Maria Joao Pires, Portrait Of A Pianist – Maria Joao Pires

   in Piano International (Mar, 2016)
Of the three DVDs under consideration, this is the least effective. A shame, as Pires is a fascinating subject and her playing is, as ever, miraculous in its pure musicality.

Interviews with Pires and (separately) her mother form the core of the film, but the structure feels loose. What we do hear is never less than interesting, and it is good to hear Pires’ own explanation of her absence from the concert platform from 1978 to 1982 (this was for medical and family reasons, but prolonged beyond its natural conclusion).

Pires’ musical development from her earliest years is described. She is honest about her discomfort in Germany or London (‘I am …