Recorded in Vienna, November 1965 and in Berlin, January
1966
Beethoven:
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Schumann:
Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120
Wiener Symphoniker & Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von
Karajan
Subtitles: German, English, French
Verdi: Un ballo in maschera
Directed for Stage by Ermanno Olmi & Stage Design &
Costumes: Arnaldo Pomodoro
Massimiliano Pisapia, Franco Vassallo, Chiara Taigi,
Annamaria Chiuri, Eun Yee You & Herman Wallén
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Chorus of the Leipzig Opera &
Leipzig Ballet, Riccardo Chailly
“Chailly's conducting left no wish unfulfilled, managing
to conjure such a voluptuous sound from the orchestra that
had not been heard from this pit in a while, sumptuous
rumbling as well as transparency and lightness where
necessary. A gripping iridescence between drama and
grotesquerie was matched with great care for detailed
phrasing, never losing sight of the whole. Orchestra as
well as singers corresponded to their best.” The Opera
Critic
Recorded at the Spiegelsaal, Castle Coethen, 23–26 March
2000
“...what is probably the world's top Baroque orchestra ...
It is conceivable, however, that no troupe could perform
with the exuberant aplomb and skill of the Freiburg
Baroque Orchestra. Their playing is buoyant, technically
spot-on and alive with effortlessly controlled energy...
we should be grateful for every second in the company of
an orchestra like this.” Gramophone Magazine
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra & Chamber Choir, Hervé Niquet,
directed for stage by Marshall Pynkoski
Subtitles: English, German, French
“While visually handsome, the amount of stage magic in
this very commendable production of Lully's Persée (composed
1682) is fairly minimal: Mercure and Venus appear,
appropriately enough, on elaborate flying clouds, but
dramatic tension evaporates when Andromède is menaced by a
sea monster that would not have been out of place in an
episode of The Clangers. Musically there is much to admire:
singing and playing are enjoyably idiomatic.” BBC Music
Magazine, September 2005 ***
“A warm welcome to the first opera by Lully to appear on
DVD. Staged performances of his tragédies lyriques being
rare, at least in the UK, it's good to be able at last to
assess one of them as a drama. Persée, to a libretto by
Philippe Quinault, Lully's usual collaborator, was first
performed in 1682, a year before Phaëton. As with all such
works the purpose was to flatter, none too subtly, the
person and the reign of Louis XIV; indeed, the subject was
chosen by the Sun King himself, and the sycophantic
composer made an explicit comparison between Louis and
Perseus in the dedication.
The story, taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses, is a
conflation of two legends: Perseus' slaying of Medusa and
his rescue of Andromeda. Cassiopeia has incurred the wrath
of Juno, who sends Medusa to terrorise the country. With
Medusa dead, Juno causes Cassiopeia's daughter, the
princess Andromeda, to be chained to a rock at the mercy
of a monster. Perseus swoops from the sky to kill the
monster, Venus descends as a dea ex machina to take the
hero, his beloved and her parents up to heaven, and
everybody lives happily ever after. Everybody, that is,
except for Merope, fruitlessly in love with Perseus, who
dies accidentally; and Phineus, Andromeda's betrothed,
whom Perseus turns to stone with Medusa's head.
As a drama, then, there's not much going for Persée,
especially as Perseus benefits from divine assistance: a
sword from Vulcan, a shield from Athena, a helmet from
Pluto, not to mention the presence of Mercury, who sends
Medusa to sleep. But there's much pleasure to be had from
the choral and balletic contributions to the
divertissements and from individual scenes.
This production from Toronto is dressed and choreographed
in traditional style and the direction is both lively and
respectful, the characters encouraged to gesture
expressively. Monica Whicher and Alain Coulombe are good
as the disappointed lovers; Olivier Laquerre, stentorian
as Andromeda's father, has a fine old time camping up the
transvestite role of Medusa. Cyril Auvity's Perseus,
rather pinched in tone, is outsung by Colin Ainsworth's
Mercury, who is nonsensically given a solo belonging to
one of the mortals.
Hervé Niquet is a sympathetic conductor, moving seamlessly
through recitative, air and ensemble; the orchestra
suffers from a recorded balance that favours the theorbo.
A short scene for Medusa's fellow Gorgons is pointlessly
cut. The entire allegorical Prologue is omitted, too; no
great loss, perhaps, but it should have been mentioned in
the booklet. But let's not end on a carping note: this
enterprising issue is cause for celebration.” Gramophone
Classical Music Guide, 2010
Region: 0- Format: NTSC
Abbado in Lucerne
including the documentary 'From Toscanini to Abbado' - The
History of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Debussy: La Mer
Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien - Fragments symphoniques
Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Claudio Abbado
“For some the main attraction of Abbado in Lucerne will be
the great Italian maestro conducting Debussy at the 2003
Lucerne Festival. For others it's the documentary, with
its footage of some of the last century's greatest
conductors in action: every brief glimpse adds flesh and
bones to the names that adorn the labels of treasured
discs by Ansermet, Fricsay, Kempe, Furtwängler and de
Sabata. The film is confusingly structured, however, and
though it confronts admirably Karajan's ruthless use of
Lucerne to reinvent himself after his denazification, the
commentary sounds like something written by the Swiss
Tourist Board.
Barbirolli is filmed in Vancouver rehearsing the
Haydn-attributed Oboe Concerto with his wife as soloist,
who, as in her 1957 recording with the Hallé, plays her
own cadenzas. All eyes are on JB (indeed, it's some time
before we're aware that the soloist is at the rehearsal at
all) but there is one lovely exchange when Rothwell
suggests that they start again from the repeat of the
second subject. 'Well, I don't know what the second
subject is,' retorts her husband. 'That's for programme
annotators.' George Szell, who died in the same year as
Barbirolli (1970), was, by contrast, unpopular and
despotic. The colour film profiles – but does not explore
or question – his extraordinary 24-year relationship with
the Cleveland Orchestra. With his lupine smile and
fearsome presence, he tries to play the role of regular
guy: rehearsal and performance sequences are riveting,
with fascinating footage of him instructing three young
conductors (James Levine one of them) on how to kickstart
Don Juan and Beethoven's Fifth.
With the hooded eyes of a falcon and his sour mien,
Szell's fellow Hungarian, Fritz Reiner looks as unpleasant
as his reputation conducting the Chicago Symphony in
1953-4 at the start of his celebrated nine-year
association with the orchestra. These black-and-white
transmissions (sometimes more black than white) of one of
the truly great conductors are of immense importance, and
include one work (the Bach-Weiner) that Reiner did not
record commercially. The DVD preserves Francis Coughlin's
hopelessly unprepared in-vision linking commentary: every
faultering sentence makes you thank God for the invention
of the autocue.
The Stravinsky documentary features the famous (and
equally toe-curling) encounter between the young Julian
Bream and the elderly composer. Just as Stravinsky is
about to start recording his Symphony of Psalms, Bream is
introduced, sits down and plays a pavane on the lute … all
the way through. As a conductor, Stravinsky is an
uninspiring, baton-less time-beater, but the exchanges
filmed simultaneously in the control room make for an
unusually vivid sequence. Most revealing, though, is
Stravinsky's conversation with his friend Nicholas Nabokov,
filmed in Hamburg over a glass of whisky. Here, one of
music's geniuses appears touchingly vulnerable and human.
VAI may be a no-frills merchant but such treasure needs no
fancy packaging. Its priceless contents speak for
themselves.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010
Region: 0 - Format: NTSC
Europa-Konzert from Lisbon
Bartók:
Concerto for Orchestra, BB 123, Sz.116
Debussy:
Trois Nocturnes: Fêtes
Mozart:
Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K466
Ravel:
Le Tombeau de Couperin
Maria João Pires (piano)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Pierre Boulez
“Maria João Pires was spellbinding. In Mozart's anguished
Andantino, the tension was almost unbearable. Since Clara
Haskil, I cannot remember playing of such intimacy,
tenderness, and simplicity.” The Independent
Region: 0 - Format: NTSC
Variations
Bach, J S:
Goldberg Variations, BWV988
Live recording from the Reitstadel in Neumarkt, 1990
András Schiff (piano)
Beethoven:
Diabelli Variations, Op. 120
Recorded at the Gasteig (Philharmonie, München). 1991
Daniel Barenboim (piano)
Brahms:
Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24
Recorded at the Max-Joseph-Saal of the Münchner Residenz,
1987
Yefim Bronfman (piano)
Three of the most important artists of our time here
present three of the most important cycles of variation
for piano ever composed.
