The only DVD of Grigory Sokolov, an exceptional artist, famously reclusive, is once again available. In the 40 years since the 16-year-old Sokolov was awarded first prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1966, the world has been blessed with what one American critic recently called "a kind of pianism, musicianship and artistry one thought had vanished forever". Championed at a young age by Emil Gilels and a prominent figure on the Russian music scene since his early teens, Sokolov has gained an almost mythical status amongst music-lovers and pianophiles throughout the world. Sokolov has amazed everyone again and again with the enormous breadth of his repertoire and his huge, almost physical musical strength. Visa problems have again made Italy-based Russian pianist Grigory Sokolov cancel a London booking. After last year's Barbican concert was called off at short notice came the news that he would not be visiting the Royal Festival Hall on 29th April as planned.
"Sokolov, although a well-kept secret, is for many the greatest pianist alive today. Youthful celebrities with fast fingers, designer gear and slick photos pall beside such gigantic artistry, for Sokolov is a pianistic Dostoyevsky, his music-making vast in scope, visionary and revelatory, squeezing out every last drop of meaning." Jessica Duchen, International Piano Sept/Oct 2006
"There can be few virtuosi with fingers to touch his" The Sunday Times
Region Code: NTSC 0
Picture Format: NTSC 16:9
Sound Format: PCM-STEREO
Disc Format: DVD9
No of Discs: 1
Run Time: 123 mins
Released: 2009-06-01
November 2010
****
“The elusive Sokolov is sensitively filmed.”
September 2009
*****
“…Monsaingeon has resisted the obvious temptation to be too interventionist. Limiting the number of different angles at which we survey Sokolov's phenomenal pianism to a bare minimum certainly enables the viewer to be hypnotically drawn into the performances which in themselves are pretty remarkable.”
November 2009
“…Sokolov, a bulky, impassive figure, is fascinating to watch, playing as he does with dangerously high hand movements and expressive gestures. Three Beethoven sonatas are played in an uninterrupted sequence with such beauty of tone, sculptured phrasing and cohesive narrative that criticism is silenced. ...Prokofiev's Seventh Sonata, a coruscating, vehement reading that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Unmissable for all pianophiles.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
