sea voyage to the Holy Land. The travel map consists of several pages each composed of parallel vertical columns that are read left to right from the bottom to the top.
This travel map highlights important landmarks including cities on route. The concluding section shows a map of Acre and Jerusalem. Acre, being the capital of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, receives considerably more prominence than Jerusalem, the climax of the pilgrimage. The reason is that by the time the map was drawn, Jerusalem had been captured by Saladin.
Another fascination jewel in the exhibit is the small beautiful Psalter belonging to Henry Vlll. The page on view shows a seated portrait of Henry depicted as the biblical King David. Adjacent to his portrait, Henry inscribed in the margin in Latin in his own hand "Note who is blessed." Does Henry refer to King David or to himself?
Of the many exceptional bibles on exhibit, one of the most eye catching is the magnificent bound volume belonging to Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor, Cardinal Wolsey. In the margins of the displayed pages are annotations made by both Henry and the Chancellor. This suggests that these two powerful men consulted this bible while building an argument supporting Henry’s divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
Since only two opened pages of each manuscript can be viewed from each volume at one time, there are several computer touch screens throughout the exhibit that permit detailed viewing of some of the books and manuscripts.
“The Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination,” closes on March 13, 2012.
Part of this article was originally published in The Jerusalem Post.
Figures:
Fig 1: Matthew Paris: Map of the Holyland,
British Library, 14 C. vi i , f f. 2–5v
Fig 2: The Psalter of Henry VII: Henry VIII as David,
A once-in-a-lifeime opportunity to view the most complete display of his paintings ever held
London’s National Gallery is currently hosting an exhibition featuring nine of the 15 known surviving paintings of Leonardo da Vinci. Such is the hype created by this unprecedented event that advance tickets sold out the first week of the opening. It has also generated a lively sale of the almost impossible to come by tickets on the black market.
Leonardo is unquestionably one of the pivotal figures of the high Renaissance and the most versatile polymath of all time. He was an artist (both painter and sculptor), inventor, musician, poet, architect, engineer (hydraulic and military), town planner, botanist, anatomist, astronomer and philosopher. In addition, he had a great interest in the mechanism of flight and optics. He wrote extensively, filling up several notebooks with his characteristic left-handed backward script starting at the right side of the page and moving to the left. It needs to be deciphered with a mirror.
Leonardo was more interested in the idea and concept of a creation than of the final product; as a consequence, he seldom brought any of his brilliant projects to a successful conclusion. His fertile mind had moved off to something else.
Previous exhibitions have highlighted Leonardo’s achievements as an inventor, scientist or draftsman. This is the first exhibit to be dedicated to his paintings. It correlates to the 18 years that Leonardo spent in the service of Ludovico Sforza, ruler of Milan. This was probably the most productive period of his career, which began in 1482 when he was 30 years old.
In his lifetime, Leonardo started no more than 20 pictures and most experts agree that only 15 of these paintings that survive were entirely by his own hand. Several of them are also incomplete. Leonardo’s career began in Florence, where he was apprenticed to Verrocchio, who ran an important workshop. He was trained in a tradition where every feature of a painting, not only the dominant focus, was given equal importance, whether it be a bird, flower, forest or landscape.
In addition to the paintings, the exhibition also features a large selection of drawings and studies by Leonardo as well as other contemporary artists, many of whom were trained by Leonardo himself. Thirty four of the drawings on show come from the Royal Collection at Windsor.
Leonardo’s first painting in the exhibition, from the Ambrosian Art Gallery in Milan, is a portrait of a young man (a musician) in a three quarter profile pose. This was almost unique for that time in that it turned the sitter to engage the viewer.
Perhaps the most captivating portrait in the entire show is that of the 16-year-old beauty, Cecilia Gallerani, who was Sforza’s mistress. She is shown holding an ermine, an animal prized for its lovely coat. This eye-catching painting comes from Cracow in Poland and is acknowledged to be one of Leonardo’s greatest creations.
Hanging close by is another beguiling image, La Belle Ferronnière, from the Louvre. This portrait is believed to be Sforza’s wife, Beatrice d’Este.
Ironically, wife and mistress appear on adjacent walls in the same room. From the Vatican comes the remarkable unfinished painting of the early fourth century Christian, St Jerome who is beating his breast with a stone.
Shown together are the two versions of the Virgin on the Rocks, the earlier one from the Louvre and the second from the National Gallery’s own collection. The latter was especially restored for this exhibit. To see these two paintings on either side of the same gallery is a real privilege. As pointed out in the outstanding scholarly exhibition catalogue by Luke Syson and Larry Keith, it is unlikely that even Leonardo himself had the privilege of viewing these two pictures together. The Paris version is softer and not as sharp as the one from London, but other subtle differences between these two masterpieces become readily evident when viewing them together.