Daniel Barenboim, Yefim Bronfman and András Schiff
recorded the monumental works in very personal
performances.
Because of its outstanding importance for the history of
classical music in Central Europe the German critic of the
19th century called often just these three composers » the
three B «.
This is the first release of a series of Metropolitan
Munich programs.
Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9 - Sounds formats DVD: PCM
Stereo - Region code: 0 - Running time: 170 mins
Booklet notes: English, German, French
Schumann: A Portrait
Commemorating the 155th anniversary of Robert Schumann's
death (8 June 1810 - 29 July 1856), this film by Ernst
Burger reveals his human side through a chronicle of his
life from 1828 to his death in 1856.
While the music features prominently, Burger's focus on
his biography and personality truly brings him to life.
Contemporary depictions are interspersed with excerpts
from his music performed by Leonard Bernstein and the
Vienna Philharmonic, Vladimir Ashkenazy, András Schiff,
Zoltán Kocsis, Hermann Prey and Daniel Barenboim with
Sergiu Celibidache and the Munich Philharmonic, among many
others.
Though ending on a note of sadness, we are left with
profound gratitude for the genius who left us so many
musical masterworks.
With the voices of Michael Tregor (Robert Schumann),
Sophie von Kessel (Clara Schumann) and Joachim Höppner.
Picture format DVD: NTSC 4:3 - Sounds formats DVD: PCM
Stereo - Region code: 0 - Running time: 110 mins
Booklet notes: English, German, French
Original Languages: German - Subtitles: English, Français
Mahler: Autopsy of a Genius (Autopsie d’un Génie)
A Film by Andy Sommer
written with Catherine Sauvat
Director Andy Sommer is known for his sensational musical
documentaries on the immortals Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert
and Berlioz. Today he tackles the mythical Gustav Mahler,
proposing a cinematic autopsy of the many facets of this
musical genius, who was at once composer, orchestra
conductor and opera house director.
The film proposes to make the autopsy of this genius
composer and takes us on a journey to the heart of
Mahler’s world, going beyond the legends and clichés, and
drawing on the latest research to create a portrait that
brings us as close as possible to the man Mahler really
was.
The film includes the participation of prominent Mahlerian
personalities, as Henry-Louis de la Grange, paired with a
visually spectacular, accessible dramatisation directly
related to Mahler’s music and images inspired by 1900
Vienna’s enduring modernity and “Nature” which always
plaid a special role in the Mahler’s inspiration.
The film continues its ‘autopsy’ of the man beyond his
death, retracing interpretations of his music by different
orchestra conductors up to the present day: from Bruno
Walter, Willem Mengelberg to Leonard Bernstein… and from
Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez to Daniele Gatti, Daniel
Harding and Jonathan Nott.
Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9 - Sounds formats DVD: PCM
Stereo - Running time: 90 mins
Booklet notes: English, German, French
Original Language: French - Subtitled language versions:
English, German, French
Berlin Opera Night
Recorded live at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, 2003
Angelika Kirchschlager, René Pape, Michele Crider, Grace
Bumbry, Adrianne Pieczonka, Anne Schwanewilms, Vesselina
Kasarova, Juliane Banse, Salvatore Licitra, Vladimir
Galusin & Charles Castronovo
Chor und Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Kent Nagano
Major stars of the international opera stage come together
with the Chor und Orchester of the Deutsche Oper Berlin,
under the baton of the illustrious Kent Nagano, in this
opera gala in aid of the German AIDS Foundation.
Highlights from operas by Mozart, Puccini, Leoncavallo,
Saint-Saëns, Massenet, Dvorák, Wagner, Richard Strauss,
Lehár and Johann Strauss II are performed by world-class
musicians from around the globe.
Proceeds from the sales of this title go to support the
work of the German AIDS Foundation.
Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian
Booklet notes: English, German, French
Wagner: Der Ring des
Nibelungen
Recorded live at the Staatsoper Stuttgart
Das Rheingold
Wolfgang Probst (Wotan), Motti Kastón (Donner), Bernhard
Schneider (Froh), Robert Künzli (Loge), Esa Ruuttunen (Alberich),
Eberhard Francesco Lorenz (Mime), Roland Bracht (Fasolt),
Phillip Ens (Fafner), Michaela Schuster (Fricka), Helga
Rós Indridadóttir (Freia), Mette Ejsing (Erda), Catriona
Smith (Woglinde), Maria Theresa Ullrich (Wellgunde),
Margarete Joswig (Flosshilde)
Die Walküre
Robert Gambill (Siegmund), Attila Jun (Hunding),
Jan-Hendrik Rootering (Wotan), Angela Denoke (Sieglinde),
Renate Behle (Brünnhilde), Tichina Vaughn (Fricka),
Eva-Maria Westbroek (Gerhilde), Wiebke Göetjes (Ortlinde),
Stella Kleindienst (Waltraute), Helene Ranada (Schwertleite),
Magdalena Schäfer (Helmwige), Nidia Palacios (Siegrune),
Maria Theresa Ullrich (Grimgerde), Margit Diefenthal (Rossweisse)
Siegfried
Jon Fredric West (Siegfried), Heinz Göhrig (Mime),
Wolfgang Schöne (Der Wanderer), Björn Waag (Alberich),
Attila Jun (Fafner), Helene Ranada (Erda), Lisa Gasteen (Brünnhilde),
Gabriela Herrera (Der Waldvogel)
Legendary performances from the Staatoper Stuttgart with
four different sets of directors (Joachim Schlömer,
Christoph Nel, Jossi Wieler & Sergio Morabito and Peter
Konwitschny) and singers.
Sanderling conducts
Saint-Saëns & Tchaikovsky
Recorded live at Philharmonie Berlin, June 1992
Saint-Saëns:
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22
Yefim Bronfman (piano)
Tchaikovsky:
Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
Berliner Philharmoniker, Kurt Sanderling
“[Bronfman] plays the first movement with the power and
expressive elegance of early Beethoven. There is
tremendous virtuosity too, which then extends to the
delightful Scherzando, a complete and delicate contrast,
where the DVD camera lets us watch his mercurial hands in
astonishment as well as pleasure...This is among the most
revealing accounts available” Gramophone Magazine,
December 2010
An Evening with Renée
Fleming
Recorded live at Waldbühne, Berlin, 2010
Dvorak:
Mesícku na nebi hlubokém 'Song to the Moon' (from Rusalka)
Elgar:
Salut d'amour, Op. 12
Khachaturian:
Spartacus: Adagio of Spartacus & Phrygia
Korngold:
Glück, das mir verbleib 'Marietta's Lied' (from Die Tote
Stadt)
Leoncavallo:
Mimi Pinson la biondinetta (from La Bohème)
Musette svaria sulla bocca viva (from La Bohème)
Mussorgsky:
A Night on the Bare Mountain
Puccini:
Donde lieta usci (from La Bohème)
Tu che di gel sei cinta (from Turandot)
Smetana:
Dobrá! Já mu je dám!... Jak je mi? (Dalibor)
The Waldbühne in Berlin, one of the most appealing outdoor
amphitheatres on the European continent, is the home of
the Berliner Philharmoniker’s summer concerts. With over
20,000 attendances, these are some of the most popular
classical music concerts in the world.
This year the Berliner Philharmoniker play under the baton
of Ion Marin, one of the most exciting conductors on
today’s musical scene. They welcome "America's Beautiful
Voice", Grammy Award winning soprano Renée Fleming, who
has a devoted international following wherever she appears.
Her career has been built on success across a wide range
of musical styles, but she is best-known for her
excellence in opera worldwide.
The device of the evening was “Night of Love”- the most
beautiful Opera Arias in combination with atmospheric
instrumental pieces.
Introducing Beethoven
Symphony No. 5
Beethoven:
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Recorded at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia,
Rome, February 2001
Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado
Host: Wulf Kunold
A completely new way of experiencing and enjoying the
great works of music from the Baroque to the Modern Period
– thanks to a new series of audio-visual concert guides,
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.
Each part includes 27 mins introductory feature + full
concert performance!
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony has the character of
an appeal. From the very start, the four-note “fate” motif
casts a spell on listeners. The German Beethoven expert
Wulf Konold illustrates the ingenious variations of this
motif on piano. With great insight, he also explains the
non-musical references of the work which inspired much
speculation.
