Isaac Stern Good Will Visit to China

Last evening, I watched and listened to a video entitled, "From Mao To Mozart: Isaac Stern in China." It is a documentary that garnered all kinds of prizes and praises as the best documentary of the year (1980). I quote the following from the cover of the video: "In 1979 Isaac Stern accepted an invitation to visit China as an official guest of the government. Accompanied by his family, Mr. Stern spent on month traveling through China learning about the vast country and meeting the Chinese people, "first as musicians then as friends." Mr. Stern met with musicians from all over China. He held master classes. visited schools, coached young people, and worked with orchestras, as well as staging public performances. Wherever he went, he was received with great warmth and enthusiasm."
Along with everyone else that has watched this documentary, it would be difficult to overpraise this film. As Archer Winston, from the New York Post, commented: "Superb... Not To Be Missed." What particularly amazed me was the high level of performance of the students who were studying music. It seemed they were children and yet, the way they played, I would have regarded them as child prodegies. Both Stern and his piano accompanist were clearly impressed by the level of performance of so many of the students.
Throughout the film, what moved me was watching Isaac Stern, a master teacher as he is a master performer, instruct each of the young musicians (as well as a full orchestra), how to play their music with more passion. Stern exuded passion in his playing. He commented that the instructions that students received from their teachers did not stress the importance of playing with passion. He made the playing of whoever he instructed, be it a single student or a orchestra, come alive, with passion. I strongly recommend that the reader of this posting give themseles a treat by watching this documentary. Check your local library to obtain a copy or try Netflick.