EuroArts
Claudio Abbado - Hearing the Silence conveys an intensely moving view on one of the leading musicians of our time. In several interviews, Abbado talks about artistic, musical and biographical aspects of his life. The film shows excerpts from rehearsals and concerts with some of his favourite orchestras. Statements from colleagues and friends are combined with views from his favourite surroundings and help to characterize the "silent thinker".
Film Director Paul Smaczny had a very rare opportunity to get a glimpse of the immensely private personality of Claudio Abbado, described by many in the film as noble and elegant but also as a warm-hearted friend. The musicians all mention his reserved, but exact gestures, his respectful way of working in rehearsals and concerts and the atmosphere of co-operation this creates. Co-operation in music making is an aspect that, as Abbado indicates in one of his interviews, is very important to him and one that is at the core of his artistic intentions. Together with rarely seen historical filmed material and documents of him rehearsing and performing works by Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Debussy, Dvorak, Strauss, Stravinsky and Nono. The film follows Abbado's work with the orchestras with whom he most frequently...
Film Director Paul Smaczny had a very rare opportunity to get a glimpse of the immensely private personality of Claudio Abbado, described by many in the film as noble and elegant but also as a warm-hearted friend. The musicians all mention his reserved, but exact gestures, his respectful way of working in rehearsals and concerts and the atmosphere of co-operation this creates. Co-operation in music making is an aspect that, as Abbado indicates in one of his interviews, is very important to him and one that is at the core of his artistic intentions. Together with rarely seen historical filmed material and documents of him rehearsing and performing works by Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Debussy, Dvorak, Strauss, Stravinsky and Nono. The film follows Abbado's work with the orchestras with whom he most frequently...
One of the few complete concert performances of Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong , this live recording features the legendary jazz trumpeter and singer on an Australian tour in 1964, when he had already become an international superstar and a living symbol of 20th-century American culture. As a founding father of jazz he revolutionized the world of music and became one of the most influential artists and entertainers ever. The impressive structure of his melodic ideas and the radiant sonorities and flawless technique of his trumpet playing all marked him out as jazz's first soloist of genius. Louis Armstrong set new standards for swing feeling, improvisation, scat singing and command of his instrument, but also for stage presence and entertainment, providing a model for performers in virtually every field of jazz and on every conceivable instrument. With his All Stars sextet, which he formed in the wake of the Second World War, he acted as an ambassador for jazz, restlessly travelling the world. The present documentary was shot at a time when he succeeded in creating a song that was a minor miracle: Hello Dolly even displaced the Beatles from the number-one position in the charts in 1964, a fact of which Armstrong was unaware as he was touring at the time. Armstrong's associates -...
Ton Koopman, a leading authority on Baroque music, gathered his favourite orchestra and eminent Baroque singers for a concert focusing on the Magnificat , the traditional prayer said by the Virgin Mary after hearing that she would bear God's son. Bach's Magnificat - his greatest choral work - is programmed together with one of his most beautiful cantatas and a lesser-known baroque gem by Bach's predecessor at St. Thomas' Church, Johann Kuhnau, to form a concert in honour of the spiritual power of Baroque music. The concert was performed at St. Thomas' in Leipzig, the church for which Bach conceived most of his works. The recording captures the atmosphere of the impressive church and shows the musicians "at work". The film also focuses on Ton Koopman, offering insights into his friendly and encouraging conducting style.
When Bach was in the service of Prince Leopold in Cöthen, he had his own orchestra and was contracted to compose a great deal of instrumental music. This gave him an opportunity to try new techniques and to develop his own instrumental style. The six Brandenburg Concertos belongs to these masterpieces for a small ensemble. This joyously infectious performance of these famous landmarks in the history of music by the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra demonstrates both the musical satisfaction and the high professional standard that can be reached with period instruments. The performance was given in the Bach Anniversary Year 2000 – 250 years after his death – in the elegant Hall of Mirrors at Cöthen Castle. The Freiburg Baroque Orchestra’s members all have virtuoso skills. They take the spotlight gracefully for solos but also play with the true ensemble spirit required by the music. Their decision to perform without a conductor revives an eighteenth century practice.
Bonus features:
Cello Suite No.5, BWV 1011: Sarabande
Hille Perl, viola da gamba
Coffee Cantata, BWV 211: Die Katze lässt das Mausen nicht
Madeleine Vogt, soprano
Matthias Schubotz, tenor
...
Bonus features:
Cello Suite No.5, BWV 1011: Sarabande
Hille Perl, viola da gamba
Coffee Cantata, BWV 211: Die Katze lässt das Mausen nicht
Madeleine Vogt, soprano
Matthias Schubotz, tenor
...
Recorded at the atmospheric Academy of Sciences in Budapest, the Keller Quartet plays a version of Bach's unfinished masterpiece The Art of the Fugue for string quartet intertwined with works by renowned contemporary composer Gyorgy Kurtag - a programme that the four Hungarians developed and have successfully performed on international stages. Anner Bylsma, Dutch master cellist and world-renowned as a distinguished interpreter of Bach's cello music, plays the solo suites. The suites, on which he has also published an authoritative book, count among the most popular baroque chamber works. Anner Bylsma plays the famous Stradivarius "Servais" and the performance was recorded in the beautiful village church St. Bartholomew of Dornheim in Thuringia.
Dutch organist and harpsichordist Ton Koopman is one of the most distinguished Bach interpreters of our time. On this video, he is featured interpreting Johann Sebastian Bach's greatest organ works, including the popular Toccata in D minor and the Fugue in G minor . He plays on the world-famous Silbermann Organ in Freiberg (Saxony). The organ was completed in 1714 and thoroughly restored in 1982/1983 and it closely retains its original condition. Bach adored his contemporary Gottfried Silbermann's organs for their exquisite sound and the recording allows the listener to enjoy this sound to the full while offering a closer look at this marvellously crafted instrument. In the second part of this video Ton Koopman is "At Home with Bach!" He plays favourite harpsichord pieces and accompanies the eminent Bach singer Klaus Mertens in popular arias. This programme was filmed in the enchanting Gohlis Castle near Leipzig, a late baroque jewel built in 1755.
The choir and the orchestra of the Bach Collegium Japan perform the St John's Passion with a small ensemble - as was customary in the composer's time - under Masaaki Suzuki, former student of one of the nestors of authentic interpretation, Ton Koopman. One of the greatest musical treatments of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ receives a performance that is musically precise and stylistically close to what we now know of Bach's ideal. The Bach Collegium Japan has been regarded for some years now as a real discovery among baroque ensembles specialising in the performance of sacred music from the Baroque and Masaaki Suzuki, who conducts and plays the harpsichord, is a complete and thorough musician, deeply involved in the emotional overtones of the music as well as technical questions of tempo, balance, and phrasing. Recorded live from The Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Japan during the Bach Anniversary Year 2000 on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the death of J.S. Bach.
The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is one of those success stories that is almost too perfect to be true. The internationally respected orchestra was founded by Daniel Barenboim and the late Palestinian writer and scholar Edward Said with young, highly talented Israeli and Arab musicians. The ensemble works to establish dialogue between the cultures of the Middle East through the experience of playing music together, and has gained cultural and musical respect all over the world. The concert proves that it can bear comparison with veteran orchestras, even in familiar repertory staples. Combining technical polish and security, tonal beauty and transparency with youthful expression, passion and exuberance, the ensemble plays music by Beethoven, Brahms and others. The event was broadcast live from the Palacio de Carlos V, Alhambra in Spanish Granada, thus hundreds of thousands of viewers across Europe were able to experience Barenboim's conducting and this special orchestra. The Alhambra (Red Castle) in Granada, Spain – a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site - was built and preserved over a period of social tolerance and cultural flowering, during the Moorish era, in which the three great religions lived together in an atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect. Thus it...