“the Berliners are in powerful, firm-toned Beethovenian
form for Abbado.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2010 ****
Mozart: Don Giovanni, K527
Recorded at the Haus für Mozart during the 2008 Salzburg
Festival
Christopher Maltman (Don Giovanni), Erwin Schrott
(Leporello), Annette Dasch (Donna Anna), Matthew Polenzani
(Don Ottavio), Dorothea Röschmann (Donna Elvira),
Ekaterina Siurina (Zerlina), Anatoly Kocherga (Il
Commendatore), Alex Esposito (Masetto)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Bertrand de Billy
Claus Guth - staging
Wild animals live in the woods. Robbers hide there.
Mystery is at home there. And, when the woods are on the
stage of Salzburg’s Haus für Mozart, a notorious ladies’
man and his unsavoury accomplice can also find shelter
there. For here, in the dense forest planted by director
Claus Guth, is the home of the rugged macho Don Giovanni,
who, assisted by Leporello, lures the ladies with the
heady scent of danger. In Guth’s almost cinematic Salzburg
Festival production, every character in Mozart’s most
realistic opera seems to carry a back-story of thwarted
love and frustration. Everyone appears to be seeking
either salvation or damnation in the woods – a compelling
concept that removes the opera from its traditional
pseudo-Seville squares and palaces.
And when Don Giovanni is played by Christopher Maltman,
it’s no wonder that Donna Anna (Annette Dasch), Donna
Elvira (Dorothea Röschmann) and even Zerlina (Ekaterina
Siurina) are ready to throw themselves at his feet. With a
physique as striking as his full-bodied baritone voice,
Maltman embodies Don Giovanni as an almost reluctant
seducer, a man fated to bring misery to women and,
ultimately, to himself. Next to Maltman, it is Uruguayan
bass-baritone Erwin Schrott who rivets the audience in
this production: Schrott’s Leporello is an event in his
own right, the event of the Salzburg Don Giovanni (Die
Welt).
Under Bertrand de Billy, the Wiener Philharmoniker play
with refreshing verve and spirit.
Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Recorded live at the Concert Hall of the Culture and
Convention Centre Lucerne, 12 August 2009
Mahler:
Symphony No. 1 in D major 'Titan'
Prokofiev:
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26
Yuja Wang (piano)
Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Claudio Abbado
“Like a cry of Nature”: thus the expression mark that
opens Gustav Mahler’s First Symphony – and the programme
of the Festival 2009 which takes up Nature as its guiding
theme. Mahler, in the First Symphony, shaped the “cry of
nature” into a musical vision of an entire human life in
four stages – from a spring-like upsurge of feelings
through desire and suffering, to the end of earthly
existence and the entrance into Paradise.
The opening treats listeners to a spectacular début as the
twenty-two-year-old Chinese pianist Yuja Wang plays Sergei
Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto. In her Lucerne
appearances she displays the full range of her artistry as
Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto demands not only lyricism
and intimacy but brilliance and virtuosity.
Claudio Abbado has realised a dream with the Lucerne
Festival Orchestra. The orchestra consists of an exclusive
ensemble of handpicked musicians like Kolja Blacher and
Sebastian Breuninger, Natalia Gutman, Clemens Hagen and
Jens Peter Maintz.
Claudio Abbado is undeniably a supreme Mahler conductor
and his best selling recordings with the Lucerne Festival
Orchestra – symphonies No. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9 have
already been released on EuroArts – have set new standards
in interpretation of works by Gustav Mahler.
Booklet notes: English, German, French
Running time: 79 mins
“...if the composer had died after writing this, you'd
imagine - from Claudio Abbado's performance with his
good-looking once-a-year superband, at least - that his
mission on earth was already perfected...Abbado's rubato
reaps wonders in the songs and country dances, but it's in
the finale that he dares most. No wonder the audience goes
wild.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2010 *****
“Every visual detail caught by the eye becomes woven into
the aural tapestry of Mahler’s First Symphony. The tension
is high from the beginning as spring rustles into life.
Abbado carefully paces each surge in energy, each mood
transformation. Every climax rings out with exultation”
The Times, 2nd July 2010 ****
Sir Simon Rattle conducts Brahms and Wagner
Recorded live at Kabelwerk Oberspree, Berlin, 1 May 2007
Brahms:
Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98
Double Concerto for Violin & Cello in A minor, Op. 102
Lisa Batiashvili (violin) & Truls Mørk (cello)
Wagner:
Parsifal: Prelude
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Sir Simon Rattle conducts the 2007 Europa-Konzert on the
occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Berlin
Philharmonic Orchestra.
Lisa Batiashvili and Truls Mørk are the wonderful soloists
for Brahms`s last orchestral work, the Double Concerto.
Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker
demonstrate their outstanding musicianship with a fresh
and dynamic interpretation of Brahms`s 4th Symphony.
Wagner’s Prelude to Parsifal - was the orchestra’s first
recording in September 1913 under Alfred Hertz.
The Kabelwerk Oberspree (power and cable factory) is one
of the most impressive historical industrial buildings
from late 19th-century Berlin and is an extraordinary
venue for an extraordinary programme.
16:9, PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1
Region code: 0
Booklet notes: English, German, French
Running time: 103 mins
Open Air - A Night with the Berliner Philharmoniker
Recorded live at the Waldbühne, Berlin, 2002
Por una cabeza
Gardel/Williams
Bizet:L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2 - Farandole
Chapí: Overture from La revoltosa
Dvorak: Slavonic Dance No. 15 in C major, Op. 72 No. 7
Elgar: The Wild Bears (The Wand of Youth Suite No. 2 Op.
1b)
Kim: Elegy
Kreisler: Tambourin Chinois, Op. 3
Lincke: Berliner Luft March
Lumbye: Champagne Galop
Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo
Massenet: Le Cid: Aragonaise
Navarraise from Le Cid
Moniuszko: Halka: Mazurka
Paganini: The Carnival of Venice
Sibelius: Valse Triste, Op. 44 No. 1
Tchaikovsky: Souvenir d'un lieu cher, Op. 42: Mélodie in E
flat major
Valse-scherzo in C major for violin & orchestra (or violin
& piano), Op. 34
The Nutcracker: Pas de deux
Toyama: Dance of the Celestials
Wagner: Lohengrin: Prelude to Act 3
Wieniawski: Polonaise brilliante No. 1 in D major, Op. 4
Ziehrer: Wiener Bürger
Vadim Repin (violin)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Mariss Jansons
The extraordinary atmosphere of this Open Air venue is the
imagination of this production. More than 20,000 people
attended the yearly Open Air Concert of the Berliner
Philharmoniker at the Waldbühne in Berlin. The atmosphere
is as unique as the Night of the Proms Concert.
This is a full programme of musical showpieces and some of
the most popular pieces of classical music like
Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker, Mascagni Intermezzo, Paganini
Il carnevale die Venezia and Sibelius Valse triste.
The famous violinist Vadim Repin is clearly happy to
indulge, performing here with all the appropriate
showmanship and artistry alongside the first-class
Berliner Philharmoniker and Mariss Jansons. This isn´t
only a production for core classical lovers – this is a
night for a wide audience.
“Repin’s playing of the Paganini has to be watched to be
believed, and the audience, quite justifiably, go wild at
the end, causing him to repeat the piece, this time
modified for even greater effect, enchanting all present
including orchestra and conductor. " John Phillips,
MusicWeb International
Region code: 0
Booklet notes: English, German, French
Running time: 116 mins
Haydn: Orlando Paladino
Marlis Petersen (Angelica), Tom Randle (Orlando), Pietro
Spagnoli (Rodomonte), Alexandrina Pendatchanska (Alcina),
Sunhae Im (Eurilla), Victor Torres (Pasquale), Magnus
Staveland (Medoro) & Arttu Kataja (Licone/Caronte)
Freiburger Barockorchester, René Jacobs
Stage: Nigel Lowery and Amir Hosseinpour
Recorded live at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin,
8 May 2009
Directed for TV by Andreas Morell • Produced by Paul
Smaczny
In the Summer of 2009, the British director Nigel Lowery
and the Iranian choreographer Amir Hosseinpour brought to
the stage the fantastic and imaginative adventures of
‘Racing Roland’. Haydn’s most renowned opera in his
lifetime, Orlando Paladino, was performed on the 200th
anniversary of his death under the musical direction of
period-music specialist René Jacobs. Freiburg Baroque
Orchestra completed this high-class production giving the
music a classy sound and lively swing.
