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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Nobuyuki Tsujii at White Nights
The blind up-and-coming Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii - an astonishing virtuoso on his instrument – performs with the Russian conductor Valery Gergiev at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg. In 2009 he hit the Top Ten of the Japanese Charts with his first album “début”. He also won the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009. At the White Nights Festival he played works by the Russian composers Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich. Here he plays Tchaikovsky’s famous Piano Concerto No. 1. As a bonus Nobuyuki Tsujii performs his own Elegy for the Victims of the Tsunami of March 2011, a stirring and moving piece dedicated to his home country Japan. This performance also includes Shostakovich Symphony No. 14. Live recording from the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, 8 July 2012. Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9 Sound format DVD: DD 5.1, DTS 5.1, PCM Stereo Region code: 0 Booklet notes: English, German, French Running time: 102 mins “The camera lingers revealingly on close-ups of his neat hands, showing how flat the fingers are, and how relaxed their action, and underscoring the fact that through his finely-judged rubato he exercises total authority over tempo. The cadenza has lovely delicacy...But the principal memory one comes away with is his engagingly child-like presence.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2013 **** | 
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| |  | Philippe Jaroussky: La voix des rêvesGreatest Moments on Concerts
Philippe Jaroussky, described by Germany’s Die Zeit as “the Apollo of countertenors’, stands out among his many talented contemporaries as much for the soprano-like beauty of his tone as for the elegance and insight of his interpretations and his adventurous and erudite approach to repertoire – whether unearthing neglected scores by little-known composers or venturing beyond the Baroque into the 19th and 20th centuries. Established as one of Virgin Classics’ bestselling artists, Jaroussky, now aged 34, has been honoured three times in the Victoires de la Musique awards in his native France and has also received Germany’s most prominent music prize, the Echo Klassik. His diverse achievements are saluted in two new collections on Virgin Classics – the 2CD set “The Voice” and the DVD and Blu Ray “La Voix des rêves: Greatest moments in Concert”. “LA VOIX DES RÊVES - Greatest Moments in Concert” (available on DVD & Blu Ray) features video footage from a number of occasions and venues – including items from a concert given among the crystal chandeliers of the splendid Galerie des Glaces in the palace of Versailles, and works by Handel and Vivaldi performed in another jewel of French Baroque architecture, the sumptuously decorated Chapelle de la Trinité in Lyon. Also included are exclusive interviews an array of fellow musicians: Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Emmanuelle Haïm, Christina Pluhar; Jérôme Ducros, Quatuor Ebène, Gautier Capuçon, Marie-Nicole Lemieux and Renaud Capuçon. Jaroussky and his appeal were aptly summarised in a recent profile in the French magazine Balthazar: “Philippe Jaroussky alternates between opera and recitals, bringing his sensual, graceful voice and matinee idol looks, and this has made him a key star of classical music. But his recordings also reveal a skilled musicologist who has revived numerous forgotten artists like the castrato Carestini [and the composers] Johann Christian Bach and Caldara. Jaroussky simply glows. Anyone who has had the opportunity to meet him will find it hard to forget his enthusiastic conversation and his magnetic gaze.” The singer made his passions clear in an interview with Crescendo magazine, revealing that “I don’t like being told I have the ‘voice of an angel’, because that would just mean that it sounds pretty and takes people out of themselves … I want to be able to evoke more human emotions too: sorrow, despair, jealousy.” Speaking to the leading French newspaper Le Monde, he went into more detail on his philosophy as a maturing singer: “Ten years into your career, you reach a certain level of purity in your approach. You are always set on improving – strengthening your high notes, your low notes, your projection or your expressivity – but you also accept what it means to be an artist.” | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Solti: Journey of a lifetimeCelebrating the 100th birthday of Sir Georg Solti
This fantastic documentary, from the director of the very successful DVD Carlos Kleiber - I am lost to the world, celebrates the 100th birthday of Sir Georg Solti. He was one of the 20th Century’s most brilliant conductors and a leading figure of musical culture world-wide. The documentary follows the Hungarian-Jewish conductor’s career: As Toscanini’s assistant at the Salzburg Festival, as Music Director in Munich and Frankfurt after the war, achieving world-wide fame with his legendary recording of Wagner’s Ring cycle. It was as the long-serving Music Director at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra that Solti became an international start of classical music. These stops form the central points of the film. Many great musicians like Valery Gergiev and Dohnànyi have great memories to share. Picture Format: 16:9, HD Sound Format: PCM Stereo Running Time: 107 minutes (documentary 52 minutes, bonus 55 minutes) Booklet: English, German, French Subtitles: English spoken version, German spoken version, Subtitles: French, Spanish, Korean AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE “Talking heads opine that Solti's career only soared after Bohm retired and Karajan died...it does provide some remarkable anecdotes...such as Solti becoming great cronies with Theodor Adorno...Most significantly, though, this also includes a solid sample of everyday Solti.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2013 **** “Solti is a documentary director's dream...there is always so much to look at even when he's sitting still..There is much skilfully sequenced archive footage...even if the director finds it hard to linger on his subject doing what he did best.