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Elisha Willis (Cinderella), Iain Mackay (The Prince), Gaylene Cummerfield (Skinny), Carol-Anne Millar (Dumpy), Marion Tait (Cinderella’s Stepmother) & Victoria Marr (The Fairy Godmother) Birmingham Royal Ballet & Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Koen Kessels Director and Choreographer: David Bintley Set and Costume Designer: John F. Macfarlane Birmingham Royal Ballet’s award-winning chief choreographer, David Bintley, creates his own stunning new Cinderella fairy story, returning to the essence of the 17th-century original. Elisha Willis’s forlorn and palely loitering Cinders is brutally treated by her two bullying stepsisters in their mouldering kitchen, encouraged by their wicked witch of a mother, the wonderfully Cruella De Vil-like Marion Tait. The sisters, Skinny (Gaylene Cummerfield) and Dumpy (Carol-Anne Millar, having fun in a fat suit) tread a nimble line between comedy and nastiness, while never descending to caricature. Their raucous behaviour, as they attempt to attract the attention of every eligible bachelor they see, is brought to life with hilariously faulty footwork. And the regal revelling at the ball is given a modern edge as the dancers enjoy a cup cake or two. But the show is made truly heartwarming through the vision of Cinderella’s suffering being transformed into deserved joy as she meets her Prince and lives happily ever after. Designer John Macfarlane has conjured up a magical world to bring this much loved fairytale to life. After a terrific opening, he transforms the potently grim kitchen into a dream-like, star-speckled fantasia-cum nightmare: a giant friendly frog and a pair of lively lizards help dress Cinderella for the ball; the glittering carriage, like spun sugar, folds itself together; and Cinderella vanishes at the stroke of midnight through the whirring mechanism of a simply amazing clock. The piece ends with a vast celestial body melting on to the stage. Koen Kessels draws splendid playing from the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. “This Cinderella is a theatrical banquet for the eyes” THE TELEGRAPH Approx Duration: 109 mins | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, 16 & 18 December, 2010
Choreography Matthew Hart Peter and the Wolf, Prokofiev’s musical fairy tale, has been delighting children since 1936. Nearly 60 years later, in 1995, the young choreographer Matthew Hart created a witty choreographed version for the Royal Ballet School with designs by Ian Spurling. Described as ‘an utterly delightful ballet and a perfect showcase for the younger students,’ by the Royal Ballet’s Director, Monica Mason, it was staged again – and recorded for this DVD – in 2010. "...Matthew Hart’s Peter and the Wolf is one of the most beguiling children’s ballets around.” The Telegraph Extra features: Cast gallery Documentary feature on rehearsing Peter and the Wolf Running time 38 mins approx Region Code All regions Picture format 16:9 Anamorphic Sound format 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS Menu languages EN Subtitles EN/FR/DE/ES | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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Choreography: Kenneth MacMillan Cuban Superstar Carlos Acosta dances Romeo in Kenneth Macmillan’s timeless version of the Shakespeare/Prokofiev Classic Ballet ‘Romeo & Juliet.’ In this perennial favourite, Carlos Acosta dances alongside his regular partner, the Spanish ballerina, Tamara Rojo – a celebrated stage partnership which currently has no equal. The drama of the doomed lovers is set against the ravishing sets and costumes designs of Nicholas Georgiadis. ‘Romeo & Juliet’ and ‘Manon’ signal the beginning of a major collaboration with Carlos Acosta and The Royal Ballet, which continued in early 2009 with the filming of ‘La Bayadère’. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, March 2012
Choreography Kenneth MacMillan. Given its premiere by The Royal Ballet in 1965 with Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn dancing the title roles, Kenneth MacMillan’s first full-evening ballet has become a signature work for the Company, enjoying great popularity around the world. From the outset, the production teems with life and colour as the townspeople, market traders and servants of the rival Montagues and Capulets go about their daily business in vibrant crowd scenes. But Romeo and Juliet take centre stage for those great pas de deux: the meeting in the ballroom, the balcony scene, the morning after the wedding and the final devastating tomb scene. Although The Royal Ballet has performed Romeo and Juliet over 400 times, each performance and pairing is subtly different, and Lauren Cuthbertson and Federico Bonelli are utterly captivating in the title roles. This performance was broadcast live from Covent Garden to cinemas worldwide. Kenneth MacMillan's first full-evening ballet has become one of The Royal Ballet's signature works. This production was one of the big successes of last season’s Royal Opera House Live Cinema Season. Acclaimed performances by star principals, Lauren Cuthbertson and Federico Bonelli. Extra features: Documentaries on Kenneth MacMillan's production, and "Sharps, Points and Pirouettes" the famous sword fight scene. Includes deluxe slipcase. Running time: 158 minutes Subtitles (extra features only): EN/FR/DE/IT/ES/PT/JP Sound format: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS | 