TV Format NTSC
16:9 anamorphic
Sound PCM Stereo
Dolby Digital 5.1 • DTS 5.1
Subtitles: It, Eng, Fr, Ger
Region Code 0 (worldwide)
Running Time 168 mins
“Anyone doubting Haydn's validity as an opera composer
should try this...the vocal performances are consistently
good. In the title role, Tom Randle's inventive vocalism
and detailed physicality see him through a sequence of mad
scenes...René Jacobs and the Freiburg players ensure light
textures and liveliness throughout.” BBC Music Magazine,
May 2010 ****
“...the staging's zany, over-the-top energy makes an
entertaining case for an opera longer on purely musical
delights than on subtlety of characterisation...this DVD
could well convert those still unconvinced that Haydn's
comic operas, for all their musical beauties, can be made
to work in the theatre.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2010
Gioachino Rossini - Il Turco In Italia
Il Turco in Italia is een van Rossini's meest geestige,
maar vaak genegeerde opera's. Het zit vol met frisse ,
ingenieuze composities. Het was Rossini's eerste
samenwerking met Bellini's librettist Felice Romani. En
Romani begreep volkomen Rossini's liefde voor pastiche en
parodie. Hij leverde een a commedia dell' arte achtig
scenario dat Rossini de gelegenheid gaf te spotten met
tradities, die hij zelf had gecultiveerd.
The plot is verrukelijk wellustig en onder de vele
prachtige duetten behoort zonder meer het duet tussen
Geronio en Selim, waarbij de Selim, Geronio probeert te
overtuigen om zijn vrouw aan hem te verkopen. Alom
beschouwt als een van de meesterwerken van Rossini.
Onder de zangers o.a. de bas Simone Alaimo en de Griekse
sopraan Myrtò Papatanasiu, die bij een groot publiek
bekend werd door haar rol als Violetta in Zef¿ relli's
Traviata in Rome in 2007 en de legendarische basso-buffo,
leerling van Bruscantini, Bruno de Simone.
Henry Purcell - Dido And Aeneas
G. Rossini - La Cenerentola
Julia Fischer - Violin & Piano
Beethoven's Fifth. A Rediscovery
ANIMA ETERNA & JOS VAN IMMERSEEL
Acclaimed keyboard virtuoso Jos van Immerseel and his
period orchestra Anima Eterna rediscover Beethoven’s Fifth
as it could have been played by the maestro himself.
Recorded in High Definition (with Surround Sound) and with
neck-flexing camerawerk, this performance at the
historical Concert Noble makes for an electrifying live
event. The concert is accompanied by a documentary (shot
in Vienna, Antwerp and Brussels) which expands on the
music, the maestro, and the trials and tribulations off
and on stage.
Rossini - The Early Operas
Alessandro Corbelli · Amelia Felle · David Kuebler ·
Alberto Rinaldi; John Del Carlo · Janice Hall · David
Kuebler · Alberto Rinaldi; Susan Patterson · Robert
Gambill · Natale de Carolis · Monica Bacelli; Luciana
Serra · David Kuebler · Alberto Rinaldi · Alessandro
Corbelli
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart
Gianluigi Gelmetti
As a very young man, Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868) wrote
several humorous one-act operas. These so-called “farse
giocose“ are full of saucy elegance, sizzling wittiness,
cheeky orchestration and touching lyricism. Four of these
gems, filmed at the Schwetzingen Festival, have been
released as a boxed set of four DVDs – making for a
perfect Christmas present. The witty stagings of these
musical comedies were performed in the jewel-like Rococo
Theatre in Schwetzingen Palace, which was built in 1752.
The small stage provided a perfect background for opera
director Michael Hampe’s elegant mise-en-scène in which he
maintained the light musical touch of these “joyous
farces”. As for the recordings, the staging transfers
perfectly to the screen and the cast of principals, led by
Alessandro Corbelli, Alberto Rinaldi and David Kuebler and
supported by the flexible Stuttgart Radio Symphony
Orchestra under Gianluigi Gelmetti ensures musical
excellence. Rossini’s first operas already display all the
elements that would take the music world by storm in Il
barbiere di Siviglia, L’italiana in Algeri and La
Cenerentola in the years to come: melodic inventiveness,
ingenious connections between song lines and orchestral
accompaniment, musical humour and breathtakingly fast
parlando singing. The sparkling and quick-witted La
cambiale di matrimonio was Rossini’s first staged opera
and L’occasione fa il ladro, a farce about arranged
marriages, role reversals and other amorous confusions is,
in musical terms, by far the most riotous of these
operatic jewels. Together with La scala di seta and Il
signor Bruschin, this set of one-act operas is a milestone
in the developing Rossini videography - now available in
an attractive box.
REPERTOIRE:
Il signor Bruschino; La cambiale di matrimonio;
L’occasione fa il ladro; La scala di seta
SUBTITLES:
I, GB, D, F, E
BOOKLET:
GB, D, F
RUN TIME:
374 mins
Prijs: € 49,95 (voor 4 DVD's)
Romantic Masterpieces
Gil Shaham, Claudio Abbado; Frank-Michael Erben, Kurt
Masur; Martha Argerich, Riccardo Chailly
Berliner Philharmoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
A four DVD Box combines some of the most famous and best
loved romantic music, works which, with their lyrical
emotion, their colourful sonority and their stunning
virtuosity – were, are and always will be essential to our
musical heritage. This selection, an attractive Christmas
offer, brings famous masterpieces to the viewer in the
form of first-class concert performances by all-star casts
and a highly informative documentary in which musical
examples are introduced by experts helping to understand
the work’s structure. The bonus films also trace locations
relevant to the composition, allowing the viewer to embark
on a journey back to the time and place in which the work
was written. The choice of works covers the whole range of
Romantic masterpieces: Johannes Brahms’ (1833-1897) violin
concerto is one of the most significant instrumental works
in the repertoire. With unparalleled artistry the North
German composer succeeded in infusing classical forms with
new and stimulating romantic content. The American-Israeli
virtuoso Gil Shaham and the Berlin Philharmonic under
Claudio Abbado present one of the greatest masterpieces in
the history of music. The world-renowned “Berliners” under
Abbado also present Antonín Dvořák’s (1841-1904) Symphony
No. 9 "From the New World." The symphony, composed and
premiered during Dvořák’s visit to the USA in the mid
1890s is by far his most popular work in the genre.
Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra makes up
the third disc in the box. Frank Michael Erben, first
violinist of the famous Gewandhaus Quartet, joins the
Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig and Kurt Masur for this
recording. Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) was the
orchestra’s first conductor and his famous Violin Concerto
in E minor forged a link between Classicism and
Romanticism creating a musically rich and virtuoso piece
that remains a popular favourite with audiences. The
fourth DVD features one of the world’s most fascinating
pianists excelling in a performance of music by her
favourite composer, Robert Schumann (1810-1856). Martha
Argerich plays his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra,
accompanied by the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under
Riccardo Chailly. Her consummate musicality and
distinguished artistry show how the solo instrument and
the orchestra create a particularly intense relationship
in this most romantic of all piano concertos.
REPERTOIRE:
Brahms: Violin Concerto; Dvorak: Symphony No.9 “From the
New World”; Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor;
Schumann: Piano Concerto
SUBTITLES:
GB, D, F, E
BOOKLET:
GB, D, F
RUN TIME:
157 mins (Concerts) + 108 mins (Documentaries)
Prijs: € 49,95 (voor 4 DVD's)
Box: Italian Operas
This box contains four splendid productions of
masterpieces of Italian opera: Il barbiere di Siviglia, La
Traviata, Tosca and Adriana Lecouvreur. A highly acclaimed
staging of one of the most popular operas ever written is
Rossini’s ‘Il barbiere di Siviglia’ presented with an
all-star cast. An audiovisual feast that guarantees a
wonderful night-out-at-the-opera experience for the home
viewer. Another fascinating production is Verdi’s ‘La
Traviata’ at one of Europe’s most important open-air
festivals: the Opera Festival St. Margarethen. Also
Puccini’s ‘Tosca’ can be enqueued to one of the best loved
operas in the repertoire in a world-famous staging at the
Teatro alla Scala in Milan. It is sung by an international
cast of excellent singer-actors and directed by Riccardo
Muti. The lead roles are filled by high-calibre stars,
among them Maria Guleghina, one of the best dramatic
sopranos of our time. Under the baton of Roberto Rizzi
Brignoli, a new generation of singers gave fresh life to
Cilea’s most polished work in January 2000. Daniela Dessì
is admired for her ‘sensual tones’ in her singing. She is
conducted by the two finest Russian singers of todays
international stage: Sergei Larin and Olga Borodina. A
wonderful and compelling Christmas present!
