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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | 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. |
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| |  | A ritualisation by Peter Sellars
Recorded live at the Philharmonie Berlin on 11th April 2010 It is no surprise that Sir Simon would one day tackle this most comprehensive of Bach’s compositions in view of his much applauded interpretation of the St. John Passion in 2006. The Berliner Morgenpost wrote at the time: “A performance of this musical calibre renders superfluous all questions about authenticity and historical performance practice. At the Philharmonie Sir Simon Rattle and his orchestra performed the St. John Passion [...] with highly concentrated and flawless beauty devoid of any distorting indulgence.” German daily Die Welt hailed this performance of the St. Matthew Passion as “Simon Rattle’s Easter miracle,” and The Guardian in the UK wrote: “I challenge you not to be an emotional wreck by the end of it: the singers, especially Mark Padmore as the Evangelist, give the performance of their lives; Sellars sensitively connects the Passion story with the performances and the audience, without distorting Bach’s drama; and Rattle and his players are collectively raised to spooky, spiritual levels of inspiration.” Both the double-disc DVD and Blu-ray editions contain booklets with introductory texts, biographies and photos. Bonus footage includes a conversation between Peter Sellars and Simon Halsey, conductor of the Rundfunkchor Berlin. Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish and Japanese Running time: 195 mins (concert); 51 mins (bonus feature) Picture format: 1080i Full HD 16.9 Audio formats: PCM Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Please Note: JAPAN - Due to contractual reasons I'm afraid we are not allowed to sell this product to customers in Japan. “The long rehearsal period, the expertise of everyone involved and the authority of the solo singers: all this quickly becomes evident...All the soloists embody their roles to an engrossing degree of identification...this is a defiantly modern performance, one that exults in disturbance and the irony that arises from a deeply intimate staging within the round of the Berlin Philharmonie: appropriate in terms of architectural politics but jarringly opulent and public.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2012 “Some of Sellars's gestures...are searing, and the rapt attention of the audience leaps out of the screen...Padmore is a great Evangelist and this must be his greatest performance of the role...while the symbiosis entwining vocal and instrumental soloists leavens Simon Rattle's compelling musical direction. Ultimately, a St Matthew Passion even greater than the sum of its parts - and they were already pretty awesome to being with!” BBC Music Magazine, September 2012 ***** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Live Recording From The Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, 2012
Mark Padmore (Evangelist), Peter Harvey (Christus), Maria Espada (Soprano), Ingeborg Danz (Mezzo Soprano /Alto), Renate Arends (Soprano), Barbara Kozelj (Mezzo Soprano /Alto), Peter Gijsbertsen (Tenor) & Henk Neven (Bass) Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Chamber Choir, Netherlands National Children's Choir, Iván Fischer This 2012 recording of the most influential and wide spread oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach features the Hungarian conductor Iván Fischer, a visionary in his field, with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. The double choir is the essential musical aspect on which Iván Fischer’s interpretation of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion is based. Only by consistently seizing on that duality will all the complementary layers stand out as they should. He describes this essential fundamental aspect as follows: “You can’t do the St. Matthew in an unreligious way. The only approach is from a deep, universally religious feeling.” The internationally renowned tenor Mark Padmore is brilliant as the Evangelist, Peter Harvey gives a moving interpretation of Christ. Together with Ingeborg Danz, Renate Arends, Maria Espada, Barbara Kozelj, Peter Gijsbertsen and Henk Neven and the Netherlands Radio Choir they carry the audience through an affecting performance of this masterwork. PCM Stereo, dts-HD Master Audio 5.0 Running Time: 174 mins Subtitle Languages: DE (Original Language), GB, FR, ES, JP | 
