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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Lionel Bringuier & Nelson Freire Live at the Royal Albert Hall
Leading Chopin interpreter Nelson Freire is the soloist in Chopin’s lyrical and brilliant Second Piano Concerto. On the podium the young French conductor Lionel Bringuier makes his Proms debut conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra and gives a sizzling performance of Roussel’s Symphony No.3 and of Ravel’s score for the ballet 'Daphnis et Chloé' - Suite No 2. Chopin wrote his concerto at the age of 19 while crazily in love with an opera singer, but it's the work itself which is the object of adoration for soloist Nelson Freire who describes himself as having something of a 'crush' on the piece after first hearing it as a teenager. The three other works on the programme chart French music over a century of changing musical tastes, beginning in 1844 with Berlioz's vivid evocation of a swashbuckling pirate adventure in his overture 'Le corsaire'. By 1912 the tides of modernism influenced Ravel's lavishly scored, pastoral ballet Daphnis and Chloë, with its famous opening soundscape of dawn breaking over the forest canopy, and by the 1930s Roussel's Third Symphony reflected the trends of neo-classicism. "It was around the beginning of the second movement of Albert Roussel's Third Symphony that the playing of the BBC Symphony Orchestra – under the outstanding 23-year-old French conductor Lionel Bringuier, making his Prom debut – moved into top gear. From that point on, the orchestra's awareness of its own sound, collectively and individually, became heightened to an unusually compelling degree. The playing stayed on this exalted level until the end of the concert, which closed with Ravel's second Daphnis and Chloé suite...shaped with a certainty of direction that never compromised the music's inherent sensuousness. It provided a sensational climax to the evening." George Hall, The Guardian 13/8/2010 Recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall, 08/2010, Running time 95 min. Booklet: French, German, English Image 1DVD9, Colour 16/9, NTSC Sound: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 “If it was a bold idea to invite this young French conductor to the BBC Proms, it was surely madness to film the concert. But thank goodness the BBC and innovative label BelAir took the chance, as this is a model of filmed music-making. Bringuier’s rapport with the orchestra (and with soloist Nelson Freire here on scintillating form) is immediately evident. Thoroughly recommended.” Classical Music, May 2013 | 
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| |  | A Musical Journey: Night Music Vol. 2Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic & Switzerland
The Places The scenes shown all breathe an air of peace and tranquillity. Starting with an evening landscape in Bohemia, we move to a lake in the Tyrol, to the Museo Vela, with its gesso figures, Bavarian craftsmen fashioning glass and the Corniche near Cannes, in the South of France. Other scenes include the ancient Chapel of St Sixtus at Eygalières, the Church of St Jakob at Tramin, night in Madrid, and a nocturnal view of Seville, the whole culminating in the great Basilica of St Mark in Venice. The Music The music chosen, like the scenes it accompanies, suggest the calm of night. There are movements from Handel and Telemann, from concertos by Mozart for horn and for flute, and a Chopin Prelude. There is a Spanish element in the music of two French composers, Bizet and Massenet, and an air of nostalgia evoked in Fauré’s Pavane. Video Format • NTSC / Colour / 4:3 Audio Format • DTS 5.1 / Dolby Digital 5.1 / PCM Stereo 2.0 Region Coding • No Region Coding | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: 75 years Anniversary Concert & Documentary COMING HOMEa film by János Darvas
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra - a cultural icon of Israel and one of the greatest classical ensembles in the world - celebrated its 75th Birthday on December 26th, 2011 together with three outstanding soloists of the younger generation – Julian Rachlin, Evgeny Kissin and Vadim Repin. The concert took place in the spectacular Hangar 11 at the harbor in Tel Aviv. Zubin Mehta conducted a spectacular programme of Saint-Saëns, Bach, Chopin, Chausson and Beethoven. The film ‘Coming Home’ by János Darvas portrays the orchestra and tells of its moving history, which is both a reflection of the history of Israel and the fate of the Jews in the 20th Century. With texts from memoirs, with material from radio interviews, home movies and photos from the orchestra’s archives, as well as from private collections, the film will not only tells the story of the orchestra, but draws parallels to the fates of many individuals. Historical footage brings the 75-year history of the orchestra to life in concerts with Arturo