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Paris Opera Ballet’s production of Romeo & Juliet, now available on Blu-ray, was recorded in July 1995 at the Opéra Bastille in High Definition and Surround Sound. Prokofiev’s score finds a powerful echo in Rudolf Nureyev’s sumptuous and colourful production, one of the last he choreographed for Paris Opera Ballet before his death. He especially chose the cast, and this was the last time this particular cast performed the work. With its sets and costumes straight from the frescos of Renaissance Italy, this great ballet passionately reflects the youth and vigour which drive Shakespeare’s tale of doomed love. Having created the role of Romeo in Kenneth MacMillan’s version, Nureyev mounted his own production in 1977, and reworked the same ballet for Paris in 1984; a large-scale, colourful fresco full of passion and noise, set in a turbulent Verona where the sun-drenched squares are permanent open-air theatres, and the dark, narrow side-streets can turn into cut-throat alleys. With these sets and costumes straight from the frescoes of Renaissance Italy, this great ballet passionately reflects the youth and vigour which drive Shakespeare’s tale of doomed love. Nureyev placed particular emphasis on the personalities of Tybalt and Mercutio, ‘champions’ of each of the two rival clans – one sombre and vindictive, the other roguish and a little mad. He attempted to bring to life the argumentative and truculent people of Verona, opting for an atmosphere both sensual and brutal, an era both refined and bawdy, superb in appearance and cruel in reality. Life and death here take turns on the Wheel of Fortune, with youth fighting to the death in the streets. The sumptuous production calls upon the full force of the company, who brilliantly portray the street fights of the feuding Capulets and Montagues and the raptures and despair that mark the young lovers’ tragedy. With mesmerising dance, colourful costumes and dazzling set, this production of Shakespeare’s most loved play has enthralled audiences and critics alike. Choreography and Staging: Rudolf Nureyev Sets: Ezio Friger Costumes: Ezio Frigerio and Mauro Pagano “..a splendid recreation, totally faithful to Nureyev, this Romeo & Juliet is one of the great events of the year.” LE FIGARO Also available on DVD 0630151542 Approx Duration: 149 mins Picture format: NTSC 16:9 Colour Region Code: All regions Audio: L-PCM Stereo & Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Subtitles: None | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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Misha Didyk (Alexei), Kristine Opolais (Polina), Vladimir Ognovenko (General), Stefania Toczyska (Babulenka), Stephan Rügamer (The Marquis), Sylvia de la Muela (Blanche), Viktor Rud (Mr Astley) Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim (conductor) & Dmitri Tcherniakov (stage director) First release on Blu-ray. This production from 2009 is staged by young up-and-coming director Dmitri Tcherniakov, who worked at Bolshoi, Mariinsky, Opera de Bastille, La Scala, and various opera houses in Germany. The opera is based on the famous novel “The Gambler” by Dostoyevsky “Barenboim's crystal-clear pacing of the score is hard-hitting rather than quicksilvery, but the payoff in the last Act is terrific, and the blue-lit look of it all - Tcherniakov designed it, too - works well...No wonder Barenboim and Tcherniakov try to lift each other up in the wings at the end.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2010 ***** “Tcherniakov in Berlin has chosen to mirror the capitalist excesses of our day and does so with tireless attention to detail...Kristine Opolais as Polina and especially Misha Didyk as Alexei both look and sound well...[Barenboim] is here at his most obviously committed. He has found in the piece a depth and expressionist power that brings us close to the world of Wozzeck.