About this product: This DVD appears to be a compilation of three separate filmed BBC television programs of Chopin piano music played by three different pianists--Alfredo Perl, Freddy Kempf, and Angela Hewitt--each of them currently making a notable career, at least according to what I've read and heard. I had never heard any of Perl's playing, only a little of Kempf's, but I have heard and admired a great deal of Hewitt's, including one live all-Bach recital. The program: Perl plays the Préludes, Op. 28, Kempf the Opp. 10 & 25 Études, and Hewitt the Piano Sonata in B Flat Minor, Op. 35 (the 'Funeral March' sonata). Each of the programs is filmed in a different location: Perl at Hopetoun House, Edinburgh; Kempf at Château de Neuville, Gambais, France (in Provence); Hewitt at the Wimbledon Theatre, London.
Before we get to the playing, I need to comment on the production values of this issue. The videography is artsy-fartsy. In each setting we get long shots down hallways, changes in lighting supposedly enhancing the mood of each piece, strange and distracting camera angles, and in the case of Hewitt's portion, shots looking down from a balcony in a completely empty theatre, with spooky lighting; I kept expecting the Phantom of the Opera to appear. The artsiness of the lighting and the unmotivated changes of camera angle were not designed by anyone with much familiarity with the music. Another annoying feature is a complete blackout between études and préludes. And confusingly in the case of Kempf, often when we come back to him, he's wearing a different shirt. OK, it was shot over several days, but that is distracting and unnecessary. What's worse, the sound is not very good in any of these venues. Although three different pianos are used (including, for Hewitt, a lovely sounding Fazioli piano--the other players use Steinway Model D's). But for some reason--and I checked this on two different playback setups--the sound in all three segments is mid-range heavy, so that it sounds like each of the pianos has a head cold. Particularly in Perl's segment (and this may simply be his playing) there is a fair amount of clatter.
Perl does not strike me as a particularly inspired player. The notes are there--mostly--but there is a kind of grayness and lack of inflection (plus the clanging) to his playing that doesn't serve the expressive needs of Chopin's préludes very well. Kempf's playing, to be quite blunt, is often simply a mess. Some of the études, of course, test any pianist's technique, but there is over-pedaling, smudged chords, missed notes, uneven scales and, most annoying, tempo variations that have nothing to do with rubato, but with the technical demands of the music at hand--slowing down when the going gets rough, speeding up again when the pressure is off. He does some lovely playing, particularly in slower études, but the set as a whole is not competitive.
Hewitt, I must say, is a notch better. Her conception of the Second Sonata is musical and expressive. There are some smudges in the first movement particularly but she otherwise manages it well, as she does the Scherzo and Funeral March; the latter is gorgeously done, in fact. But the last movement is marred by a too slow tempo and the blurring use of pedal. The really great Chopinists play that movement with minimal pedal and it goes like the wind.
I cannot recommend this DVD. Although it has some good moments, none of this is superior Chopin playing, although Hewitt comes closer than the others.
About this product: Kris Furillo (Genevieve Cortese) has just finished serving time at a juvenile detention center for grand theft auto and resisting arrest. Upon her release, she is offered a job at the Ritter family ranch after Pablo Betart (Greg Serano), a center volunteer who teaches inmates to ride horses, notices Kris' unusual talent with the animals, especially the horse Wildfire, with whom she has bonded. In Season 3, Kris hopes to save Raintree Ranch from devastating financial news, but the rivalry between Raintree and Davis Farms intensifies as they fight to save themselves. And a cruel betrayal leads Kris to reconsider her romantic relationship with Junior (Ryan Sypek). Meanwhile, Matt (Micah Alberti) steps in and lends her support, leaving Kris once again torn. With two great guys to turn to, she is forced to make a decision. Whom will she choose? Continue your collection with all 13 episodes of Season 3, complete with exclusive bonus material including audio commentaries with cast and crew.
About this product: The final season of Dawson's Creek is when the series became Joey's Bar. With the titular character (James Van Der Beek) mostly on the opposite coast working for tyrannical director Todd (Hal Ozsan) and dating an actress (Biana Kajlich), the series' other central protagonists tended to gather only at Joey's (Katie Holmes) workplace, a Boston college bar called Hell's Kitchen. But those central characters usually went their separate ways, becoming the linchpins around which wound a dizzying array of new characters who were coincidentally interconnected. Working at the bar are Emma (Megan Gray)--a punk rocker who ends up rooming with Pacey (Joshua Jackson) and Jack (Kerr Smith) and whose band Audrey (Busy Phillipps) joins as lead vocalist--and Eddie (Oliver Hudson), who's Joey's main antagonist in a lit class taught by an antagonistic professor (Roger Howarth). While Joey is busy at Worthington, Jack and Jen (Michelle Williams) are at Boston Bay College, where both are attracted to a pop-culture professor (Sebastian Spence), but Jen ends up dating a help-line worker (Jensen Ackles). Pacey goes Gordon Gecko in a new job as a stock broker mentored by a cutthroat businessman (Dana Ashbrook). The lack of interaction among the main characters proved the biggest drawback to this era of Dawson's Creek, but when they were put together, sparks could still fly, such as when Pacey and Joey get locked in a Super K-Mart overnight, or when an old romance--and rivalry--is rekindled. Season 6 was also the end of Dawson's Creek, and the episodes improved as they drew to their inevitable conclusion, peaking in the devastating series finale. Creator Kevin Williamson returned to write a flash-forward in which the main characters are 25, and a reunion in Capeside leads to tragedy and some final decisions.
The version of the series finale is the same that was released on a standalone DVD, complete with the extended cut, commentary track by Williamson and executive producer Paul Stupin, and all the original music such as Paula Cole's theme song and Beth Nielsen Chapman's "Say Goodnight" (though not the additional scenes from the pilot presentation). The rest of the season replaces some songs as previous DVDs have done, including the theme song, but the No Doubt concert is complete. Season guest stars in addition to No Doubt include Loveline's Dr. Drew and Adam Carolla as themselves, and Mimi Rogers as Jen's mom (replacing season 3's Mel Harris). --David Horiuchi
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Created by Josh Goldstein (American Dreams), The Complete First Season includes all 22 episodes broadcast between 1994-1995. Supporting characters include Liz's boyfriend Todd (Ryan James Bittle) and best friend Enid (Amy Danles) and Jess's best friends Lila (Bridget Flanery) and Patty (Amarilis). Rich kid Bruce (Brock Burnett), his pal Manny (Harley Rodriguez), token nerd Winston "Eggman" Egbert (Michael Perl), and a few teachers--but no parents--round out the cast. Most of the conflicts the girls face are created by devious, self-centered Jess, who pretends to be her sister whenever Liz has something she wants, like a potential college boyfriend ("Dangerous Love"), a broadcasting gig ("Oracle on Air"), or praise from the hot poetry teacher ("Poetic Injustice"). Sweet Valley High ran on FOX for three seasons, followed by a fourth and final season on UPN. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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