Sacred Music: A Christmas History / Christophers, The Sixteen

Maar weinig koren kunnen uitvoeringen van ongekende klasse geven en uit hun midden tevens excellente solisten leveren. Deze cd bewijst dat The Sixteen in deze tak wereldwijd nummer 1 is. Dat het Engelse muziektijdschrift Gramophone The Sixteen tot `Artist of the Year 2009` heeft verkozen, onderstreept de klasse van het al dertigjarige koor. De dirigent Harry Christophers hanteert zijn bekende programmaformule: bekend naast onbekend! Hier te zien op een heerlijke Kerst DVD.

Eugene Ormandy conducts Stravinsky & Rachmaninov

Rachmaninov:
Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27

Stravinsky:
The Firebird Suite - Version 1919

The Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy

Recorded live at the Academy of Music, Philadelphia, 1977 (Stravinsky), 1979 (Rachmaninov)

Directed by Kirk Browning • Produced by Christopher Sarson

Eugene Ormandy’s unbroken 44-year association with the Philadelphia Orchestra was unique in history. Famous for its rich and powerful ‘Philadelphia Sound’, the orchestra was described by Rachmaninov as “the greatest virtuoso orchestra in the world”. Ormandy was a close friend of Rachmaninov, and it was on the occasion of the conductor’s 80th birthday that they performed Rachmaninov’s magnificent and powerful Second Symphony, a performance whose authenticity would be difficult to beat.

TV Format NTSC 4:3 - Sound PCM Stereo - Dolby Digital 5.1 • DTS 5.1 - Languages: Ger, Eng, Fr - Region Code 0 (worldwide) - 81 mins

Abbado conducts Brahms & Dvorák

Recorded live at the Teatro Massimo, Palermo, 1 May 2002

Beethoven:
Egmont Overture, Op. 84

Brahms:
Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77

Dvorak:
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 'From the New World'

Verdi:
I vespri siciliani Overture

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Claudio Abbado

The Berlin Philharmonic annual European Concerts are intended to recall the date on which the orchestra was founded, 1st May 1882, with a performance being given on this day in a different town or city of particular cultural and historical importance. In 2002 it was the turn of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, one of Europe’s most important opera houses both artistically and architecturally. In a programme of much-loved pieces from the classical repertoire, with the celebrated Gil Shaham as soloist,Abbado once again demonstrated how he upheld the unsurpassed orchestral tradition of the BPO with his profound music-making. Viewers of this concert, broadcast all over Europe, were inspired to see the maestro so relaxed, gesticulating so emphatically.This was the last time in his 12 years as the orchestra’s artistic director that the revered Italian maestro Claudio Abbado conducted a European Concert.

Bonus Film:A Portrait of Palermo

NTSC 16:9, PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 - Region code: 0,Audience: all - Language: German (Bonus) - Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian - Booklet notes: English, German, French - Running time: 112 mins + 20 mins (Bonus)

Karl Böhm in Rehearsal and Performance 1

Strauss, R:
Don Juan, Op. 20

Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm

“When writing down an opera Strauss naturally had a precise idea of how certain passages were to sound, and if, at rehearsal, one passage or another did not completely correspond to what he had imagined, he ceaselessly criticized it and made corrections, but nothing satisfied him. On such occasions he really did not show his best side, but I willingly accepted it from such a personality because I learned such an enormous amount from him” Karl Böhm

Recorded live at the Grosser Musikvereinssaal, Vienna, 17-18 September 1970

“Least appealing of conductors, Böhm achieves impressive results from an anxious-looking Vienna Philharmonic. This is a chastening lesson in precision, concentration, obedience.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2008 ****

“…absolutely fascinating from start to finish…a wonderful document… This is a DVD that nobody interested in the art and craft of conducting should miss” International Record Review

Schumann: Piano Concerto

Schumann:
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120
Études symphoniques, Op. 13
Adagio and Allegro brilliante
(Orchestration: Peter I. Tchaikovsky)
Carnaval, Op. 9
(Excerpts)
(Orchestration: Maurice Ravel)

Martha Argerich (piano)

Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Riccardo Chailly

“This sparkling concert in the Gewandhaus is… one of the more imaginative events that last year marked the 150th anniversary of Schumann's death. The Symphony… is…proof of the rapport that Chailly has established as the orchestra's music director. The icing on the cake is the great Martha Argerich in one of her signature pieces. Throughout, her dialogue with the orchestra truly reflects the piano's role as first among equals. Not to be missed...” Gramophone Magazine, July 2007

Beethoven - Symphonies Nos. 4 & 7

Beethoven:
Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92

Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado

Recorded live at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome, February 2001

“The most wonderful symphonic cycle of the past decade!” La Repubblica

Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel

Recorded live at the Semperoper Dresden, December 2006

Directed for Stage by Katharina Thalbach and Stage Designer and Costumes: Ezio Toffolutti

Iris Vermillon, Antigone Papoulkas, Anna Gabler, Hans-Joachim Ketelsen & Irmgard Vilsmaier

Women of the State Opera & State Opera Children’s Choir & Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Michael Hofstetter

Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish

“This DVD version of Hänsel und Gretel starts well with the glorious horns of the Dresden Staatskapelle in the overture, and Michael Hofstetter draws warmly expressive playing in a work very much central to their repertory. The staging tells the story clearly and believably but the trendy ideas come too thick and fast for comfort; the delight of the children in the audience, shown in close-ups, adds to one's irritation.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2007

“This DVD version of Hänsel und Gretel starts well with the glorious horns of the Dresden Staatskapelle in the overture, and Michael Hofstetter draws warmly expressive playing in a work very much central to their repertory. The recording, live in the helpful acoustic of the Semperoper, adds to expectation, with eager children in the large audience.
That said, Katharina Thalbach's production will not please everyone. Grotesquerie rather than charm is the keynote. Hansel and Gretel are portrayed as dolls with crude make-up on spotty faces. Even their movements mimic those of puppets. Costumes are those of German peasants, with the drunken father still more of a caricature, both in costume and acting. The sets and designs by Ezio Toffolutti, minimal and stylised, are undistracting.
Other characters, too, match the grotesque illustrations in traditional German fairy-tale books, which seem strangely old-fashioned to us. The exception is the Witch, characterfully sung by Iris Vermillion, initially glamorous in a form-fitting scarlet gown with shiny high boots but transformed into an old crone when she takes off her wig, revealing a bald head, huge false ears and a hump on her back. Small wonder the children push her into the oven.
The cuckoo is another sort of doll, shooting out from the wings on a spring, with the gigantic sweets of the Witch's house let down from the flies, and with the little house itself made up of gigantic biscuits. The Sandman is another doll, and the Dew Fairy appears wearing ice skates around her neck. The captured children are revealed as sweets, until Hansel with a broom frees them all, and they form a long line to shake hands with Hansel and Gretel in a very Germanic way.
The staging tells the story clearly and believably but the trendy ideas come too thick and fast for comfort. Singing is generally good if not outstanding. Hansel (Antigone Papoulkas) and Gretel (Anna Gabler) are diminutive figures with clear, bright voices, and Hans-Joachim Ketelsen as the Father and Irmgard Vilsmaier as the Mother sing strongly; Lydia Teuscher is jewel-bright as the Sandman and the Dew Fairy.
Excellent singing, too, from the chorus of children and women.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

