Prices shown exclude VAT. (UK tax is not payable for deliveries to United States.)
See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | William Shakespeare: Henry VIIIRecorded live at Shakespeare’s Globe, August 2010
Dominic Rowan (Henry VIII), Ian McNeice (Cardinal Wolsey), Kate Duchêne (Queen Katherine), Miranda Raison (Anne Boleyn) & Anthony Howell (Duke of Buckingham) Mark Rosenblatt (director) Henry VIII is one of Shakespeare’s final plays, a political thriller based on the power struggle between the Tudor court and the eponymous king’s ambitious first minister, Cardinal Wolsey. Though famous in its own time as the most extravagant of the playwright’s creations, the work is hardly performed today; Mark Rosenblatt’s spectacular 2010 production was the Globe Theatre’s first staging of the historical drama since 1613 and, featuring stellar performances from Dominic Rowan, Miranda Raison and Anthony Howell, it bursts with intrigue. Debut production. Extras include ‘cast gallery’. Running time: 166 minutes Subtitles: EN/DE Sound format: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
|
|
| |  | William Shakespeare: The Merry Wives of WindsorRecorded live at Shakespeare’s Globe, August 2010
Christopher Benjamin (Sir John Falstaff), Philip Bird (Dr Caius), Sue Wallace (Mistress Quickly), Gregory Gudgeon (Nym), Michael Garner (George Page), Serena Evans (Meg Page), Ceri-Lyn Cissone (Anne Page), Sarah Woodward (Alice Ford), Nathan Amzi (Simple), Peter Gale (Shallow), Andrew Havill (Ford), Jonty Stephens (Host), Paul Woodson (Pistol), Barnaby Edwards (Rugby), William Belchambers (Slender), Gerard McCarthy (Fenton) Christopher Luscombe (director) The only one of Shakespeare’s plays to be set within his own class and country, The Merry Wives of Windsor is a farcical tale centring on the wily attempts of Sir John Falstaff to relieve his drinking debts through swindling and seduction. Featuring Christopher Benjamin in the title role, deftly supported by Serena Evans and Sarah Woodward as the scheming Mistress Page and Mistress Ford, this critically-acclaimed production was described by the Daily Telegraph as brimming with ‘humanity, ingenuity and irresistible charm’. A performance guaranteed to entertain. Hugely popular revival. This production has also toured internationally. Extras include ‘cast gallery’. Running time: 145 minutes Subtitles: EN/DE Sound format: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
|
|
| |  | Operetta Film from 1970
Helen Mané (Angèle), Maria Tiboldi (Marguérite), Tatjana Iwanow (Palmira), Christiane Schröder (Hortense), Harald Serafin (Paul), Maurice Besançon (Georges) & Heinz Erhardt (Caesare) Symphony Orchestra Kurt Graunke, Munich, Willy Mattes (conductor) & Eugen York (director) Richard Heuberger (1850–1914) came from a wealthy, art-loving Graz (Austria-Hungary) family. After working as an engineer, he decided to devote himself completely to music, working as choral director of the Vienna Singakademie, composer of instrumental music, ballets, cantatas and operas, music critic and music journalist. Shortly before the turn of the century, he tried his luck with operettas. Only his first work, the delicately orchestrated, splendidly hued Opernball (Opera Ball ) of 1898 – a beautiful and substantial echo of the Strauss era – has managed to maintain its position in the repertoire. In this work, Heuberger tried to create a new operetta style, the “comedy operetta”. He eschewed spectacular costumes and choruses, sentimentality and drama by picking up where Offenbach had left off in La vie parisienne and Strauss in Die Fledermaus. According to the great Viennese music critic Eduard Hanslick, he succeeded in “preserving the purity of the Viennese operetta. The Opernball was a popular, witty piece and Heuberger accordingly avoided the effects of grand opera, both noisy passion and watered-down sentimentality.” Sound Format: PCM Stereo Picture Format: 4:3 DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC Subtitle Languages: DE (Original Language), GB, FR Running Time: 100 mins FSK: 0 “All in all, the performances give a sense of the work, especially through continuity which remains an attractive element of the film The action moves smoothly between the scenes and plays well into the timing necessary for the comic twists...The timing in the film allows it to work cogently within this interpretation of the operetta.” MusicWeb International, August 2012 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
|
|
| |  | Hildegard von Bingen in portraitA full performance of 'Ordo Virtutum' - arguably the oldest surviving opera - together with a documentary about Hildegard, including a dramatised biography starring Patricia Routledge.
