Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - DVD & Blu-ray videos

Tchaikovsky’s three ballet masterpieces are all rare studio performances from the 1950s, featuring the legendary Margot Fonteyn.

Innately musical and technically perfect, Fonteyn was also a brilliant actress and is seen here at the height of her career with the celebrated Michael Somes, her dynamic partner during this creative period.

Fonteyn and Somes were the perfect match in terms of physique, presence, style and technique. The selections from these three classic ballets demonstrate just how successful their partnership was. Fonteyn made her mark dancing Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, a role in which she and the Sadler’s Wells Ballet made their American debut in 1949, ten years before this BBC studio production.

All three performances are released here for the first time on DVD with the extracts from Swan Lake representing one of the earliest appearances of Fonteyn on film.

1DVD

Sound format: LPCM Mono

Picture format: 4:3

Running time: 72’

Subtitles: n/a

Menu languages: English

Booklet languages: E/F/G

Region code: 0

Territory Restrictions: None

The audio recording of the Dvorˇák 9 from this Kempe DVD has been released on BBC Legends, and was a Penguin Guide Rosette Winner. In this performance of Strauss, we witness Kempe’s mastery in securing issues of ‘structure, atmosphere and emotional intensity’ (David Patmore), along with his ‘unfailing musicality’. According to the Times critic, Joan Chissell, Kempe’s performance of Heldenleben won him a ‘hero’s ovation, and rightly… Conducting without a score, Mr. Kempe gave detailed guidance to every player, yet at the same time retained the ability to stand back and view the work in perspective.’

The performance of Dvorˇák 9 a year later was described by Chissell as ‘glowing enough to make you fall in love with its familiar strains all over again’.

‘Kempe successfully avoided what seems increasingly to be a danger today: exaggeration for the sake of effect on the one hand, and stiffness as a result of seeking clinical perfection on the other. Only a chosen few, such as Kempe, can realise their intensions by re-creating and at the same time remaining true to the original’ (Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau)

Kempe’s style appealed greatly to British musicians in whom he inspired great confidence and joy.

1DVD

Sound format: LCPM mono

Picture format: 4:3

Running time: 89’

Subtitles: n/a

Menu languages: English

Booklet languages: E/F/G

Region code: 0

Territory Restrictions: None

Recording Date: 2005

Place of recording: Cologne Cathedral

Running Time: 85 min

Picture Format: 16:9

Sound Format: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1

Menu Languages NTSC: D, F, GB, SP

Subtitle Languages NTSC: F, GB, I, JP, SP

Includes Pope Benedict XVI's speech about the "Missa Solemnis", Beethoven and Faith.

This DVD Box includes 14 of the most acclaimed performances of Mozart’s Great Piano Concertos: 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 26, 2, performed by the most outstanding artists such as Mitsuko Uchida (Mozarteum Orchester, Salzburg), Zoltán Kocsis (Virtuosi di Praga) and André Previn (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra).

The extraordinary DVD Box allows an impression of Mozart’s diversity in his musical work.

All the performances are filmed on the original places of Mozart’s journeys and follow his musical development with reference to his piano concertos.

Picture format DVD: NTSC 4:3

Sounds format DVD: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1

Region code: 0

Booklet notes: English, German, French

Running time: 394 mins in total