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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Great Pianists on The Bell Telephone Hour (1959-1967)
Bach, J S: | Concerto for Three Keyboards in D minor, BWV1063 | Beethoven: | Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 'Emperor' - Rondo (Allegro) Claudio Arrau Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata', 3rd movement Robert Casadesus | Brahms: | Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 - Rondo - Allegro non troppo John Browing Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83, 2nd movement Van Cliburn | Chopin: | Waltz No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2 Lorin Hollander | Falla: | Ritual Fire Dance (from El amor brujo) Jose Iturbi | Gershwin: | Rhapsody in Blue Jorge Bolet Piano Concerto in F major | Grieg: | Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 | Liszt: | Fantasy on Hungarian Folk-tunes, S123 Jose Iturbi | Prokofiev: | Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26: 3rd movement Byron Janis | Rachmaninov: | Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30: 3rd movement Byron Janis | Saint-Saëns: | Piano Concerto No. 4 in C minor, Op. 44: 2nd movement Phillipe Entremont Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, Op. 103 'Egyptian': 3rd movement Lorin Hollander | Schumann: | Widmung, Op. 25 No. 1 Van Cliburn |
Donald Vorchees & Paul Whiteman | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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Renata Tebaldi (Tosca), Eugene Tobin (Cavaradossi), George London (Scarpia), Gustav Grefe (Angelotti) Orchestra and Chorus of the Staatsoper, Stuttgart, Franco Patanè Filmed live at the Stuttgart Staatsoper in 1961. From the archives of the Süddeutscher Rundfunk. 130 minutes, black & white, with optional English subtitles. “Coming to this historic video recording after Muti's La Scala version is to register a quite different operatic world. Recorded in black and white at a performance in the Stuttgart Staatsoper in June 1961, it offers a sound, conventional production with in-period costumes and realistic if symmetrical sets by Max Fritzsche.
The film direction too is highly conventional.
This DVD is specially valuable for Renata Tebaldi's assumption of the title-role. So dominant in our memories has Maria Callas's characterisation become, that we tend to forget that the role of Tosca was just as central in the repertory of her great rival of the time, Tebaldi, whose firm, creamy tones, perfectly controlled, could hardly be more sharply contrasted with the thrillingly individual, if at times flawed, singing of Callas. Tebaldi seemed to represent the essence of the primadonna, grand in a traditional way, and who better to play the role of Tosca? There's ample evidence here of that commanding security in the role, with Tebaldi in 1961 still at her peak. Yet as recorded in limited mono sound, with voices well forward of the orchestra, at times there's an untypical edge on the creamy tone at the top. True to form, Tebaldi rises magnificently to the challenge of 'Vissi d'arte' in Act 2, with fine shading of tone and flawless legato in that moment of repose.
That said, one has to note that in her acting this Tosca isn't so much passionate as stately.
Eugene Tobin as Cavaradossi, like many tenors, starts lustily, and then gets more expressive as he goes along, never betraying signs of strain.
George London makes a handsome Scarpia, imperious and vehement both in his acting and in his singing. Yet as so often in recordings, his pitching is often vague. Franco Patanè as conductor is at times over-emphatic, again presenting a conventional view, and rarely conveying the sort of magnetism that makes the Muti performance so gripping.
Worth buying to hear Tebaldi in her prime.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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Marie Powers (Madame Flora 'Baba'), Anna Maria Alberghetti (Monica), Leo Colman (Toby) Symphony Orchestra of Rome Radio Italiana, Thomas Schippers This 1950s adaptation of the opera includes more than thirty minutes of additional scenes and music which Menotti wrote specifically for the film. Produced by Walter Lowendahl. Based on the Broadway production presented by Chandler Cowles and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. | | | This item is currently out of stock at the UK distributor. You may order it now but please be aware that it may be six weeks or more before it can be despatched. |
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| |  | Jon Vickers: Four Operatic PortraitsFully-staged scenes, taped 9th November, 1984
Ottawa National Arts Centre Orchestra and Choir, Franz-Paul Decker Gala performance from the National Arts Centre, Ottawa, from the video archives of the CBC, Toronto. Four fully staged operatic scenes showcase the tenor's towering interpretations of Handel's Samson, Beethoven's Florestan (Fidelio), Britten's Peter Grimes, and Verdi's Otello. A magnificent testament to one of the opera world's most extraordinary singing actors. | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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| |  | Rudolf Nureyev & Erik Bruhn: Complete Bell Telephone Hour PerformancesIncluding music by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Strauss
The Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra, Donald Voorhees | | | This item is currently out of stock at the UK distributor. You may order it now but please be aware that it may be six weeks or more before it can be despatched. |
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| |  | George Szell:: Chicago Symphony Orchestra Historic Telecasts
Telecasts of 10th & 17th December 1961 | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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Recorded 1968 in Italian (English sub-titles optional). | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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| |  | José Limón: Three Modern Dance Classics
Limón (1908-1972) was a Mexican-American choreographer who continues to be regarded as one of the modern dance world’s seminal creative artists, known for his intense dramatic presence and the theatricality and musicality of his dances. Here for the first time on video are three of his most famous works with the original casts, filmed in their entirety for the CBC in the 1950s. | | | This item is currently out of stock at the UK distributor. You may order it now but please be aware that it may be six weeks or more before it can be despatched. |
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| |  | Pierre Monteux & Charles Munch: Chicago Symphony Orchestra Historic Telecasts
“Munch's Valses nobles is one of the very finest accounts of the piece we have heard...perfectly paced, much more relaxed than we hear nowadays and with plenty of time for the artists to breathe. This is a model of Ravel style and, watching Munch, one realizes how naturally his charm captivates his players.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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| |  | The Art of Jean-Pierre Rampal
Robert Veyron-Lacroix (harpsichord) The McGill Chamber Orchestra, Alexander Brott | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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