DVD Videos

Stage Director - Claus Guth

Recorded live at the Theater an der Wien, 2009

Claus Guth, one of the most interesting and successful German stage directors in the area of theatrical music, has created a unique concept for the staging of Handel’s most famous work.

Winner of the Diapason d'Or and the BBC Music Magazine Award, Spinosi and Ensemble Matheus is internationally acclaimed for its interpretations of early music on authentic period instruments.

Video director Hannes Rossacher, internationally known as one of the leading video directors for rock and pop events (Rolling Stones), has captured this unique performance of the oratorio on film.

NB: This production (and the video-clip on this page) contains scenes of a sexual nature.

Recorded: Teatro Carignano Torino, June 16-19th 2009.

Dynamic is proud to present the World Première Recording of Handel’s Aci Galatea e Polifemo.

Davide Livermore, the director, makes this 2009 production both enjoyable and interesting to watch. It has been recorded in the newely restored and beautiful Teatro Carignano in Turin and features Sara Mingardo, Ruth Rosique and Atonio Abete in the leading roles.

Based on the well-known mythological story narrated by Ovid in the Metamorphoses, this is a classical tale of jealousy and love. The giant Polyphemus tries to force his attention on the fair sea-nymph Galatea, who is in love with the shepherd Aci. When mad jealousy drives Polyphemus to kill his rival, Galatea asks her father Nereus to turn Aci’s blood into a river so that, flowing into the sea, he will join her forevermore.

“Her voice is velvety smooth and beguilingly sensual, and she has a technique capable of tackling the most florid Baroque arias with grace.” The Times on a 2010 performance at Wigmore Hall featuring Sara Mingardo

Picture Format: 16:9

Sound Format: LPCM 2.0

Region Code: 0 – All regions

Running Time: 98 minutes

Notes: ITA - ENGL - GER - FRE

Subtitles: ITA - ENGL - GER - FRE - SPA

Harry Christophers and The Sixteen have long been celebrated for their interpretations of Handel’s great masterpieces. In this BBC Prom from the Royal Albert Hall they capture some of the composer’s most ebullient moments in concert performance, from the ever popular Arrival of the Queen of Sheba to the ubiquitous sounds of Zadok the Priest. All Four Coronation Anthems feature on this DVD as well as virtuosic excerpts from the oratorio Semele sung by Carolyn Sampson, and the Organ Concerto in F major performed by Alastair Ross in its original version which finishes with a rousing ‘Alleluia’ chorus.

Bonus features include two works not shown in the BBC Two broadcast - Coronation Anthem My heart is inditing and Salve Regina.

Bonus Features include:

Exclusive Interview with Harry Christophers.

Bonus Tracks:

Coronation Anthem My heart is inditing

Salve Regina (Carolyn Sampson soprano)

Artist Biographies and Images

When one of Germany’s most famous filmmakers and stimulating operatic directors focuses her creativity on a rarely performed Handel opera, the result is a “mixture of dancers and singers, comedy and pathos” (The Times). “Admeto”, one of Handel’s most popular operas in his lifetime, was premiered in London in January 1727. Doris Dörrie, whose Japan-inspired feature film “Cherry Blossoms – Hanami” was a major German box-office hit and won several international awards, returns to her beloved Japan in this production. Flowing robes, translucent panels and the participation of Japan’s Mamu Dance Theater and ist choreographer/dancer Tadashi Endo add an evocative dimension to the work whose lead roles were written for a popular castrato and two rivaling primadonnas. Sensitively directed for video by Agnes Méth, who worked with Dörrie on Mozart’s “La finta giardiniera” at the Salzburg Festival (available as part of the M22 cycle by UNITEL), the opera is played by Nicholas McGegan’s FestspielOrchester Göttingen on period instruments. For this production, a coproduction of the Internationale Händel- Festspiele in Göttingen and the Edinburgh International Festival on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death, Doris Dörrie was awarded the Edinburgh Festival’s prestigious Herald Angel Award.

For Handel´s Admeto, Oscar® nominated film director Doris Doerrie – winner of the 2009 Edinburgh International Festival´s prestigious Herald Angel Award – returns to her beloved subject of Japan. In vividly coloured and brilliantly realized set pieces, one of Handel´s most popular operas receives a stunning transformation into the stylish ritualized world of samurai culture. “It´s brilliantly played by the period-instrument FestspielOrchester Goettingen, conducted with fine sensibility and sensuality by Nicholas McGegan” (The Times). “In Doerrie´s production … 200 minutes of music fly by” (The Times)

Stage Director: Bernd Lepel

Doris Dörrie and Tadaschi Endo received an Oscar® Nomination in 2008 for Best Foreign Language Film (“Cherry Blossoms – Hanami”).