Tango has long become more than the popular Argentine urban dance which developed after 1870 in the poor working class and immigrant areas on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Tango has aficionados worldwide - be it for its music, culture or the dance. On New Year's Eve 2006, conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim, Argentinean by birth and upbringing, celebrated the end of the year with a spectacular musical event: a festival of Argentinean music live from Buenos Aires. In a seamless fusion of classical and traditional music, the Orquesta Filarmonica de Buenos Aires under Barenboim joined the excellent bandoneon virtuoso Leopoldo Federico and his Orquesta Tipica to present an extraordinary show with popular tangos and Latin American orchestra classics to a crowd of 10,000 in a free open-air concert at the Plaza de la República. Enchanting new arrangements of works by the Argentinean artists Astor Piazzola, Carlos Gardel, Julio de Caro, Alberto Ginastera and Horacio Salgan and performances by the leading tango dancers Mora Godoy and Junior Cervila from Buenos Aires added to the atmosphere of a night of "Tangos sinfónicos".
Claudio Abbado has taken the Lucerne Festival to new heights in its history, which has been marked by towering figures like Toscanini and Furtwängler. Each new recording by Claudio Abbado is in itself a special event and this recording from the 2005 Festival is no exception: Bruckner's imposing Symphony No.7 is captured live in a performance of awesome silences and immense climaxes presented by the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, a handpicked ensemble and an élite body of instrumentalists who have long been connected to Abbado. Eminent soloists, chamber musicians and orchestral players come together once a year to set new standards in the field of classical music. One of the leading pianists of modern times, Alfred Brendel, reputed throughout his long and distinguished career as one of the finest Beethoven interpreters, was the worthy partner for Claudio Abbado and his orchestra.
In November 2007, Daniel Barenboim completed a cycle of Beethoven's piano concertos. Recorded live at the prestigious Klavier-Festival Ruhr in May 2007, this recording reflects both a very individual and special reading of Beethoven's music and the artist's life-long dedication to the composer. Daniel Barenboim is one of the most prolific and high-profile artists performing on international stages today and Beethoven's masterpieces have been a key part of his repertoire throughout his career, both as conductor and as pianist. Beethoven himself was a keyboard virtuoso of almost awesome abilities who created a sensation wherever he played. It is no wonder, therefore, that the piano was central to Beethoven's overall output. Daniel Barenboim, artistic personality and former wunderkind, long an essential part of the international musical scene both on the conductor's podium and at the piano, is the perfect match for this demanding music. Conducting and playing at the same time, Barenboim chose his orchestra of almost two decades, the Staatskapelle Berlin, which he has praised warmly for its exceptional, dark and warm sound. With a tradition reaching back to 1570, the Staatskapelle Berlin is one of the oldest orchestras in the world.
Elected by members of the Berlin Philharmonic as Principal Conductor and fifth Artistic Director in 1989, Claudio Abbado resigned from the post in 2002, but remains close to the orchestra, which cherishes the conductor to this day. Listening to the music, one hears how the Berlin Philharmonic transforms Abbado's musical intentions into sound – there is a sense of unity that can only be achieved through many years of shared artistic experience and attention to detail. These live performances at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome in 2001 were an overwhelming success: each concert ended in standing ovations, and the critics spoke of seminal moments in the history of music. Abbado's Beethoven cycle will certainly become a milestone for contemporary interpretation and this recording pays tribute to his achievement.
Bonus feature:
- Multi-Angle Feature - Conductor Camera ( Symphony No. 6 )
Bonus feature:
- Multi-Angle Feature - Conductor Camera ( Symphony No. 6 )
Elected by members of the Berlin Philharmonic as Principal Conductor and fifth Artistic Director in 1989, Claudio Abbado resigned from the post in 2002, but remains close to the orchestra, which cherishes the conductor to this day. Listening to the music, one hears how the Berlin Philharmonic transforms Abbado's musical intentions into sound – there is a sense of unity that can only be achieved through many years of shared artistic experience and attention to detail. These live performances at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome in 2001 were an overwhelming success: each concert ended in standing ovations, and the critics spoke of seminal moments in the history of music. Abbado's Beethoven cycle will certainly become a milestone for contemporary interpretation and this recording pays tribute to his achievement.
Bonus feature:
- Multi-Angle Feature - Conductor Camera ( Symphony No. 5 )
Bonus feature:
- Multi-Angle Feature - Conductor Camera ( Symphony No. 5 )
Elected by members of the Berlin Philharmonic as Principal Conductor and fifth Artistic Director in 1989, Claudio Abbado resigned from the post in 2002, but remains close to the orchestra, which cherishes the conductor to this day. Listening to the music, one hears how the Berlin Philharmonic transforms Abbado's musical intentions into sound – there is a sense of unity that can only be achieved through many years of shared artistic experience and attention to detail. These live performances at the Philharmonie, Berlin in 2000 and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome in 2001 were an overwhelming success: each concert ended in standing ovations, and the critics spoke of seminal moments in the history of music. Abbado's Beethoven cycle will certainly become a milestone for contemporary interpretation and this recording pays tribute to his achievement. For the popular Symphony No. 9 in D minor , the Berlin Philharmonic were joined by high-ranking singers and choirs.
Bonus feature:
- Multi-Angle Feature - Conductor Camera ( Symphony No.3 )
Bonus feature:
- Multi-Angle Feature - Conductor Camera ( Symphony No.3 )
Elected by members of the Berlin Philharmonic as Principal Conductor and fifth Artistic Director in 1989, Claudio Abbado resigned from the post in 2002, but remains close to the orchestra, which cherishes the conductor to this day. Listening to the music, one hears how the Berlin Philharmonic transforms Abbado's musical intentions into sound – there is a sense of unity that can only be achieved through many years of shared artistic experience and attention to detail. These live performances at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome in 2001 were an overwhelming success: each concert ended in standing ovations, and the critics spoke of seminal moments in the history of music. Abbado's Beethoven cycle will certainly become a milestone for contemporary interpretation and this recording pays tribute to his achievement.
Bonus features:
- Multi-Angle Feature - Conductor Camera ( Symphony No. 7 )
- Documentary - Abbado on Beethoven
Bonus features:
- Multi-Angle Feature - Conductor Camera ( Symphony No. 7 )
- Documentary - Abbado on Beethoven
The outstanding tenors of the 78 era: comprising thirteen episodes, each with a biographical and a musical focus, features bel canto singers captured on black and white sound film. Backed up with footage, much of which is shown here for the very first time, the individual artists are profiled and their exceptional talents demonstrated in representative recordings. Part I: Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Tito Schipa, Richard Tauber, Leo Slezak, Joseph Schmidt.
The outstanding tenors of the 78 era: comprising thirteen episodes, each with a biographical and a musical focus, this recording features bel canto singers captured on black and white sound film. Backed up with footage, much of which is shown here for the very first time, the individual artists are profiled and their exceptional talents demonstrated in representative recordings.
This opera gala, recorded live at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, on November 8, 2003, marked the 10th anniversary of the annual benefit for the German AIDS Foundation. Conducted by Kent Nagano, then Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Berlin Deutsche Symphony Orchestra founded 1923. This recording features an illustrious roster of international artists from Germany, Austria, Italy, Russia, Bulgaria, the United States and Canada.
The recording brings together three of the constants of Leonard Bernstein's protean career: his involvement with education projects, his complex relationship with the music of Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) and his desire to leave a filmed testament to his work. In 1987, Bernstein had established the Orchestra Academy of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival at Salzau Castle, a teaching and learning centre for young musicians, where he taught for several summers. He ensured that there would be cameras present in 1988, as he explored the subversive nature, exposed nerve endings and unseemly fervour of great art – and Shostakovich in particular. Bernstein begins his rehearsals by explaining his interpretation of the score of Shostakovich's First Symphony written between 1924 and 1925 when the composer was 19 years old. Leonard Bernstein had a particular gift for providing young people with an inspirational and enthusiastic introduction to music. And few others could immerse themselves in Shostakovich's world in so incomparable a manner. These recordings bring together three of "Lenny's" great passions in an altogether unique way!