DVD 1 - ORDO VIRTUTUM (The Ritual of the Virtues) – Hildegard’s great ‘musical morality play’ on the journey of the soul, in an atmospheric dramatised film, performed by the dedicated ensemble Vox Animae. Directed by early music specialists Evelyn Tubb and Michael Fields. (70 mins) A REAL MYSTIC - An interview and lecture with Professor Matthew Fox and Mary Grabowsky, experts on Hildegard’s spiritual significance to the 21st century. (45 mins) DVD 2 - HILDEGARD – Dramatised BBC Omnibus biographical documentary, starring Patricia Routledge. (55 mins) A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION - The Washington National Cathedral presents a documentary about the life and times of Hildegard. (50 mins) ILLUMINATIONS - Art gallery of Hildegard’s mystic visions, with comments by Professor Matthew Fox. (30 mins) PICTURE FORMAT: 16:9
LENGTH: 210 MINS
SOUND: DOLBY SURROUND / DOLBY STEREO
SUBTITLES: EN/FR/DE/ES/NL
| | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
|
|
| |  |
Cardillac is a master jeweller who cannot live without his creations, killing his clients to recuperate them and assert his authorship. Director André Engel sets his production in the 1920's, the period during which Cardillac was composed, a time of incredible creativity, and the glorious epoch of silent movies and popular novels.Think tennis rackets, Death on the Nile, Klimt, expressionism... Fabulous cast, gorgeous orchestration. No competition. “Hindemith's first full-length opera… is set in Paris. This offers the cue for some wonderful Parisian vistas in the designs of Nicky Rieti for André Engel's lavish staging, filmed a the Opéra Bastille two years ago. Alan Held uses his muscular baritone well in the title role; Angela Denoke sings the Daughter beautifully. There are episodes in the contrapuntal score that seem to have little bearing on the action, but it is good to hear this music controlled with the focus that Kent Nagano's conducting supplies.” BBC Music Magazine, Proms 2007 **** “The story of the obsessive goldsmith who loved his creations over everything else, even his own daughter, reclaiming them by murdering his customers, is depicted with almost cinematic precision. André Engel's staging updates the setting from Louis XIV's reign to a 1920s five-star hotel, cannily for a tale of obsession with luxury and riches. In this well cast production singing and acting are of a uniformly high order. The sound is excellent, the video direction some of the best I have seen for a DVD opera.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2007 | | | Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days. |
|
|
| |  | Thomas Trotter: The Town Hall TraditionVirtuoso Organ Showpieces from Town Hall, Birmingham
DVD Video (region free, PAL/NTSC) & Audio CD The debut DVD from Thomas Trotter – one of the world’s greatest organists – and the first DVD release from Regent Records. An opportunity to enjoy, both visually and aurally, Thomas Trotter’s artistry and staggering technique in a celebration of town hall virtuosity, on the great concert hall organ with which he is intimately acquainted. Features a highly entertaining and varied programme of organ pieces from the heart of the town hall tradition, including Thalben-Ball’s Variations on a theme of Paganini played almost entirely on the pedals. Extra features include a biographical interview with Thomas Trotter and a guide to the Town Hall organ. Box contains both a DVD Video (performance in 5.1 surround sound), audio CD, and a 16 page booklet with notes on the music, the Town Hall, and a newly-written article on the history of the organ by Nicholas Thistlethwaite. “should you want Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture on the organ, this is a recording to turn to. Trotter plays everything from memory, unusually among organists and even more remarkable given the complex registrations involved here.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2012 **** “Filming an organist playing a recital is a notoriously difficult assignment...[It is] difficult to get all the elements right. This film comes as close as any...Trotter operates with a sleight of hand that's as slick as any conjurer's. The performances are everything on has come to expect from one of the world's greatest organists, notable for their clarity, rhythmic buoyancy, stylistic taste, imaginative colouring - and the ability to amaze.” Gramophone Magazine, February 2012 | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
|
|
| |  | Holst: The Planets