Plácido Domingo Conducts A Spanish Night

Recorded live at the Waldbühne, Berlin, 1 July 2001

Sarah Chang (violin) & Ana María Martínez (soprano)

Berliner Philharmoniker, Plácido Domingo

"Sarah Chang’s flawless technique and her boldly imaginative playing elicited thunderous applause and, following Jules Massenet’s Méditation, played with touchingly noble tone, she received a standing ovation" (Der Tagesspiegel, reviewing the live performance)

Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 in B flat major

Recorded live at the Stiftsbasilika St. Florian, Linz, 12-13 September 2006

The Cleveland Orchestra, Franz Welser-Möst

Subtitles (Bonus): English, German, French

Liszt: A Faust Symphony

Recorded live at the Symphony Hall, Boston, 26 July 1976

Kenneth Riegel (tenor)

Tanglewood Festival Chorus & Boston Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein

“Noble, passionate performance of Liszt's greatest work, Bernstein conducting with precision and fervour, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra ideal. Not much is added by seeing Bernstein emoting at every point.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2007 *****

“Franz Liszt's Faust Symphony is one of the most significant yet (in our time) least appreciated orchestral works of the nineteenth century. […] the quasi-autobiographical Faust Symphony is Liszt's largest and greatest symphonic utterance, and a tour de force of nineteenth-century harmonic practice” Opera News

Penguin Guide Rosette Winner

Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob. VIIb:1

Recorded at the Henry Wood Hall, London, 17–19 November, 1975

Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major, Hob. VIIb:2 (Op. 101)

Recorded at the Henry Wood Hall, London, 17–19 November, 1975

Keyboard Concerto No. 11 in D major, HobXVIII:11

Recorded at the Markgräfliches Opernhaus, Bayreuth, 23–27 November 1982

Mstislav Rostropovich (cello & direction) & Homero Francesch (piano)

Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner

Booklet Notes: English, German, French

Penguin Guide Rosette Winner

Arrau & Brahms: The Two Romantics (2011)

Claudio Arrau: Beethoven Piano Sonatas (2011)
 

Claudio Arrau 'The Emperor'

Recorded live at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago in Chile, May 1984

Beethoven:
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 'Emperor'

Documentary directed and produced by Peter Rosen

Claudio Arrau (piano)

The Symphony Orchestra of the University of Chile (Performance) / The Philharmonic Orchestra of Santiago (Documentary), Victor Tevah (Performance) / Juan Pablo Izquierdo (Documentary)

Claudio Arrau has been playing the piano to great international acclaim for almost eighty years. From Tokyo to Berlin to Paris to London to New York, he has won the love and admiration of music-lovers around the world. He has built his career largely without the help of hype or hysteria. Arrau’s repertoire is larger than that of any other pianist of his time. He is known universally as “The Emperor”.

Although he has performed everywhere in the world except China, there is one country that is especially dear to Arrau’s heart: and that is his native Chile. His triumphant return to Chile in 1984 after an absence of 17 years was an event of national importance, ranking with Franz Liszt’s return to Hungary. In this program, we’ll join Maestro Arrau as he returns to the land of his birth. And we’ll also go back and trace the events in the life of this extraordinary artist. And finally, we’ll hear Maestro Arrau perform his signature work, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, the “Emperor” Concerto.

This programme includes a 40-minute documentary tracing Arrau's life and career.

Friedrich Gulda plays Beethoven & Bach

Recorded live at the 1970 Beethovenfest Bonn, Germany

Bach, J S:
English Suite No. 3 in G minor, BWV808

Beethoven:
Eroica Variations, Op. 35

Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 'Hammerklavier'

Friedrich Gulda (piano)

The “Internationales Beethovenfest Bonn 1970” brought numerous world-famous performers to Bonn on the occasion of the the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Bonn's greatest musical son, Ludwig van Beethoven..

A principal visitor to that year's festival was the influential Viennese pianist Friedrich Gulda. He performed in both the classical and jazz fields. His greatest classical inspiration was Beethoven, so it is fitting that he chose the 'Hammerklavier' Sonata to celebrate Beethoven's birthday. He is also well known for his famous Bach and Mozart performances.

Handel: Serse

Recorded live at the Semperoper, Dresden, 2–3 June 2000

Paula Rasmussen (Serse), Ann Hallenberg (Arsamene), Patricia Bardon (Amastre), Isabel Bayrakdarian (Romilda), Sandrine Piau (Atalanta), Marcello Lippi (Ariodate) & Matteo Peirone (Elviro)

Ludwigshafener Theaterchor & Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset

Michael Hampe, staging

For Handel’s Serse, Christophe Rousset casted a female singer in the role of Xerxes, which was written for the soprano castrato Caffarelli. Paula Rasmussen is the star in this acclaimed production live from the Semperoper, Dresden, directed for stage by Michael Hampe. Superbly performed under the baton of Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques, this is an elegant and charming production with an outstanding cast.

This beautiful production of Handel’s Serse presents a tale of intrigue, deception and true love. Xerxes, King of the Persians (the magnificent Paula Rasmussen) and his brother Arsamenes (Ann Hallenberg) are in love with Romilda. Romilda, however, only has eyes for Arsamenes, as does her sister Atalanta. Add to the mix a spurned lover, a doting father and an idiotic servant (the hilarious Matteo Peirone), and one is confronted with tragedy, comedy and romance in equal measures.

Introducing Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique

Berlioz:
Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14

Recorded live at the Hagia Eirene, Istanbul 2001

Berliner Philharmoniker, Mariss Jansons

Host: Wulf Konold

A new way of experiencing and enjoying the great works of music from the Baroque to the Modern Period – thanks to a new educational series of audio-visual concert guides, Introducing Masterpieces of Classical Music. Each release includes extensive documentation and a complete performance of the work or works in question.

