DVD Videos

World Premiere Recording

The 2010 Jesi production is conscious of the complexity of Flaminio for all its seeming simplicity and cleverly exploits the suggestive milieu of the Teatro Valeria Moriconi, in particular its shape and relatively small scale. Without any attempt at realism, (the main action takes place “in a villa on the outskirts of the city of Naples, complete with hunting lodge, etc.”, but just a handful of props to symbolise the bucolic atmosphere), the production concentrates on establishing a kind of meta-theatrical relationship to this repertoire work which sets out to highlight the interweaving and overlayering of truth and fiction, passion and irony, tragedy and comedy. The orchestra sits behind a broad wooden platform and suspended netting decorated with leaves; every so often scenes about the characters’ private lives open up on various levels (these serve to expand the audience perspective both horizontally and vertically), as if the plot were following the inner development of these living characters. The theatrical narrative unravels – through a brilliant succession of dramatic and light-hearted moments – to its predictable happy ending.

The result takes us a step closer towards finally rediscovering such masterpieces of the Neapolitan school of the 18th century: in addition to being highly serious, ingenious and fabulous entertainment in its own right, Il Flaminio is substantive proof of the key role Naples played in developing the genre for European audiences.

Sound Format: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1 (DVD)

Format: 2 x DVD 9, NTSC, 50 GB (Double Layer)

Subtitle Languages: IT (Original Language), GB, DE, FR, ES, JP, Korean

Running Time: 183 mins

FSK: 0

World Premiere Recording.

Pergolesi’s first opera “La Salustia” is filled with emotions and dramatic elements. It portrays the battle of two women, their struggle for power and justice. Further, it is the story of failing deceitful plots and mistrust.

Salustia is the strong empress, wife of the Roman emperor Alessandro, whose mother-in-law Giulia would rather see dead than accept as ruler. Strangely however, it is Salustia who saves Giulia from her own death more than once. She fights not only for her own justice – ruling together with her love Alessandro – but also for justice amongst all the other battling parties. At the end she is rewarded for her moral strength. The drama around the unbreakable Salustia takes its course in the setting of ancient Rome. Young French director Juliette Deschamps, known for various opera productions in Jesi, made the old story come alive on a stage that suggests an ancient palace with large windows, later on the coliseum. The cast features well-loved Pergolesi interpreters such as Serena Malfi, Laura Polverelli or Vittorio Prato. The Accademia Barocca de I Musici Italiani, well-known for productions in historic performance practice, are led by Corrado Rovaris. This is a world premiere recording of one of the very few Salustia-productions that exist worldwide.

Sound Format: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1 (DVD)

Format: DVD 5 + DVD 9, NTSC, 50 GB (Double Layer)

Subtitle Languages: IT (Original Language), GB, DE, FR, ES, JP, Korean

Running Time: 185 mins

FSK: 0

Pergolesi’s comic opera Lo frate ’nnamorato (The Brother in Love) from 1732 was his ticket to the Royal Chapel in Naples. Its huge success was due to the beautiful score, showing Pergolesi’s talent for opera compositions, and the exquisite Libretto by Gennarantonio Federico. Lo frate ‘nnamorato especially owes its wit and exuberance to the comic resources of improvisational theatre, which is refl ected in the narrative structure and relationships between the dramatis personae. Love triangles, marriage plans that come to nothing, intrigues and more lead the opera along to the unsuspected outcome.

The 2011 Jesi production, set in the 1950s, features an outstanding cast of singers that further present first-class acting skills that drive a line between quintessence and parody, inventive genius and a sense of tradition, caricature and insight into the roles and characters. Nicola Alaimo, Elena Belfiore, Patrizia Biccirè and Jurgita Adamonytė – to name but a few – carry this wonderful production, realized by the young Argentine director Willy Landin.

Fabio Biondi began his career as a Wunderkind Violinist at the age of twelve. In 1990 he founded his fabulous ensemble Europa Galante, which quickly became the most internationally renowned and awarded Italian ensemble of baroque music.

Sound Format: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio 5.1

Picture Format: 16:9, 1080i FULL HD

Format: DVD 5 & DVD 9 / NTSC

Subtitle Languages: IT (Original Language), GB, DE, FR, ES, JP, Korean

Running Time: 160 mins

FSK: 0

Region Code: 0

Worldwide available

The „Easter Suite“ has remained one of the least known compositions by Oscar Peterson, even though virtually all sources mention it as one of his major works. It was commissioned by the South Bank Show, London Weekend Television‘s flagship arts programme, and broadcast nation-wide on Good Friday, April 24th, 1984. Its eight movements follow the events related in the gospel story.