Another noteworthy recently restored painting is of Christ as Salvator Mundi (Saviour of the World). This has only recently been attributed to Leonardo. The face has not worn well, probably a result of too rigorous cleaning in the past, and unlike the hands, it lacks the subtlety seen in so many of Leonardo’s other portraits.
All the paintings that Leonardo undertook during his period in Milan are in the current exhibit with the exception of the unmoveable fresco, the Last Supper, housed in the dining hall at the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Because of the experimental technique used by Leonardo in executing this fresco, it started to deteriorate almost immediately after its completion. The final room of the exhibit displays a full-scale copy of the Last Supper by Giampietrino, one of Leonardo's apprentices and includes drawings by Leonardo of some of the individual figures of his epic fresco.
This exhibition, with loans of Leonardo’s paintings from Cracow, Paris, Milan and St. Petersburg is without question one of the most monumental and impressive ever mounted, and represents a real triumph for the National Gallery and its exhibition curator, Luke Syson. To see nine pictures by the master is a feast for the eyes of connoisseur and non-expert alike. Because of the current international financial uncertainty, art experts were predicting that the age of the blockbuster museum show was over. The National Gallery has proven them wrong.
Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Royal Court of Milan¸ remains on view until the end of the first week of February, 2012. Some 500 tickets are made available each day and huge lines begin to form in Trafalgar Square very early in the morning. Within minutes of opening, every image is swamped by eager viewers. The best time to visit is in the afternoon about one hour prior to closing. At this time, the gallery is least crowded.
Part of this article was originally published in The Jerusalem Post
Legend to Figures
Fig 1: Leonardo da Vinci: Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani (‘The Lady with an Ermine’),
Property of the Czartoryski Foundation in Cracow on deposit at the National Museum in Cracow
A most respectable performance of an ever popular operatic favorite.
In the current season, the Royal Opera House has scheduled 22 performances of Verdi’s La Traviata, the tragic story of the doomed courtesan, Violetta Valery. Richard Eyre’s production with stage designs by Bob Crowley dates from 1994. Rodula Gaitanou was responsible for the current revival. At the beginning of the Prelude to Act I, one sees the seated Violetta, whilst videos of her as a young girl are projected as flashbacks.
The gambling scene in Act Two was particularly effective. Because of the large stage, the final act, set in Violetta’s bedroom, seemed pretty bare. The production is classical and non-flamboyant and has always been an audience favorite. It is certainly more effective than Franco Zeffirelli’s extravaganza seen at the Metropolitan in New York although it is by no means as thought-provoking as Willy Decker’s innovative production seen initially in Salzburg and more recently in Amsterdam and New York.
The two principal male singers were exceptional. Especially impressive was the glorious Italianate lyric tenor of Piotr Beczala. This Polish artist gave a wonderful portrayal and is certainly an Alfredo to be reckoned with. He sang with ardour and enthusiasm. His Lunga da lei (Out from her presence) at the beginning of Act 2 was one of the most outstanding renditions that I could recall.
Alfredo’s father, Giorgio Germont, was sung by British baritone Simon Keenlyside. He certainly brought dignity to the role with his glorious sonorous baritone. He remained somewhat reserved, aloof and detached even in his final encounter with the dying Violetta.
Completing the trio was Ailyn Perez, the American light lyric soprano who has sung this role with the Royal Opera on tour in Japan as well as the Vienna Staatsoper. She was a little unsettled at the beginning but mustered all her resources to give a masterful account of the fiendishly difficult E strano (how wondrous) from Act One. On occasion she had a tendency to swoop and glide to reach the higher resisters.
Ms Perez rose to her greatest heights in her encounter with Giorgio Germont and in her passionate duets with Alfredo. There was palpable chemistry between the two lovers. She succeeded in bringing out all the emotional intensity and pathos of the aria Addio, del passato (Farewell to the bright visions) in the final act.
Patrick Lange, chief conductor of the Komische Oper in Berlin, led a lively paced rendering of the score and brought out some lovely passionate playing from the Royal Opera House Orchestra. Especially impressive were the beautifully nuanced sweeping strings in the two preludes.
This was the second of the three casts of this revival. La Traviata remains in the current repertoire until January 2012, when Anna Netrebko reprises as Violetta. That should prove to be a sure show-stopper.