Bizet's passionate tale of the self-willed gypsy woman Carmen is certainly one of the most popular works in the history of opera. It shows how a cigar factory worker in Seville enchants and bewitches the men around her. Melodies like Carmen's legendary 'Habanera'or Escamillo's 'Toreador March' are well known tunes all over the world. The Opéra Comique in Paris commissioned George Bizet to write Carmen in 1872 and Bizet's music portrays the characters with care and reveals itself to both the most naïve and the most sophisticated listener. The wild-romantic Roman quarry of St. Margarethen provided the perfect backdrop for this live recording of one of the key works of the so-called 'Hispanismo'-style. The film captures a summer's evening in 2005 when thousands of spectators gathered at one of Europe's most important open-air festivals, visited by 220.000 opera lovers annually. This exciting production brought horses, pyrotechnical special effects and more than 400 participants onto the stage.
The great musical communicator Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) joined forces with his favourite orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, for this recording. Since his first engagement with the orchestra in the mid 1940s, the famous musician and composer had worked closely with the ensemble on numerous concerts and recordings over a period that span half a century, eventually taking on the role of honorary conductor. In this live recording, filmed at the Great Concert Hall Jerusalem in 1978, Leonard Bernstein leads the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in a revelatory performance of Brahms' Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3 . The orchestra's strong, densely textured style has an aesthetic quality that is particularly well suited to Brahms and the late 19th century German sound. Bernstein's readings of Brahms, however, have never been conventional. Neither could they be described as being tied to tradition. This video provides another exciting interpretation from a full-blooded musician who was never content with reproducing the ordinary – a legendary document.
Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood – the exceptional musical personality and his favourite festival. Bernstein began his career as a conductor in Tanglewood in 1940. He was studying under Sergei Koussevitzky and it filled him with pride to conduct two Brahms symphonies at the festival as he recalls his teacher conducting the same two symphonies there. The recording shows Bernstein with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Tanglewood Festival in 1972. His readings of Johannes Brahms' (1833–1897) Second and Fourth Symphonies display all the passion and musical commitment for which he was so famous. "Lenny", as he was often affectionately called and Sergei Koussevitzky met when Bernstein was studying conducting at the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood, founded and led by Koussevitzky, the music director of Bernstein's hometown orchestra, the Boston Symphony. From then on Bernstein was a regular visitor at the festival, soon conducting in the main programme and – after Koussevitzky's death in 1951 – leading memorial concerts in honour of his teacher. The two performances on this video were recorded before casually clothed audiences at afternoon and early evening performances in August 1972. There is, however, nothing casual about Bernstein's...
On the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of Bruckner's death, an International Bruckner festival took place in the composer's home town of Linz. Paying tribute to the great late romantic composer, Pierre Boulez - himself an enormously successful composer - conducted Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 . He had one of the most prestigious orchestras at hand - the Vienna Philharmonic with its silken, rich strings, full-throated brass and intricately delineated winds is perfectly suited to Bruckner's dramatic symphonic works. The recording took place in the St. Florian Church in Linz, Austria, where Anton Bruckner is buried, where he was organist and where themes of this symphony were first heard in an organ improvisation in 1886. Boulez's much discussed interpretation is unique in its clarity of the musical structure without loosing the rich expression of the symphony.
Sergiu Celibidache (1912-1996) has been called a "musical giant", a "magician", "a brilliant lion-tamer" and an enfant terrible of classical music. He was famous for refuting the commercial aspects of the music business, which makes his rare recordings even more valuable. This recording gives us a fascinating insight into the mechanics of rehearsing and performing and reveals Sergiu Celibidache's special techniques of motivating the orchestra to obtain the effects he desires. The films from 1965 and 1982 are among the very few visual records we have of the legendary rehearsal work of this highly charismatic Maestro; they provide a unique insight into his Stuttgart years, bringing to light the marvels he achieved with the Radio Orchestra, which he conducted from 1971-1983. Celibidache was a master Straussian and his reading of the symphonic tale Till Eulenspiegel ranks among the best recordings available. His version of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade is full of sensuality and subtlety. Both documents last almost an hour - they give today's listeners an exclusive opportunity to observe Celibidache in rehearsal and concert, making it a must for lovers of symphonic music.
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, appearing at La Scala for the first time in the title role, was singled out for praise in the Italian press: while La Repubblica admired the "sensual tones" of her singing, La Nazione called it an interpretation which "touched the audience's heart". At her side are two of the finest Russian singers on the international stage today: Sergei Larin as Maurizio is heard in a role that sits perfectly for his voice, while Olga Borodina threatens to steal the show as the jealous Princess.
Il matrimonio segreto is Cimarosa's most famous opera buffa and it is one of the few comic operas to have maintained its place in the repertoire until today. At its first performance in 1792, Austrian emperor Leopold II is reputed to have liked this masterpiece so much that he ordered the musicians to play it again from the beginning! Michael Hampe's elegant, colourful production had already won international acclaim when staged in Paris, Stockholm and London - where it won the Olivier Award for Best Opera Production. His stage direction is sensitive to the music's flow and brings a welcome clarity to the many twists and deceptions in the plot. This recording comes live from the exquisite palace rococo theatre at the Schwetzingen Festival in 1986. The Drottningholm Court Theatre Orchestra, an outstanding orchestra for early music, is specialized in music of the 17th and 18th century - their authentic interpretation sounds extremely fresh and colourful, and the playing is always full of energy and contrasts.
An evening of Viennese all-time classical favourites recorded live at the Carnegie Hall New York in October 2006. The programme includes Mozart's beloved Piano Concerto No. 17 , performed by acclaimed pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, and selections from the composer's opera Le Nozze di Figaro with soprano Dorothea Roschmann, the Light Cavalry Overture by Franz von Suppe, and to cap off the evening, Artist's Life , Annen-Polka , and the Overture to Die Fledermaus by the Waltz King, Johann Strauss Jr. Long considered one of America's greatest orchestras, the Cleveland Orchestra has joined the ranks of the world's most celebrated symphonic ensembles. It has a long standing commitment to the internationally successful conductor Franz Welser-Most. Multi-Grammy Award winner Leif Ove Andsnes is rapidly becoming known for his Mozart interpretations and Dorothea Roschmann has been charting her successful progress through the international opera scene for the past decade.
The outstanding Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs under the masterful direction of Daniel Barenboim. Recorded in 2000 at the world's most important festival for 20th century music, the Musik Triennale Cologne, this concert programme successfully set out to capture the great wealth and diversity of modern classical music. The concert featured an important and infrequently heard piece: Notations I-IV by Barenboim's Chicago predecessor, the French composer-conductor Pierre Boulez. Barenboim, who in his long and eclectic career has championed Boulez's often impenetrable work, makes this particularly thorny composition sound highly accessible in its unapologetically modernist way.
Bonus feature:
- My 20th Century: Barenboim & Boulez discuss the Music of the Last 100 Years - Daniel Barenboim in conversation with Pierre Boulez
Bonus feature:
- My 20th Century: Barenboim & Boulez discuss the Music of the Last 100 Years - Daniel Barenboim in conversation with Pierre Boulez
Discovering Masterpieces of Classical Music is a series of audio-visual concert guides that allow the listener to experience and enjoy great music from the Baroque period up to the present day in an entirely new way, offering a combination of documentary material and a complete performance of the featured work. The Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, the Gewandhaus Orchestra and other eminent musical bodies join forces with acclaimed experts, famous soloists and outstanding conductors to highlight the distinctive features of twenty famous masterpieces by the most important composers through first class concert recordings. Each introductory feature is clearly designed and provides abundant information. Examples from the musical score help the viewer to follow the themes and rhythms and to understand the structure of the work. New film material documenting the birthplaces of the composers and locations of composition is combined with historic film material, works of art and original manuscripts. It allows the viewer to embark on a journey back to the time and place of composition and informs him about the life of the composer while providing a complete introduction to the work.