REPERTOIRE:
DVD 1: Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia, Vesselina
Kasarova, Chorus and Orchestra of the Opernhaus Zürich,
Nello Santi; DVD 2: Verdi: La Traviata Kristiane Kaiser,
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Ernst Märzendorfer; DVD 3:
Puccini: Tosca, Maria Guleghina, Chorus and Orchestra of
the Teatro alla Scala, Riccardo Muti; DVD 4: Cilea:
Adriana Lecouvreur, Sergei Larin, Giorgio Giuseppini,
Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala, Roberto
Rizzi Brignoli
SUBTITLES:
English, German, French, Spanish, Italian
BOOKLET:
English, German, French
RUN TIME:
554 mins
Prijs: € 49,95 (voor 5 DVD's)
Box: Abbado Portrait
Claudio Abbado is one of the greatest conductors of today,
and undeniably the supreme Mahler conductor of our time.
This box contains two of the best-known works of Mahler
but also a wonderful performance of Bruckner’s Symphony
No.7 and of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.3, all conducted
by maestro Abbado.
REPERTOIRE:
DVD 1: Mahler: Symphony No.2, Lucerne Festival Orchestra;
DVD 2: Mahler: Symphony No.9, Gustav Mahler
Jugendorchester; DVD 3: Bruckner: Symphony No.7/Beethoven
Piano Concerto No.3, Alfred Brendel, Lucerne Festival
Orchestra; DVD 4: Documentary Hearing the Silence
SUBTITLES:
English, German, French
BOOKLET:
English, German, French, Spanish, Italian
RUN TIME:
343 mins
Prijs: € 49,95 (voor 4 DVD's)
Box: Sacred Music
This DVD box combines the most known and beloved works in
sacred music of the three greatest composers of all time,
such as Giuseppe Verdi, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Johann
Sebastian Bach. Those works were, are and always will be
essential for music history. Initiating with Lorin
Maazel’s tour with the Symphonica Toscanini called ‘In the
Footsteps of Toscanini’, proved to be an ideal venue for
this eloquent and musically impressive confessional work.
It is followed by a state-of-the-art recording of
Beethoven’s overwhelming music blends with an excellent
cast of soloists, such as Camilla Nylund and René Pape.
One of the greatest musical treatments of the sufferings
of Jesus Christ receives a performance that is musically
precise and stylistically close to what we today know as
Bach's ideal. For many years the Bach Collegium Japan has
been regarded as a real discovery among baroque ensembles,
specialising in the performance of sacred music. The
artistry of the performers under the assured baton of
conductor George Christoph Biller is exemplary and the
state-of-the-art filming shows the serene gothic church in
full splendour – a fitting backdrop for the work that is
generally regarded as the crowning glory of Bach’s sacred
choral music; a majestic work that showcases Bach’s
supreme craftsmanship and skill as a choral composer.
REPERTOIRE:
DVD 1: Verdi: Messa di Requiem, Norma Fantini, Anna
Smirnova, Lorin Maazel; DVD 2: Beethoven: Missa Solemnis,
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden Orchestra, Fabio Luisi;
DVD 3: Bach: St John’s passion, Bach Collegium Japan,
Masaaki Suzuki, DVD 4: Bach: Mass in B minor, Thomanerchor
Leipzig; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Georg Christoph
Biller
This box contains a collection of three masterpieces of
Baroque Opera. Three geniuses of the kind, three dazzling
productions with highly acclaimed artists. The production
of Henry Purcell’s most famous opera ‘King Arthur’ revives
in the Salzburg Festival 2004. Nikolaus Harnoncourt
gathered a musical dream-team made up of his own orchestra
and the best singers of the baroque scene, represented by
Barbara Bonney, Isabel Rey, and Michael Schade. 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. Lully’s
‘Persée’ was recorded live at the Elgin Theatre of Toronto
in April 2004.The staging is a dazzling spectacle of gods
and goddesses, dancing scenes, flying machines and
monsters with fight scenes and special effects inspired by
designs from the original 17th century performance.
REPERTOIRE:
DVD 1+2: Purcell: King Arthur, Konzertvereinigung Wiener
Staatsopernchor, Concentus Musicus Wien, Nikolaus
Harnoncourt; DVD 3: Handel: Serse, Les Talens Lyriques,
Christophe Rousset, Live from the Semperoper, Dresden; DVD
4: Lully: Persée, Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, Tafelmusik
Baroque Orchestra, Hervé Niquet
SUBTITLES:
English, German, French
BOOKLET:
English, German, French
RUN TIME:
456 mins
Prijs: € 49,95 (voor 4 DVD's)
Box: The Essential Beethoven
West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Juilliard String Quartet,
Daniel Barenboim
Discover four pieces of the best romantic composers ever,
interpreted and conducted by the greatest artists of today:
Lorin Maazel, Daniel Baremboim, René Pape, Waltraud Meier
and many others. From the technical brilliant and
incredibly enthusiastic West-Eastern Divan Orchestra over
camber music featured by the Juilliard String Quartet to
the live recorded and prestigious Klavier-Festival Ruhr
2007 – a manifold and special reading as a dedication to
Beethoven’s masterworks.
REPERTOIRE:
DVD 1: Symphony No.9 + Leonore Ouverture; Daniel Barenboim,
Angela Denoke, The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra; DVD 2:
String Quartets Op.18 No.4, Op.59 No.1, Op.131; Juilliard
String Quartet; DVD 3: Fidelio; Carsten Stabell, Orquestra
de la Comunitat Valenciana, Lorin Maazel; DVD 4: Piano
Concertos 4&5 Daniel Barenboim, Staatskapelle Berlin
SUBTITLES:
English, German, French, Spanish
BOOKLET:
English, German, French
RUN TIME:
437 mins
Prijs: € 49,95 (voor 4 DVD's)
Alfred Brendel speelt en
introduceert de late pianowerken van Franz Schubert- 5
DVD-Box
(Duits gesproken, ondertiteling in Engels – Frans –
Spaans, PCM Stereo, beeldformaat 4:3, speelduur 9.24').
Pianosonates in a, D 784 – in C, D 840 (onvoltooid) – in
a, D 845 – in D, D 850 – in G, D 894 – in c, D 958 – in A,
D 959 – in Bes, D 960 – Fantasie in C, D 760 (Wanderer) -
Drei Klavierstücke D 946 – Moments musicaux D 780 –
Impromptu’s D 899 – Impromptu’s D 935.
Alfred Brendel (piano) - Peter Hamm (regie).
Brendel behoort zonder enige twijfel tot de grootste
pianisten van de afgelopen bijna vijftig jaar, wat
natuurlijk niet wil zeggen dat zijn vertolkingen zonder
uitzondering ook tot de grootste behoren. Mogelijk klinkt
het wat paradoxaal maar wie geen inzinkingen kent is
volgens mij geen groot pianist.
De op deze 5 dvd’s samengebrachte toelichtingen (de
eloquente Brendel weet zich ook in het Duits uitstekend te
redden) op en de interpretatie van de zogenaamde late
Schubert-werken dateren alle uit 1976-1977. Inhoudelijk
lijken deze uitvoeringen sterk op die op het label Vox/Turnabout,
daarna gevolgd door de eerste Philips-opnamen uit het
begin van de jaren zeventig (op 8 lp’s, in die bekende
zalmkleurige doos, nr. 6747 175, later ook op cd
verschenen). Wat mij betreft is dit tegelijk het beste
nieuws, want ik vind Brendels Schubert uit die periode
eenvoudigweg de beste, met als kernbegrippen frisheid en
spontaniteit, gepaard gaande met een toen al diep inzicht
in de vaak grillige structuur van deze muziek (zowel wat
de vorm als wat de melodische en harmonische textuur
betreft). Geen maniertjes, geen gekunsteldheden, maar
grootse vertolkingen 'aus einem Guss'.
Artur Schnabel en Eduard Erdmann durfden het zo’n tachtig
jaar geleden aan om de pianomuziek van Franz Schubert
althans nog in bescheiden mate op de kaart te zetten. Zij
waren feitelijk de eersten die de muziekwereld, maar
bovenal de muziekliefhebber de weg wezen naar deze grootse
muziek. Een ware mijlpaal in een tijd dat nog vrijwel
niemand ook maar iets wist van deze sonates en
klavierstukken. Eind jaren twintig, toen Schubert al
honderd jaar dood was, kenden de grootste pianisten (o.a.
Rachmaninov) niet of nauwelijks Schubers pianomuziek.
Zelfs tot in de jaren zeventig bleef deze zo
wonderbaarlijk mooie muziek voor velen nog steeds
verborgen.
Brendel schreef het zelf terecht in zijn alleraardigste
boekje Nachdenken über Musik (Piper Verlag, 1977): de vele
vooroordelen over Schuberts pianomuziek stonden haar
bekendheid in de weg.
