DVD Videos

To mark the bicentenary of Chopin’s birth, two leading Russian pianists tackle the great Romantic composer’s two piano concertos: Evgeny Kissin plays the F minor Concerto op. 21, a key work in Chopin’s output, while Nikolai Demidenko performs the E minor Concerto op. 11, a virtuoso display vehicle of the first rank. They are accompanied by the Warsaw Philharmonic under the direction of Antoni Wit. Enthusiastically acclaimed by the audience at Warsaw’s Philharmonic Hall on 27 February 2010, this memorable concert has been captured in first-class sound and picture quality.

Picture Format DVD: NTSC 16:9

Sound Formats DVD: Dolby Digital 5.1., DTS 5.1, PCM Stereo

Region Code: 0 (worldwide)

Running Time: 96:54 min

Disc Format: DVD 9

FSK: 0

Music for the visit is by Chopin, with his piano Preludes, written principally during the winter of 1838–39 that he spent in Mallorca with his mistress, the writer George Sand. The stay there brought many difficulties, not least the early signs of the illness that was to bring about Chopin's death ten years later. Other music included is Chopin’s Variations brillantes, written in 1833, based on a melody from an opera by Hérold and Halévy.

The Museo Vela is at Ligornetto in the Swiss-Italian canton of Ticino. The galleries have remarkable collections of the works of the Vela family, Lorenzo, Vincenzo and his son Spartaco. The principal part of the collection includes the works in gesso of Vincenzo (1820-1891), figures later reworked in stone. The Museo Vela houses the largest such exhibition in the world.

Aspect Ratio 4:3

NTSC – No Region Coding

DTS 5.1 • Dolby Digital 5.1 • PCM Stereo 2.0

Lovingly restored, using the finest state-of-the-art technology, classic archive features great performances from legendary artists, offering a unique historical glimpse into our classical heritage.

Widely acknowledged as one of the world’s most revered pianists, Arthur Rubinstein gives us a breathtaking performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, accompanied by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta. This is followed by Chopin’s sparkling ‘Heroïque’ Polonaise No. 6.

The second part of this DVD is a presentation of Rubinstein in conversation with Bernard Levin, from the BBC’s flagship ‘Omnibus’ programme in 1968; this is a rare document from the BBC Archives that offers fascinating insights into Rubinstein’s musical genius.

Picture format DVD: NTSC 4:3

Sounds formats DVD: PCM Stereo

Region code: 0

Original Languages: English

Subtitles: English, German, French

Booklet notes: English, German, French

Running time: 91 mins (40 mins performance, 51 mins interview)

German FSK: 0

Luxury 7 DVD Anniversary Box – Digipak in a slipcase, incl. 60page Booklet. A Must-have for every fan and friend of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra!

Picture format: NTSC 4:3 - 16:9

Sound Formats: DVD1: PCM Mono; DVD2/3: PCM Stereo • DD 5.1 • DTS 5.1

Region code: 0

Booklet Notes: GB, D, F

Subtitles: English, German, French, Hebrew, Spanish, Japanese

Running Time: Disc1: 40 mins (Concert), 51 mins (Conversation); Disc2: 97 mins; Disc 3: 94 mins; Disc4: 94 mins; Disc5: 86 mins; Disc6: 95 mins (Concert); Disc7: 52 mins (Documentary)

Under the baton of Roberto Rizzi Brignoli, a new generation of singers gave fresh life to Cilea's most polished work in January 2000. Daniela Dessì, appearing at La Scala for the first time in the title role, was singled out for praise in the Italian press: while La Repubblica admired the "sensual tones" of her singing, La Nazione called it an interpretation which "touched the audience's heart". At her side are two of the finest Russian singers on the international stage today: Sergei Larin as Maurizio is heard in a role that sits perfectly for his voice, while Olga Borodina threatens to steal the show as the jealous Princess. Directed for stage and TN by Lamberto Puggelli.

Starring Angela Gheorghiu as the celebrated French actress Adriana Lecouvreur and Jonas Kaufmann as her lover Maurizio, Count of Saxony, Cilea’s verismo drama explores celebrity, romance, jealousy, and death.

The trio of sublime voices is completed by Russian mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina as Adriana’s jealous rival, the Princess de Bouillon.

David McVicar’s hit production – the first performance of the opera at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for more than a century – presents the life of the French actress as a blurring of the distinction between fantasy and reality.

The action revolves around a life-size Baroque Theatre, taking us from the bustle and colour of the first act backstage at the playhouse, to the bare final scenes as the drama reaches its fatal climax.

The DVD & Blu-ray contain bonus footage featuring interviews with the principal artists, Director, Set Designer and Conductor.

“Kaufmann and Gheorghiu radiate sexiness" (Financial Times)

“Gheorghiu is a dream" (The Independent)

Cilea’s four-act opera of jealousy and tangled love, first performed in Milan in 1902, is based on the true-life story of Adriana Lecouvreur, an 18th-Century actress at the Comédie Française, whose rival for the love of Maurizio, Count of Saxony, is the married Principessa di Bouillon.