Famous masterpieces from the standard repertoire of the greatest international orchestras are brought closer to the viewer through first class concert broadcasts (Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, Gewandhaus Orchester…) in a timely visual style.

Includes 29 mins introductory feature + full concert performance of the masterpiece!

Berlioz’ “Fantastic Symphony” is widely regarded as one of the most important and representative pieces of the early Romantic period. Leonard Bernstein once called it “the first musical expedition into psychedelia” because of its hallucinatory and dream-like nature. The German musicologist Wulf Konold describes the idea behind and the realization of this fascinating work.

Introducing Haydn: Symphony No. 94

Documentary and full performance

Haydn:
Symphony No. 94 in G Major 'Surprise'

Berliner Philharmoniker, Mariss Jansons

Performance recorded live at the Hagia Eirene, Istanbul, 5 May 2001.

Daniel Barenboim plays Mozart

incl. EuroArts & Idéale Audience Catalogue 2011

Mozart:
Symphony No. 35 in D major, K385 'Haffner'
Horn Concerto No. 1 in D major, K412 (K386b)
Radek Baborák (horn)
Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat major, K482
Symphony No. 36 in C major, K425 'Linz'

Daniel Barenboim (conductor & piano)

Berliner Philharmoniker

Recorded live at the Estates Theatre, Prague, 1 May 2006 (Europakonzert)

An All-Mozart Programme with Daniel Barenboim in his familiar dual role as soloist and conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, featuring two masterpieces of the Mozart repertoire, the “Haffner” and “Linz” Symphonies.

Recorded in the Mozart Year 2006 at the Estates Theatre Prague, one of the most beautiful historical theatres in Europe. Part of its charm, magic and value lies in its historical significance. In 1787 Mozart conducted here the premier of Don Giovanni, a work written specially for Prague. The Berlin Philharmonic sitting onstage in a reconstruction of the sets that had been used at the first performance of Don Giovanni.

Bonus Film: a Cultural Portrait of Prague.

András Schiff plays Bach

Bach, J S:
French Suites Nos. 1-6, BWV812-817
French Overture in B minor, BWV831
Italian Concerto, BWV971

András Schiff (piano)

András Schiff, born in 1953 in Budapest, is nowadays one of the most appreciated and distinguished pianists in the world. Magically, he brings life into pieces, makes them breathing and swinging and keeps up almost forgotten ideals of piano playing.

Thus, he is not only a great pianist, but also a professional whose view is not limited on piano music, but who has wide knowledge of the broad field of macro culture. This enables him to play the piano which always makes sense to his own point of view.

Surely Bach’s French Suites, which he composed during his years at Cöthen (1717–1723), are among the finest inducements to practise that any teacher has ever made to a pupil. In this case Bach wrote them for his young wife, Anna Magdalena. The over-riding impression left by these suites is one of endearing tunefulness. Clavier-Übung II is a later collection of didactic keyboard pieces. It comprises two greatly contrasted works: the Italian Concerto and the Overture in the French Style. These performances admirably demonstrate the thoughtful and persuasive approach that András Schiff adopts when performing Bach.

The Concert Recording is accompanied with some interviews with András Schiff, which enriches and completes the great experience of the concert. During the interview, Schiff sits at the Steinway piano and explains the French Suites which J. S. Bach composed during 1722 and 1725 for Cembalo, but also its closeness to Bach’s Goldberg variations and Orchestra suites. He plays a short passage of a Suite, explains it and plays again, but then he interrupts himself once again. This happens without script but with refreshing spontaneity and directness. Completing this part, you can see András Schiff at the Thomas Church and Bach Museum where he talks about Bach’s years in Leipzig, his musical and personal development.

Bonus: Schiff explains Bach

Daniel Barenboim: The Jubilee Concert from Buenos Aires

Recorded at the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, August 2000

Albéniz:
Iberia, book 1
Iberia, book 2

Beethoven:
Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata'

Mozart:
Piano Sonata No. 10 in C major, K330

Documentary: “Multiple Identities”

This documentary tracks the pianist-conductor from summer 1999 through Berlin, Chicago, Tel Aviv and Weimar up to this stage anniversary in Buenos Aires, in summer 2000, and ends up with his controversial performance of "Prelude and Liebestod" from Wagner’s "Tristan and Isolde" in Jerusalem in summer 2001. It is a film about music, about music making and a celebration of a remarkable personality.

Featuring Yo-Yo Ma, Pierre Boulez, Cecilia Bartoli, Waltraud Meier, Edward Said, Staatskapelle Berlin, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker and many more

Live recording from the Gewandhaus Leipzig, November 2008

and numerous Encores including works by Scarlatti, Ginastera, Schubert, Chopin and Schumann

Daniel Barenboim (piano)

Five decades after his first appearance on stage the legendary Barenboim plays a special anniversary concert in the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires.

A touching encounter between the pianist and the enthusiastic audience of his home country Argentina.

Main Program includes favourite piano works by Beethoven, Mozart and Albeniz.

Presenting not less than 13 encores by Chopin, Schumann, Villa-Lobos, Scarlatti, to name just a few.

“A transatlantic superstar, one half of the classical music world's most golden ever couple, and long-time leader of two of the world's foremost orchestras, Daniel Barenboim nevertheless maintains a work schedule that takes him all over the world. Both a pianist and conductor, he says simply, ‘I like to work and I like variety." BBC

Europa Konzert from Lisbon

Maria João Pires, piano
Berliner Philharmoniker
Pierre Boulez

The marvellous Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires was joined by Pierre Boulez and the Berlin Philharmonic for the European Concert 2003. Since 1991, when the Berlin Philharmonic gave their first European Concert, this annual musical summit in important cultural cities has become a brand name for excellent musicianship and high quality recorded music films. This concert came from Lisbon and took place in a spectacular location, the ‘Mosteiro dos Jerónimos’ – an impressive monastery built in the early 16th century and a UNESCO-accredited World Heritage Site. The programme included Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.20 – a perfect programme choice, as Maria João Pires is a sought-after Mozart pianist and Pierre Boulez enjoys an excellent reputation as one of the greatest Bartók conductors ever. The DVD comes in 5.1 surround sound in Dolby Digital and DTS in widescreen 16:9 ratio and features a portrait of Lisbon and a “behind-the-scenes” picture gallery as a bonus.

REPERTOIRE:
Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin; W.A. Mozart: Piano Concerto No.20; Bela Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra; Claude Debussy: Fêtes

BONUS:
A Portrait of Lisbon; Behind-the-Scenes Picture Gallery

Complete Mozart Operas - Salzburger Festspiele (33 DVD's)

Here is the grand culmination of the Mozart Year celebration and a milestone in the history of Mozart performance: all 22 of his operas as performed at the 2006 Salzburg Festival. On these complete, live recordings of Mozart22, all the Festivals own productions appear for the first time on DVD, while many of his lesser-known works are seen here for the first time on any video format.