Ik zou daaraan toe willen voegen: onbekend maakt onbemind.
Gold dat dan ook voor Schuberts tijdgenoten? Aan de hand
van hetgeen tijdens Schuberts leven in druk verscheen moet
het antwoord helaas bevestigend luiden. Met uitzondering
van de stukken voor piano vierhandig (daar was blijkens de
vele uitgaven veel vraag naar) verschenen slechts drie
pianosonates in druk: in a, D 845 (1825) , in D, D 850
(1825) en in G, D 894 (1826). Daarnaast verschenen nog de
Wanderer-fantasie D 760 (1822) , de Moments musicaux D 780
D 780 (1828) en de eerste twee Impromptus (in c en in Es)
uit D 899 (1827). Voorwaar geen rijke oogst. Wat er enige
decennia na Schuberts dood wel werd gepubliceerd viel vaak
ten prooi aan de luimen des uitgevers, om het beter
verkoopbaar te maken. Maar ook nog tot diep in de vorige
eeuw was het met de kwaliteit van vele gepubliceerde
uitgaven van Schuberts werken droevig gesteld. Zelfs op de
‘Urtext’ uitgaven kon niet blindelings worden vertrouwd.
Schuberts pianomuziek wordt meestal in twee perioden
ingedeeld: tot 1819 en van 1822-1828. Daartussen bevinden
zich dan de drie jaren waarin de componist weliswaar veel
liederen componeerde, maar zich toch vooral bezighield met
het Singspiel, dat hem geen enkel succes bracht. Schuberts
‘rijpe’ periode (een op zich nogal wazig begrip) valt
tussen de herfst van 1822 en zijn dood in 1828.
Wat vanaf de conceptie van de Wanderer-fantasie in hoge
mate opvalt is de koortsachtige scheppingsdrang die zich
van Schubert lijkt te hebben meester gemaakt. Het is
speculatief, maar toch moet er serieus rekening mee worden
gehouden dat Schubert in 1822 de gevolgen van de opgelopen
syfilis letterlijk aan den lijve ondervond en zich
daardoor met de begrensde tijd geconfronteerd zag. Het
draait ook in de komende jaren om de intensiteit van de
expressie, om geconcentreerde muzikale gedachten, nieuwe
harmonische wendingen en een grotere afstand tot
gemoedelijkheid. Schubert is in zijn laatste levensjaren
veel minder de schepper van wonderschone melodieën en veel
meer de dramaturg die niet alleen in zijn liederen (Der
Doppelganger en Am Meer) maar ook in het instrumentale
vlak naar nieuwe horizonten reikt.
Het drama dat zich ontvouwt heeft een hechte structuur
niet als kern, maar meer de improvisatorische vrijheid.
Alsof de gedachterijkdom, de gevoelsstromen niet meer in
de sonatevorm passen (zoals in de voorlaatste Pianosonate
D 959). De veel gehoorde opmerking dat Schuberts muziek
zozeer in het Oostenrijkse landschap is geworteld wordt in
deze uitvoeringen volstrekt overtuigend naar het rijk der
fabelen verwezen.
Al die late pianowerken behoren zonder enige twijfel tot
de instrumentale glansstukken waarmee de pianist zijn
virtuositeit kan demonstreren, maar zij is nooit doel op
zichzelf. Het bijna donderende geweld dat in de
Wanderer-fantasie op de toehoorder wordt afgevuurd is niet
meer dan een – zij het zeer wezenlijk – onderdeel van een
gepassioneerd discours van orkestrale dimensies dat alle
wezenselementen van het menselijke gevoel omvat. Daarom
ook kan ik mij zelden aan de indruk onttrekken dat nog
jonge pianisten dit werk alleen vanuit de virtuoze
invalshoek benaderen (waarbij ze wat dit betreft in het
goede gezelschap van Franz Liszt verkeren, die er een
minipianoconcert van brouwde). Het ‘leven’ heeft hen nog
niet de empirische kennis aangeleverd om het grootse werk
ánders te benaderen.
Wie zich in de concertzaal of de opnamestudio aan deze
sonates waagt moet zich allereerst goed realiseren dat
Schuberts pianomuziek voor gebruik binnenshuis was
bedoeld. Het kwam slechts sporadisch voor dat een
pianowerk in die tijd tot in de concertzaal reikte. Wat
trouwens voor de meeste negentiende-eeuwse componisten
gold: ook Beethovens sonates waren zelden of nooit in de
concertzaal te horen. Een tweede belangrijk punt is
Schuberts vocale achtergrond, niet alleen als zanger maar
ook als liederencomponist. Al is het puur melodieuze
aspect in zijn late werken niet meer prominent, de
thematiek heeft wel degelijk vocale raakvlakken, en in het
bijzonder die van de liedkunst. Wie Mozarts opera’s niet
goed kent zal ook zijn instrumentale muziek onvoldoende
reliëf kunnen geven; met Schubert is het niet anders.
Hindernissen genoeg op de weg naar de overgave aan
Schuberts pianomuziek. Wat mogelijk ook vandaag de dag
deze muziek nog parten speelt is de relatieve
onberekenbaarheid ervan. De heldere klassieke vormgeving
werd door Schubert naar de achtergrond geschoven, motieven
dienen niet als bouwstenen voor een overweldigende
architectuur (Beethoven), melodische frasen werden verder
opgerekt, terwijl alleen onderdelen daarvan werden
doorontwikkeld. Vaak lijkt het op de strijd tussen
expansie en structuur.
In Schuberts late periode overheerst de orkestrale
pianostijl. Dat kunnen we ook aflezen aan de vele tremoli,
de vele dubbeloctaven en de uitvoerige toonherhalingen.
Dikwijls ontstaat de indruk van een piano-uittreksel van
een orkestwerk, alsof de componist oorspronkelijk
eigenlijk iets geheel anders in de zin had dan een sonate.
Een uitgekiend pedaalgebruik versterkt die indruk nog
eens. Het is immers het pedaalgebruik dat zoveel bijdraagt
aan de kleurenrijkdom en de harmonische dieptewerking.
Menige pianist maakt de voor de hand liggende fout om kort
genoteerde basnoten niet dóór te laten klinken, wat
onherroepelijk tot een storend waarneembare verarming van
het muzikale betoog leidt. Er is – zoals Brendel het eens
uitdrukte – een essentieel verschil tussen de technische
en de muzikale notatie. Er zijn interpretaties die de
toehoorder tot ademloos luisteren dwingen, juist doordat
erin wordt geádemd. Dat is iets anders dan wat langer bij
een prachtig beeld stilstaan.
Brendel geeft een uitvoerige, maar heldere toelichting bij
de te spelen werken. Hij behandelt niet alleen de
specifieke eigenschappen van de afzonderlijke sonates en
klavierstukken, maar plaatst ze ook in de bredere context
van Schuberts tijd, wat zeker fascinerende gezichtspunten
oplevert. Zijn betoog zou in een conservatoriumomgeving
niet misstaan, alhoewel het ook de leek zal aanspreken die
meer over Schuberts instrumentale muziek en de
achtergronden daarvan te weten wil komen. De door Radio
Bremen in de periode 1976-77 gemaakte opnamen doen
uiterlijk wat gedateerd aan (we zien een nog tamelijke
jeugdige Brendel in de typische kledij van de jaren
zeventig, toen ook al met pleisters rond de vingers…),
maar zijn uiteenzettingen – gelardeerd met prachtige
anekdotes, niet zonder humor - hebben nog niets van hun
actualiteit verloren. Dat wil niet zeggen dat u zijn
opvattingen van a tot z hoeft te delen, maar dat ze tot
nadenken stemmen staat buiten kijf.
De uitvoeringen zelf munten uit door – ik schreef het al –
frisheid en spontaniteit. Naar mijn smaak is dit Schuberts
pianomuziek op zijn best, onopgesmukt, Latijns helder en
vervuld van een weemoed die zonder enige gekunsteldheid
uit deze klanken opwelt. Maar er is meer, variërende van
zangerige expressiviteit tot in kolossale erupties
uitmondende Lebensstürme. Ook voor Brendel geldt dat het
pedaalgebruik een buitengewoon belangrijk hulpmiddel bij
de articulatie is. We worden verrast met een uitgelezen
kleurenpalet dat niet op zichzelf staat maar de frasen met
elkander verbindt en harmoniewisselingen een indrukwekkend
reliëf geeft. Hier niet, zoals bij zovele andere
pianisten, allerlei losse episodes maar een coherent
parcours dat op zich een uiterst krachtig pleidooi inhoudt
voor Schuberts weidse panorama’s.
