DVD Videos

“The Tchaikovsky is a beautiful and dramatic performance, though whether the DVD is worth buying rather depends on your feelings about the last two movements. Both have extensive cuts...and amendments...Overall, the orchestra makes a lovely sound and responds well to Temirkanov's expressive hands.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2012 ****

“the orchestra, drilled so long and so relentlessly under the Mravinsky regime, they play with rare warmth and spontaneity; that said, the old discipline kicks in where necessary...really this is a fine tribute to the BBC, whose Proms productions then were often superior to the ones we see now. An indispensable record of a memorable night.” MusicWeb International, June 2012

“This production was the sensation of the 1999 Salzburg Festival, and this riveting DVD captures most of the excitement that must have been felt at the time in the evocative Felsenreitschule. The staging is a joint venture. The spectacular scenic realisation of Berlioz's 'Légende dramatique' originated with the Spanish theatre troupe La Fura dels Baus; the staging itself is the work of Olle and Pedrissa. The sets and costumes were conceived by the Spanish sculptor Jaume Piensa.
The results were described in the press as 'extreme theatre' – and one can see why when viewing the virtuoso treatment of the vast stage area. It's dominated by a transparent cylinder which serves all sorts of purposes, depicting in particular the soul-searching struggles of Faust and Méphistophélès; while the complex choral movements and an elaborate lighting plot are all carried out without a hint of a hitch.
The producer certainly managed to inspire all the participants to heights of interpretative skill.
Cambreling and the Berlin Staatskapelle perform with discipline and fire, wanting only that extra dedicated vision evinced by Colin Davis and the LSO on CD. Kasarova and Willard White, stage beings to their fingertips, sing and act with total conviction. Kasarova is the vulnerable, insecure, beautiful Marguerite to the life, every gesture and facial expression supporting her intense reading of the glorious music Berlioz wrote for her. Her vision of the great Romance is idiosyncratic to say the least, but a triumph of erotic communication on its own account, a cross between Callas and Ewing at their most individual. White is commanding throughout – at once demonic, cynical, relaxed and satirical, his huge voice absolutely in command of the role. Groves isn't quite on his colleagues' level of accomplishment, but acts and sings with the awe and sense of identity-seeking which this production requires of its Faust. The sound, as on most DVDs, is exemplary. Highly recommended.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Les Troyens hasn't fared well on DVD, but this superb authentic-instrument performance of October 2003 from the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, equals Sir Colin Davis's pioneering original. Orchestrally it's everything we've come to expect from Gardiner's Berlioz, his tempi swift and dynamic, sharing the composer's delight in complex rhythmic interplay, yet always propelling the drama. Passages like Andromache's entrance and Hector's ghost nevertheless have their proper gravitas and sombre hues against the brighter shades of Carthage. Colour is the great gift of the period instruments, revealing a wide range of sonorities, and creating a sense of freshness and discovery.
The effect is sometimes rawer, sometimes more classical, but almost always more complex and dramatic than the homogenised modern sound.
Gardiner's singers, too, could hardly be more committed. Anna Caterina Antonacci is a fiery Cassandra, superbly classical-looking, so wrung and tormented that some moments of strain scarcely matter. Gregory Kunde tackles Aeneas with ringing tone, looks and acts pretty well, and brings a welcome bel canto touch to the gorgeous duet. Susan Graham, though, needs no caveats: a radiant Dido, queenly yet youthful, lyrical and lighter-toned than Janet Baker, but in her final despair no less tragically moving. Other roles are generally excellent. The mostly youthful chorus sounds marvellous, and is a constant force in Yannis Kokkos's moderately modern production.
The stage is plain and bare, capped by a reflector in which most of the décor appears: an Italian Renaissance cityscape for Troy, and the Horse only as a menacing head. Carthage is a classical vision of white walls and blue sea with stylised ships. The Trojans wear the inescapable greatcoats the brutal Greeks, inevitably, American combat gear, and the Carthaginians vaguely North African whites and pastels. This is a mostly straightforward, lively staging which lets characters and drama speak for themselves, and so works well on screen. The magnificent high-definition recording does it ample sonic and visual justice.
For anyone who loves Les Troyens, this is a revelatory and essential performance.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“A filming sensitive to the extraordinary sonic configuration of Berlioz's vast score. Lewis is the expressive soloist under master Berlioz interpreter, Colin Davis. Unhelpful subtitles.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2006 *****

“The spectacular setting of Regensburg Cathedral in Bavaria adds greatly to the impact of Sir Colin Davis's inspired performance of Berlioz's Grande Messe des morts. Davis gives a dedicated performance, rising brilliantly to the moments of drama - notably in the 'Tuba mirum' with its array of brass and timpani - but bringing out the fundamentally devotional quality of the work, too. Chorus and orchestra are superb... Unison passages have exceptional purity. In the Sanctus, tenor Keith Lewis, at his peak, is ideal. The DVD gives the option of seeing the Latin text as though on a gauze over the main picture.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2006

“Berlioz has long been a Davis speciality, and part of his success is due to his judicious mix of restrained classical-era and Romantic styles in his approach to the composer. … one was continually struck by the way passage after passage still sounded as if it had been written yesterday.” Classics Today

“Davis is without peer as a Berlioz interpreter...it has great fire and dramatic intensity - as well as the sensibility and poetic feeling we associate with him. Quite apart from the virtuosity of this wonderful orchestra, listeners will be riveted by the singing of the three soloists.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition