From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China

From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China
DVD cover art for 2001 release
Directed by	Murray Lerner
Starring	Isaac Stern David Golub
Cinematography	David Bridges Nick Knowland
Edited by	Tom Haneke
Distributed by	Docurama NewVideo
Release dates	1979
Running time	114 min.
Country	United States China
Language	English Mandarin Wu

From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China is a 1980 documentary film about Western culture breaking into China produced and directed by Murray Lerner. It portrays the famous violinist and music teacher Isaac Stern as the first American musician to collaborate with the China Central Symphony Society (Now China National Symphony Orchestra). The film documented Mr. Stern's rehearsals and performances of Mozart and Brahms violin concertos with the famous Chinese conductor Li Delun, who also acted as his guide and translator on his trip. The film also included footage of Mr. Stern's visit to the Central Conservatory of Music and Shanghai Conservatory of Music where he lectured to the Chinese music students on violin playing and the art of musical expression. Most of those musicians were playing mechanically, especially the String section, prior to the human improvements, concerning the qualities of the orchestras. One conductor was imprisoned in a closet for playing Beethoven, during the great Proletarian Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, when Western music was prohibited under Mao.Among many others talented players, young cellist Jian Wang (at the time only ten years old) is featured briefly. Jian Wang has gone on to international stardom. The film won the 1980 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It was also screened out of competition at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival.

External links

• From Mao to Mozart at the Internet Movie Database
• From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China at AllMovie