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Sergei Aleksashkin (The General), Tatiana Pavlovskaya (Pauline), Vladimir Galuzin (Alexei), Larissa Dyadkova (Babulenka), Nikolai Gassiev (Marquis), Alexander Gergalov (Mr Astley), Mlle Blanche (Nadezhda Serdyuk), Andrei Popov (Prince Nilsky), Oleg Sychev (Baron Wurmerhelm) & Andrei Spekhov (Potapych) Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (conductor) & Laurent Gentot (director) The Mariinsky label releases its second opera DVD & Blu-ray, Prokofiev’s 'The Gambler'. Filmed in the historic Mariinsky Theatre in 2010, it stars celebrated Russian tenor Vladimir Galuzin and bass Sergei Aleksashkin, and is conducted by Valery Gergiev. It is of fundamental significance that under Gergiev’s baton the Mariinsky Orchestra and opera company have performed all of Prokofiev’s symphonies, concerti and operas on numerous occasions. Georgian director Temur Chkheidze, who also presented the Mariinsky’s last production in 1996 and directed the opera with critical success at the Metropolitan Opera in 2001, gives a fresh look to Prokofiev’s first opera. Set in the fictional town of Roulettenburg in the mid-19th Century, 'The Gambler' is a four-act opera that displays the dramatic highs and lows involved in the game of chance. At the centre of the story is Alexei, who is in love with The General’s step-daughter, Pauline. All of the characters fall victim to the temptation of gambling, each one consumed by the obsession and greed that drives them. Vladimir Galuzin, who plays the role of Alexei, is indisputably one of the world’s leading dramatic tenors, known for his unrivaled stentorious voice and extremely vivid characterisations of some of the most demanding roles. A Mariinsky soloist since 1990, he is much in demand internationally, performing regularly during the last two decades as a guest of most of the world’s most prominent opera houses, concert halls and festivals. The role of The General is played by Russian bass Sergei Aleksashkin. Three-time recipient of the Golden Sofit, St Petersburg’s most prestigious theatre prize, Sergei has been a Mariinsky Theatre soloist since 1989, singing title roles in Mussorgsky’s 'Boris Godunov' and Glinka’s 'Ruslan and Lyudmila'. DURATION 2 hours 35' Recorded at the Mariinsky Theatre, June 2010 Performed in Italian: subtitles in Russian, English, Japanese, German and French |
| | | Scheduled for release on 3 June 2013. Order it now and we will deliver it as soon as it is available. |
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| |  | Recorded live at Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam, in 2005.
Note: This Blu-ray Disc (BD) is not compatible with standard DVD players. Prokofiev’s enchantingly surreal commedia dell’arte masterwork is turned into a spectacular triumph of total theatre in this vital production from the Amsterdam Muziektheater. De Nederlandse Opera has chosen to use the more flexible French libretto of the 1921 premiere, a pertinent choice which has the advantage of accentuating the aesthetic common ground shared by Prokofiev and Les Six. Stéphane Denève’s brilliant musical direction inspires outstanding performances from the soloists and the superb Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, enhanced by the smart, blockbusting staging of Laurent Pelly and the exquisite sets of Chantal Thomas, which propel this feverish fable to great heights. Bonus material/features: Cast gallery & Illustrated synopsis Introduction including interviews with main members of the cast and the artistic team ‘A wonderful spectacle… A masterful staging of Prokofiev’s Love for three oranges from DNO. … Seldom have we seen such a successful synthesis of music, image and wit on the operatic stage.’ Het Parool PICTURE FORMAT: 1080i
LENGTH: 144 Mins
SOUND: 2.0 & 5.1 PCM AUDIO
SUBTITLES: EN/FR/DE/ES/IT/NL
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| |  | Claudio Abbado conducts Prokofiev, Berg & TchaikovskyLucerne Festival at Easter 2010
Five years after first conducting the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra in their Venezuelan home, Claudio Abbado continues his commitment to this stunning ensemble in this first joint audiovisual concert recording. Prokofiev’s extrovert Scythian Suite is a gift for the boundless energy of these young players, while the intricacy and anguish of Berg’s Lulu-Suite are an Abbado speciality, with soprano Anna Prohaska, in her Lucerne Festival debut, singing the heroine’s dazzling statement of self-justification. The concert ends with an impassioned account of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique, his final symphony, one of the most moving works in music history. Picture Format Blu-Ray: HDCAM 1080/59,94 Sound Formats Blu-Ray: DTS HD Master Audio PCM Stereo Region Code: 0 (worldwide) Booklet notes: Songtexts in German Running Time: 111:45 Disc Format: BD 25 FSK: 0 “It's amazing the way Abbado brings the melodic writing to the fore in the very different worlds of the Prokofiev and the Berg Lulu Suite, crowned by Anna Prohaska's meaningful characterisation...As for Tchaikovsky's Pathétique, I challenge you to sit unshaken through the way Abbado nurtures string tone, body and vibrato from his Latin players.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2011 **** “Aided by superb camera work, we see him, gaunt but energised, bringing sophistication and élan to Prokofiev’s monster canvas, conjuring magic and fragrance from the Berg and driving the Pathétique to the edge of the abyss.” Financial Times, 14th January 2011 **** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Lang Lang: Live In ViennaBlu-ray release includes 25 mins of 3D footage of performances of the repertoire from the album.