Toscanini, Arthur Rubinstein, Leonard Bernstein, Isaac Stern, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim and Itzhak Perlman. Interviews with orchestra members from the early years weave through talks with musicians that joined later, and with current orchestra members. Moreover, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, Itzhak Perlman and Pinkas Zukerman have their say. We also get the opportunity to watch the Israel Philharmonic in rehearsals, concerts and tours. Part of the EuroArts Israel Philharmonic Anniversary Campaign with two more must have releases: - 75 years anniversary concert & documentary “Coming Home” (Cat. No. DVD 2059098 + Cat. No. BD 2059094) - Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Anniversary Edition - 5 DVDs Box Set incl. Classic Archive: Arthur Rubinstein plays Chopin (Cat. No. 3079638), Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: 70th-Anniversary Concert (Cat. No. 2055878), Bernstein conducts Brahms (Cat. No. 2072048) + New Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: 60th-Anniversary, Concert, 1996 & Joint Concert, 1990. Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9 Sound formats DVD: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 Region code: 0 Subtitles: English Booklet notes: English, German, French Running time: 148 mins (95 mins Concert + 53 mins Documentary) | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Valentina Lisitsa: Live at the Royal Albert Hall
Beethoven: | Für Elise (Bagatelle in A minor, WoO59) Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight' | Chopin: | Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 Nocturne No. 13 in C minor, Op. 48 No. 1 Nocturne No. 8 in D flat major, Op. 27 No. 2 | Liszt: | Grande Étude de Paganini, S. 141 No. 3 'La Campanella' Un Sospiro from 3 Concert Studies, S144 No. 3 Liebestraum, S541 No. 3 (Nocturne in A flat major) | Rachmaninov: | Prelude Op. 23 No. 5 in G minor Prelude Op. 32 No. 5 in G major Prelude Op. 32 No. 12 in G sharp minor Prelude Op. 32 No. 10 in B minor Étude-Tableau, Op. 39 No. 6 in A minor | Scriabin: | Deux poèmes, Op. 32 Étude Op. 42 No. 3 in F sharp major 'La Moustique' |
Valentina Lisitsa (piano) The DVD recording of Valentina’s Lisitsa’s 19th of June 2012 Royal Albert Hall concert. With more than 43 million views and over 52,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel, the young pianist is not only one of the fastest-rising stars of the international concert scene but probably the single most-watched classical musician, having rapidly overtaken long-established giants of the piano world in terms of global online viewing figures. “Critics love to trash this kind of 'semi-pops' programme, yet Lisitsa often plays beautifully. While her opening salvo, Rachmaninovs G minor Prelude, is rather rushed and glib, the pianist quickly settles down to a direct and eloquent Fur Elise, followed by a breathtakingly brisk, imaginatively shaded La campanella.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2012 “there's an admirable lightness of touch and appreciation of rhythmic flow to her "Für Elise", and her negotiation of Liszt's "Un Sospiro" is captivating.” The Independent, 7th July 2012 **** “ This recital disc of short piano pops proves Lisitsa's technical skill rather than the potential depth or reach of her musicality. She opens, in reckless mood, with Rachmaninov's Prelude in G Minor, then settles into an elegant Für Elise” The Observer, 9th July 2012 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Lars Vogt live at Verbier FestivalLive recording from the Verbier Festival, July 2011
Lars Vogt's performance at the 2011 Verbier Festival, in the mountains of Switzerland, is an exercise in virtuosity. A challenging program of Janáček, Schubert, Beethoven and Brahms is followed by bonus material including a Mozart concerto and a Chopin nocturne. The German pianist Vogt proves himself more than up to the task, with an inspiring performance of the rarely performed In the Mists, then striking the subtle balance between the delicacy required of a Brahms Intermezzo and the boisterousness of Beethoven's last piano sonata. Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9 Sounds format DVD: PCM Stereo Region code: 0 Booklet notes: English, German, French Running time: 75 min “Charm isn't sprayed around, but you must respect his intelligence..Vogt demonstrates particular care over the shading of dynamics, attack, and inner voicing, as he does indeed in Beethoven's final Sonata. Trouble is, his considered manner often resembles the dissection of a dispassionate surgeon...Yet there are three minutes of genuine poetry on this DVD, in the posthumously published Chopin Nocturne” BBC Music Magazine, December 2012 *** “Throughout this demanding programme Vogt plays with a wonderfully quiet hand, drawing the most lovely tone from the Steinway (Verbier ships in its best instruments for the Festival)...How good to hear one of the least-played of Mozart's miraculous cycle and to have it delivered by Vogt with understated, stylish conviction.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2012 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Nobuyuki Tsujii Live at Carnegie HallRecorded at Carnegie Hall, November 10, 2011