The Berlin Philharmonic present Béla Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra...
The Berlin Philharmonic present Béla Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra...
Recorded live at the Teatro Massimo, Palermo in 2002, this video features the performances of Young virtuoso Gil Shaham and Brahms expert Wolfgang Sandberger. American-Israeli master violinist Gil Shaham made his debut at the age of 10 and became internationally famous in his early twenties when he was called to replace Itzhak Perlman for a series of concerts. He and his Stradivarius joined the world renowned Berlin Philharmonic under their long-standing former chief conductor Claudio Abbado. Discovering Masterpieces - Brahms: Violin Concerto relives the spectacular works of Johannes Brahms. This newly edited series brings you first-class concerts, an introductory documentary and an audio-visual concert guide to the highlights of classical music, providing the listener music from the Baroque period up to the present time in an entirely different way. The film contains historic documentary, artworks and original manuscripts of the composer, allowing the viewer to embark on a journey back to time.
Discovering Masterpieces of Classical Music is a series of audio-visual concert guides that allow the listener to experience and enjoy great music from the Baroque period up to the present day in an entirely new way, offering a combination of documentary material and a complete performance of the featured work. The Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, the Gewandhaus Orchestra and other eminent musical bodies join forces with acclaimed experts, famous soloists and outstanding conductors to highlight the distinctive features of twenty famous masterpieces by the most important composers through first class concert recordings. Each introductory feature is clearly designed and provides abundant information. Examples from the musical score help the viewer to follow the themes and rhythms and to understand the structure of the work. New film material documenting the birthplaces of the composers and locations of composition is combined with historic film material, works of art and original manuscripts. It allows the viewer to embark on a journey back to the time and place of composition and informs him about the life of the composer while providing a complete introduction to the work.
Recorded live at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo in 2002, the Berlin...
Recorded live at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo in 2002, the Berlin...
Discovering Masterpieces of Classical Music is a series of audio-visual concert guides that allow the listener to experience and enjoy great music from the Baroque period up to the present day in an entirely new way, offering a combination of documentary material and a complete performance of the featured work. The Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, the Gewandhaus Orchestra and other eminent musical bodies join forces with acclaimed experts, famous soloists and outstanding conductors to highlight the distinctive features of twenty famous masterpieces by the most important composers through first class concert recordings. Each introductory feature is clearly designed and provides abundant information. Examples from the musical score help the viewer to follow the themes and rhythms and to understand the structure of the work. New film material documenting the birthplaces of the composers and locations of composition is combined with historic film material, works of art and original manuscripts. It allows the viewer to embark on a journey back to the time and place of composition and informs him about the life of the composer while providing a complete introduction to the work.
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) was the orchestra's first conductor...
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) was the orchestra's first conductor...
Discovering Masterpieces of Classical Music is a series of audio-visual concert guides that allow the listener to experience and enjoy great music from the Baroque period up to the present day in an entirely new way, offering a combination of documentary material and a complete performance of the featured work. The Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, the Gewandhaus Orchestra and other eminent musical bodies join forces with acclaimed experts, famous soloists and outstanding conductors to highlight the distinctive features of twenty famous masterpieces by the most important composers through first class concert recordings. Each introductory feature is clearly designed and provides abundant information. Examples from the musical score help the viewer to follow the themes and rhythms and to understand the structure of the work. New film material documenting the birthplaces of the composers and locations of composition is combined with historic film material, works of art and original manuscripts. It allows the viewer to embark on a journey back to the time and place of composition and informs him about the life of the composer while providing a complete introduction to the work.
Recorded live at the Konzerthaus Berlin in November 2005, the series continues...
Recorded live at the Konzerthaus Berlin in November 2005, the series continues...
Discovering Masterpieces of Classical Music is a series of audio-visual concert guides that allow the listener to experience and enjoy great music from the Baroque period up to the present day in an entirely new way, offering a combination of documentary material and a complete performance of the featured work. The Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, the Gewandhaus Orchestra and other eminent musical bodies join forces with acclaimed experts, famous soloists and outstanding conductors to highlight the distinctive features of twenty famous masterpieces by the most important composers through first class concert recordings. Each introductory feature is clearly designed and provides abundant information. Examples from the musical score help the viewer to follow the themes and rhythms and to understand the structure of the work. New film material documenting the birthplaces of the composers and locations of composition is combined with historic film material, works of art and original manuscripts. It allows the viewer to embark on a journey back to the time and place of composition and informs him about the life of the composer while providing a complete introduction to the work.
Martha Argerich – often regarded as the greatest pianist of our time -...
Martha Argerich – often regarded as the greatest pianist of our time -...
Discovering Masterpieces of Classical Music is a series of audio-visual concert guides that allow the listener to experience and enjoy great music from the Baroque period up to the present day in an entirely new way, offering a combination of documentary material and a complete performance of the featured work. The Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, the Gewandhaus Orchestra and other eminent musical bodies join forces with acclaimed experts, famous soloists and outstanding conductors to highlight the distinctive features of twenty famous masterpieces by the most important composers through first class concert recordings. Each introductory feature is clearly designed and provides abundant information. Examples from the musical score help the viewer to follow the themes and rhythms and to understand the structure of the work. New film material documenting the birthplaces of the composers and locations of composition is combined with historic film material, works of art and original manuscripts. It allows the viewer to embark on a journey back to the time and place of composition and informs him about the life of the composer while providing a complete introduction to the work.
The Sächsische Staatskapelle, orchestra of the famous Dresden Semperoper gives...
The Sächsische Staatskapelle, orchestra of the famous Dresden Semperoper gives...
The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra's European Concerts not only represent the Berlin Philharmonic's commemoration of its founding date but also emphasize the cultural life of the new European order. Each year the orchestra performs at a place of special significance in cultural history, always in a different country. This, the eleventh European Concert, took place in the city of Istanbul's oldest church, St. Irine (Hagia Irini) or the Church of the Holy Peace, which is magnificently situated on the promontory washed by the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara. At the helm of this concert, Mariss Jansons, is one of today's most sought-after conductors. Since 1997, he has been principal conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; in 2003, he will assume the directorship of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. The flautist Emmanuel Pahud has won numerous international competitions and is a laureate of the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation and UNESCO's International Tribune for Musicians. At the age of 22, he became principal flautist of the Berlin Philharmonic under Claudio Abbado, having previously held that position with the Basle Radio Symphony Orchestra under Nello Santi and the Munich Philharmonic under Sergiu Celibidache.
Recorded live at the ancient Herodes Atticus Odeon in Athens 2004, this was the first European Concert that Sir Simon Rattle conducted in his new post as chief conductor of one of the most important orchestras of all times. 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 excellence. This concert also represents the first musical encounter between Rattle and world-famous pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim. This all Brahms programme features the wonderful Piano Concerto No. 1 with the romantic Adagio which Brahms wrote in reverence for Clara Schumann and Schoenberg's successful arrangement of the Piano Quartet No. 1 for orchestra.
Bonus feature:
- The European Concert in Olympic Athens
Bonus feature:
- The European Concert in Olympic Athens
The Berlin Philharmonic's annual "Concert for Europe", an annual musical summit in important cultural cities, has been a brand name for excellence since 1991, when the Berlin Philharmonic gave their first European Concert. This all-Mozart concert took place in Prague on 1 May 2006. In honour of the composers 250th birthday, the Berlin Philharmonic invited the pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim to lead them through a concert featuring two masterpieces from the Mozart repertoire, the "Haffner" and "Linz" Symphonies. In his familiar dual role as soloist and conductor, he also performed the Piano Concerto No. 22 . The concert was performed and recorded in the Estates Theatre Prague, which is one of the most beautiful historical theatres in Europe. It was in this theatre that Mozart conducted the premier of Don Giovanni , a work written specially for Prague, in 1787 and for this concert recording, the orchestra sat in a reconstruction of the sets that had been used at the first performance of the opera.