Representing one of the largest audio-visual projects ever undertaken,  comprises 51 hours of music on 33 High Definition DVDs, in 5.1 Surround Sound: every opera and singspiel, rarities and scenic fragments, plus reports on the making of the productions, artist interviews, and rehearsal excerpts.

The diversity in staging and approach of M22 serves as proof that Mozart is our contemporary. In its comprehensiveness, the M22 project illuminates every aspect of the composers genius.

Antonín Dvorák - Rusalka

Orchestra and Choirs of the Opéra National de Paris; Conlon, James

Voor puristen was de spraakmakende productie van regisseur Robert Carsen bij de Opéra National de Paris een gruwel, maar voor iedereen die daar doorheen kijkt is deze geheel Tsjechisch gezongen ‘Rusalka’ van Dvorák vooral op muzikaal gebied een waar genot. Dat heeft alles te maken met sopraan Renée Fleming, die wederom virtuoos bewijst dat de titelrol haar op het lijf geschreven is.

Giacomo Puccini - La Bohème

Opera, Metropolitan; Levine, James

Dit is waarschijnlijk de beroemdste productie van ‘La Bohème’ die de Metropolitan Opera ooit binnen de muren heeft gehad. In januari 1982 stond er niet alleen een droomcast, met onder andere Teresa Stratas, José Carreras en Renato Scotto, ook regisseur Franco Zefi relli had alles mee. Hij brengt het immer aangrijpende drama zo op het podium, dat de kijker zich deel van de actie voelt. Dirigent James Levine en het ontketende orkest van de Met doen de rest. Een echte klassieker.

Anton Bruckner - Symphony no. 4 ‘Romantic’, Symphony no. 7

Münchner Philharmoniker; Thielemann, Christian

Zelfs voor de Münchner Philharmoniker en Christian Thielemann zal Bruckner geen dagelijkse kost zijn. Deze uitvoeringen laten echter horen dat het programma van deze dvd voor hen een thuiswedstrijd is. Het orkest uit München heeft een lange Brucknertraditie, die in de laatste decennia van de twintigste eeuw een voorlopig hoogtepunt kreeg in imposante, breed uitgesponnen uitvoeringen onder Celibidache. Ook Thielemann bewees zich vele malen als Bruckner-interpreet, onder meer in een puntgave uitvoering van de Achtste met de Wiener Philharmoniker in 2007 in Amsterdam. Een jaar daarvoor (Zevende) en een jaar daarna (Vierde) werden deze televisieopnamen gemaakt in Baden-Baden. De climaxen (in het Adagio van de Zevende mét bekkenslag) hebben een overrompelende kracht en een prachtige glans, maar meer nog ben ik getroffen door de expressiviteit van de overgangspassages, waaraan Thielemann opvallend veel aandacht besteedt. Op sommige momenten brengt hij de muziek bijna tot een halt om vervolgens een nieuw idee uit het niets geboren te laten worden. Prachtig zijn de beelden na afloop van het slotakkoord van de Zevende, als Thielemann zich heel langzaam losmaakt uit zijn houding en meer dan tevreden, ja zielsgelukkig opkijkt. Heel begrijpelijk na zo’n mooie uitvoering.

Brahms, Wagner Symphony no. 4, Double concerto, Prelude to Parsifal

Batiashvili, Lisa; Mörk, Truls; Berliner Philharmoniker; Rattle, Simon

In de magistrale ruimte van Kabelwerk Oberspree, een leegstaande Berlijnse fabriekshal, vindt in 2007 het feestconcert plaats ter gelegenheid van de 125ste verjaardag van de Berliner Philharmoniker. De hal is vol helder daglicht en het oog van de camera zweeft door de ruimte en richt zich in close-ups op individuele musici. Zelden heb ik een gefilmde concertregistratie gezien waarin het beeld zo naadloos aansluit bij de kwaliteit van de uitvoering. Want kort samengevat zijn de verrichtingen van de Berliner en hun chef-dirigent in Wagner en Brahms zowel ruimtelijk expansief als tot in het kleinste detail uitgewerkt. Traag worden de lange muzikale lijnen van Wagners Parsifal-voorspel uitgezet als enorme bogen, af en toe door een pijler gestut, en ook de machtige architectuur van Brahms’ Vierde symfonie gedijt in de grote ruimte. Vaak komt Simon Rattle in beeld, vooral met zijn expressieve gezicht dirigerend terwijl hij zijn musici voortstuwt met anticiperende gebaren. Een gelukkige glimlach ontsnapt hem na het eerste deel van het Dubbelconcert van Brahms. Terecht, want zowel door het orkest als door de twee solisten wordt er meesterlijk gespeeld. Hier geldt: door te zien hoor je méér.

Henryk Górecki - The symphony of sorrowful songs

Upshaw, Dawn; London Sinfonietta; Zinman, David; Palmer, Tony

‘Niet huilen, moeder. Koningin van de Hemel, reinste Maagd, bescherm mij altijd.’ Deze woorden kraste Helena Wanda Blazusiakówna in de muur van haar cel in het Palace Hotel in Zakopane, tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog het hoofdkwartier van de Gestapo ter plaatse. Het gebed waarmee het destijds achttienjarige meisje zich tot de Maagd Maria wendde, verwerkte de Poolse componist Henryk Górecki in 1976 in zijn Derde symfonie, Symfonia piesni zalosnych. Daarnaast heeft hij een oude Poolse tekst gebruikt waarin Maria haar Zoon, die stervend aan het kruis hangt, vraagt zijn wonden met haar te delen en de klaagzang waarmee de moeder van een gedode soldaat om haar kind treurt. Górecki heeft geen misbruik gemaakt van de gevoelsinhoud van de gebeden, maar juist terughoudendheid betracht. De drie delen die samen de Symfonia piesni zalosnych vormen (hier vertaald als The symphony of sorrowful songs), getuigen van het kwaad in de wereld. De Britse regisseur Tony Palmer wisselt in zijn film concertopnamen van de indrukwekkende sopraan Dawn Upshaw af met beelden uit Auschwitz, Irak, Sarajevo en hongerend Afrika. De hel op aarde. Door mensen gemaakt. De muziek dient daarbij vooral ook tot troost.

