From Mao to Mozart - Isaac Stern in China

In 1979, as China reopened its doors to the west, internationally acclaimed classical violinist Isaac Stern received an unprecedented invitation to tour the country. While in China, Stern performed concerts and gave a series of master classes to talented Chinese musicians at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. This classic documentary records this extraordinary cultural exchange. Stern and David Golub, the pianist who accompanied him, narrate part of the film, while Tan Shuzhen, a deputy director of the Chinese Conservatory of Music, provides a different and complementary perspective on Chinese culture. In addition to the reissue of the acclaimed documentary which captured this significant event (and won an Academy Award for Best Documentary while doing it,) this video also contains the newer film MUSICAL ENCOUNTERS. This tracks Stern as he returns to China, twenty years later, and catches up with his old students, many of whom are masterful musicians in their own right.