On November 10, 2011, Nobuyuki Tsujii, the blind pianist from Japan who was the winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Gold Medal in 2009 appeared on the stage of Carnegie Hall. His dream had come true. Arguably the most important event in the career of any performer, for “Nobu” it was a miracle. With his brilliant technique and beautiful tone, he contrasts familiar warhorses with newer pieces, including one of his own compositions, written in memory of the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. Nobu brought the usually reserved Carnegie Hall audience to its feet. Interviewed after Nobuyuki Tsujii’s recital, Van Cliburn observed: ‘What a thrill to hear this brilliant, very gifted, fabulous pianist. You feel God’s presence in the room when he plays. His soul is so pure, his music is so wonderful and it goes to infinity, to the highest heaven.’ Picture format: NTSC 16:9 Sound formats: PCM Stereo, HD Master Audio Region code: 0 Booklet notes: English, German, French Running time: 97 mins “An extraordinary gift and phenomenal effort have taken Tsuji's skills a long way, but there are higher levels of interpretation to reach.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2012 *** “he is simply a stunningly gifted pianist. Still, one cannot withhold a sense of wonder while watching him play. How on earth, you ask, does he do it?...don't stop watching after the final [encore]. Something happens that will have you reaching for the tissues. I won't spoil it. You'll have to experience this extraordinary recital for yourself.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2012 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Andris Nelsons, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Yefim Bronfman at the Lucerne Festival, 5th September 2011
Andris Nelsons is one of the most sought-after young conductors on the international scene today and once again served notice of his extraordinary talent in Summer 2011 when he conducted two concerts with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam at the prestigious Lucerne Festival. This concert, available on DVD and Blu-ray features, amongst a programme of Rimsky-Korsakov, Beethoven and Dvořák, the Grammy Award-winning pianist Yefim Bronfman performing Beethoven’s majestic Fifth Piano Concerto and Chopin’s Etude in F major. Andris Nelsons is a regular conductor with many of the world’s top orchestras. Total: 110 minutes DVD: DTS 5.1, PCM Stereo 16:9, HD “every gesture and expression dovetails with what we hear. Subtle yet soaring, these orchestral performances are shaped by a conductor who enjoys every second of his job, and equally enjoys the musicians before him - the superb Concertgebouw players, peerless in technical finesse and the elegant colouring of phrase and line.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2012 *** “Nelsons is engrossed in the music, and it’s impossible not to succumb to his obvious and infectious enthusiasm...That’s one of the unexpected joys of this concert; everyone is clearly having fun...A delightful overture, a competent concerto, and a Scheherazade to die for.” MusicWeb International, July 2012 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Van Cliburn & Claudio Arrau
Beethoven: | Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata' BBC Television Studios, 13 October 1959 Claudio Arrau (piano) Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111 (bonus) BBC Television Studios, 22 June 1960 Claudio Arrau (piano) | Chopin: | Ballade No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 47 BBC Television Studios, 9 June 1959 Van Cliburn (piano) Scherzo No. 3 in C sharp minor, Op. 39 BBC Television Studios, 9 June 1959 Van Cliburn (piano) Fantasia in F minor, Op. 49 BBC Television Studios, 9 June 1959 Van Cliburn (piano) |
As winner of the inaugural Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958, Van Cliburn was lauded by the greats, including Shostakovich, Gilels and Sviatoslav Richter, who is said to have proclaimed ‘he is a pianist, the others are not’. The three Chopin performances on this DVD were filmed by the BBC just one year later, when Cliburn was still very much in his prime. His performances of these three popular Chopin works exude controlled brilliance – grandeur and virtuosity without ostentation. Cliburn’s album entitled ‘My Favourite Chopin’ topped the Billboard charts for 37 weeks – it was the first classical LP in history to sell more than one million copies. The album eventually exceeded triple platinum. Cliburn