Astor Piazzolla in portrait

Astor Piazzolla New Tango Sextet e.a.

film Tango Maestro; Studioconcert Tango Nuevo; interviews.

Prijs: € 29,95

BIZET - Carmen

Anne Sofie von Otter, Glydnebourne Chorus, London Philharmonic Orchestra o.l.v. Philippe Jordan

Prijs: € 41,95

HANDEL - Giulio Cesare

Sarah Connolly, Angelika Kirschschlager, Danielle de Niese, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment o.l.v. William Christie

Prijs: € 49,95

JANACEK - The Cunning Little Vixen (animatiefilm)

Solisten Deutschen Oper, Kent Nagano



Prijs: € 29,95
 

LEHAR - The Merry Widow

Yvonne Kenny, Bo Skovus, Angelika Kirschschlager, San Francisco Opera, Erich Kunzel

Prijs: € 35,95

MONTEVERDI - L’Orfeo

Furio Zanasi, Montserat Figueras, Sara Mingardo, Le Concert des Nations o.l.v. Jordi Savall

Prijs: € 35,95

MOZART -  Cosi fan tutte

Topi Lehtipuu, Luca Pisaroni, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment o.l.v. Ivan Fischer

Prijs: € 41,95

MOZART - Le Nozze di Figaro

Miah Persson, Erwin Schrott, Dorotea Roschmann, Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano

Prijs: € 41,95

MOZART - Die Zauberflöte

Simon Keenlyside, Dorothea Röschmann, Royal Opera House, Sir Colin Davis

Prijs: € 35,95

PUCCINI  - Gianni Schicchi

Allesandro Corbelli, Massimo Giordano, London Philharmonic Orchestra o.l.v. Vladimir Jurowski

Prijs: € 29,95

PUCCINI - Tosca

Angela Gheoghiu, Roberto Alagna, Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano

Prijs: € 35,95

RAMEAU - Les Boreades

Barbara Bonney, Paul Agnew, Les Arts Florisants o.l.v. William Christie

Prijs: € 41,95

RAMEAU - Les Indes Galantes

Valerie Gabail, Nicolas Rivenq, Paul Agnew, Patricia Petitbon, Les Arts Florisants o.l.v. William Christie

Prijs: € 41,95

RAMEAU - Les Paladins

Sandrine Piau, Francois Piollino, Les Arts Florisants o.l.v. William Christie

Prijs: € 41,95

J. STRAUSS - Die Fledermaus

Pamela Armstrong, Thomas Allen, Glyndebourne, LPO o.l.v. Vladimir Jurowski

Prijs: € 41,95

VERDI - Aida

Daniell Dessi, Elisabetta Fiorillo, Fabio Armiliato, Teatre Liceu, Barcelona, Miguel Martinez

Prijs: € 41,95

VERDI - Falstaff

Bryn Terfel, Barbara Frittoli, Royal Opera House, Bernard Haitink

Prijs: € 35,95

VERDI - Rigoletto

Marcello Alvarez, Christine Schäffer, Royal Opera House

Prijs: € 35,95

VERDI - Il Trovatore

José Cura, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Royal Opera House o.l.v Carlo Rizzi

Prijs: € 35,95

WAGNER - Parsifal

Christophor Ventris, Waltraud Maier, Thomas Hampson, Deutsches Symphonie orchester Berlin o.l.v. Kent Nagano

Prijs: € 49,95

DELIBES - Coppélia

Royal Ballet, Royal Opera

Prijs: € 35,95

DELIBES - Sylvia

Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House

Prijs: € 35,95

MENDELSSOHN - A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Pacific Northwest Ballet, BBC Orchestra

Prijs: € 35,95

STRAVINSKY - Firebird & Les noces

Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House

Prijs: € 35,95

TCHAIKOVSKY - Doornroosje

Het Nationale Ballet, Holland Symfonia

Prijs: € 35,95

TCHAIKOVSKY  - Notenkraker

San Francisco Ballet & Orchestra

Prijs: € 35,95

TCHAIKOVSKY - Notenkraker

Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House

Prijs: € 35,95

TCHAIKOVSKY - Zwanenmeer

Royal Swedish Ballet & Orchestra

Prijs: € 35,95

TCHAIKOVSKY - Zwanenmeer

Ballet Opera National de Paris

Prijs: € 35,95

DANCES OF ECSTASY

Prijs: € 35,95

JEWELS

Ballet Opera National de Paris

Prijs: € 35,95

BACH - Cantates BWV 179, 199, 113

Magdalena Kozena, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists o.l.v. John Elliot Gardiner

Prijs: € 29,95

JACQUELINE DU PRE IN PORTRAIT

Jacqueline Dupré, daniel barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman

Prijs: € 35,95

HAYDN

Cecilia Bartoli, Concentus Musicus Wien o.l.v. Nicolaus Harnoncourt

Prijs: € 29,95

MOZART Cecilia sings Mozart Arias

Cecilia Bartoli, Concentus Musicus Wien o.l.v. Nicolaus Harnoncourt

Prijs: € 29,95

SCHUBERT  - The Trout, The Greatest Love & The Greatest Sorrow

Twee Christopher Nupen films

Prijs: € 35,95

TAVENER - Fall and Ressurection

Patricia Rozario, Michael Chance, City of london Sinfonia o.l.v. Richard Hickox

Prijs: € 29,95

CECILIA & BRYN at GLYDNEBOURNE

Cecilia Bartoli, Bryn Terfel

Prijs: € 29,95

CAROLS FROM KING’S

Choir of King’s College Cambridge

Prijs: € 29,95

ALFRED BRENDEL IN PORTRAIT

Mozart/Haydn


 

Prijs: € 41,95

THE LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS

BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus o.l.v Andrew Davis

Prijs: € 29,95

RAVI SHANKAR IN PORTRAIT

Prijs: € 35,95

ANDRES SEGOVIA IN PORTRAIT

Prijs:  € 35,95

EROICA

Speelfilm met als thema Beethoven’s derde symfonie. Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique o.l.v. Sir John Eliot Gardiner


 

Prijs: € 35,95

TCHAIKOVSKY Doornroosje

Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House

Prijs: € 41,95

Adams - Doctor Atomic

The longing to overcome human boundaries lead the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to begin an experiment that formed a threat to the whole of humanity, and whose scientific results still do today. The question of the moral implications of the atomic bomb is raised in John Adams’ opera, just as much as that of the influence on the private lives of the main characters. Doctor Atomic is the fifth work to result from almost twenty years of collaboration between the American composer and his fellow American director and Erasmus Prize-winner Peter Sellars.