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The renowned St. Thomas Boys Choir of Leipzig, which boasts J. S. Bach as a former cantor, celebrates its 800th anniversary with an extraordinary interpretation of the St. Matthew Passion. The Guardian praised how “the harmonic lines interwove with a transcendence that can only be achieved through living, eating and working together”. This Accentus Music production is the only audio-visual release of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, performed by the choir for which it was written, in St. Thomas Church, Leipzig, where the composer worked and is buried. Picture Format Blu-ray: NTSC 16:9, FULL HD Sound Formats Blu-ray: DTS HD MASTER AUDIO, PCM Stereo Region Code: 0 (worldwide) Running Time: 163:58 min Disc Format: BD 50 Subtitles: German, English, French, Korean | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | András Schiff plays Bach
András Schiff, born in 1953 in Budapest, is nowadays one of the most appreciated and distinguished pianists in the world. Magically, he brings life into pieces, makes them breathing and swinging and keeps up almost forgotten ideals of piano playing. Thus, he is not only a great pianist, but also a professional whose view is not limited on piano music, but who has wide knowledge of the broad field of macro culture. This enables him to play the piano which always makes sense to his own point of view. Surely Bach’s French Suites, which he composed during his years at Cöthen (1717–1723), are among the finest inducements to practise that any teacher has ever made to a pupil. In this case Bach wrote them for his young wife, Anna Magdalena. The over-riding impression left by these suites is one of endearing tunefulness. Clavier-Übung II is a later collection of didactic keyboard pieces. It comprises two greatly contrasted works: the Italian Concerto and the Overture in the French Style. These performances admirably demonstrate the thoughtful and persuasive approach that András Schiff adopts when performing Bach. The Concert Recording is accompanied with some interviews with András Schiff, which enriches and completes the great experience of the concert. During the interview, Schiff sits at the Steinway piano and explains the French Suites which J. S. Bach composed during 1722 and 1725 for Cembalo, but also its closeness to Bach’s Goldberg variations and Orchestra suites. He plays a short passage of a Suite, explains it and plays again, but then he interrupts himself once again. This happens without script but with refreshing spontaneity and directness. Completing this part, you can see András Schiff at the Thomas Church and Bach Museum where he talks about Bach’s years in Leipzig, his musical and personal development. Bonus: Schiff explains Bach Picture format: 1080i Full HD - 16:9 Sounds formats: PCM 2.0 PCM 5.1 Region code: 0 Bonus-Original Language: German Bonus-Subtitles: English, French Running time: 168 mins (134 mins Performance + 34 mins Bonus) FSK: 0 “over two hours of unalloyed joy...Schiff combines the secure touch of a performer thoroughly immersed in Bach's style with an effervescent freshness of spirit. Whether it is in the more complex contrapuntal passages, or a long-breathed sustaining line, there is a natural flow to every phrase.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2011 ***** “The bottom line...is that Schiff can play all six suites and the more demanding French Overture in one concert and sustain a level of artistry, concentration, stamina and attention to detail as few pianists of his or any generation have accomplished...The varied and unobtrusive camerawork serves the music, the artist and the occasion well.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2011 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Herbert Blomstedt 85th Anniversary Edition
Bach, J S: | Toccata & Fugue in D minor, BWV565 Recorded live at Nicolai Church, Leipzig, October 1999 Jürgen Wolf (organ) Motet BWV228 'Fürchte dich nicht' Recorded live at Nicolai Church, Leipzig, October 1999 GewandhausKammerchor & Thomaner Chor Leipzig Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV1004: Chaconne Recorded live at Nicolai Church, Leipzig, October 1999 Victoria Mullova (violin) Mass in B minor, BWV232 Recorded live at St Thomas’s Church, Leipzig, May 2005 Ruth Ziesak (soprano), Anna Larsson (alto), Christoph Genz (tenor) & Dietrich Henschel (bass) GewandhausKammerchor & Gewandhausorchester Leipzig Mass in B minor, BWV232: Dona Nobis Pacem Recorded live at Nicolai Church, Leipzig, October 1999 GewandhausKammerchor & Thomaner Chor Leipzig | Beethoven: | Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 Recorded live at Nicolai Church, Leipzig, October 1999 | Mendelssohn: | Elias Op. 70: Hore Israel (aria), Furchte Dich Nicht (chorus) Recorded live at Nicolai Church, Leipzig, October 1999 GewandhausKammerchor & Thomaner Chor Leipzig |
