Prices shown exclude VAT. (UK tax is not payable for deliveries to United States.)
See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  |
Recorded live at the prestigious Klavier-Festival Ruhr in May 2007, this Blu-ray recording reflects both a very individual and special reading of Beethoven's music and the artist's life-long dedication to the composer. 1080i 16:9, PCM 2.0, DTS-HD Master Audio Booklet Notes: English, German, French Running Time: 198 mins Audiences: all audiences (FSK 0) | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Recorded live at the Opera Bastille in Paris Oct/Nov 2008
Elena Tsallagova (Vixen), Jukka Rasilainen (Forester), Michele Lagrange (Forester's Wife), David Kuebler (Schoolmaster), Roland Bracht (Priest), Paul Gay (Harasta), Hannah Esther Minutillo (Fox) Orchestra, Chorus & Atelier Lyrique of Opera National de Paris, Dennis Russell Davies +Bonus: An encounter backstage at the Paris Opera with Gerard Mortier, Andre Engel and Elena Tsallagova. "Enchanting staging…The sound is splendid, the video direction simply fabulous. Everyone, Tsallagova above all, responds beautifully to close-ups…make sure your whole family enjoys it with you!" IRR 1080i 16:9, PCM 2.0, DTS-HD Master Audio Original Language: Czech, Subtitles: English, German, French 101 mins (Opera) + 20 mins (Bonus) all audiences (FSK 0) | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Recorded live at the Concert Hall of the Culture and Convention Centre Lucerne, 19 August 2007
The best-selling Medici Arts DVD on the label now released on Blu-ray Disc. 1080i 16:9, PCM 2.0; PCM 5.1 Subtitles: German, English, French, Spanish 102 mins all audiences (FSK 0) "It’s different having best friends together. Everyone is there to enjoy making music, to take pleasure, to play with enthusiasm, with passion. They are prepared to do any crazy thing I ask them for the sake of the music. To fly, to walk through fire." (Claudio Abbado) “Mahler three of peerless concentration and shape. ...Claudio Abbado never forces the expressivity of the superband Lucerne Festival Orchestra; yet every colour and texture shines through. …the filming of the orchestra is faultless.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2008 ***** “This truly is a genuine archive treasure” Classic FM Magazine “Abbado draws a reading of such commitment, technical polish and interpretative acuity - wondrously linear and yet emotionally true, without a shred of vulgarity - that you can only marvel at Mahler's musical-metaphysical vision and Abbado's sensitive shaping of it.” Financial Times “Abbado's performance of this work at last year's Proms was the highlight of the season: all the reviewers were unanimous. Illness prevented him from then conducting it in New York (Boulez took over) but now we can see the 2007 Lucerne concert performance and marvel at its comprehensiveness and refinement. This really is the world's greatest chamber group, as Abbado intended it to be!” Hi-Fi News “One of the greatest Mahlerians alive today, Abbado conducting Mahler's Third Symphony with his own Lucerne Festival Orchestra is not to be missed. Whether you enjoy watching concerts on DVD is a matter largely of personal taste, but those wanting a close-up on Abbado's elegant fingers won't be disappointed. Mahler's Third charts a journey to transcendence from the origins of life - given primordial terror by the LFO brass, every solo amid the immaculate ensemble sound cherished with Abbado's grasp of overarching Mahlerian narrative. Anna Larsson is ethereal in the fourth movement's Nietzschian text, the finale a sublimely convincing interpretation of the transcendence of love.” The Times, 16th August 2008 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
|
|
| |  | El SistemaMusic to Change Life
Music by Ravel, Munoz, Gutierrez, Prado, Marguez, Tchaikovsky, Márquez, Ravel, Beethoven, Mendoza, Piazolla, Ginastera, Hernández, Bernstein & Yánez
