Jacqueline du Pre: documentary & performance, BBC 4

[Stanley Stewart]

Sunday, 22 Oct '17 offers several real attractions on BBC 4:
20.00-21.00hrs, a documentary, a Gift Beyond Words, conflates footage from
Christopher Nupen's five documentaries on the life of Jacqueline du Pre.
Later, at 23.50-00.40hrs, an enticing recently recovered 1968 performance
by the cellist of Dvorak's Cello Concerto, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, RAH.

Sandwiched between these two programmes, 21.00-23.50hrs, is a performance
from Glyndebourne of Brett Dean's new opera, Hamlet, Allan Clayton in the title role,
Barbara Hannigan, (Ophelia), Sarah Connolly, (Gertrude), Rod Gilfry, (Claudius),
Kim Begley, (Polonius), John Tomlinson, (Ghost of old Hamlet, Gravedigger & Player!),
Jacques Imbrailo, (Horatio). LPO and chorus. I gather that the text has been heavily
edited but, erm... I'm curious. :whistle

Recorder will be set for a substantial evening which also includes Classic Cellists
at the BBC, 00.40hrs - after the Dvorak Cello Conc - The Brontes at the BBC, 01.40hrs,
and The Story of Scottish Art, 02.40hrs.

[Barbirollians]

Sunday, 22 Oct '17 offers several real attractions on BBC 4:
20.00-21.00hrs, a documentary, a Gift Beyond Words, conflates footage from
Christopher Nupen's five documentaries on the life of Jacqueline du Pre.
Later, at 23.50-00.40hrs, an enticing recently recovered 1968 performance
by the cellist of Dvorak's Cello Concerto, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, RAH.

Sandwiched between these two programmes, 21.00-23.50hrs, is a performance
from Glyndebourne of Brett Dean's new opera, Hamlet, Allan Clayton in the title role,
Barbara Hannigan, (Ophelia), Sarah Connolly, (Gertrude), Rod Gilfry, (Claudius),
Kim Begley, (Polonius), John Tomlinson, (Ghost of old Hamlet, Gravedigger & Player!),
Jacques Imbrailo, (Horatio). LPO and chorus. I gather that the text has been heavily
edited but, erm... I'm curious. :whistle

Recorder will be set for a substantial evening which also includes Classic Cellists
at the BBC, 00.40hrs - after the Dvorak Cello Conc - The Brontes at the BBC, 01.40hrs,
and The Story of Scottish Art, 02.40hrs.

I wonder is that the performance they gave in support of the invaded Czechoslovakia ? In which she broke a string ?

[Stanley Stewart]

I wonder is that the performance they gave in support of the invaded Czechoslovakia ? In which she broke a string ?

Indeed, the blurb continues, "...The concerto was one of the musician's favourite pieces
and this performance was originally dedicated to the people of Czechoslovakia just days after the country was invaded by the Soviet Union."

[Bryn]

Indeed, the blurb continues, "...The concerto was one of the musician's favourite pieces
and this performance was originally dedicated to the people of Czechoslovakia just days after the country was invaded by the Soviet Union."

Replete with broken string, IIRC.

[Barbirollians]

Elizabeth Wilson's biography is very fulsome about it and Joan Chissell who I remember a being rather a cautious reviewer in Gramophone apparently raved about it .

They should release it together with the classic 1967 Elgar Concerto filmed in the studio with Barenboim.

[Richard Tarleton]

Elizabeth Wilson's biography

I stumbled upon a copy of this in a second hand bookshop last week. I'm hoping it will take away the taste of that deeply unpleasant biog by her sister and brother. I've already flicked through to see what she says about the times I saw her. I've already found a fascinating observation by John Williams (the guitarist, not the composer). I'm not a fan of C Nupen's films though

[Barbirollians]

I stumbled upon a copy of this in a second hand bookshop last week. I'm hoping it will take away the taste of that deeply unpleasant biog by her sister and brother. I've already flicked through to see what she says about the times I saw her. I've already found a fascinating observation by John Williams (the guitarist, not the composer). I'm not a fan of C Nupen's films though

Yes it is good . I did not read that book by her siblings the extracts I read in the papers were contemptible enough .

[Barbirollians]

Anyone else watch these ?

The documentary was obviously a compilation but I had not seen before the interviews with Hugh Maguire or DFD and the piece of film when they persuaded Janet Baker to come and sing Die Forelle with the five of them rehearsing the Trout Quintet was charming .

Not watched the Dvorak yet .

[Serial_Apologist]

Watching associates and commentators remarking on her creative spontaneity, along with an ability to make her musical interpretations seem uniquely as if she were herself composing the works on the spot, for me it brought how the greatest jazz musicians are perceived by those of us who love that music to mind.

