DVD Videos

William Pleeth, teacher of the legendary Jacqueline du Pré and many other internationally recognized cellists, celebrated his 80th birthday in 1996. To mark the occasion, he was filmed giving a series of eight one-hour classes at the renowned Britten-Pears School for Advanced Musical Studies in Snape, England. In the classics of the cello repertoire, he had the uncanny ability to guide and inspire talented young players. This series is the only filmed document of his extraordinary work as a teacher.

Specials:

•IN REHEARSAL - Cecilia Bartoli and Nikolaus Harnoncourt discuss the music of Haydn and work on performances in rehearsal

•STYRIARTE: PORTRAIT OF A FESTIVAL - Short film on the renowned festival founded by Harnoncourt in his home town of Graz

•Full colour, 28 page Illustrated booklet in English, French and German

PICTURE FORMAT: 16:9

LENGTH: 83 MINS

SOUND: DOLBY SURROUND / DTS SURROUND / LPCM STEREO

SUBTITLES: EN/FR/DE/ES

Recorded live, June 2009

The Europa concerts are the Berliner Philharmoniker´s way of remembering the anniversary of their founding. Performing in a different European city each year, the orchestra wishes to make its contribution to European unity. 2001 the concert was performed at the historic St. Irene Church in Istanbul under the direction of Mariss Jansons. St. Irene (Hagia Eirene) is the oldest church in Istanbul originating from the 4th Century. Today it is mainly used for festivals and concerts.

Featuring Mariss Jansons, one of today's most sought-after conductors and Music Director of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam

Flutist Emanuel Pahud is the top dog of his generation, praised for his ravishing sound and his effortless phrasing

Haydn's symphony and Mozart's flute concerto are counted among the most enchanting and popular orchestral pieces of the Classical period.

Berlioz's Symphony fantastique with its amazing orchestral impact displays impressively the unequalled qualities of the Berlin Philharmonic.

Concert took place in the vast, breathtaking St. Irene Church in Istanbul.

DVD is enhanced by an enticing 20-minute travelogue of Istanbul, in addition, there are eight minutes of "behind the scenes" footage.

Picture format BD: NTSC - 16:9

Sounds formats BD: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1

Region code: All

Booklet notes: English, German, French

Bonus-Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian

Running time: 133 mins (105 mins-Performance; 27 mins-Bonus)

FSK: 0

This March 1982 performance of The Creation took place in the Great Hall of the Old University in Vienna - precisely where, on 27 March 1808, the composer had appeared for the last time in public to attend a gala performance of this work under the direction of Antonio Salieri.

The concert brought together a number of leading artists: the Collegium Aureum is a loose association of German and Austrian soloists and chamber musicians internationally renowned for their performances on period instruments, while the Arnold Schoenberg Choir continues to be regarded as one of the finest choirs in Europe. The parts of Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael are taken by three of the most eminent and supremely well-qualified singers of their day, soprano Arleen Augér, tenor Peter Schreier and bass Walter Berry, while the German baritone Roland Hermann and the Austrian soprano Gabriele Sima are sheer luxury casting in the roles of Adam and Eve. With his lively temperament, the Austrian conductor Gustav Kuhn ensures that the performance is not only true to the spirit of the original but has a tension and a vitality all of its own, guaranteeing that the performance was an overwhelming experience for all who were present on this occasion. Spirit, sound, space and time come together here to create a coherent whole.

Bonus: Documentary on the work and the occasion.

Sound Format: PCM Stereo

Picture Format: 4:3

DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC

Subtitle Languages: DE, GB, FR, ES, IT

Running Time: 114 mins & 18 mins (Bonus)

FSK: 0

A film by Rhodri Huw

Joseph Haydn undertook the composition of The Creation starting at the age of 65, and it took him a year and a half to complete the work. A deeply religious man, he later said, «Never had I been so devout as when I was composing The Creation. Everyday I fell to my knees and prayed to God to give me strength for my work».

The concert provides unique opportunity to experience first-hand the beauty of the church Grote Kerk, where the acoustics are said to make music sound magical.

DVD extras: A 30-minutes documentary including rehearsal sessions with commentary by John Nelson, Audio excerpts from Soli Deo Gloria commissioned works.

Special packaging with Slipcase

Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9

Sounds formats DVD: PCM Stereo

Region code: 0

Subtitles: German, English, French

Booklet notes: English, German, French

Running time: 172 mins (142 mins Concert + 30 mins Bonus)

German FSK: 0

The Places • The tour visits historic sites in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium. These include the castles of Litomyšl and Konopiště in Bohemia, and the historic town of Mělnik, the Horological Museum at Le Locle in Switzerland, relics of war from the Bavarian Army Museum in Ingolstadt, and a glimpse of the Belgian Château of Gaasbeek.

The Music • The tour brings two of Joseph Haydn’s most famous symphonies, written for a London concert season in 1794, Symphony No. 100, the so-called Military Symphony, and Symphony No. 101, nicknamed The Clock.

Video Format • NTSC / Colour / 4:3

Audio Format • DTS 5.1 / Dolby Digital 5.1 / PCM Stereo 2.0

Region Coding • No Region Coding

"This was one of the most beautiful New Year's Concerts since Karajan and Kleiber. Franz Welser-Möst knows how the music of the Strauss-dynasty, the music of Lanner and Hellmesberger has to sound" Österreich on the 2011 NY Concert

Sony Classical is pleased to announce the release of the recording of one of the world’s most famous classical music events: the New Year’s Concert 2013 with the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of celebrated conductor, Franz Welser-Möst. He returns to direct the 2013 celebrations after his acclaimed debut in 2011. Maestro Welser-Mőst is the former Music Director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

The annual New Year's Day Concert in the stunning Vienna Musikverein has been an exalted tradition for more than seven decades and the resulting recordings with works from the Strauss dynasty and their contemporaries are among the classical market's most important releases.

The concert will be broadcast on TV and radio to over 70 countries around the world with an estimate of more than 40 million viewers.

The programme traditionally revolves around waltzes and polkas by the Strauss family (Johann father and son as well as Josef and Eduard Strauss) whose music has enjoyed recent chart resurgence. The proven formula blends well-known classics with premieres of works that have never been performed before at the New Year´s Concert and the result is invariably both joyful and moving. The programme will remain a closely guarded secret until a few days before the event, but it can already be revealed that in 2013 the concert will include more premieres than ever before and probably some unexpected surprises. As is tradition, the concert will include the famous waltz The Blue Danube and the Radetzky March.