Brendel, de muzikale denker, die de frisheid en
spontaniteit daarvoor niet heeft opgegeven. Hij ontloopt
het gevaar dat in een te filosofische benadering besloten
ligt, maar biedt ons de meesterlijke uitwerking van
complexe patronen.
De beeldregie is spaarzaam, met een beperkte
cameraopstelling. Het geluid is doorgaans uitstekend, al
hoorde ik in sommige passages – waarin Brendel de muziek
aan de hand van voorbeelden toelicht – soms een spoortje
vervorming. Storend vond ik dit evenwel niet. Zeker, de
latere Philips-opnamen (vanaf eind jaren tachtig) klinken
beter, warmer en meer contrastrijk, maar Brendel is daarin
ook meer bestudeerd, minder spontaan. Dat alles tezamen
genomen maakt deze dvd-uitgave op EuroArts bepaald niet
minder.
Het belang van deze dvd-productie kan niet voldoende
worden benadrukt. We zien en horen Brendel vanuit het
perspectief van zowel de muziekstudent als de
muziekliefhebber. Het gemak en de intensiteit waarmee hij
Schubert ‘verdedigt’ sluit naadloos aan bij de eruditie
die hij daarbij tentoonspreidt. Dit is ‘muziekonderwijs’
op het hoogste niveau, met deze fascinerende docent
bovendien als de meeslepende uitvoerder van deze
onvergankelijke muziek. Om eindeloos van te genieten en
heel wat boeiender dan de vele 'masterclasses' waarmee we
worden overspoeld.
Overigens merkwaardig dat op het doosje en aan de
buitenkant van de cassette Brendel anno nu staat
afgebeeld, in tegenstelling tot de nog maar nauwelijks
45-jarige Brendel ten tijde van de opnamen. Kopers kunnen
- als ze althans de achterzijde van de doos niet eerst
aandachtig lezen - daardoor op het verkeerde been worden
gezet.
Leonard Bernstein Anniversary Box - 5DVD-Box
June Anderson, soprano; Sarah Walker, mezzo-soprano; Klaus
König, tenor; Jan-Hendrik Rootering, bass
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Orchestre National de
France; Wiener Philharmoniker; Symphonieorchester des
Bayerischen Rundfunks
Leonard Bernstein
The Anniversary DVD Edition (5 Discs). Endorsed by the
Leonard Bernstein Estate. There has probably never been a
conductor able to combine the highest musical standards
with personal warmth in the way that Leonard Bernstein did.
Bernstein not only had at his command a rare musicality
that melded emotion with analysis, he was also uniquely
able to convey that musicality both as a musician and as a
teacher. The present boxed set brings together outstanding
video recordings that allow us to see and hear the
intensity and the thrilling, emotional way in which
Bernstein communicated his interpretations to his
musicians and to his public. The result is a magnificent
tribute to this brilliant conductor on what would have
been his 90th birthday.
REPERTOIRE:
Brahms: Symphonies Nos.1&3; Franck: Symphony in D minor;
Milhaud : La Création du monde - Le Boeuf sur le toit;
Mozart: Piano Concerto No.17, K.453, Symphony No.39;
Beethoven: Symphony No.9 - Ode to Freedom; Bruckner:
Symphony No.9
REVIEWS:
“…the ultimate Bernstein stocking-filler” 5 stars Classic
FM Magazine
SUBTITLES:
German, English, French, Spanish
BOOKLET:
English, German, French
RUN TIME:
419 mins
Prijs: € 75,95 (voor 5 DVD's)
The Essential Bach
Freiburger Barockorcheste; Thomanerchor Leipzig,
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Georg Christoph Biller;
Andrei Gavrilov & Joanna McGregor, piano; Ton Koopman,
organ & harpsichord; Klaus Mertens, baritone; German Brass
Looking for a Christmas present that can’t go wrong?
EuroArts offers a 5-DVD Budget Box of music by one of the
greatest composers of all time. A representative selection
of Bach’s most important works is performed by artists who
are among the most eminent interpreters of his music.
Exclusively devoted to the works of Johann Sebastian Bach
(1685-1750), these DVDs offer a unique survey of
outstanding examples of Baroque music at its best. THE
ESSENTIAL BACH contains all 6 Brandenburg Concertos, the
touching Mass in B minor, the famous Well-Tempered Clavier
I, a selection of great organ works and as a special: Bach
for Brass, arrangements of popular works by J.S. Bach
played by the high-profile ensemble German Brass. Amongst
the artists are eminent Baroque singers Ruth Holton and
Klaus Mertens, renowned harpsichordists and organists like
Ton Koopman, and excellent ensembles such as Freiburger
Barockorchester, Thomanerchor Leipzig and the
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. With an overall running time
of more than 8 hours, this DVD provides informative,
relaxing and entertaining viewing all year round, not just
at Christmastime!
REPERTOIRE:
Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-6; Mass in B minor; The
Well-Tempered Clavier - Book I: Preludes and Fugues 1-24;
Great Organ Works + Arias & Keyboard Pieces; Bach for
Brass
SUBTITLES:
GB, D, F
RUN TIME:
483 mins
Prijs: € 59,95 (5 DVD-Box)
125 Years Berliner
Philharmoniker - A Jubilee Celebration - 5 DVD-Box
Daniel Barenboim, piano; Gil Shaham, violin; Emanuel
Pahud, flute; Marcus Roberts Trio
Berliner Philharmoniker
Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Mariss Jansons, Seiji
Ozawa, Simon Rattle
This authoritative DVD collection, which chronicles the
musical history of the Berlin Philharmonic in anticipation
of their 125th anniversary in 2007, is now available on
EuroArts. It features outstanding live recordings of
recent performances and presents the conductors of the
greatest significance for the orchestra today: Claudio
Abbado, Simon Rattle, Seiji Ozawa, Daniel Barenboim and
Mariss Jansons. The five discs in an exclusive digipack
with slipcase show highlights of the world’s most famous
orchestra - recorded live between 2001 and 2004. They come
in a luxurious presentation and at an attractive price.
The extensive booklet provides insightful essays, an
overview of the ensemble’s history and photographic
material from the orchestra’s archive. Since the early
nineties EuroArts has invariably joined forces with the
Berlin Philharmonic whenever the orchestra’s concerts were
to be recorded for television and, more recently, for DVD.
Central to their work together are three annual events in
the orchestra’s calendar: the New Year’s Eve galas, the
famous open-air concerts at the Waldbühne and the European
Concerts, which are performed in a different European city
each year. Five of these form part of this DVD Anniversary
Box: the European Concerts from Istanbul, Palermo and
Athens as well as a New Year's Eve Concert and one of the
famous Waldbühne concerts – EuroArts congratulates the
Berlin Philharmonic, an orchestra with a great past and an
exciting future!
REPERTOIRE:
Ludwig van Beethoven: Overture to "Egmont"; Hector Berlioz:
Symphonie fantastique; Johannes Brahms: Piano Concerto
No.1, Piano Quartet No.1 (arr. A. Schoenberg), Violin
Concerto; Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No.9 "From the New
World"; George Gershwin: An American in Paris, Rhapsody in
Blue, Concerto in F; Joseph Haydn: Symphony No.94
"Surprise"; Giuseppe Verdi: Overture to "I vespri
siciliani"; W.A. Mozart: Flute Concerto No.2, K.314 and
many more
BONUS:
Behind the Scenes Documentaries
BOOKLET:
GB, D, F
RUN TIME:
521 mins + 83 mins (Bonus)
Prijs: € 85,95 (voor 5 DVD's)
Lucerne Festival Orchestra
- Jubilee Box
Alfred Brendel, Maurizio Pollini, piano; Rachel Harnisch,
Eteri Gvazava, soprano
Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Claudio Abbado
From its debut in 2003, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra has
been enthusiastically received by public and press alike.
The orchestra is a dream come true for Claudio Abbado who
handpicked famous soloists, chamber recitalists and
orchestral musicians to form this orchestra. Time and
again it has been praised for its extraordinary sound and
refined playing in the finest spirit of chamber music
under the direction of the exceptional Italian conductor.