Bonus feature:
- A Cultural Potrait of Prague
Bonus feature:
- A Cultural Potrait of Prague
On the eve of its 300th birthday, St. Petersburg, Russia's fabled "window to Europe", celebrates this anniversary presenting a gala of distinguished musical art featuring Anna Netrebko, Dimitri Hvorostovsky, Mischa Maisky and many others. Yuri Temirkanov conducts one of the oldest Russian symphonic ensembles: the St. Petersburg Philharmonic.
Katia and Marielle Labeque received their first piano tuition at ages three and five and the sisters are famous for their unusual duo precision, their great musicality and the breadth of their repertoire. In this concert they perform with Il Giardino Armonico, a leading Italian ensemble specializing in period performing practice. Katia and Marielle Labeque throw themselves into the works with their typical verve and enthusiasm, demonstrating symbiotic synchrony and facile (facile means inconsequential, shallow - negative word) technique. With its unmistakable sound Il Giardino Armonico is one of today's most notable Baroque ensembles. Colourful, individualistic and stylish, it has won an enthusiastic international following and truly excels in performing Baroque music for a 21st century audience. The programme includes a wide variety of music by three different composers, all performed on historical instruments at the Vienna Musik Verein. One of the unique elements of this performance - recorded in the Bach Anniversary year 2000 - is the use of the fortepiano for Bach's keyboard concertos. This instrument, which Bach undoubtedly knew, and probably owned, is rarely used in Bach performances, yet the sound it offers is far more interesting than a modern piano. Together with...
Composed when he was just twenty-four, Agrippina was Handel's first theatrical success and is a sparkling example of his early work. It is full of his fresh, exuberantly inventive music and employs one of the finest librettos with which George Frederic Handel ever worked. The opera was composed and first performed in Venice in 1709 and, in a witty plot by an Italian cardinal, it tells the farcical story of the private lives of two ruthless figures in roman history, Nero and his mother Agrippina, and how they become entangled with the innocent Ottone and his lover Poppea. Typically for a Handel opera, the work is centred on a series of towering arias designed to show off the virtuosity of the singers. This beautiful production by renowned opera director Michael Hampe was recorded at the exquisite 18th century palace theatre during the Schwetzingen Festival in1985. It combines the atmosphere of a true Baroque opera with an elegant, colourful staging and brilliant musicianship. The London Baroque Players, an outstanding orchestra for early music, which specializes in the music of the 17th and 18th century, joins an accomplished cast of singers, all baroque specialists.
First staged at the Weimar Court Theatre under the baton of Richard Strauss in 1893, who hailed it as "a masterpiece of the highest quality", Humperdinck's debut opera Hänsel und Gretel has remained a solid favourite since its 1893 première. Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921) transformed Grimm's beloved fairy tale Hänsel und Gretel into opera entertainment for everyone from young children to the serious music lover; this is a tumultuous and joyful production for both children and adults. Director Katharina Thalbach cheerfully evokes a magic world of woodland sprites and candy dreams and creates an enchanting fantasy world filled with high spirits, fairytale fantasy and genial comedy. Recorded live at the world-famous Dresden Semperoper in December 2006, the production is also musically of the highest rank, with international soloists in the main roles, accompanied by the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden under Michael Hofstetter.
Live from St. Thomas's Church - the church for which Bach conceived most of his works - comes a concert performed by the man who introduced Bach to the world of Jazz and vice versa. In 1959, Jacques Loussier hit upon the idea that was to make his international reputation, by combining his interest in jazz with his love of J.S. Bach. He created his very own view of Bach, blending the most beautiful tunes of the Baroque master with an irresistibly swinging sound. Loussier's trio achieved the breakthrough to popular commercial success enjoyed by only a select few jazz musicians. In fifteen years, the group sold over six million albums. On the occasion of Loussier's 70th birthday, the ensemble performed its greatest hits - jazz arrangements of Bach, Debussy, Satie and Ravel - in Bach's "own" church in Leipzig for the first time.
Bonus features:
- Jacques Loussier in Conversation
Bonus features:
- Jacques Loussier in Conversation
Gidon Kremer celebrates his 60th birthday in 2007 - he is, and has always been, one of the most headstrong and original artists in the music business. His return to J. S. Bach's partitas is a major event as Kremer's first recording of these works was released almost a quarter of a century ago, and he hasn't played the partitas in public for over twenty years. Those who have followed Gidon Kremer's artistic development over the past 25 years will note how much his tone and articulation have changed. The new rendering displays Kremer's very personal sense of spontaneity and a readiness to take risks. In the early 1980s, after being declared persona non grata in the Soviet Union, Kremer moved to the West and made a recording of the solo partitas. The record went down in music history and for decades was a benchmark in the music guild. The young virtuoso was catapulted to fame virtually overnight in the Western world and hailed as the world's best violinist by Herbert von Karajan. This recording features the Violin Partita Nos.1, 2, and 3 , recorded at the Pfarrkirche Lockenhaus in 2002 and the documentary Back to Bach . The film includes rare archival footage and tells in a very personal way of Gidon Kremer's encounters with Bach's music, accompanying the famous violin virtuoso...
We live in a "renaissance of the piano", as the New York Times so surprisingly put it in summer 2005. A new generation is reviving the piano's popularity as pianists with a passion for virtuosity and a willingness to expand their repertoire take to the concert stages. In addition to the standard classics they perform formerly disparaged works or discover neglected composers. LEGATO is a series dedicated to presenting some of this new movement's most fascinating pianists - their development, their ideas and, of course, their music. Each episode portrays an artist and explores an aspect of the world of piano music. Viewers meet the artists and get to know their styles, their methods of working and their personal idiosyncrasies. The sum of these portraits provides viewers with an overall picture of the art of piano playing today. Boris Berezovsky, intelligent, curious and strong-minded, has established a remarkable reputation, both as the most powerful of virtuoso pianists and as a musician of unique insight and sensitivity. In a stunning recital recorded live at the newly-built Philharmonie Essen in 2006, he balances virtuosity with an unfaltering musical integrity, playing works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Nikolai Medtner, Dafydd Llywelyn, Leopold Godowsky and Anatoly Liadov.
We live in a "renaissance of the piano", as the New York Times so surprisingly put it in summer 2005. A new generation is reviving the piano's popularity as pianists with a passion for virtuosity and a willingness to expand their repertoire take to the concert stages. In addition to the standard classics, they perform formerly disparaged works or discover neglected composers. LEGATO is a series dedicated to presenting some of this new movement's most fascinating pianists - their development, their ideas and, of course, their music. Each episode in this series presents an artist and explores an aspect of the world of piano music. Viewers meet the artists and get to know their styles, their methods of working and their personal idiosyncrasies. The sum of these portraits provides viewers with an overall picture of the art of piano playing today. Montréal native Marc-André Hamelin is a perfect representative of this new group of pianists. Internationally renowned for his musical virtuosity and refined pianism, he operates on a level of virtuosity that "is simply way beyond mental reach," as The Times once wrote about one of his concerts. This video portrays Marc-André Hamelin in concert and interview. He presented works by Joseph Haydn, Frédéric Chopin, Claude Debussy, and...
LEGATO is a video series dedicated to presenting some of the most fascinating of today's younger generation pianists - their development, their ideas and, of course, their music. Each video in this series presents an artist and explores an aspect of the world of piano music. Viewers meet the artists and get to know their styles, their methods of working and their personal idiosyncrasies. The sum of these portraits provides an overall picture of the art of piano playing today. We live in a "renaissance of the piano", as the New York Times so surprisingly put it in summer 2005. A new generation is reviving the piano's popularity as pianists with a passion for virtuosity and a willingness to expand their repertoire take to the concert stages. In addition to the standard classics, they perform formerly disparaged works or discover neglected composers.
