"[It] conveys the deepest concepts, issues and solutions in the clearest and most supportive ways, and to every level of player, making this a truly ground-breaking effort."
Marcus Thompson
Boston Chamber Music Society, violist
Robert R. Taylor Professor of Music and Director of Chamber Music, MIT
Faculty, New England Conservatory
"As someone who does not perform music, your DVD provided a window into what musicians experience as they create music. This is something I have not seen before."
Music Lover, California
"I watched the DVD with my granddaughters, ages 11 and 9. We all enjoyed it. The 11-year-old plays the violin and was really interested. She really "got" what you were talking about."
Amateur violist, Massachusetts

Bonus Features:

Talking with Paul Katz
We have included the entire conversation with Paul Katz as a bonus feature. He speaks with eloquence and great authority of his experiences as cellist of the Cleveland Quartet and as coach and mentor of some of the finest young string quartets as they begin their professional careers.

The Brahms Sextet in G Major
Another bonus feature is the first movement of the Brahms Sextet performed by the Jupiter Quartet, Barry Shiffman, and Paul Katz. This is an exquisite example of musicians becoming the music, breathing and moving together, creating continuous, interweaving lines. A student string quartet viewed this performance without the sound and observed the music conveyed by the whole self of each player. As the young group then played their Mendelssohn quartet, they made a quantum leap, playing the music - not just the notes - and knew immediately there had been a profound change in both their playing and their approach to the music.

Musicalchemy Chamber Music DVD

Click above to view larger image.

Click to Download a PDF of the complete script

Why This Video?

This DVD was conceived as a way to help young professional string players become good chamber music coaches. But when the film was completed, I found that the video interests music lovers because it allows them to follow the language of this intimate music. A casual listener who admitted he had always "daydreamed" during concerts, couldn't wait to hear a live concert after seeing this video, and was moved to tears as he experienced the string sextet "Verklarte Nacht" of Schoenberg for the first time.   

Over the years I've developed many coaching techniques, and through the process of making this video, I found that they fall into four major categories:

  • Creating a group sound
  • Learning to see in order to hear
  • Characterizing the music
  • Being the music

When there are many problems of ensemble, bowing, dynamics, intonation, a coach is apt to become very busy getting all the details exactly together, and of course, that is "step one." But if at the same time the players are encouraged to hear each other, to breathe and move together, even an elementary group will reach the desired end more quickly.

Click here to see what people are saying about "At the Heart of Chamber Music" DVD.

Music AlchemyThe TREE of Chamber Music
It is hoped that this video will make chamber music more accessible for those who play, coach and listen to it. The values that humans seek their whole lives are to be found in this intimate music, and the TREE of chamber music bears very sweet fruit:

Trust
Respect
Empathy
Engagement ...and Enjoyment too!

For bulk orders, to pay by check, or if you have any other questions or comments,
please contact Gillian@musicalchemy.net.
Thank you.