With this recording, Herbert Blomstedt pays homage to Bach and the city of Leipzig. One part of the Blu-ray Disc was recorded in 2005 at the Leipzig Bach Festival, which is widely regarded as the world’s leading festival celebrating Johann Sebastian Bach. This concert of Bach’s masterwork, written at the end of his tenure as the 18th Gewandhauskapellmeister did not really mark the end of Blomstedt’s fruitful collaboration with the traditional orchestra. The Swedish conductor will continue to act as an honorary musical director to the ensemble. Performed with leading Bach singers at St. Thomas’ Church, Leipzig, the church for which Bach conceived his works, this homage to Bach was a touching farewell to Herbert Blomstedt from his Leipzig audience. J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor is one of the greatest and most famous works of sacred music. The other part of the Blu-ray Disc was recorded at the 9th October Memorial Concert of the Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Thomanerchores. These began with the "Monday demonstration" of 9 October 1989, just one month before the fall of the Berlin wall. Bonus: Bach and his B minor Mass – An introduction by Herbert Blomstedt. Picture format: 1080i - 16:9 Sound formats: PCM Stereo • DTS-HD Master Audio Region code: All (worldwide) Subtitles: English, German, Dutch (Documentary) English, German, French, Latin (Mass in B minor) Booklet Notes: English, German, French Running Time: 195 mins, plus Bonus 21 mins | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: 75 years Anniversary Concert & Documentary COMING HOMEa film by János Darvas
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra - a cultural icon of Israel and one of the greatest classical ensembles in the world - celebrated its 75th Birthday on December 26th, 2011 together with three outstanding soloists of the younger generation – Julian Rachlin, Evgeny Kissin and Vadim Repin. The concert took place in the spectacular Hangar 11 at the harbor in Tel Aviv. Zubin Mehta conducted a spectacular programme of Saint-Saëns, Bach, Chopin, Chausson and Beethoven. The film ‘Coming Home’ by János Darvas portrays the orchestra and tells of its moving history, which is both a reflection of the history of Israel and the fate of the Jews in the 20th Century. With texts from memoirs, with material from radio interviews, home movies and photos from the orchestra’s archives, as well as from private collections, the film will not only tells the story of the orchestra, but draws parallels to the fates of many individuals. Historical footage brings the 75-year history of the orchestra to life in concerts with Arturo Toscanini, Arthur Rubinstein, Leonard Bernstein, Isaac Stern, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim and Itzhak Perlman. Interviews with orchestra members from the early years weave through talks with musicians that joined later, and with current orchestra members. Moreover, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, Itzhak Perlman and Pinkas Zukerman have their say. We also get the opportunity to watch the Israel Philharmonic in rehearsals, concerts and tours. Part of the EuroArts Israel Philharmonic Anniversary Campaign with two more must have releases: - 75 years anniversary concert & documentary “Coming Home” (Cat. No. DVD 2059098 + Cat. No. BD 2059094) - Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Anniversary Edition - 5 DVDs Box Set incl. Classic Archive: Arthur Rubinstein plays Chopin (Cat. No. 3079638), Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: 70th-Anniversary Concert (Cat. No. 2055878), Bernstein conducts Brahms (Cat. No. 2072048) + New Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: 60th-Anniversary, Concert, 1996 & Joint Concert, 1990. Picture format: 1080i Full HD - 16:9 Sound formats: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 Region code: 0 Subtitles: English Booklet notes: English, German, French Running time: 148 mins (95 mins Concert + 53 mins Documentary) | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | 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. |
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