This lavish visualisation of Gustav Holst's orchestral masterpiece The Planets and Colin Matthews' additional movement Pluto, the Renewer features spectacular images which enhance the symbolic meaning attributed to each planet by the composer. PICTURE FORMAT: 16:9
LENGTH: 59 MINS
SOUND: LPCM STEREO
SUBTITLES: N/A
| | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Universe of Sound
Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the Philharmonia Orchestra in a unique performance of Holst's 'The Planets Suite', captured in High Definition by 37 cameras. This immersive experience takes the viewer to the heart of the Philharmonia as they perform this well-loved piece, using cameras placed in a multitude of positions and angles to create an extraordinary glimpse of the orchestra at work from within. As well as 'The Planets', the filmed performances also includes a new commission by UK composer Joby Talbot, 'Worlds, Stars, Systems, Infinity'. Additional features include a 'Making of' documentary feature, listening guide films for each planet, audio commentaries from conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and principal players of the Philharmonia. The Philharmonia Orchestra is committed to bringing classical music to new audiences in creative and exciting ways, and to this end has become a technological trailblazer in its adoption and adaptation of new technology. In 2010 the Re-Rite project allowed members of the public to experience Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring' for the first time from within the orchestra through audio/visual projections. Their 'Universe of Sound' project from which this release stems debuted at the Science Museum in London last year, and is set to tour the country in new installations during 2013. Bonus Features: 'Making of' documentary feature Listening guide films for each planet Run time: 112 mins DVD: Region 0 (universal), DVD5 Dolby Digital 5.1, Stereo PCM 16:9, NTSC Exempt from classification Subtitles: none Language: English “The centrepiece...is a tautly rehearsed, unromantic, 'straight' performance of the piece under Salonen which will appeal to those who like Holst's own 'original' recordings...Filming and recordings of the performance are both state-of-the-art.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2013 | 
| | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Eugene Ormandy conducts Holst & Debussy
Recorded live at the Academy of Music, Philadelphia, 24-26 June
1977 “Beautiful, accurate playing, conducted with control. Ormandy's tempo in 'Saturn' is too quick. Otherwise, both masterworks turn out well.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2008 *** “This superb DVD brings a frisson of pleasure to see and hear Ormandy conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra in their old home...This live recording, superbly played, not only demonstrates the famous string-sound, but also the richness of the orchestra's overall sonority...an indispensible DVD that will give enormous satisfaction.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
|
|
| |  |
This highly-acclaimed performance on CD by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under its chief conductor, Andrew Davis, is accompanied by a stunning visualisation of Gustav Holst’s suite on DVD. The audio recording and film were both made in 1994. The accompanying film on DVD makes a powerful statement of Holst’s vision for The Planets. Three elements are combined – Holst’s music, stunning photography of the planets, and eloquent visual images of Holst’s own interpretation of the astrological significance of each planet, as revealed in his subtitles. The wealth of images used include a huge range of archive and historic newsreel footage, from sources such as the BBC, and NASA images from space: “The high spot of Andrew Davis's reading is undoubtedly ''Saturn'', whose remorseless tread has rarely in my experience seemed more implacable. Aided by orchestral playing that is both memorably concentrated and rapt, Holst's textures in the closing section acquire a breathtaking translucency, and how memorably the BBC SO brass thrust home the terrifying central climax………''Neptune'', too, is exceptionally successful: ethereally delicate tremolando harps set the scene for a tone-picture of exquisite beauty, graced by choral work of notable purity from the women of the BBC Symphony Chorus…... The spectacularly ample sound certainly makes the mischievous antics of ''Uranus'' a feast for the ears, and Davis handles the coda superbly, plunging the listener into a world which is truly unnerving in its bleakness” Gramophone Magazine (Original Gramophone review of The Planets on Teldec CD) | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
|
|
| |
|