The Swedish pianist Roland Pöntinen was born in 1963. He made his debut at 17 with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and has since performed with major orchestras worldwide. Thanks to an insatiable musical appetite and a stupendous technique he has acquired a vast repertoire, ranging from the Baroque period to contemporary music. This recording portrays Roland Pöntinen in concert and interview. Recorded live at the...
The Swedish pianist Roland Pöntinen was born in 1963. He made his debut at 17 with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and has since performed with major orchestras worldwide. Thanks to an insatiable musical appetite and a stupendous technique he has acquired a vast repertoire, ranging from the Baroque period to contemporary music. This recording portrays Roland Pöntinen in concert and interview. Recorded live at the...
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 the group. 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. This video 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 set also includes the documentary The History of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra with rarely seen rehearsal, concert and archival footage featuring Wilhelm Furtwangler, Ferenc Fricsay, Herbert von Karajan, Yehudi Menuhin and Arturo Toscanini. Also included is a bonus video of Maurizio Pollini playing Beethoven in a first ever audiovisual release.
In his position as the king's composer, Jean Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) created the opera Persée for Louis XIV. The opera was considered the crowning achievement of 17th century French music theatre and was widely recognized as Lully's greatest work. Filled with dancing, fight scenes, monsters and special effects, this truly spectacular music drama recounts the thrilling story of Perseus, son of Zeus and heroic vanquisher of the snake-haired Gorgon Medusa. More than half a century after its premiere, Louis XV chose "Persée" to open the new Royal Opera House at the Chateau de Versailles, an event that formed part of the celebrations for the future Louis XVI's marriage to Marie Antoinette. Recorded live at the Elgin Theatre, Toronto in April 2004, this 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. The excellent singer-actors and the "Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir" are leading specialists in early music.
In 2005, the Staatsoper Berlin and its orchestra, the Staatskapelle Berlin under musical director Daniel Barenboim, celebrated a series of events to celebrate the 80th birthday of French conductor and composer Pierre Boulez. Artistically associated for decades with Barenboim and Berlin, Pierre Boulez is one of today's most distinguished composers and conductors. As part of the celebration, Boulez conducted a performance of Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony at the Berlin Philharmonie. With his uncompromising approach to the score, Pierre Boulez's Mahler readings have long fascinated critics and audiences alike. Boulez eschews the romanticized readings common in performance tradition and, instead, reveals the real joy and terror in Mahler's large-scale symphonies. The Berlin Staatskapelle, singers Diana Damrau and Petra Lang and the Berlin State Opera Chorus joined forces to bring his vision of this gargantuan piece to life. Watching Boulez conducting on his 80th birthday is truly an experience, and his interpretation presents a new perspective on a much-loved symphony.
"It would be hard to find anything greater, more significant or more moving anywhere in musical life today: total harmony of mind and heart, poetry and outcry, fear and consolation, knowing and feeling," declared the Berne paper Der Bund after this stunning performance of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony in August 2003 by the newly founded Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Claudio Abbado had formed this ensemble from famous instrumentalists, celebrated chamber-musicians and experienced soloists from the world's best orchestras, and the event was sold out months in advance. The Neue Zürcher Zeitung reported: "Once again the applause at the end was unequalled; the immense final chord...broke a tension that had lasted over 90 minutes without relaxing for a moment."
Claudio Abbado has realised a dream with his new Lucerne Festival Orchestra. The orchestra, an exclusive ensemble of handpicked orchestral musicians, has set new standards in the field of classical music with exceptional soloists such as violinist Kolja Blacher, flutist Emanuel Pahud and clarinettist Sabine Meyer on the first desks. In August 2004 they performed in the Lucerne Festival Hall, presenting a programme that, once again, confirmed Claudio Abbado's fame as a supreme Mahler conductor. His long-time association with Mahler ensures a marvellous reading of the composer's Fifth and most popular Symphony, which became world-famous as the soundtrack to Visconti's film Death in Venice . An innovative special feature makes this audio-visually appealing video even more attractive. The film is shot using a multi-angle perspective, which enables the viewer to switch easily from the regular to the "Conductor" Camera thus experiencing Claudio Abbado from the orchestra's perspective. The is a wonderful homage to the interplay between orchestra and conductor celebrating the composer and a triumphant masterwork - Gustav Mahler's glorious Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor .
Bonus feautres:
- Multi-Angle Feature - Conductor Camera
Bonus feautres:
- Multi-Angle Feature - Conductor Camera
Claudio Abbado, who first conducted his new Lucerne Festival Orchestra in the summer of 2003, realised a dream with this exclusive ensemble. Handpicked orchestral musicians and exceptional soloists such as violinist Kolja Blacher, flutist Emmanuel Pahud, clarinettist Sabine Meyer, oboist Albrecht Mayer, violist Wolfram Christ, cellist Natalia Gutman, the Hagen Quartet and members of the Alban Berg Quartet to name just a few, make the Lucerne Festival Orchestra a star-studded ensemble, while the core of the orchestra is provided by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, itself an élite body of players. Claudio Abbado is undeniably a supreme Mahler conductor and his Mahler recordings with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra have set new benchmarks in Mahler interpretation. This wonderful performance of the impressive five movement Symphony No. 7 was recorded live at the new and acoustically superb Concert Hall Lucerne in August 2005.
The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester was founded in 1986 at the initiative of Claudio Abbado and has since become the world's best youth orchestra. Named after the great composer, the programme is marked by the special relationship between the maestro and the young orchestra and their relationship to Gustav Mahler. Claudio Abbado is undeniably the supreme Mahler conductor of our time and his long-time association with this repertoire culminates in this stirring performance of Mahler's last Symphony, written shortly before the composer's untimely death. Recorded at Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome 2004, the film vividly shows the joy, talent and professionalism of the young musicians drawn from all over Europe and their devotion to Claudio Abbado. The is a wonderful homage to orchestra, conductor, composer and, last but not least, to a triumphant master work - Gustav Mahler's magnificent Symphony No. 9 in D major .
Maya Plisetskaya is in every sense an exceptional personality. Like almost no other dancer, the eternal prima ballerina assoluta of the Bolshoi Theatre understood how to combine outstanding dance skills with dramatic expression. There are also very few dancers who can look back on such a long and active career: even on her eightieth birthday in November 2005 she personally gave a stage performance. A homage to her inimitable creative work, this video features fascinating footage of her greatest successes as a ballerina together with an interview in which Maya Plisetskaya describes her life as a dancer - which is simultaneously a whole chapter of Russian history, from Stalin to perestroika.
Waltraud Meier is "La Wagnerissima", the queen of Wagner's repertoire. In her very personal account I follow a voice within me , we enter her world and learn about her motivations, aspirations, and her joyful way of pursuing them. In addition to personal insights, this truly ingenious portrait presents Waltraud Meier on stage and in rehearsal in her most celebrated Wagner roles and as an interpreter of Mahler's Lieder. It becomes clear how she coined today's musical world when other great musicians such as Daniel Barenboim or Plácido Domingo speak about her and her work. This beautiful portrait of one of the greatest interpreters of our time is rounded off with a powerful recording of Mahler's "Lied von der Erde".
The archival gems included here are taken from footage for the legendary 1948 Hollywood film "Concert Magic" (the first ever concert filmed for movie audiences). At nearly 25 minutes, Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto was too long for inclusion in the film, so although it is Menuhin's only filmed performance of the work it has only recently been discovered. To see one of the greatest ever violinists perform one of the greatest ever violin concertos is undoubtedly a compelling experience. The encore pieces that follow are superb documents of his seemingly effortless virtuosity. These performances by the 32-year-old Yehudi Menuhin show him at the height of his career. Yehudi Menuhin was one of the best-known violinists of the 20th century - he was universally popular and was frequently received as an ambassador of classical music. With "Concert Magic", which premiered in San Francisco in 1947, he made the first ever motion picture concert in film history. He also produced many short films for the cinema – used to fill the space between the traditional "double features". An especially valuable rarity was found among these - Felix Mendelssohn's Violin concerto . Pianist Adolph Baller and the Symphony Orchestra of Hollywood conducted by Antal Dorati joined Yehudi Menuhin at...