This recording of the world premiere performance also features an interview with Peterson, explaining how he went about composing the suite, his initial scepticism about interpreting such a topic in the medium of jazz and his relation to spiritual music. He also describes in detail the various motifs of the work.

If the passion and resurrection seem surprising as topics for a longer jazz work, Oscar Peterson with his „Easter Suite“ appears in a long line of other jazz greats, who at least in their later works created religiously inspired works.

SPECIAL FEATURE: Composer’s commentary

Sound Format: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1

Picture Format: 4:3

DVD Format: DVD 5, NTSC

Subtitles: GB, DE, FR, ES, IT (Bonus)

Running Time: 50 mins

FSK: 0

Requiring 38 soloists, chorus and large orchestra, "Palestrina", Pfitzner's "most important" work (Süddeutsche Zeitung), is a challenging opera to stage. Christian Stückl's lively and colorful interpretation at the Bavarian State Opera is wonderfully served by conductor Simone Young, who cultivates a silky, organic orchestral texture.

Heading the many outstanding soloists are the imposing Christopher Ventris as Palestrina, the mighty Bayreuth regular Falk Struckmann, the velvety-smooth baritone Michael Volle and the most promising young singer of 2009 (survey held by Opernwelt) Christiane Karg.

Christian Stückl is well versed with the ecclesiastical subject because of his productions of the Passion Play in Oberammergau. His worldwide reputation is based on his annual restaging of the Jedermann in Salzburg since 2003. Together with André Heller, Stückl was responsible for the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup in Germany in 2006.

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

Region code: 0

Booklet notes: English, German, French

Subtitles: German, English, French

Running time: 197 mins + Bonus ca. 10 mins

Audience: all

Of Scottish origin, the Danican family (Philidor being a nickname) produced, in almost two centuries, a dozen musicians - instrumentalists and composers - the best known of them almost certainly being François-André Danican Philidor, born in Dreux on 7th September 1726 and died in London on 31st August 1795. Tom Jones is universally considered one of Philidor’s best operas and one of the most perfect examples of a music genre that was quite popular in 18th-century France, the Opéra-comique. The libretto is derived from Henry Fielding’s The History of Tom Jones, a foundling, while the music, with its succession of dialogues, airs, ariettes, and ensembles is truly delightful, embodying the elegant and caustic spirit of the Age of Enlightenment.

On the podium of this Tom Jones, staged at Lausanne’s Opéra in the summer of 2005, is one of the greatest specialists of French 17th-18th- century music, Jean-Claude Malgoire, who thus continues his collaboration with Dynamic, which already counts several prestigious titles both on CD and DVD.

“Tango is a kind of music which gets to you, plain and simple.” Astor Piazzolla

First-ever film recording of Pizzetti’s operatic version of TS Eliot’s play, ‘Murder in the Cathedral’, telling the story of Thomas Becket’s murder by the knights of Henry II. Starring the world-renowned Ruggero Raimondi as the doomed archbishop.

The only large-scale work to have survived by Pizzetti, this piece of This sacred drama is a rare curiosity telling the black and gory tale of the murder of Thomas Becket.

Filmed as a staged performance in the spectacular Basilica di San Nicola in Bari, this is the only film version available, making this a must for all opera afficionados wanting something a little different!

Gioconda is rarely performed, except for the famous Dance of the Hours, which became popular also thanks to Walt Disney’s Fantasia.

This co-production of Arena di Verona, Barcelona’s Teatro Eliseo and Madrid’s Teatro Real, directed by Pier Luigi Pizzi, is quite stunning. In the cast are Andrea Gruber, Carlo Colombara, Marco Berti, Ildiko Komlosi, Elisabetta Fiorillo and, debuting in the Dance of the Hours, Roberto Bolle, star of La Scala who has appeared in the most important theatres of the world. This music, on which Ponchielli worked for twenty-six years, seems to prefigure Puccini while, at the same time, echoing Verdi. To date Gioconda is one of the works most loved by audiences.

The opera was filmed in High Definition (HDTV).