A film by Paul Smaczny and Maria Stodtmeier. 'El Sistema', Venezuela's revolutionary system of music education, brings joy and hope to the lives of hundreds of thousands of impoverished children. This lyrical and very moving documentary takes us from the rubbish dumps and barrios of Caracas to the world's finest concert halls. Children from streets dominated by the gun battles of gang warfare are taken into music schools, given access to music, and taught through the model of the symphony orchestra how to build a better society and a better world. Gustavo Dudamel is the most prominent pupil of 'El Sistema', now named as the LA Philharmonic's music director as of the 2009-2010 season. 'El Sistema' shows how Venezuelan visionary, musician and economist, Jose Antonio Abreu, has changed the lives of hundred of thousands of children over the past three decades. Abreu earned several renowned prizes for his achievements,including the Crystal Award of the World Economic Forum, the TED Prize and recently the Polar Music Prize, given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. NTSC 16:9, PCM 2.1, PCM 5.1 Region code:All “the main emphasis here is placed upon the missionary zeal of José Antonio Abreu, the visionary politician who masterminded the Sistema… Abreu's staunchly held belief in the capacity of music to better people's lives is nowhere more eloquently illustrated than in the extensive exploration of the performing opportunities that have become available to children living in the crime-ridden ghettoes of the country's main cities.” BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2009 ***** “This inspiring film, subtitled "music to change life", takes us behind the scenes of the worldwide phenomenon of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela… Their founding father is José Antonio Abreu, composer, conductor and politician, who cuts an almost mystical figure in this stunningly photographed film by Paul Smaczny and Maria Stodtmeier. El Sistema comes with several awards to its name. Surely it can't be long before its remarkable founder Abreu is the recipient of a prize for peace?” Gramophone Magazine, January 2010 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
|
|
| |  | Gala Concert: 300 Years of St. Petersburg
This festive gala concert was held to mark the city's 300th anniversary, bringing together some of the greatest Russian artists: young soprano Anna Netrebko, baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, such great instrumentalists as cellist Mischa Maisky and violinist Viktor Tretyakov. World-famous St Petersburg Philharmonic under Yuri Temirkanov in repertoire of fascinating variety. Available for the first time on Blu-ray Disc. NTSC · 16:9, PCM 2.0 · PCM 5.1 Region Code:All Booklet Notes: English, German, French Languages: Spanish, Italian, Russian Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian Running Time: 112 mins Audiences: all | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
|
|
| |  | Glenn Gould - HereafterA film by Bruno Monsaingeon
Combining his remarkable talents as a pianist, essayist, radio producer and director of radio documentaries, Glenn Gould shocked audiences with his performances, and took the world by surprise when he withdrew from the public stage at the age of 32. He had ceaselessly stimulated musical minds with his experiments in recording and sound.Today, 20 years after his death, Glenn Gould remains one of the most unique and celebrated figures in the world of classical music. Hereafter is a retrospective of the life and work of Gould, seen from today's point of view. The film captures the essence of Gould's genius such as it is perceived by his audience, an audience that extends far beyond the strict notion of a musical audience. Furthermore, based on a synthesis of all the documents existing on Gould, whether of a musical (sound and audio-visual) or of a literary and intellectual nature, this film strives to deal with the question of Gould's genius as a whole. Discover this wonderful film on Blu-ray Disc for the first time! 1080i Full HD · 16:9, DVD: PCM 2.0, PCM 5.0 Region code:All Original languages: English, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese Booklet: English, French Running time: 106 mins Audiences: all “Monsaingeon has unearthed a great deal of footage of the young Gould playing the piano and talking about musical generally” BBC Music Magazine, October 2006 **** “Glenn Gould's cult status makes it hard for the would-be objective critic, compelled to fight his way through a tangled thicket of hero-worship and self-conscious idiosyncrasy. Gould's early retirement from concert-giving and his decision to devote himself exclusively to recording is castigated by Menuhin, for whom the live concert is sacred. For Gould a mosaic of takes, often extending over many years, was a musical ideal... there are valuable previously unavailable examples of Gould's playing, with dazzling flights through Chopin (the second Etude), Weber and Hindemith…” Gramophone Magazine, November 2006 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
|
|
| |  | Amor, Vida De Mi VidaZarzuelas with Plácido Domingo and Ana María Martínez