The present DVD provides a comprehensive overview of the
work of this already legendary orchestra featuring a
selection of outstanding recordings from the 2003 to 2006
festivals. For prominent works by Beethoven, Bruckner,
Debussy and Mahler, the orchestra is joined by reputed
soloists. In addition to a masterly filmed musical
experience, the box set also comprises the documentary
“The History of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra” including
rarely seen rehearsal, concert and archival footage
featuring Wilhelm Furtwängler, Ferenc Fricsay, Herbert von
Karajan, Yehudi Menuhin and Arturo Toscanini. Also
included is a bonus DVD of Maurizio Pollini playing
Beethoven in a first ever audiovisual release. The box set
comes, at a very attractive price, in a luxurious
presentation with an extended booklet with insightful
essays and interesting photographic material – a suitable
homage to a very special orchestra and its great
conductor.
REPERTOIRE:
L.v. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 (Brendel) & No.4 (Pollini);
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No.7; Claude Debussy: La Mer &
Suite Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien; Gustav Mahler:
Symphonies Nos.5 & 6
BONUS:
Documentary: “The History of the Lucerne Festival
Orchestra"
BOOKLET:
GB, D, F
RUN TIME:
425 mins
Prijs: 85,95 (voor 5 DVD's)
The Essential Mozart DVD
Box
Just in time for Christmas, MediciArts offers a DVD box
with a collection of Mozart’s compositions. Performed by
the very best instrumentalists, orchestras, conductors and
singers, this representative selection comes at an
attractive price. The recordings bear witness to one of
the most extensive musical projects in recent years, when,
in honour of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 250th birthday on
27 January 2006, EuroArts had arranged for high profile
live transmissions from famous concert venues in Europe
and Asia in the mammoth TV event 24hours Mozart. The Czech
Philharmonic Orchestra under Manfred Honeck performed
compositions by Mozart in the beautiful historical Estates
Theatre in Prague. Each of the works on the disc is in
some way related to the city: the Overture to Don
Giovanni, which was famously premiered by the composer in
the Estates Theatre, the “Prague” Symphony, which Mozart
intended as a greeting to the city that he cherished and
the marvellously melodic Clarinet Concerto - premiered in
Prague just a few weeks before the composer’s death -
played on the basset clarinet by the remarkable Sharon
Kam. The second DVD captures an all Mozart concert by the
Kammerorchester Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach with its musical
director Hartmut Haenchen in the Konzerthaus Berlin. The
chamber orchestra, often praised for its transparent
renderings and technical precision, brought the music’s
light-heartedness, songlike lyricism, drama and inspired
polyphony to life. Before their interpretation of the
“Jupiter” Symphony, the epitome of a classical symphony,
they are joined by pianist Stefan Vladar for the piano
concerto no.20. Vladar, with his sensitive touch and
stylistic assurance, proved to be the ideal partner for
the ensemble’s Mozart playing. The brother and sister duo
Gil and Orli Shaham pay homage to Mozart with a selection
of the composer’s finest violin sonatas. Recorded in the
Palais Daun-Kinsky in Vienna, the third DVD in this box is
brimming with energy and fearlessness tempered by a deep
understanding of - and respect for - the music. Violinist
Gil Shaham is internationally recognized by audiences and
critics alike as one of today's most virtuosic and
engaging classical artists and pianist Orli Shaham has
established an impressive international reputation as a
highly gifted accompanist. The Mozart Celebration at the
Stephansdom was broadcast simultaneously in ten countries
on the occasion of Mozart’s anniversary and now
constitutes part four of this DVD box. Mozart was married
in this impressive Viennese cathedral and the programme
was chosen accordingly. The famous Vienna Boys' Choir
joined the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra under Bertrand
de Billy for a performance of festive sacred works, among
them the Coronation Mass, the Ave Verum and the Vesperae
solennes de Confessore. The exquisite French singer
Sandrine Piau lends her wonderful soprano voice to several
of the arias. The last DVD brings the opera Così fan tutte
to life. The well-known film director Doris Dörrie, long
established on the German cinema scene as a master of
comic genius and famed for her bitter-sweet love stories,
passed her first test in opera direction with flying
colours. She staged Così fan tutte as a hippie musical
that takes place some time in the 1970s, when the Flower
Power generation was in full swing. Christian Sedelmayer
created the set for this production and also designed the
award-winning costumes. Dörries’ reading of the convoluted
story of betrayal and reconciliation between lovers is one
of the great successes at the Berlin State Opera and
transfers beautifully to screen.
RUN TIME:
309 mins
Prijs: € 49,95 (voor 5 DVD's)
Beethoven Symphonies
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.
SUBTITLES:
D, GB, F, I, E
BOOKLET:
D, GB, F
RUN TIME:
413 mins
prijs: € 49,95 (voor 4 DVD's)
Ballad for Edvard Grieg
Leif Ove Andsnes
Great Recordings of the Century -
The DVD
Various Artists
The Eternal
Maria Callas
Composers
Giuseppe Verdi, Georges Bizet, Vincenzo Bellini, Giacomo
Puccini, Jules Massenet, Gioachino Rossini
The Golden Age of the Piano
ARRAU:
Les jeux d’eau à la Villa d’Este (Liszt)
Ballade No.2 (Liszt)
Rondo capriccioso (Mendelssohn)
SERKIN:
Sonata in E flat major “Les Adieux” (Beethoven)
Sonata in B flat major, D960 (Schubert)
HOROWITZ:
Étude in D sharp minor (Scriabin)
GOULD:
Partita in E minor, BWV 830 (Bach)
LANDOWSKA:
Folk Dance
HESS:
Sonata in F minor “Appassionata” (Beethoven)
RUBINSTEIN:
“Spinning Song” (Mendelssohn)
BRAILOWSKY:
Valse brillante (Chopin)
ARRAU:
Gnomenreigen (Liszt)
PADEREWSKI:
Minuet in G major (Paderewski)
Polonaise in A flat major (Chopin)
HOFMANN:
Prelude in C sharp minor (Rachmaninoff)
GRAINGER:
Maguire’s Kick (Irish folk song)
CORTOT:
Children’s Corner (Debussy)
VAN CLIBURN:
Piano Concerto No.1 (Tchaikovsky)
Sonata in F minor “Appassionata” (Beethoven)
Widmung (Schumann/Liszt)
Een uitzonderlijke carrière
van deze te vroeg gestorven celliste met integraal opnames
van het celloconcerto van Elgar en pianotrio (ghost) van
Beethoven
G.F. Handel
Giulio Cesare
Een 3 DVD-set van Haendel’s prachtig oratorium uitgevoerd
door de Orchestra of the Age of Enlightment olv William
Christie in een productie van David McVicar.
Eroica
Over Beethoven met opname van de integrale 3° symfonie
o.l.v. Sir John Elliot Gardiner
Prix d’Italia winning film
Prokofiev - Ivan the
Terrible
Ballet van Sergei Prokofiev
in een choreografie van Yuri Grigorovich.
Léhar - Das Land des
Lächelns
Operette van Lehar uit de
operette reeks van Seefestspiele Mörbisch.
Renée Fleming - Sacred
songs
opname in de kathedraal van
Mainz 2005 met het Mainzer Domchor en Die Deutsche
Kammerphilharmonie Bremen olv Trevor Pinnock
Maria Callas - Passion
Fascinerende film over het
leven en de carrière van Maria Callas.
Mozart - Le nozze di
Figaro
mooie bezetting voor deze
prachtige opera met de Wiener Symphoniker in een modern
regie van Peter Sellars
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Le nozze
di Figaro
Don
Giovanni
Così fan tutte
Danielle de Niese
Pietro Spagnoli
Marcel Reijans
Charlotte Margiono
Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest
Ingo Metzmacher
Nederlandse operaliefhebbers kunnen zich de uitvoeringen
van Mozarts Da Ponte-opera´s in het vorige seizoen van De
Nederlandse Opera waarschijnlijk nog wel voor de geest
halen. Het multimedia-spektakel dat aan de uitvoeringen
verbonden was, zorgde voor veel publiciteit, maar ook de
uitvoeringen zelf zorgden voor veel gespreksstof; het
regisseursduo Jossi Wieler en Sergio Morabito had gekozen
voor een uitgesproken visie op deze populaire opera´s die
niet door iedereen gedeeld werd. Deze spraakmakende
´trilogie´ is thans door Opus Arte in een 4DVD set
uitgebracht. Nu het stof weer is opgetrokken is het tijd
om nog eens goed naar deze bijzondere producties te gaan
kijken en luisteren. Wordt dit het begin van een nieuwe
controverse? Of moeten we concluderen dat het zo gek nog
niet was?
Helene Grimaud: Living with Wolves
Various Artists, Conductors &
Orchestras
Prijs: € 29,95
Benjamin
Britten: The Hidden Heart Various
Artists, Conductors & Orchestras