received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004. Claudio Arrau, recognisable for his rich, sonorous tone and often described as ‘Prince’, ‘Emperor’, and ‘King’ of the keyboard, is an excellent companion to Cliburn on this DVD. Widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, he was renowned for his definitive interpretations of almost every composer he engaged with, although he remains most celebrated for his Beethoven. A recording of Arrau’s ‘Appassionata’, released in 1961 on Columbia, was reviewed in Gramophone at the time as ‘cogent, powerful and dramatic, and sure both in its grasp of the music and in the technical execution of it’. The recording of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4, released on ICA Classics in November 2011, was made just six months before this studio performance. Reviewing this disc on www.classicalsource.com, Colin Anderson praises Arrau’s ‘generous, thoughtful and poetic style’ and ‘purest pianism’. This is the first DVD release of this material. Sound format: Enhanced Mono DVD format: NTSC Picture format: 4:3 Running time: 83’ Subtitles: n/a Menu languages: English Booklet languages: E/F/G Region code: 0 Territory Restrictions: None “Effortless Chopin...forming a dramatic contrast with the concentrated intensity of Arrau in Beethoven's sonatas Nos. 23 and 30” BBC Music Magazine, September 2012 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Menahem Pressler in RecitalRecorded at the Cité de la Musique, Paris, March 2011
For more than 50 years, Menahem Pressler was the driving force of the legendary Beaux Arts Trio, giving 6.000 performances until the trio stopped concertizing in 2009. Menahem Pressler is now returning to a solo career. During this recital filmed at Paris’ Cité de la Musique 2011, Menahem Pressler plays two of the most imposing works in the piano repertoire: Beethoven’s penultimate sonata and Schubert’s last sonata which both require unusual emotional involvement from the performer. Menahem Pressler is the last representative of a pianistic tradition directly connected with the great German and French piano schools: he studied with several pupils of the illustrious Ferruccio Busoni but also received valuable advice from Robert Casadesus or Paul Loyonnet who opened the world of Ravel and Debussy to him. “Pressler’s ability to give all the voices prominence while simultaneously isolating the melody was amazing. His fingers still retain a youthful facility.” The Washington Post Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9 Sound formats DVD: PCM Stereo Region code: 0 Booklet notes: English, German, French Running time: 88 mins “His technique may be somewhat dimmed, but the twinkle of his distinctive sound remains as fresh and beautiful as ever; so, too, his astute pointing of musical structure, and the sheer love with which he communicates these great works...Pierre-Martin Juban's straightforward, well-judged direction provides a fine match between style and subject.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2012 **** “at this recital one can only celebrate a blessedly old-fashioned freedom and intensity...Beautifully and simply filmed, this DVD is a classic tribute to a great artist still active in the autumn of his career, and with only a passing and marginal frailty to suggest his age.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2012 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Sviatoslav Richter in Moscow (Great Hall)
Beethoven: | Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1 Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major, Op. 10 No. 3 Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14 No. 1 Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat major, Op. 26 'March Funebre' Bagatelles (6), Op. 126: No. 1 | Chopin: | Polonaise No. 7 in A flat major, Op. 61 'Polonaise-fantaisie' Waltz No. 4 in F major 'Grande Valse Brillante', Op. 34 No. 3 Waltz No. 13 in D flat major, Op. 70 No. 3 Mazurka No. 41 in C sharp minor, Op. 63 No. 3 Mazurka No. 44 in C major, Op. 67 No. 3 Mazurka No. 48 in F major, Op. 68 No. 3 Mazurka in A minor, Op..posth. Étude Op. 25 No. 7 in C sharp minor Scherzo No. 4 in E major, Op. 54 |
“Towering virtuosity that triumphs over the primitive Russian technology of the mid-1970s, sending out shockwaves of electrifying pianism, apparently without the slightest effort.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2012 ***** “prospective viewers should be aware that the tape is getting on for forty years old now. The sound quality is certainly pretty reasonable...The [Beethoven] playing is crisp, forthright accenting in the left hand setting up energy and dynamism. His Chopin recital is of lighter material, Waltzes and Mazurkas, all of which are played with commitment and energy.” MusicWeb International, January 2013 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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