Excerpts from: El bateo, La maravilla, El niño judío, La chulapona, La marchenera, El amor brujo, Luisa Fernanda, Los claveles, La del Soto del Parral, La boda de Luis Alonso, La noche del encierro, Don Gil de Alcalá, La tabernera del puerto, El sombrero de tres picos, La canción del olvido, Las hijas del Zebedeo, María la O, El gato montés & Die lustige Witwe
Recorded live at the Salzburger Festspiele (Großes Festspielhaus), 9/10 August 2007 The many passionate, fiery or lyrical vocal pieces of Spanish zarzuelas have continued to thrive in concerts and recitals all over the world. One of the most renowned and ardent supporters of zarzuela melodies is Plácido Domingo. Belying his 66 years, the world-famous tenor sings these rousing, seductive melodies with the beguiling sweetness of a much younger man and transports the enraptured listener to the calles and plazas of Madrid and Seville. Domingo is accompanied by the Mozarteum Orchestra under Jesús López Cobos and, above all, by his partner for the evening, soprano Ana María Martínez. Martínez is appearing this summer in the title role of Rusalka at Glyndebourne. Martínez and Domingo serve up an evening of infectious good spirits and exquisite vocal treats. "The dazzle of genuine stars shone brightly over Salzburg!" (Die Welt) "The most beautiful voice of Latin America…" Berliner Zeitung on Ana María Martínez "a beautiful woman with a fascinating voice, full of velvety mezzoish half-tints in the middle and bottom ranges, with a gleaming top." The Times on Ana María Martínez "The greatest operatic artist of modern times" The Guardian on Plácido Domingo “A live concert of zarzuela, the genre in which Domingo cut his teeth, with the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra delivering stylish playing and soloists assured.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2009 ***** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
|
|
| |  | Karajan Memorial Concert
Karajan's star pupils dedicate this wonderful performance to their teacher as a celebration of his 100th birthday: A "triumph of remembrance," wrote Die Welt following this stirring concert given by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Seiji Ozawa and with Anne-Sophie Mutter as soloist. It left its audience hovering between hushed reverence and deafening exultation.The Golden Hall of Vienna's Musikverein was the dazzling venue for the live recording of this concert celebrating the 100th birthday of Herbert von Karajan. And there Karajan's 'Berliner' never sounded better, evoking "a time which self-confidently sought the private and subjective in music, and believed it could find them in the mirror of the works" (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung). It is a concert that commemorates Herbert von Karajan for the ages in a supremely moving manner. "For Anne-Sophie Mutter the saying "Make every note count" becomes less a vague cliché and more a matter of fact. Her violin playing has an imagination, a curiosity and a near-endless reserve of psychic energy." The New York Times + BONUS: interviews with Mutter and Ozawa - includes many clips of Karajan's outstanding career. | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
|
|
| |  | Recorded live at the NHK Hall, Tokyo, 25 November 2007
Anne Schwanewilms (Marschallin), Kurt Rydl (Ochs), Anke Vondung (Octavian), Maki Mori (Sophie), Hans-Joachim Ketelsen (Faninal), Sabine Brohm (Valzacchi) & Elisabeth Wilke (Annina) Sächsische Staatskapelle & Staatsopernchor Dresden, Fabio Luisi (conductor) & Uwe Eric Laufenberg (director) The Semperoper caused a sensation in November 2007 when it visited Japan for the first time in 26 years.The demand for tickets and the audience's enthusiam were unprecedented, not least because the company was staging a piece that is performed more authentically in Dresden than anywhere else in the world: Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier, which received its first performance in Dresden in 1911. Leading the ensemble was the radiant-voiced Anne Schwanewilms, recently heard in Elektra at Covent Garden, a singer described by the Independent as "one of the greatest singers on the operatic stage today." "Ms. Schwanewilms is an elegantly lovely woman. But more important, she is a very fine soprano with a clear, dusky-toned and focused voice. Her soft sustained high notes, delivered with scant vibrato and true pitch, were ravishing." The New York Times "As Baron Ochs, the Austrian bass Kurt Rydl, a superb singing actor who makes words leap off the stage, conveyed the aggressive crudeness of this pathetically comic aristocrat." The New York Times “Uwe Eric Laufenberg's production may be fuzzy, but this Dresden Rosenkavalier captured on tour in Japan has to be seen for Anne Schwanewilms's Marschallin, one of the most consummate operatic performances I've ever seen. Along with a beautiful, expressive face made for the cameras to adore come exquisitely phrased and coloured singing, total physical ease and an attention to the text which only a native German singer could achieve... There's world class singing, too, from Anke Vondung's Octavian - looking more like an elegant lesbian than a boy... and Maki Mori's girlish, twirling Sophie.