Lang Lang’s first recording for Sony, the start of a new exclusive long-term partnership - recorded live at Vienna’s prestigious Musikverein earlier in 2010. Lang Lang: Heralded as the “hottest artist on the classical music planet” by the New York Times, 28- year-old Lang Lang began playing the piano at the age of 3, gave his first public recital aged 5, and won first prize at the Tchaikovsky International Young Musicians Competition at the age of 13. Since then he has become a global phenomenon, playing sold out recitals and concerts in every major city in the world. Testimony to his success, Lang Lang recently appeared in the 2009 Time 100 – Time Magazine's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. In 2008, over 5 billion people viewed Lang Lang’s performance in Beijing’s opening ceremony for the Olympic Games, and he has inspired over 40 million Chinese children to take up the piano – a phenomenon coined by The Today Show as "the Lang Lang effect." More recently, Lang Lang was chosen as an official worldwide ambassador to the 2010 Shanghai Expo. He has performed at prestigious events including at The White House and The Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. Continuing his presence on the world stage, Lang Lang was featured at the 2008 Grammy Awards and the 2009 Classical Brit Awards, pairing up with jazz great, Herbie Hancock, for an astounding performance that was broadcast live to 45 million viewers worldwide. Lang Lang has made it his mission to share classical music around the world, with an emphasis on training children and young musicians through education, outreach programs, master classes and financial support. He launched the Lang Lang International Music Foundation in New York with the support of UNICEF. In May 2009, Lang Lang and his three chosen young scholars from the foundation performed together on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In addition to his numerous commitments, Lang Lang holds the title of the first Ambassador of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. His role in this groundbreaking project created by YouTube and Google reflects his devotion to building new audiences and bringing classical music to young people worldwide. A brand in himself, Lang Lang has become the face of numerous global campaigns. Steinway has created five versions of the “Lang Lang Steinway” designed for early music education - the first time in Steinway’s 150-year history that an artist’s name has been used to produce pianos. He is a global brand ambassador for the entire Sony Corporation, including its Electronics arm, with whom he anticipates achieving innovative and creative possibilities for the future. Lang Lang also holds brand partnerships with Audi Automobiles and Aegon's worldwide financial services, amongst others.Lang Lang’s performance clothes are provided by Versace. In February 2010, Lang Lang joined Sony Music Entertainment as an exclusive recording artist. “The first movement of his Appassionata is gracefully conceived, and he brings a properly Beethovenian authority to the variations of the slow movement, before seguing gracefully into whirlwind finale...But the chief appeal of this CD lies in the fact that it's pulsatingly live...Lang Lang dares, and wins” BBC Music Magazine, September 2010 **** “It's hard to imagine a programme to better display the pianist's prodigious range.” The Independent, 20th August 2010 **** “...let me say at once that the youthful excess and rampant exhibitionism of much of Lang Lang's earliest work is today transformed into playing which for the greater part is as stylish and perceptive as it is brilliant...Clearly everyone is having a ball and, make no mistake, doubting Thomases should take time off to listen to a major talent.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2010 “He is intense and focused in the "Appassionata", sharp and lively in Beethoven's early C major sonata. His Albéniz is thrillingly colourful, his Prokofiev vivid and pungent...the technical command is peerless and the emotional warmth envelops us. He is surely the Horowitz of our generation” The Observer, 12th September 2010 | | | Usually despatched in 8 - 10 working days. |
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Gramophone Magazine
Gramophone Awards 2010