Prijs: € 41,95

Shostakovich - Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (DNO)

Shostakovich’s musically brilliant and ingeniously panoramic opera about love, lust, power and oppression is fabulously well played by the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Mariss Jansons in this authoritative production. Stage director Martin Kusej builds on formidable musical strengths to forge a relentless drama that explores with emotional conviction the shadowy, layered boundaries between victims and perpetrators. First-rate protagonist Eva-Maria Westbroek is phenomenal in her gripping interpretation of Katarina, compelling the entire cast, including the choir, to almost unbearable realism in their portrayal of timeless human weaknesses.

Eva-Maria Westbroek, Christopher Ventris, Carole Wilson, Vladimir Vaneev, Lani Poulson, Ludovít Ludha, Alexandre Kravets
Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Mariss Jansons
Stage Director Martin Kušej
TV Director Thomas Grimm



Prijs: € 49,95

Verdi - Don Carlo (DNO)

In this majestic production of Verdi’s Don Carlo, Riccardo Chailly’s qualities as a Verdi conductor are brilliantly displayed in the dramatic precision and transparent instrumental detail he draws from both orchestra and cast. Willy Decker directs a wonderful piece of stagecraft, letting the tragedy unwind with minimal, yet telling, interventions. The drama takes place in the mausoleum of Filippo II’s Escorial, where the tombs of countless generations of Spanish royalty line the walls. Filippo’s confrontation with Il grande inquisitore – which takes place over his own coffin, its resting place in the wall ready and waiting – is chillingly symbolic, as are the feet of the giant crucifix that hangs over Don Carlo as he sees his life sacrificed by his father.

Robert Lloyd, Rolando Villazón, Amanda Roocroft, Dwayne Croft, Jaakko Ryhänen, Giorgio Giuseppini, Violeta Urmana
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / De Nederlandse Opera Chorus / Riccardo Chailly
Stage Director Willy Decker

Plus
Illustrated Synopsis and Cast Gallery.



Prijs: € 41,95

Berlioz – Les Troyens

Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts the Monteverdi Choir, Choeur du Théâtre du Châtelet and Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique in a landmark triple disc of Berlioz's towering opera. Recorded in High Definition at Le Châtelet, Paris. A tragic tale of love and fate, war and peace and the intertwined destinies of two cities, the opera is based on Virgil's imperial vision of the founding myth of Rome. The American tenor Gregory Kunde as Aeneas and the Italian mezzo-soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci lead an international cast in this stunning new production.

Susan Graham, Anna Caterina Antonacci, Gregory Kunde, Renata Pokupic, Ludovic Tézier, Nicolas Testé, Laurent Naouri
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and the Monteverdi Choir / Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Stage Director Yannis Kokkos

Plus
THE TROJANS - A MASTERPIECE - includes interviews with Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Yannis Kokkos, Susan Graham, Gregory Kunde, Anna Caterina Antonacci, Ludovic Tézie and Renata Pokupoic
Cast Gallery



Prijs: € 49,95

Vivaldi - The Four Seasons

An innovative DVD presenting two picture edits over one sumptuous soundtrack of Vivaldi’s perennial work. Users can choose between the ‘performance’ edit, featuring German violinist sensation Julia Fischer with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, or the ‘picture poetry’ edit, which overlays the music with images filmed throughout the year at the National Botanic Gardens of Wales. Julia Fischer, described as “not a talent, but a fully fledged phenomenal violinist” brings a commanding performance to the work which belies her youth.

Plus
''WHEN YOU REACH A GOAL...' Interview with Julia Fischer
FAVOURITE SEASONS - Views on the seasons’ moods and Vivaldi’s music
‘Director’s cut’ and ‘Performance edit’ options
20 page illustrated booklet in English, French and German



Prijs: € 29,95

This comprehensive DVD set explores the life, times and work of Charles Dickens, the great Victorian author. Dickens is undoubtedly one of the great literary geniuses of all time. Yet, there is much about Dickens’ incredible life that remains unknown. His is a fascinating story: from rags to riches, complete with bankruptcy, prison, forced child labour and fame and fortune, overshadowed by guilt and secrecy. This DVD set demonstrates how much Dickens drew upon his own experiences when writing fiction.  

Repertoire  DVD 1 - UNCOVERING THE REAL DICKENS - The great author’s fascinating biography, presented by Peter Ackroyd, is an innovative mix of documentary and dramatic reconstruction which vividly portrays the author’s extraordinary life. Resembling the plot of one of his novels, this lavish literary production sets out to blur the lines between Dickens’s fiction and his own life. The cast includes Anton Lesser, Prunella Scales and Timothy West. (176 mins)

DVD 2 - DAVID COPPERFIELD - Three hours of classic BBC drama heaven.  The 1999 version of the most autobiographical of Dickens’ novels, starring Bob Hoskins, Daniel Radcliffe, Maggie Smith, Ian McKellen, Zoë Wanamaker and Nicholas Lyndhurst. (186 mins)

DVD 3 - A CHRISTMAS CAROL - At his house, a group of friends and relatives listen to Dickens as he tells his Christmas story. Anton Lesser, as Dickens, brings this classic ghost story to life in a masterly and haunting way. (97 mins)

SONGS FROM GROPE LANE  - The 12-year-old Dickens escapes his miserable daily life and the blacking factory to enjoy a brief spell of raucous tavern entertainment. Lucie Skeaping’s ensemble performs deliciously seedy pub songs from Dickensian London in the
mid-19th century. (25 mins)

THE MAKING OF “UNCOVERING THE REAL DICKENS” - A surprising look behind the scenes of this evocative production. (27 mins)

Plus  
Presented in a highly collectable slipcase, this 3 DVD box set also includes a 28 page, full colour illustrated booklet in English, French and German.