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2009 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Recorded live at Teatro Municipale Valli, Reggio Emilia, 20-21 April 2007
An all star ensemble of early and baroque music specialists masters the delicate beauty of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos: the alternating solo and ensemble parts all shine with musical excellence, the communication between the musicians is outstanding, the structure of the music is always clear and intuitively understood. The orchestra features outstanding artists such as Giuliano Carmignola, Michala Petri, Alois Posch, Reinhold Friedrich and Ottavio Dantone. It was formed by Claudio Abbado and his choices speak for themselves: Claudio Abbado and the Orchestra Mozart achieve a rare homogeneity of sound. "When Claudio Abbado, recently described by the New York Times as 'the most respected living conductor', teams up with the renowned period-instrument violinist Giuliano Carmignola, the result promises to be very special." Classic FM “Teamed up here with his recently-formed young Italian ensemble, Orchestra Mozart, and his former protégé, skilled period-violin specialist Giuliano Carmignola, Abbado makes this familiar music appear fresh and vital, as if you’re hearing it for the first time.” Classical Source “The excitement is palpable, reflected in smiling glances between the players, bodies swaying through musical suspensions, a sense of uninhibited joy… The playing is stylish throughout: ornaments are apt, all the more telling for their restraint; trills are paced to match mood, languid in slow movements, sparkling in allegros.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2008 ***** “Here Claudio Abbado is gambolling among the Brandenburg Concertos in this straightforward TV-style concert film, recorded in the classic 19th-century opera house at Reggio Emilia during an Italian tour in spring 2007.
The orchestra is at first glance a curious gathering, mixing 'Baroque' players such as violinist Giuliano Carmignola and harpsichordist Ottavio Dantone with 'modern' names such as trumpeter Reinhold Friedrich and 'un-Baroque' recorder-player Michala Petri. Furthermore, a look round the instruments reveals mostly modern models, some hybrids (for instance Jacques Zoon's wooden, multi-keyed flute) and a sprinkling of Baroque bows. Mind you, most younger players these days are well versed in Baroque style whatever they play on, and the tenor of these performances is firmly consistent with current ideas of what Baroque music ought to sound like.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 “So what… does Abbado bring to pieces that these days are rarely considered to required a conductor? In music that is surely more for players than conductors, he allows fine soloists such as Carmignola, Zoon and the two yearningly exquisite viola soloists in No 6 to shine, yet has clearly worked hard to ensure that every note is in precisely the right place, every tempo convinces, and the texture is always deliciously transparent” Gramophone Magazine, April 2009 “This new recording of the Brandenburg Concertos exhibits all the virtues that one associates with Claudio Abbado: clarity, lucidity, balance, a sense of proportion, and, above all, an indefinable yet audible 'oneness' with the music. Dionysus is present in these performances, but he subsumed within their underlying Apollonian quality.” International Record Review, April 2011 “Conducting J. S. Bach isn’t Abbado’s usual activity. But he buckles to it with joy, humanity and an Italianate slant that turns these cornerstone suites into outpourings of instrumental song. The players are the all-star Orchestra Mozart, with Giuliano Carmignola the demon lead fiddler, caught live in 2007.” The Times, 11th March 2011 **** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
|
|
| |
|
