Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

New documentary puts a lid on Beethoven

Leif Ove Andsnes and The Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
Leif Ove Andsnes and The Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

Concerto — A Beethoven Journey is a new documentary exploring the piano concertos of Beethoven. The movie plays on Tuesday, April 26, at the Town Square Reading Theater in Clairemont and the Angelika Film Center in Carmel Mountain Ranch. Go to the Angelika. It’s a beautiful theater.

The subject of the film is pianist Leif Ove Andsnes as he plays only Beethoven over a span of four years. Straightforward would be the best way to describe Concerto. There is no new ground covered here but as an exploration of the nuts and bolts of Beethoven it is excellent.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Video:

Concerto

...A Beethoven Journey — movie trailer

...A Beethoven Journey — movie trailer

Director Phil Grabsky intersperses musical scenes with narration from Andsnes along with voiceover content from Beethoven's letters. The musical scenes are emotional but the narrated scenes are subdued.

The even-keeled Andsnes is a typical orator of classical music. That is to say any excitement about the music is hidden behind a mask of decorum. This is the danger of talking about classical music.

Most talking about classical music comes off as a grammar lesson. It would be like looking at Michelangelo’s Moses while a stonemason droned on about chisel techniques of the Renaissance.

When Andsnes is in rehearsal or performance then it is a different story. All the expression that is missing in his narration is present in his music making. We get to see something of his heart.

However, when Andsnses and Gustavo Dudamel discuss Beethoven together then Andsnses is animated and his enthusiasm comes across. The format of having him speak into a camera simply doesn't capture the warmth of his nature.

The documentary is split in two. One part is the music and the performance of the music. This is the strength of the movie. The other part is the talking about the music. This is the weakness of the movie.

Movies are a visual media first and foremost and the intimate camera work during the music segments brings us into the performance. During these scenes there is a feeling of being inside the music with Beethoven and the musicians. They are brilliant.

If the visuals in the movie remained as they are and 90 percent of the talking was removed then Concerto would be a riveting and engaging work of art. I wanted to journey with Andsnes and Beethoven. When the music was playing I felt like that was happening. When the talking started up I was listening to someone talk about their vacation.

Movie

Concerto - A Beethoven Journey

thumbnail

Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes takes on Beethoven.

Find showtimes

I was expecting a moment of revelation from Andsnes. What did he discover about himself and Beethoven? What new vistas were opened up by this prolonged walk with the master?

We kind of got that at the very end, but it was abrupt and the tone was, again, subdued. There was no shouting of “Eureka!” The feeling of a great journey was missing.

The post-concert embraces of Andsnes and the orchestra members were reserved for the final credits. This was the most emotional moment of the movie, but it’s kind of not in the movie.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Top Websites To Buy Instagram Likes + Bonus Tip!

Leif Ove Andsnes and The Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
Leif Ove Andsnes and The Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

Concerto — A Beethoven Journey is a new documentary exploring the piano concertos of Beethoven. The movie plays on Tuesday, April 26, at the Town Square Reading Theater in Clairemont and the Angelika Film Center in Carmel Mountain Ranch. Go to the Angelika. It’s a beautiful theater.

The subject of the film is pianist Leif Ove Andsnes as he plays only Beethoven over a span of four years. Straightforward would be the best way to describe Concerto. There is no new ground covered here but as an exploration of the nuts and bolts of Beethoven it is excellent.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Video:

Concerto

...A Beethoven Journey — movie trailer

...A Beethoven Journey — movie trailer

Director Phil Grabsky intersperses musical scenes with narration from Andsnes along with voiceover content from Beethoven's letters. The musical scenes are emotional but the narrated scenes are subdued.

The even-keeled Andsnes is a typical orator of classical music. That is to say any excitement about the music is hidden behind a mask of decorum. This is the danger of talking about classical music.

Most talking about classical music comes off as a grammar lesson. It would be like looking at Michelangelo’s Moses while a stonemason droned on about chisel techniques of the Renaissance.

When Andsnes is in rehearsal or performance then it is a different story. All the expression that is missing in his narration is present in his music making. We get to see something of his heart.

However, when Andsnses and Gustavo Dudamel discuss Beethoven together then Andsnses is animated and his enthusiasm comes across. The format of having him speak into a camera simply doesn't capture the warmth of his nature.

The documentary is split in two. One part is the music and the performance of the music. This is the strength of the movie. The other part is the talking about the music. This is the weakness of the movie.

Movies are a visual media first and foremost and the intimate camera work during the music segments brings us into the performance. During these scenes there is a feeling of being inside the music with Beethoven and the musicians. They are brilliant.

If the visuals in the movie remained as they are and 90 percent of the talking was removed then Concerto would be a riveting and engaging work of art. I wanted to journey with Andsnes and Beethoven. When the music was playing I felt like that was happening. When the talking started up I was listening to someone talk about their vacation.

Movie

Concerto - A Beethoven Journey

thumbnail

Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes takes on Beethoven.

Find showtimes

I was expecting a moment of revelation from Andsnes. What did he discover about himself and Beethoven? What new vistas were opened up by this prolonged walk with the master?

We kind of got that at the very end, but it was abrupt and the tone was, again, subdued. There was no shouting of “Eureka!” The feeling of a great journey was missing.

The post-concert embraces of Andsnes and the orchestra members were reserved for the final credits. This was the most emotional moment of the movie, but it’s kind of not in the movie.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Melissa Etheridge, The Imaginary Amazon

Events April 1-April 3, 2024
Next Article

Reader Music Issue short takes

Obervatory's mosh pit, frenetic Rafael Payare, Lemonhead chaos, bleedforthescene, Coronado Tasting Room
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.