Reviews 
‘Anton Lesser made an emotionally charged, almost tremulous, Dickens, especially recreating the writer's inspirational public readings.’
The Times

‘The BBC’s three-DVD set offers its millennium David Copperfield, the lauded Peter Ackroyd three-part drama-documentary Dickens, a dramatised reading of A Christmas Carol starring Anton Lesser, and a genuine curiosity, Songs From Grope Lane (19th Century London pub songs, supposedly enjoyed by the 12-year-old Dickens in spare moments while working at the infamous blacking factory). Anton Lesser makes a fine Dickens and he shines again in the gem of this collection…A Christmas Carol.’
Tribune (USA)

'Charles Dickens was the most-read writer of the nineteenth century and the ultimate superstar of the Victorian era.  His novels made a huge impact through their wit, passion and unforgettable characters.  In the Netherlands Dickens is sometimes considered stuffy but, if this 3 DVD box proves something then it is the vitality and overall power of his oeuvre.  Think of The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, and A Tale of Two Cities, books which have retained their relevance and all have been filmed a number of times…  For the British, Charles Dickens is a pillar of their heritage.  The people at the BBC understood this well and made the four part film of David Copperfield a real labour of love.  It is the most autobiographical of Dickens’ stories and the one which he most loved…  The actors are top class, in particular Daniel Radcliffe (before he became Harry Potter), as young David Copperfield, Bob Hoskins as the garrulous Wilkins Micawber and Nicholas Lyndhurst as the creepily humble Uriah Heep, are unforgettable.  In the documentary Uncovering the Real Dickens, writer Peter Ackroyd tells the fascinating life story of the author and wanders straight through today’s London into the London of Dickens’ time.  Through subtle use of computer generated imaging nineteenth century London is brought to life.  A good trick from the BBC is that they have interviewed family and contemporaries of Charles Dickens; naturally not real, but the actors are so believable that as a viewer you are totally taken in.  The character of William Makepeace Thackeray, one of Dickens’ literary enemies, steals the show with his nasty jibes.  Charles Dickens himself is brought to life by Anton Lesser, who gives a memorable performance and is terrifyingly real – as if he has crept under the writer’s skin.'
Klassieke Zaken (translation)

‘I cannot recommend this collection highly enough.’

‘Anton Lesser is the greatest Dickens interpreter around, unafraid to show the darkness in a writer too often seen as relentlessly jolly.’
The Independent

Awards & Accolades: 
21st International Festival of Films on Art – ANIMAVISION AWARD FOR BEST FILM FOR TELEVISION

Berliner Philharmoniker
Claudio Abbado

Claudio Abbado once remarked that, “With Beethoven, you never stop learning“ and indeed: the 75-year-old Milanese maestro has constantly reworked the symphonies of the master from Bonn (1770-1827). With this box containing all nine Beethoven Symphonies, MediciArts pays tribute to a consummate conductor and to his very special relationship, not only to the symphonic genius Beethoven but also to the world-class Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. When they performed and recorded all nine Beethoven Symphonies at the Academia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the nationwide Italian newspaper La Repubblica simply called it: “The most wonderful symphonic cycle of the past decade.” The recordings of the turn of the millennium mark a high point in Abbado's relationship with the Berlin Philharmonic and his 12 years as their chief conductor, whilst constituting a major triumph for the international star in his Italian homeland. Each of the symphonies is of course a masterpiece in itself – each represents the composer’s musical idiom at a particular stage in his development. Be it the famous Pastorale, his 6th symphony, the popular 9th, with its characteristic motifs, the less commonly performed 4th or the 7th, which marked his leaning toward romantic undertones – Abbado’s interpretations are the fruit of decades of involvement with Beethoven. The Berlin Philharmonic transforms Abbado’s musical intentions meticulously, creating a unity of sound that can only be achieved through many years of shared artistic experience: Claudio Abbado was the orchestra’s fifth Artistic Director from 1989 to 2002 and has remained close to the orchestra ever since. Abbado's Beethoven cycle will certainly become a milestone for contemporary interpretation and this four DVD box pays tribute to his achievement.

Prijs: € 99,95

Prijs: € 145,00 -11 DVD-Box

Wit and astute theatrical awareness are the hallmarks of this exceptional vision of Mozart's and Da Ponte's famous masterpieces, directed by the duo Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito. Set in a 1960s youth hostel, Così fan tutte is a charmingly original tableau of adolescent inexperience, while Le nozze di Figaro, set in a car showroom, exemplifies the delicate balance between love's shadowy manipulation and its cheerful innocence. Don Giovanni, by contrast, is a breathtaking, sinister game of voyeuristic intimacy and brutal violence. Ingo Metzmacher and a sparkling ensemble and cast underscore this unique vision of a kaleidoscope of human emotions with commitment and vitality.

Mozart: Così fan tutte
Fiordiligi: Sally Matthews
Dorabella: Maite Beaumont
Guglielmo: Luca Pisaroni
Ferrando: Norman Shankle
Despina: Danielle de Niese
Don Alfonso: Garry Magee 

Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro
Il Conte di Almaviva: Garry Magee
La Contessa di Almaviva: Cellia Costea
Susanna: Danielle de Niese
Figaro: Luca Pisaroni
Cherubino: Maite Beaumont
Marcellina: Charlotte Margiono
Bartolo: Mario Luperi

Mozart: Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni: Pietro Spagnoli
Il Commendatore: Mario Luperi
Donna Anna: Myrtò Papatanasiu
Don Ottavio: Marcel Reijans
Donna Elvira: Charlotte Margiono
Leporello: José Fardilha 
Masetto: Roberto Accurso
Zerlina: Cora Burggraaf

Netherlands Chamber Orchestra / Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera
Stage Directors: Jossi Wieler & Sergio Morabito  
Musical Director: Ingo Metzmacher

TV Director: Misjel Vermeiren  

Plus  
Cast gallery & illustrated synopsis.
Introduction to the Trilogy
Introduction to each opera.

Nooit eerder is het me opgevallen hoe sterk de ‘Regimentsdochter’ op een Franse operette (Offenbach) lijkt! Het is ongetwijfeld de verdienste van de regisseur Laurent Pelly, want waar anderen er maar een niemendalletje met vocale acrobatiek in zagen, ontdekte hij dubbele lagen en een onvervalste satire. Zonder pseudo-intellectuele verzinsels maakte hij het (flut)verhaal voor het hedendaagse publiek herkenbaar, en bezorgt ons twee uur puur plezier. Hij verplaatste de actie naar het einde van de eerste wereldoorlog, in een decor van (leger)landkaarten, met veel visuele gags. Pelly heeft de productie speciaal voor Natalie Dessay gemaakt en, het moet gezegd, zij steelt de show. Haar Marie is een wildebras die vrijwel nooit tot stilstand komt en haar hypnotiserende vertolking, plus haar coloraturen, dwingen bewondering af. Terecht heeft zij er de Laurence Olivier Award voor gekregen. Juan Diego Florez is een oog- en oorstrelende, jongensachtige Tonio, die schijnbaar moeiteloos (en loepzuiver) met de hoogste noten strooit. Felicity Palmer is kostelijk als de markiezin de Berkenfeld en Dawn French zorgt voor een extra komische noot als La Duchesse de Crackentorp. Het beste medicijn voor als u het even niet meer ziet zitten. Kopen!