Part of this article was originally published in The Jerusalem Post
In honor of this important milestone, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is putting on a two-week music extravaganza with participation of some of the greatest artists in the world. Besides the IPO music director, Zubin Mehta, other conductors making an appearance include Valery Gergiev, Christoph Dohnanyi, Gianandrea Noseda and Kurt Masur. Prominent soloists accompanying the orchestra include the well-known pianists Evgeny Kissin, Yefim Bronfman, Daniil Trifonov (winner of both the prestigious Arthur Rubenstein and Tchaikovsky Competitions) and Yuja Wang (described by Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times as a pianist whose virtuosity is stunning). Violinists include Pinchas Zukerman, Vadim Repin, Gil Shaham (Musical America’s Instrumentalist for 2011) and violist Julian Rachlin.
There will also be solo piano recitals by Yefim Bronfman, Evgeny Kissin and Murray Perahia. This two-week festival begins on December 17 and takes place in Tel Aviv. A good part of the program will be devoted to the music of Beethoven and includes performances of six of his symphonies. Also scheduled is his violin concerto (soloist: Pinchas Zukerman) and two of his piano concerti (soloists: Yefim Bronfman and Yuja Wang).
In addition, the IPO, in conjunction with its foundation have put together a special personalized VIP trip of Israel geared to sophisticated tourists. Some of the highlights will include a visit to the recently renovated Israel Museum in Jerusalem including the museum’s restoration laboratories of the Dead Sea Scrolls which are usually closed to the public. This will be hosted by the director, James Snyder. There will also be visits to the recently opened new wing of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Litwak Gallery which houses the largest gallery of glass artifacts in the world as well as Ron Arad’s recently completed “Design Museum of Holon.” He was the architect who created the World Trade Center Memorial in Manhattan.
Participants will be shown recent excavations of the City of David, guided by archaeologist Prof. Gaby Barkai. There will be a tour to the Negev Desert for a visit to the Solar Research Center at Sde Boker and a visit to the Druze Community in Daliet El Carmel in the north with a lecture about their religion and culture.
Accompanied by senior military personnel, visitors will be shown Israel’s security fence. Visits have been arranged to the Peres Center for Peace, the Dayan Center for Strategic Studies as well as the Buchmann Mehta School of Music to hear a rehearsal by the School orchestra.
Hospitality will be provided in private homes by members of the IPO Foundation as well as other prominent Israelis from the scientific, artistic and business world.
Irving Spitz writes, reviews and lectures on medical topics, music, art, history and travel. Some of his articles, reviews and photographs, can be seen at www.irvingspitz.com. Dr Spitz holds MD, PhD and DSc degrees from...Read More
In the Portrait in the Renaissance, seminal paintings by Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Durer, Lorenzo Lotto, and Luca Signorelli are all lucidly explained. In the DVD on the Baroque, works by Anton van Dyck, Peter Paul Rubens, Diego Velazquez, Rembrandt van Rijn, and Michelangelo Caravaggio are critically analyzed. My understanding of these art movements was considerably enhanced after viewing these informative DVDs.
I was somewhat perplexed by some of the painting choices and there appear to be some curious omissions. The DVD on Mannerism lists paintings by Parmigianino, Massys, Arcimboldo, Giulio Romano and Paolo Veronese but not the great mannerists, Bronzino and Correggio. 
Mazur took the first movement at a rather slow, but measured pace. In the third movement, woodwinds, brass and strings combined to give a sublime account of this adagio, arguably the greatest orchestral music that Beethoven ever composed.
Peter Oundjian led the IPO in this concert. He was at one time, first violin of the notable Tokyo Quartet but has now branched into conducting and is currently Music Director to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He provided sympathetic accompaniment, although at times, orchestral participation seemed too passive and maybe a little more fire would not have been out of place. 
Ms Schaechter’s glowing account of the role is something one will not readily forget. She successfully brought out all the anger, hostility, vengeance and murderous intent, emotions which are all central to the role. But there was also pathos as in her duet with Steva, when she pleaded with him to take back Jenufa and their newborn baby but to no avail. In this duet, she and Steva complemented one another and this was one of the high points of the performance. Only at the opera’s conclusion, after the frozen body of Jenufa’s baby had been discovered in the melting river, did Kostelnicka show remorse admitting that she was only motivated for her own welfare and not that of Jenufa. 
Egon Schiele (1890 - 1918)
Diego Rivera (1886-1957)
Fig 1: Sandro Botticelli (ca. 1444-1510)
Fig 2: Antonio del Pollaiuolo (1431-1498)
The New Israel Opera