This production received the prestigious Herald Angel Award, Edinburgh International Festival 2009.

Film and Opera director Doris Dörrie directed successful Operas in Salzburg and Munich.

Recorded live at the Internationale Handel-Festspiele Göttingen, Deutsches Theatre 2009.

“It´s brilliantly played … directed with fine sensibility and sensuality. Weird but delightful.” 5 stars The Times

"Handel would have enjoyed this enchanting shadow theater" Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Bonus Baroque and Butoh (22 minutes)

Picture Format: NTSC 16:9

Sound Format: DTS 5.1 PCM Stereo

Region Code: 0

Duration: 181 minutes + 22 minutes bonus material

Recorded: live at the Internationale Handel-Festspiele Gottingen Deutsches Theatre 2009

Subtitles: English Italian German French

A beautiful scenic film by Olivier Simonnet. Filmed in high-definition widescreen.

Cecilia Bartoli sings virtuoso arias from her Sacrificium album, on location in and around the spectacular baroque palace of Caserta in Southern Italy.

This unique film shows Cecilia Bartoli in full costume singing a selection of showpiece arias written for the castrato stars of the Neapolitan school.

Ravishing locations including the Court Theatre, the stunning Vestibule and the Palace Gardens.

Arias include Handel's 'Ombra mai fu' and Broschi's 'Son qual nave' - previously only available in the deluxe version of the album.

The film also showcases the leading Italian period ensemble Il Giardino Armonico under their director Giovanni Antonini.

Special bonus features include an illustrated interview in which Cecilia Bartoli talks about the Sacrificium project, and a visual guide to the Palace, town and region of Caserta.

Christopher Hogwood conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and a distinguished cast including Danielle de Niese and Charles Workman in Wayne McGregor's new production of Handel's opera in which The Royal Opera and The Royal Ballet appear in a rare and beautifully crafted collaboration. Filmed with High Definition cameras and recorded in true surround sound.

“Charles Workman and Danielle de Niese had bags of vocal and personal charm in the title roles, with strong contributions from Matthew Rose as Polyphemus and Paul Agnew and Ji-Min Park as attendant shepherds; among the dancers, special praise to Lauren Cuthbertson as Galatea's frolicking nymph. …An evening of exquisite sensual pleasure.” The Telegraph

Extra features:

Illustrated synopsis

Cast gallery

Documentary: Staging Acis and Galatea

Running time 110 mins

Region code All regions

Picture format 16:9 Anamorphic

Sound format 2.0 PCM & 5.0 DTS

Menu language EN

Subtitles FR/DE/ES (extra features only)

The acclaimed actor and writer Simon Callow returns for a second tour as host and narrator of Classical Destinations. This unique TV series combines travel to some of the most amazing cities in Europe with their history, great stories and classical music in a unique and spectacular format.

Together with their Artistic Director Richard Tognetti, the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) joins Simon as he discovers the great composers by exploring beautiful cities and regions of Europe that inspired them to write the music that has endured for years.

'I believe we’ve put together a remarkable selection of music that represents the best of the composers featured. The ACO performs in every episode of the series with over 100 minutes of new recordings.' Richard Tognetti

Running time: 5hrs 25mins

Special Features: 36mins

16:9 Widescreen

All regions

DVD9: Dual layer

“I would happily sit in King’s College Chapel listening to this choir sing for the rest of my days.” (Richard Morrison, The Times)

“Stephen Cleobury’s interpretation ticked all the boxes, with choir and orchestra impeccably balanced and soloists glowing.” (The Independent)

Following the rush-release on CD of the live recording of Handel’s Messiah earlier this year, EMI Classics is now proud to announce the release of the DVD of this extraordinary performance in the magnificent setting of the Chapel of King’s College. The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, and the Academy of Ancient Music are conducted by Stephen Cleobury with soloists Ailish Tynan, Alice Coote, Allan Clayton and Matthew Rose.

The DVD of the concert on Palm Sunday 2009 was filmed and produced by Opus Arte.

This Messiah performance was at the heart of the fifth annual Easter at King’s festival and commemorated both the 250th anniversary of the death of George Frideric Handel and the 800th anniversary of the University of Cambridge. The concert was carried via satellite – a first for a live choral concert - and was screened in over 85 cinemas across Europe and North America. Further cinema broadcasts are planned in the US and Canada in November/ December 2009 (maybe in Europe as well), possibly in a 3D version. Further details of these broadcasts will be announced shortly.

The DVD and previously-released CD join the chart-topping CD, England, My England, released in July 2009 and a new live recording of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, to be released in November 2009 as ideal Christmas gifts from the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, and EMI Classics.