[Richard Tarleton]

Some treasurable moments - DFD, Janet Baker and (my favourite) her teacher for seven years William Pleeth - but this was basically hagiography and myth making. I hate Nupen's documentary style - all that slow-motion camerawork, lingering freeze-frame, endless cropped choppy close-ups of her face when she was playing - we want to see her playing the cello, for goodness sakes ! This was saccharine in the extreme, made worse by what everyone was saying: "A creature beyond words", "Loveable in every way", "I don't think she knew how to lie"....these examples picked out in an excellent review in today's Times. As Gabriel Tate says, "This onslaught of obsequiousness from admirers started to work against its subject. No one likes a hatchet job, but this canonisation was a similar disservice.................Nobody's perfect, but for Nupen, du Pré might as well have been". Them all playing the wrong instruments was briefly funny, if you haven't seen it before, but it ran on and then Nupen came back to it

There is, surely, a place for a sober, balanced documentary about Jacqueline du Pré. There's so much more to say. Repertoire, technique, her work with different conductors, mention of them playing in Israel during the 6-Day War (I saw them playing Beethoven trios the following year), even a word from Mehta (seeing as they were interviewing him) about that last agonising Elgar concerto in Feb 1973 (which I was at)..... Loads more to say, without any prying or prurience. I blame Nupen, who only has one setting which is full-on fawning.

[oddoneout]

The documentary was a bit of a curate's egg for me. The interviews were good especially, as noted above Hugh Maguire( his acid comment on 'conductors I have worked with' was a hoot) and DFD, but the way the film clips were used sometimes seemed to belong to a different type of programme. Trying to be arty-clever and in the process detracting from the content, or so it seemed to me. The excerpts from the Trout rehearsals were a treat though - the joy in the music making, the silliness in playing each others' instruments, and the way they all went quiet to listen to Janet Baker.
Something that struck me watching this was how things have changed over the intervening decades in terms of the male/female balance amongst musicians.

[Barbirollians]

Oh yes his style is annoying but I still enjoyed seeing the contributors I had not seen before .

I am not sure I need to see Mehta talking about that Elgar concert or Zukerman the last Brahms Double with Bernstein .

The problem to a degree is that for Nupen and others close to her they are determined to wipe away the impression given by her siblings .

Anyway, just watched the Dvorak - absolutely terrific intense playing all round and how lovely to hear such an intelligent introduction and voiceover by Antony Hopkins who also tells a Paganini anecdote during the broken string .

[oddoneout]

I hate Nupen's documentary style - all that slow-motion camerawork, lingering freeze-frame, endless cropped choppy close-ups of her face when she was playing - we want to see her playing the cello, for goodness sakes !

Ah that would explain it. The name was unknown to me and so(perhaps fortunately?) I didn't realise this would be such a dominant feature.
In terms of the saccharine is that not inevitable to a certain extent given that these are old men recalling a young woman who had a profound effect on them both emotionally and musically many years ago?
But yes, a well constructed documentary giving a better balanced view would be welcome - and given the age of those remaining who'were there', perhaps it should be sooner rather than later.

[Conchis]

As a documentary, it lacked narrative thrust and was - as others have observed - far too fawning: Jackie the little angel, etc, etc.

I did like the black and white film of her walking down Lots Road with cello in tow and an old bloke giving her a somewhat lustful look-over. :)

As to the 'contrarian view' provided by the likes of Hilary and Kiffer - personally, I'm glad that J du. P. had lots of sex and fun while she could, given how cruelly and quickly she was to be struck down.

As to Nupen's films - I think the point he wished to make was that photogenic young people could get off on this type of music the way hairer and less kempt folk of the same age could get off on psychedlic rock and heavy metal. This might have been a point worth making in the late sixties, but it has turned his films into fashion victims and I agree that they are irritating.

But nice to see Janet Baker :)

[Barbirollians]

As a documentary, it lacked narrative thrust and was - as others have observed - far too fawning: Jackie the little angel, etc, etc.

I did like the black and white film of her walking down Lots Road with cello in tow and an old bloke giving her a somewhat lustful look-over. :)

As to the 'contrarian view' provided by the likes of Hilary and Kiffer - personally, I'm glad that J du. P. had lots of sex and fun while she could, given how cruelly and quickly she was to be struck down.

As to Nupen's films - I think the point he wished to make was that photogenic young people could get off on this type of music the way hairer and less kempt folk of the same age could get off on psychedlic rock and heavy metal. This might have been a point worth making in the late sixties, but it has turned his films into fashion victims and I agree that they are irritating.

But nice to see Janet Baker :)

I think the problem with much of the "contrarian view" is that there is very little other evidence to support it - especially when those who cared for near her end of her life suggested her siblings were never really around . It is very doubtful she had much fun with Kiffer Finzi whose behaviour seems to have been reprehensible in the extreme .

See the guitarist John Williams interview here in the Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/jan/24/theobserver.uknews1