Beethoven Concert

Het hoogtepunt van de viering van het eerste lustrum van het London Barbican Centre was het concert van de London Symphony Orchestra onder Sir Georg Solti. Het Barbican Centre is het grootste in zijn soort (theaters, bioscopen, galeries, enz.) in Europa. Haar nieuwe grote concertzaal geldt inmiddels als thuishaven van de LSO.

Solti’s programmaconcept boodt variatie binnen een eenduidig thema, een toepasselijk gegeven voor de locatie. Solti zei "Ik heb dit Beethovenprogramma geselecteerd op drie verschillende stemmingen – de zware Corolian ouverture, het lichte, Mozart-achtige eerste piano concert en de prachtige verheerlijking van de dans zoals tot uitdrukking komt in de zevende symfonie."

Prijs: 34.95 euro

GIUSEPPE VERDI - Otello

Plácido Domingo
Kiri Te Kanawa
Sergei Leiferkus
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Georg Solti 

Om deze Otello van Verdi aan te prijzen komt men woorden tekort, Geen wonder: met Plácido Domingo in glorieuze vorm in de titelrol en Kiri Te Kanawa (Edison Oeuvreprijs 2008) als één van de meest lieflijke Desdemona´s ooit. Sergei Leiferkus is een ronkende én zeer intelligente Iago. Vocaal is dit misschien wel de ideale Otello, maar laten we vooral niet vergeten dat Sir Georg Solti hier ´zijn´ orkest van the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden dirigeert en de somptueze enscenering van Elijah Moshinsky een lust voor het oog is. Bovendien is de prijs meer dan schappelijk te noemen. Doe er uw voordeel mee!

Yeudi Menuhin - The Swiss Years

Yehudi Menuhin verhuist met zijn gezin in de jaren vijftig van Californië naar Gstaad in Zwitserland. De documentaire bevat niet eerder uitgebracht materiaal van concerten en privé opnamen van de artiest die voornamelijk van zijn festival in die stad komen. Leerlingen van Menuhin halen herinneringen op aan hun mentor en zijn kinderen praten over de relatie met hun vader.

Leonard Bernstein - The Gift of Music

Lauren Bacall, Leonard Bernstein

The Gift of Music is een intiem portret van Leonard Bernstein als componist, dirigent, performer en leraar. Het is het verhaal over een muzikaal genie met een ongelofelijk charisma, die zijn hele leven heeft besteed om zijn onaflatende enthousiasme voor muziek over te brengen op miljoenen anderen. Het verhaal van Bernsteins leven wordt verteld door niemand minder dan Lauren Bacall, die decennia lang bevriend was met “Lenny”. Het is doorspekt met talloze bijzondere concertopnames, waaronder het oudste bewegende beeld van de maestro: als jonkie van 28 tijdens het Prague Spring Festival van 1947.

Jean-Philippe Rameau
Zoroastre

Sine Bundgaard – sopraan, Anders J. Dahlin - tenor The Drottningholm Theatre Orchestra and Chorus, Les Talens Lyriques / Christophe Rousset

Regisseur Pierre Audi maakte bij deze productie volop gebruik van alle zeventiendeeeuwse theatermachinerieën van het unieke Drottningholms Slottsteater in Zweden. Tezamen met zijn begrip van het diepzinnige drama van deze opera, weet Audi iets te presenteren dat geheel in de geest van Rameau is. Geheel in de geest van de oorspronkelijke “tragédie lyrique”, past de choreografi e van Amir Hosseinpour perfect bij zowel de muziek als de plot van het stuk.

Glenn Gould - Hereafter

Glenn Gould - piano

Voor velen lijkt de Canadese pianist Glenn Gould een maffe excentriekeling, die een buitengewone concertcarrière in 1964 opgaf om zich tot zijn dood 25 jaar geleden als kluizenaar terug te trekken in de opnamestudio. Deze BBC-documentaire, gemaakt door Goulds kennis Bruno Monsaingeon, geeft een ander beeld en presenteert een genie die alles behalve verknipt was. Monsaingeon stelt dat Goulds eigenaardigheden overdreven en verkeerd begrepen zijn. “Om 100% productief te zijn en zijn genius te benutten, trok hij zich terug. En gelukkig, want anders hadden we niet al die opnames, boeken en educatieve tv-programma’s gehad!”.

Gustav Mahler

The Little Drummer Boy

Een documentaire over Gustav Mahler met en door Leonard Bernstein
 

Een van de meest legendarische Mahler-vertolkers was Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein wist het complexe oeuvre te doorgronden door een gedeelde combinatie van bitterzoete melancholie, zwartgallige humor en jiddisje chutzpah temidden van een gojse politieke wereld en de Christelijke muziektraditie. In deze BBC-documentaire uit 1985 vertelt Bernstein over Mahlers leven, analyseert hij op een begrijpelijke manier de muziek en dirigeert hij om zijn visie te laten horen op Mahlers dubbele complexiteit. Net zoals Bernstein schaamde Mahler zich voor zijn joods-zijn en beide heren hadden bovendien een obsessie met de dood.

GIACOMO PUCCINI

Turandot

Eva Marton - José Carreras - Katia Ricciarelli - Wiener Staatsoper - Lorin Maazel - Regie: Harold Prince

Voor operakenners én –liefhebbers is hier dan eindelijk de DVD-uitgave van de legendarische Turandot uit de Wiener Staatsoper uit 1983. Deze kleurrijke en sprookjesachtige productie van de bekende Broadway-regisseur Harold Prince is een lust voor het oog , maar dé attractie van deze uitgave is de cast: José Carreras in zijn gloriejaren, de jonge Eva Marton en de geliefde Katia Ricciarelli als Liù. Het slotapplaus na afloop van deze voorstelling duurde volgens de overlevering drie kwartier... Deze klassieker mag in geen enkele klassieke DVD-kast ontbreken!

Christian Lindberg:
The Total Musician - An extensive portrayal

Dat Christian Lindberg de beste trombonist ter wereld genoemd mag worden, weet elke muziekliefhebber, maar dat hij ook succesvol dirigeert en componeert moeten velen nog ontdekken. Voor iedereen die meer over Lindberg wil weten is er nu op het Zweedse label Bis een meer dan drie en een half uur durende DVD verschenen, waarop meerdere documentaires over en uitvoeringen van Lindbergs werk te bekijken zijn. Zeer de moeite waard!

Mozart

Die Entführung aus dem Serail.

Shahrokh Moshkin-Ghalam, Malin Hartelius, Magali Léger, Matthias Klink e.a., Europa Chor Akademie, Les Musiciens du Louvre o.l.v. Marc Minkowski, Jérôme Deschamps en Macha Makeïeff (regie).