George Frideric Handel’s crowning masterpiece, his oratorio Messiah, was a hit at its premiere in April 1742 and remains among the most popular works in Western choral literature. A native of Germany, the composer lived in England from 1712, where he was considered one of the leading musical figures of his day. In 1741, the year in which he wrote Messiah, however, Handel found himself on the verge of bankruptcy, depressed and broken following the failure of several of his operas. In London it was even being said that his career as a composer was over.

Not so in Ireland, where the Lord Lieutenant and governors of three charitable organisations invited Handel to Dublin to conduct a performance of one of his works for charity. Having recently completed his oratorio Messiah, the composer decided to use the invitation as an opportunity to present this new work to the world. The premiere – at Neal’s Music Hall in Dublin in 1742 – was eagerly awaited by the Dublin public and the hall was sold out.

Handel based Messiah on a libretto by Charles Jennens that employs verses from the bible to present the life of Jesus. The work is in three sections: the Advent and Christmas; Christ’s passion; and the events told in the Revelation to St. John. While the composer intended the oratorio to be secular theatre, today Messiah is performed equally in churches and concert halls, by professionals and amateurs alike, usually during Lent (prior to Easter) or Advent (prior to Christmas).

The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge is the world’s most famous choir and one of today’s most accomplished and renowned representatives of the great British choral tradition. The Choir dates back to the 1400s and consists of 16 choristers and 14 choral scholars. Its international reputation, established by the radio broadcast worldwide of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols each Christmas Eve, has been consolidated by regular international tours and by the critical and commercial success of its EMI Classics releases. The most recent releases by the Choir, under exclusive contract with EMI Classics, include England, My England, a patriotic collection of English choral favourites that has been at the top of the UK classical artist charts this summer, the stunning selection of Tudor anthems I Heard a Voice, Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem, Purcell’s Music for Queen Mary with the Academy of Ancient Music, John Rutter’s Gloria, Magnificat and Psalm 150 with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Heavenly Voices, in which the Boys of King’s College Choir, in their first solo recording for the label, perform works by Franck, Mendelssohn, Fauré, John Ireland and Patrick Hadley.

The Academy of Ancient Music (AAM), founded in 1973 by Christopher Hogwood, is one of the world’s first and foremost period-instrument orchestras. It takes its name from a London concert society established in 1726 for the purpose of studying and performing ‘old’ music, which was initially defined as music composed at least a century earlier, but soon came to include more ‘contemporary’ composers. The present-day Academy of Ancient Music has performed across six continents and made over 250 recordings, including many pioneering discs under Christopher Hogwood. In addition to making numerous recordings of baroque repertoire, especially Handel, the AAM was the first orchestra to record all of Mozart’s symphonies on period instruments and has since recorded the complete piano concertos and symphonies of Beethoven. It is also recording the Mozart piano concertos with fortepianist Robert Levin and the complete Haydn symphonies. At the start of the 2006-07 season, Christopher Hogwood assumed the title of Emeritus Director and Richard Egarr became Music Director.

“Stephen Cleobury's interpretation … served Handel's piece well….the understanding between the orchestra and the Choir of King's College was remarkable. … the atmosphere in the Chapel, as well as in the cinema, was one of evocative majesty. … Former Young Artist of the Royal Opera Ailish Tynan made Handel's piece shine … One of the finest interpreters of the Baroque repertoire, Coote pushed her expressive power to the extreme. Her engagement with the text was almost surreal … Mimetic camera movements accompanied the singing … providing the audience in cinemas with another level of engagement.” (www.musicalcriticism.com)

"Barockstar" tells the story of Handel‘s life as he journeyed through baroque Europe, leaving Germany for Italy and experiencing Florence, Rome and Venice, before arriving in London to begin the career that would bring him a worldwide reputation. The film shows the original locations in Halle, Rome, Venice, Florence and London that Handel himself visited. Stars and specialists in today‘s baroque music scene and descendants of Handel‘s friends and sponsors talk about their encounters with the maestro and his work, including Christopher Hogwood and Alan Curtis, Andrea Marcon, Trevor Pinnock and Howard Arman, Sandrine Piau, Christine Schäfer and Klara Ek, Handel expert Donald Burrows Prince Ruspoli-Sforza and Princess Claudia Ruspoli.

Handel‘s music is performed by The English Concert, the Händelfestspielorchester Halle, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and Il Complesso Barocco.

Special Features : Notes and commentaries by Donald Burrows, Alan Curtis, Christopher Hogwood, Andrea Marcon, Martin Wild and others; Excerpts from Handel House Museum London, Bartholomäuskirche Halle (Saale) and The Foundling Museum ; About “Handel and Ruspoli”, The Handel organ in Vallerano” and “Handel and Hendrix”

Sound Format: DD 2.0

DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC

Picture Format: 16:9

Running Time: 60 mins + 18 mins bonus

FSK: 0

Subtitle Languages: IT, FR, JP