This concert features virtuoso violinist Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999) at the Charlie Chaplin Studios in 1947. Together with various artists he performed classical and romantic works of famous composers such as Beethoven, Wieniawski, Bach, Paganini and others. Yehudi Menuhin in Concert Magic is the very first concert film produced by and for Hollywood. This concert was premiered at the Stage Door Cinema in San Francisco for movie audiences. Yehudi Menuhin was at the age of 32 and was at the pinnacle of his fame.
Bonus features:
- The Story behind "Concert Magic" - Yehudi Menuhin in conversation with Humphrey Burton
Bonus features:
- The Story behind "Concert Magic" - Yehudi Menuhin in conversation with Humphrey Burton
This film is a genuine premiere starring the greatest motion picture composer of the present day: Ennio Morricone. Morricone's music has been well known to moviegoers for decades and his name stands for warmly melodic soundtracks, superbly suited to the films they grace. Born in 1928 in Rome, he went to school with film director Sergio Leone, with whom he would later form one of the great director/composer partnerships. His sparse arrangements, unorthodox instrumentation and memorable tunes revolutionised the way music would be used in Westerns. He has written nearly 400 film scores and this programme contains a representative sample of his rich creative output including short clips from his most famous films. The Munich Philharmonic – one of the best German symphony orchestras - invited Morricone to conduct his own music.
The music documentary Play Your Own Thing provides a comprehensive history of European Jazz. It explores the origins of the US-influenced Jazz clubs after the Second World War, the first steps independent of American jazz and the various changes of direction that have repeatedly occurred in European jazz in the search for that "own voice" that European jazz musicians have helped to form. Featuring the great masters of European jazz such as Chris Barber, Jan Garbarek, Juliette Greco, Stefano Bollani and Till Bronner, to name but a few, the film provides a wealth of styles in Jazz. For his third documentary on jazz, film-maker Julian Benedikt travelled to a wide variety of European countries in search of an all-embracing documentation of European jazz music. His story telling is neither too sophisticated nor does he simply reproduce the known cliches, rather the movie engages its audience with very personal impressions of European jazz, past and present. Accompanied by rarely seen archival footage featuring such influencing American jazz legends as Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, this unique document offers a collection of sparkling musical gems from both sides of the Atlantic.
This acclaimed production of Henry Purcell's best-known opera, King Arthur comes live from the Salzburg Festival 2004. Composed in 1691, the work can be described as the first ever musical - drama, music, dance and stage effects are all combined in one Gesamtkunstwerk . Drama is coupled with opera; courtly dance rhythms with a farcical, bucolic play and the myth of national grandeur is treated with biting satire, thus creating a brilliant synthesis of the arts or, as conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt describes it, "the first musical in history". The world-famous baroque specialist gathered a musical dream-team made up of his own orchestra, the Concentus musicus Wien and the best singers on the baroque scene. Barbara Bonney, Isabel Rey and Michael Schade – all highly acclaimed artists – took on the singing while a set of eminent actors played out the story on the stage. Harnoncourt and stage director Jürgen Flimm created a surprisingly concise version of the complicated story of the British King Arthur and his opponent Oswald.
The press enthusiastically declared this Barber of Seville a "firework display of exhilarating comedy" and praised the "unforced liveliness" of the cast. EuroArts releases this highly acclaimed staging of one of the most popular operas ever written. Vesselina Kasarova is the undisputed star of this production - she shines musically and dramatically in the part of Rosina, one of her signature roles, which she has since been invited to sing in many major opera houses from Vienna to New York. Recorded live at the Zurich Opera in April 2001, the cast was led by Manuel Lanza as Figaro, Reinaldo Macias as the Count, Carlos Chausson as Bartolo and Nicolai Ghiaurov as Basilio and Nello Santi, a "singer-conductor" in the best Italian tradition, roused his orchestra to precise, vivacious performance.
L'occasione fa il ladro is one of the five one-act operas - farsa giocosa - in which the teenage Rossini first demonstrated his operatic genius. This farce about arranged marriages, role reversals and other amorous confusions is, in musical terms, by far the most riotous of these five operatic jewels – all performed in the intricately decorated Rococo Theatre at Schwetzingen Palace. Renowned opera director Michael Hampe's sparkling production is perfectly suited to the small stage of the historic theatre. Recorded live in 1992 with an excellent cast of principals led by Susan Patterson, Robert Gambill and Natale de Carolis, and Gianluigi Gelmetti's refreshingly fast-paced leadership of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra maintains the light musical touch of this "joyous farce" while at the same time setting a benchmark for the reading of these tiny gems among Rossini's operas.
Il signor Bruschino is the last of the five one-act operas - farsa giocosa - in which the young Rossini first demonstrated his operatic genius. Among the 'peculiarities', which caused a sensation at its premiere 1813, was the daring experiment in search of new tonal effects in the overture, during which the second violins are required to tap their bows on their music stands. The opera is a mixture of saucy elegance, sizzling wittiness, cheeky orchestration and also some touching lyricism. It was realised to perfection in the small, jewel-like Rococo Theatre in Schwetzingen Palace, which was built in 1752. The stage is small and the beautifully elegant and this shining production by Michael Hampe, recorded in May 1989, provides one and a half hours of the entertaining story about "the son won in a game" as it is subtitled. The staging transfers to the screen perfectly and the cast of principals, led by Alessandro Corbelli, Alberto Rinaldi and Amelia Felle provide musical excellence together with the flexible Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra under Gianluigi Gelmetti.
Live from Salzburg, the opening production of the Festival 2005 and a long forgotten masterpiece: Franz Schreker's three-act opera Die Gezeichneten . Composed and first performed during the last stages of the First World War, the demanding piece - it requires more than thirty solo roles and vast orchestral resources - enjoyed great success in the 1920s. Schreker (1878–1934), one of the most frequently played composers of his time, wrote his own libretto for the opera - a story of longing for an Elysium that is plunged into the most brutal and bloody reality – and set it to a score that has a delightful Mediterranean sheen. However, he and his works were banned during the Nazi regime and as early as 1933, he was dismissed from his post as director of the Berlin Academy of Music. The inspiring task of reviving the opera as the finale of a series of operas banned by the Nazis at the Salzburg Festival was tackled by the acclaimed Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and an excellent cast in which the soprano Anne Schwanewilms stood out for her amazing vocal radiance and mesmerizing stage presence. Kent Nagano, frequent guest conductor at the festival and specialist in 20th century repertoire, led a beautifully paced reading, showing an intuitive feel for Schreker's...
In summer 2006, the incomparable Martha Argerich presented an all Schumann programme in honour of the great romantic composer's anniversary year. Recorded live at the beginning of June 2006 at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the programme comprised favourite works for piano and orchestra including the Piano Concerto in A minor , the Symphony No. 4 , excerpts from Kinderszenen along with works by Schumann in orchestrations by famous composers such as Tchaikovsky and Ravel. The legendary Argentinean pianist was accompanied by the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under its new "Kapellmeister" Riccardo Chailly. Martha Argerich has long been hailed as a uniquely imaginative pianist and she is definitely the right person to honour Schumann on the anniversary of his death 150 years ago, as she is especially well known for her interpretations of the 19th century repertoire. She has been surrounded by an impermeable, almost mystical aura since the start of her career in the fifties – she is uncompromising in her music making, and yet she is generous and beautiful – and this recording bears witness to the deep musicality of this incredible artist.
