DVD Videos

Steven Isserlis, one of the world's outstanding cellists, is a musician known for his strong ideas and passionate convictions about music. A champion of the works of Schumann, he also gets satisfaction in discovering and introducing into the repertoire works by lesser known composers which he considers deserve a wider audience. As well as giving concerts and recitals throughout the world, he is much sought after as a teacher. He is Artistic Director of the International Musicians' Seminar at Prussia Cove in Cornwall UK, the world-renowned residential workshop for talented young musicians, started by Hilary Behrens and the legendary Sandor Vegh.

In this masterclass, he works with Guy Johnston, former winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, on the first movement of Rachmaninov's Cello Sonata. The sonata has a history in Isserlis' family - his grandfather, a pianist, performed the sonata with Anatoly Brandukhov, the cellist for whom Rachmaninov wrote the sonata.

Student: Sebastian Bäverstam Accompanist: Catherine Edwards

Swedish cellist Frans Helmerson was born in 1945 and began playing the cello at the age of 8. After studies in Goteborg, Rome and London, followed by a debut in Stockholm, his solo career has taken him on countless tours all over Europe as well as the USA, Asia and Russia. He has performed with many of the finest orchestras under the baton of some of today's greatest conductors. He is also renowned throughout the world as one of the great teachers of the cello. He holds professorships at the Musikhochschule in Cologne, where he is based, and at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid. A regular teacher at the Verbier Festival Academy, here he gives a masterclass on the first movement of Dvorak's great Cello Concerto.

The baritone Thomas Quasthoff has been heralded by the press as "one of the great singers of our time and certainly one of the most remarkable of any time". (Los Angeles Times) He was born in Hildesheim, Germany in 1959 and began his musical studies in Hanover in 1972, studying singing with Charlotte Lehmann. Renowned for his singing of lieder and oratorios, he has worked with the most renowned orchestras and conductors worldwide at all the prestigious houses and festivals. He is a much sought-after teacher and is Professor of Music at the Hanns Eisler School for Music in Berlin. For several years he has taught at the Verbier Festival Academy. In this masterclass, he works with five students on songs and arias by Mozart, Schubert and Wagner.

Bernard Haitink is one the most celebrated conductors of our time. For more than 25 years he was at the helm of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as its music director. In addition, he has been music director of the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Royal Opera Covent Garden, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and the London Philharmonic. With an international conducting career spanning more than five decades he has conducted most of the leading orchestras of the world.

Here, Bernard Haitink works with six student conductors and the orchestra of the Royal College of Music in London on all four movements of Brahms' Symphony No 3, one of the composer's most daring and elusive works. Haitink imparts not only his profound insight into the symphony, but also shares with the students a lifetime's experience of conducting. This three-hour masterclass will inspire and inform not only aspiring conductors but music lovers and musicians in general.

Student: Eloisa-Fleur Thom

Maxim Vengerov is recognised as one of the world's most exciting and brilliant violinists. His exceptional talent emerged when he was very young. He gave his first recital at the age of five and went on to win First Prize in the Junior Wieniawski Competition when he was ten years old, confirming his promise as a violinist of rare talent. Still in his mid-thirties he is now acknowledged throughout the world as one of the great musicians of our time. He is also an outstanding teacher and is Professor of Violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Perceptive, entertaining and always sensitive to the individual personality and ability of his pupils, he has an extraordinary ability to convey his insights into the music and inspire his students.

In this masterclass, he works on the first movement of Sibelius' Violin concerto.

Student: Pedro Meiriles

Maxim Vengerov is recognised as one of the world's most exciting and brilliant violinists. His exceptional talent emerged when he was very young. He gave his first recital at the age of five and went on to win First Prize in the Junior Wieniawski Competition when he was ten years old, confirming his promise as a violinist of rare talent. Still in his mid-thirties he is now acknowledged throughout the world as one of the great musicians of our time. He is also an outstanding teacher and is Professor of Violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Perceptive, entertaining and always sensitive to the individual personality and ability of his pupils, he has an extraordinary ability to convey his insights into the music and inspire his students.

In this masterclass, he works on Ravels virtuoso showpiece, Tzigane

Gábor Takács-Nagy is one of the legendary performers and teachers of chamber music. Having studied in Budapest at the Franz Liszt Academy and later with Nathan Milstein, he was founding member and first violin of the Takács Quartet which became world-renowned as one of the finest string quartets of its day.

In this masterclass he works on the first movement of Brahms' tragic 3rd Piano Quartet.

Evelyn Glennie is without question the best known solo percussion player in the world. She gives more than 100 performances a year worldwide, performing with the greatest conductors, orchestras, and artists. Her diversity of collaborations have included performances artists such as Bjork, Bobby McFerrin, Sting, Emmanuel Ax, Kings Singers and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

In this masterclass she works on two twentieth century percussion compositions: Minoru Miki's "Marimba Spiritual" and Anders Koppel's "Toccata for Marimba and Vibraphone".

Håkan Hardenberger is regarded as the greatest trumpet soloist today. An outstanding teacher he is a professor at the Malmö Conservatoire and a Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England.

In this masterclass Håkan Hardenberger works with students on three key works from the 20th century trumpet repertoire

Steven Isserlis, one of the world's outstanding cellists, is a musician known for his strong ideas and passionate convictions about music. A champion of the works of Schumann, he also gets satisfaction in discovering and introducing into the repertoire works by lesser known composers which he considers deserve a wider audience. As well as giving concerts and recitals throughout the world, he is much sought after as a teacher. He is Artistic Director of the International Musicians' Seminar at Prussia Cove in Cornwall UK, the world-renowned residential workshop for talented young musicians, started by Hilary Behrens and the legendary Sandor Vegh.

In this masterclass, he works on the Robert Schumann's Fantasiestücke, a group of three "Fantasy Pieces" originally written for clarinet and piano but later arranged for cello and piano by Schumann himself.