DVD Videos

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

Music by Ravel, Offenbach, Chabrier, Fauré, Debussy, Saint-Saëns and Godard

In 2011 the Berliner Philharmoniker and their musical director Sir Simon Rattle welcomed in the New Year with a gala concert programmed with ‘Dances & Dreams’.

Spinetingling and inspiring performances of music by Dvořák, Ravel, Richard Strauss, Stravinsky and Brahms are complemented by the extraordinary talent of the multi-awarded Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin. Kissin’s musicality, the depth and poetic quality of his interpretations, and his extraordinary virtuosity have placed him at the forefront of today’s pianists, and his passionate performance of the renowned Piano Concerto in A minor by Edvard Grieg is mesmerizing.

Kissin's musicality, the depth and poetic quality of his interpretations, and his extraordinary virtuosity have placed him at the forefront of today's pianists.

Picture format: NTSC 16:9

Sound formats: PCM Stereo, DD 5.0, DTS 5.0

Region code: All (worldwide)

Booklet notes: English, German, French

Running time: 89 mins

The Places • The tour opens with views of the Camargue, the marshy region near Arles with its wild life. Views of the Côte d’Azur are intercut with glimpses of the Munich Glyptothek with its collections of Roman and Greek statuary. Near Arles is the ancient Abbey of Montmajour and the fortified monastery and Abbey on Saint-Honorat, one of the Iles de Lérins. In Arles we see the Roman theatre and necropolis and, at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, the remains of the ancient Gallo-Greek town of Glanum.

The Music • Music for the tour includes Debussy’s evocative Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, two Gymnopédies by Erik Satie and Ravel’s two suites from his ballet Daphnis et Chloé, followed by his Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet.

Video Format • NTSC / Colour / 4:3

Audio Format • DTS 5.1 / Dolby Digital 5.1 / PCM Stereo 2.0

Region Coding • No Region Coding

Ten years after his death, the Paris Opera Ballet paid homage to the American choreographer who considered the Paris Opera his second home after New York City Ballet, Jerome Robbins. The three pieces performed here illustrate not only the diversity of the choreographer’s repertoire and sources of inspiration, but also his love of music and his all-embracing attitude to the performing arts. Jerome Robbins brought new energy to classical dance, introducing 20th-century urban rhythms, confirming its status as a modern entertainment form and instilling it with the interrogations of contemporary theatre.

'En Sol', set to Maurice Ravel’s 'Concerto en sol', follows no particular narrative line or dramatic effect. Echoing the music’s jazzy invitations and light-heartedly copying Broadway style, this is a light and joyous piece for two soloists and an ensemble. It provided Jerome Robbins with an opportunity to reveal the relaxed, fluid feel so emblematic of his style.

'In the Night' and 'The Concert' are two tributes to Frederic Chopin. Robbins transforms 'The Nocturnes' into 'In the Night', a long and poetic pas de deux built, whereas 'The Concert' joins the ranks of the few comic ballets in the history of dance.

Lastly, Benjamin Millepied, who made his dance debut with Robbins in New York, dedicates his second creation for the Paris Opera Ballet, 'Triade', to the choreographer. “Dance is composed of human relations”, Robbins used to say. A worthy heir to his master, Benjamin Millepied matches this credo through a fruitful dialogue with composer Nico Muhly.

Recorded live at the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Lisbon, 1 May 2003

Maria João Pires is one of the most sought-after Mozart pianists.

Berliner Philharmoniker – one of the best orchestras in the world.

Pierre Boulez enjoys excellent reputation as one of the greatest Bartók conductors ever.

Spectacular location – World Heritage Site ‘Mosteiro dos Jerónimos’ – an impressive monastery built in the early 16th century

Bonus: A Portrait of Lisbon • Behind-the-Scenes Picture Gallery

Including the EuroArts & Idéale Audience Catalogue - this catalogue brings together two prestigious audio-visual production companies: EuroArts in Germany and Idéale Audience in France. We are proud to present over 350 DVDs and Blu-ray Discs and look forward to up to 50 new releases in 2012.

Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9

Sounds formats DVD: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1

Region code: 0

Languages: English, German, French

Running time: 120 mins (Performance & Bonus)

German FSK: 0

The Places

The region of southern France known as Provence has enjoyed a varied history, occupied by Ligurian and Celtic tribes, followed by Greek settlers, and finally by absorption into the Roman Empire. The succeeding centuries brought invasions, then rule by the Counts of Toulouse, before the region became, by inheritance, part of France. The local language, the langue d’oc, reflects something of this history, as do surviving popular customs. The Roman period is represented by surviving buildings, the Middle Ages by the Romanesque and Gothic.

The Music

Music for the tour consists of string quartets by Claude Debussy and by Maurice Ravel, thirteen years his junior. Debussy’s String Quartet, Op. 10, dates from 1893, while Ravel’s single string quartet was written in 1902. Both works are highly characteristic of their relative composers.

Video Format • NTSC / Colour / 4:3

Audio Format • DTS 5.1 / Dolby Digital 5.1 / PCM Stereo 2.0

Region Coding • No Region Coding

A true celebration is to welcome the New Year with one of the best orchestras in the world. The Gala from Berlin 2003 presents the outstanding Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle with works by Maurice Ravel (“Pavane pour une infante défunte”; “La Valse”; Daphnis et Chloé, Suite Nr. 2) and Songs by George Gershwin.

Vocal soloist of this evening is the fabulous Jazz diva Dianne Reeves.

Grammy Award-winner Dianne Reeves was born into a musically gifted family in Detroit. With her rich, expressive natural voice, her rhythmic

Grammy Award-winner Dianne Reeves was born into a musically gifted family in Detroit. With her rich, expressive natural voice, her rhythmic virtuosity and improvisational ease, she was clearly born of jazz.

Wonderful cross-over approach - an example of two musical worlds joined to truly entertain - at the highest level.

Picture format: NTSC - 16:9

Sounds formats: PCM Stereo, 5.1 Surround (non-native)

Region code: 0

Booklet notes: English, German, French

Running time: 91 mins

German FSK: 0

The internationally renowned pianist Joaquín Achúcarro has been described as ‘the consummate artist’ and ‘the leading pianist from Spain’; he has won plaudits and prizes around the world.

In 2000 he was named ‘Artist for Peace’ by UNESCO in recognition of his extraordinary artistic achievements.

This DVD presents an evocative recital of Spanish-inspired music, given by Achúcarro in Madrid, and a triumphant performance of Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle, recorded in Berlin.

Including a note by Joaquín Achúcarro written for this release.

“I have only heard this sound from Rubinstein” Zubin Mehta

“There is something special with Achucarro. Very few musicians can extract this kind of sound from the piano” Sir Simon Rattle

Picture format: NTSC - 16:9

Sounds formats: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1

Region code: 0

Booklet notes: English, German, French

Running time: 27 mins (Berlin) + 75 mins (Madrid)

FSK: 0