Filmed live at the Leipzig Opera in November 2005, this recording of Verdi's famous Un Ballo in Maschera , brings a lively musical evening. Riccardo Chailly, who made a critically acclaimed start in his position as General Music Director of the Leipzig Opera with this staging, directs the Gewandhausorchestra and a cast of experienced Verdi singers in a collaboration between the Zurich and Leipzig Operas. Un ballo in maschera - a story of love, power and political murder in 19th century United States of America - is as exciting as a thriller, but with a passion that can only be experienced in a Verdi opera. The Italian film director Ermanno Olmi ( The Legend of the Holy Drinker, The Tree of Wooden Clogs ) staged it accordingly. The amazing visual effects in this production were created by the sculptor Arnaldo Pomodore who designed the fantastic colourful set and costumes.
This recording captures the Vienna Boys' Choir's fitting celebration of Mozart's 250th birthday in January 2006. Together with well known Mozart interpreters like Sandrine Piau, they sing Mozart's finest sacred works, including the Coronation Mass . The Choir is one of the best-known musical institutions in Vienna. Since its founding over 500 years ago, it has been a significant fixture in musical life worldwide. Many famous composers and musicians had close ties to the Vienna Boys' Choir - Joseph Haydn and Franz Schubert were even members of the choir as children and Mozart, while not a choirboy himself, did perform with the choir. The venue is St. Stephen's Cathedral, where Mozart and his wife were married, where one of their sons was christened and where the funeral ceremony after Mozart's death took place.
Bonus features:
- Mozart in Vienna - Mozart's most critical years in Vienna. Examining the authentic Mozart sites in Vienna such as the Mozart House at Domgasse 5 (Figaro-Haus), the Theater an der Wien and the Stephansdom helps put into focus Mozart's special connection to the city and the Viennese relationship to Mozart.
Bonus features:
- Mozart in Vienna - Mozart's most critical years in Vienna. Examining the authentic Mozart sites in Vienna such as the Mozart House at Domgasse 5 (Figaro-Haus), the Theater an der Wien and the Stephansdom helps put into focus Mozart's special connection to the city and the Viennese relationship to Mozart.
Peter Konwitschny's celebrated and innovative staging of Wagner's Lohengrin was recorded at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona in 2006, where it was revived as an unconventional and spectacular view on the piece. Originally staged in Hamburg in 1998, it won not only the leading German theatrical award, Bayerische Theaterpreis , but also international critical acclaim. Director Peter Konwitschny has long been hailed a master interpreter of Wagner and his opera stagings have always been regarded as trendsetters within the Wagner community. This production was no different - he set the story of Elsa and the swan-drawn knight, Lohengrin, in a classroom at school. Although it was genuinely surprising to see the people of Brabant wearing school uniforms and short trousers in front of a blackboard, it was far more than just a directorial idea - the piece suddenly acquired a rare new lightness, its action driven on by enthusiasm and elan. Konwitschny distanced himself from all the interpretative conventions that otherwise weigh so heavily upon the work, removing himself from the otherworldly fairytale that is normally conjured up in a series of beautiful stage pictures. Supported by a cast of renowned Wagner singers including John Treleaven, Emily Magee and Luana DeVol, the...
The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra's annual summer concert at the Waldbühne in Berlin is legendary. Recorded live on 25 June 2000, the Millenium concert gathered more than 22,000 people in one of the most appealing outdoor amphitheatres in Europe for one of the most popular classical music concerts in the world. Kent Nagano named his programme of popular and rather unusual music from the 20th century "Rhythm and Dance". It turned out to be an inspiring combination of classical pieces, show tunes, pops, and Far Eastern music, all brought together in a tasty musical stew and rightly labelled as one of the most exciting programmes ever performed at the Waldbühne. It featured Gershwin classics with an outstanding performance by the American mezzo soprano Susan Graham, music by Ravel and the soundtrack to the successful Chinese film "Farewell My Concubine". Nagano injected the performance with so much sensuality and pulsing life that the audience rose to beat time with their feet and to gave him standing ovations.
World-famous tenor Placido Domingo as a conductor of Spanish music which has always been particularly close to his heart. This recording captures the unique atmosphere of the Berlin Philharmonic's annual summer concert at the Berlin Waldbuhne, one of the most successful open-air concerts with classical music. Featuring violinist Sarah Chang in virtuosic show-pieces such as Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy . The program includes delightful "zarzuela" arias, sung by Ana Maria Martinez, winner of the Placido Domingo Vocal Competition in Barcelona.
Recorded at the annual summer concert of the Berlin Philharmonic at the Waldbuhne in Berlin 2003, this video captures the atmosphere of an open-air Gershwin night in full while also allowing a closer look at the musicians and the conductor. With an audience of over 20,000 one of the world's best orchestras played the popular music of George Gershwin, including the famous Rhapsody in Blue and the popular film music suite An American in Paris . Conducted by Seiji Ozawa – one of the longstanding stars in the classical world - the Berlin Philharmonic was joined by jazz pianist Marcus Roberts and his Trio, whose album "Gershwin For Lovers" stayed in the Top 10 on Billboard's jazz chart for half a year. Together they created a magical fusion of classical music and jazz bringing an imaginative mix of styles into the swing of Gershwin's music. In the bonus film Seiji Ozawa and Marcus Roberts talk about Gershwin and their music making.
Bonus feature:
Documentary - They Got Rhythm
Bonus feature:
Documentary - They Got Rhythm
The Waldbühne in Berlin, one of the most appealing outdoor amphitheatres in Europe, is the home of the Berlin Philharmonic's annual summer concert. With over 22,000 in attendance, these are some of the most popular classical music concerts in the world.
On this recording, Estonian conductor Neeme Järvi takes the audience on a trip through an "Oriental Night". Works by Grieg, Rimsky-Korsakov, Nielsen, Saint-Saëns and Massenet explore oriental images in music. High-ranking soloists like rising star Dutch violinist Janine Jansen join the outstanding orchestra. Neeme Järvi can be counted as one of the world's leading musical personalities having conducted more than 350 CD productions. Recorded live at the Waldbühne Berlin in 2006, Sheherazade offers a sensational concert to all those who want to relive the atmosphere of a the relaxed and high quality open-air event.
On this recording, Estonian conductor Neeme Järvi takes the audience on a trip through an "Oriental Night". Works by Grieg, Rimsky-Korsakov, Nielsen, Saint-Saëns and Massenet explore oriental images in music. High-ranking soloists like rising star Dutch violinist Janine Jansen join the outstanding orchestra. Neeme Järvi can be counted as one of the world's leading musical personalities having conducted more than 350 CD productions. Recorded live at the Waldbühne Berlin in 2006, Sheherazade offers a sensational concert to all those who want to relive the atmosphere of a the relaxed and high quality open-air event.
The Los Angeles Opera production earned Grammy Awards for Best Classical Album and Best Opera Recording in February 2009. Broadway stars Audra McDonald, Patti LuPone and Anthony Dean Griffey welcome you to the City of Mahagonny! This Old West boomtown rises from the desert to become a razzle-dazzle Mecca for lust, liberty, and the pursuit of pleasure. Cash is king, poverty is punishable by death, and anything worth doing is worth overdoing. The gripping story and sharply satirical opera - full of whiskey, women and gambling fools - raises an ironic eyebrow at capitalist society. With lyrics by the influential German playwright Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956), the provocative work that inspired the Broadway hits Cabaret and Chicago, had its premiere in 1930 and was banned by the Nazis in 1933. Kurt Weill (1900-1950), composer of Mack the Knife and the Threepenny Opera , penned a haunting score, which crosses over from opera to cabaret to Broadway including ragtime, jazz, raucous music hall songs and the classic pop hit "Moon of Alabama". Recorded live at Los Angeles Opera in spring 2007, John Doyle, the director of Broadway's smash hit revival of Sweeney Todd , delivers a risky new production starring four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, who stars as Jenny, a...