Rachmaninov: Pr�lude, Op. 3 No. 2
Rachmaninov: Moments musicaux, Op. 16 No. 2
Rachmaninov: Pr�lude, Op.32 No. 10
Chopin: Etude, Op. 10 No. 8
Bizet, arr. Horowitz: Variations on "Carmen"
Liszt: Grand galop chromatique
Beethoven: Sonata No. 23, Op. 57 "Appassionata" – Allegro assai
Chopin: Polonaise in A flat, Op. 53
Chopin: Polonaise in A major, Op. 40 No.1
Chopin: Etude Op. 10, No.7
Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 58
J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1
No. 1 Prelude & Fugue in C major, BWV 846
No. 8 Prelude in E Flat Minor/Fugue in D sharp minor, BWV 853
Rachmaninov: Prelude No.5, Op. 23
Beethoven: Sonata No. 23, Op. 57 "Appassionata"
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 23
Scarlatti: Sonata, L.449
Ravel, arr.Gould: La Valse
Beethoven: Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111
Ignace Jan Paderewski (1860-1941)
Josef Hofmann (1876-1957)
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Benno Moiseiwitsch (1890-1963)
Vladimir Horowitz (1903-1989)
Gy�rgy Cziffra (1921-1994)
Myra Hess (1890-1965)
Artur Rubinstein (1887-1982)
Francis Plant� (1839-1934)
Alfred Cortot (1877-1962)
Wilhelm Backhaus (1884-1969)
Edwin Fischer (1886-1960)
Emil Gilels (1916 -1985)
Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997)
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (1920-1995)
Glenn Gould (1932-1982)
Claudio Arrau (1903-1991)
The Warner/NVC 'Art of' series of television/video documentaries began with 'The Art of Conducting' in 1994. Its success led to 'The Art of Singing' - where the contrasting periods and styles of the great singers of the century were displayed through their performances on film and television.
'The Art of Piano' continues the line of selecting the most interesting historical and musical archive material from the world's film and television archives. This material was assembled over a period of two years, and first shown as a film festival at the Louvre Museum in association with whom these programmes were then made. From Paderewski in 1936 to Claudio Arrau in 1970, the programmes traverse a wide and fascinating mixture of interpretative styles as also displayed by Horowitz, Rubinstein, Cortot, Gilels, Richter, Michelangeli and others. Fascinating and revealing commentaries on all these artists are given by present-day figures such as Tamás Vásáry, György Sandór and Sir Colin Davis. Whilst the film cannot be an encompassing survey of all the greatest pianists of the 20th century - because sadly no film material exists on many of them - the selection of archive film has been chosen to display the widest possible variety of styles and personalities.