Jacqueline Du Pre - Remembering Jacqueline Du Pre (DVD)

.../> --Christopher Nupen, in ‘Remembering Jacqueline Du Pré’



Did the film, ‘Hilary and Jackie’, depress, even devastate you? I do admit to the latter. Fortunately, it also drew me into the music of Jacqueline Du Pré, one of the greatest cellists to have ever lived, and also to have died so young, at 42, with a career cut short at age 28 by multiple sclerosis.

Well, I'm glad yet disappointed to have purchased ...
...Christopher Nupen. It does show the non-tragic side of Du Pré, but viewers should not expect a full story on her life and music--this is strictly an hour's worth of never-before-seen excerpts from rehearsals and performances of Du Pré and friends from the late '60s to early '70s. It may leave viewers unfamiliar with Du Pré frustrated, as it assumes that the audience comes to the film armed with a basic knowledge of the cellist and her recordings. ... more

'[She created] ...music so natural that it could not be otherwise, and yet so surprising as to make the heart stand still for just a moment.'

--Christopher Nupen, in ‘Remembering Jacqueline Du Pré’

Did the film, ‘Hilary and Jackie’, depress, even devastate you? I do admit to the latter. Fortunately, it also drew me into the music of Jacqueline Du Pré, one of the greatest cellists to have ever lived, and also to have died so young, at 42, with a career cut short at age 28 by multiple sclerosis.

Well, I'm glad yet disappointed to have purchased this 1994 EMI documentary film video written and directed by Christopher Nupen. It does show the non-tragic side of Du Pré, but viewers should not expect a full story on her life and music--this is strictly an hour's worth of never-before-seen excerpts from rehearsals and performances of Du Pré and friends from the late '60s to early '70s. It may leave viewers unfamiliar with Du Pré frustrated, as it assumes that the audience comes to the film armed with a basic knowledge of the cellist and her recordings. It also seems to have been hastily put together, with no real flow to the events as shown.

The GOOD:
Nupen shows us there was much more to the troubled genius than what was portrayed in ‘Hilary and Jackie’ (with Jackie played superbly by Emily Watson). Here we catch Du Pré playing exuberantly, breaking easily into smiles and gales of laughter. Not too surprising, perhaps, but Du Pré also showed a remarkable facility at the piano, in one scene tossing off a Clementi sonata with careless aplomb, all in the spirit of fun, while husband Daniel Barenboim and friend Zubin Mehta, both looking very young, expressing half-mocking amazement and surprise.

Backstage just before a performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1969, the camera catches five young musicians (whose powerhouse combined talent could easily launch a spaceship) all horsing around--they exchange instruments and Du Pré plays a little violin 'cello-style--with hilarious results. Du Pré is joined here by Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman and Itzhak Perlman. Shortly afterwards, the film shows them onstage, performing Schubert's Quintet (aka 'The Trout').

Rehearsing duos with her beloved 'cello teacher, William Pleeth, Du Pré exudes a natural joyfulness in her playing. That they shared a mutual admiration and warm friendship is in abundant evidence. Pleeth reminisces about his interesting first meetings with the teen cellist. He also recalls how she played from memory a couple of new, difficult pieces after studying them for barely two days. This anecdote quickly brought to mind another favorite virtuoso--pianist Martha Argerich. Geniuses, it seems, live life similarly.

Then there's Du Pré's music. How she coaxed such marvelous sounds that range from delightful to deeply moving from that combination of wood, strings and horsehair will remain a mystery. If you haven't heard Du Pré's playing of Sir Edward Elgar's 'cello Concerto in E Minor, I would strongly advise you to get a copy at once. I dare you not to feel something stir deep inside you as you listen to it, as it’s only one of the most passion-filled works ever written. (Interesting that the concerto came from the same fellow better known for the stately and elegant ‘Pomp and Circumstance’. I’m happily learning more about ‘the other side’ of Elgar, albeit slowly.) For that matter, I'd recommend that you listen to Du Pré's arresting rendition of J.S. Bach's 'cello Suites Nos. 1 and 2 (on an EMI Classics CD of her BBC Recordings), and I swear you will be a changed person afterwards. Alas, the Bach suites are not featured in this documentary.

The NOT-SO-GOOD:
I give this video a qualified recommendation to classical music--especially 'cello--fans, and of course, to followers of Du Pré. The main shortcomings include the truncated and thrown-together feel of the documentary, as it runs for a total of just 57 minutes and leaves much to be desired in the commentary and editing. The lack of greater form and substance to Nupen’s film is a real drawback. It's a short and heartfelt tribute to the greatness of Du Pré, made (I believe) for airing on what would have been the cellist's 50th birthday, January 26, 1995, and Nupen's worshipful bent comes through here.

The video lists on amazon today for about $25, not all that cheap (USA only; ironic that it does not seem to exist in the amazon.co.uk database!), although many online sites sell it for a little less. If this is in your local library (and you're one lucky dog if you do!), do check it out, or rent it if by some huge miracle, your video rental store does actually have it. While it somewhat sates the often-deprived classical music fan's hunger for any video on the genre, I can't fully recommend it for the reasons stated earlier. I can only hope that someone, someday does justice to the music and artistry of Du Pré in a well-crafted, full-length documentary. Why no one has done so to this day is a puzzlement.

********************

VHS Notes: (No DVD available yet, as far as I know, despite the ciao listing)

Other artists and performers included in the film:

Daniel Barenboim
Sir John Barbirolli
Zubin Mehta
Itzhak Perlman
William Pleeth
Pinchas Zuckerman
New Philharmonia Orchestra

Excerpts from:

Brahms' Sonata No. 2 in F, Op. 99
Offenbach's Duos for two 'cellos
Beethoven's Sonata No. 3 in A, Op. 69
Schubert's Piano Quintet in A, D. 667 'The Trout'
Beethoven's Piano Trio No. 5 in D, Op. 70 No. 1 'The Ghost'
Elgar's 'cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85
 

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