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2013 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Andris Nelsons and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra at Lucerne Festival, 4th 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. In this concert (available on DVD and Blu-ray) orchestra and conductor demonstrate their brilliance in some of the most spectacular orchestral works ever written. Total: 100 minutes DVD: DTS 5.1, PCM Stereo Picture 16:9, HD “the percussive glitter of Salome's dance is dispatched with Bartokian verve and dispassion...He treats new tempi as points of arrival rather than departure...bringing a human warmth to a structure that often derives its impact from implacable (not to say dour) relentlessness and encouraging his wind soloists to phrase personally and vocally...if you don't care for Shostakovich, you may find this performance surprisingly convincing.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2012 “It's an oddly balanced programme, but Nelson's passionate engagement and facial expressiveness in every facet, always balanced by his discipline with or without a baton, hold the spell...the monumental Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 has to be the reason for giving the concert permanence, and how singularly Nelsons plumbs its depths.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2012 ***** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Fellini, Jazz & Co.Recorded live at Waldbühne, Berlin, 2011
The Waldbühne in Berlin is one of Europe’s ideal outdoor amphitheatres. It is home to the Berlin Philharmonic’s summer concerts, which are among the most popular classical events in the world, attracting audiences of 20,000 or more people. In July 2011 the orchestra, under the ebullient direction of Riccardo Chailly, presented this concert of effervescent works by Dmitri Shostakovich, Nino Rota and Ottorino Respighi. All three composers possessed an unerring instinct for composing music that is guaranteed to please the ear of the listener. In their own individual ways, each of them powerfully demonstrates a phenomenal handling of tone colour. Their music sparkles with light one moment and lurks in the shadows the next. Riccardo Chailly is famous for having one of the broadest repertoires in the business, ranging from the orchestral highways of Beethoven, Brahms and Bruckner through to the 20th century byways via Bach, the core operatic repertoire and almost anything else - he is an omnivore, with the brilliance to match. Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9 Sounds formats DVD: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 Region code: 0 Booklet notes: English, German, French Running time: 105 mins “Respighi's Pines and Fountains of Rome sound absolutely ravishing here - one can only sit in awe at such fine-tuned (in every way) virtuosity...Bravo!” International Record Review, June 2012 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Berliner Philharmoniker: Yutaka SadoRecorded live from the Philharmonie, Berlin, May, 20th 2011
This production is a Charity Concert for the victims of the Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster from March 11th 2011. The profit generated will be donated to a special section of the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS), which was especially founded for earthquake victims: “Japan: Earthquake and Tsunami”, and will therefore be distributed directly among the population affected. Immediate help for the Japanese people in need is thus guaranteed. With this concert Yutaka Sado makes his Philharmonic debut and will be the first Japanese to conduct the renowned orchestra since Seiji Ozawa several years ago. Critics have unanimously hailed Yutaka Sado as one of the most enthralling and charismatic conductors of the new generation. The long-time assistant of Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa was awarded the most important conductor’s prizes, e.g. the Premier Grand Prix at the 39th International Conducting Competition and the Grand Prix du Concours International L. Bernstein Jerusalem. Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9 Sounds formats DVD: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 Region code: 0 Subtitles: English Booklet notes: English, German, French Running time: 107 mins (91 mins concert + 16 mins bonus) “[Sado] digs unostentatiously deep in both the fluid and monumental aspects of this concert, given to raise funds for the Japanese earthquake and tsunami disaster. Much in the two chosen works is both complementary and appropriate...A short interview with Sado tells us little; but what he achieves in performance is unquestionably beyond words.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2012 **** “I like Takemitsu best when there's rigorous tension put between his soft-focus, stylised figurations...Here the balance is perfect...After Takemitsu, Shostakovich's urgent 'listen to this' message, each harmonic sidestep loaded with interference, is a shock. I like the dynamic detail Sado lavishes on the first movement...And another sound reason to buy this DVD: all proceeds will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross to help victims of the 2011 tsunami.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2012 **** “a performance of alluring poise. Some may find the seamless tonal blend and peerless technical accomplishment over-manicured (even counter-productive) bearing in mind the music's historical context, but taken on its own terms one can hardly help but be galvanized by its supreme expertise.” International Record Review, June 2012 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Leonard Bernstein conducts ShostakovichRecorded live Concert: live recording from the Royal Festival Hall, London, 9 June 1968
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. Sourced from the BBC Archive. Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony is given an electrifying reading by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of the great Leonard Bernstein. His innate musicality and commanding presence is complemented by his unbounded energy, embracing the majestic properties of this great work. As a bonus, this DVD offers an enthralling glimpse of Bernstein in rehearsal with the orchestra. 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 “Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 in a searing rendering from the LSO and Bernstein, but marred by variable sound in this 1966 broadcast.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2011 ***** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Martha Argerich live at Verbier FestivalRecorded live at during the Verbier Festival, Switzerland, 22 July 2009 (Beethoven, Scarlatti) and 17 July 2010 (Shostakovich, Bizet).
Martha Argerich proves once again her great pianistic technique in a wave of virtuosity, performing emblematic works of the greatest composers ever. Martha Argerich has long been hailed as one of the greatest and most uniquely imaginative pianists. She is most admired for the pure joy of her music-making and her individual approach to each work, each situation and each audience. The Verbier Festival, held each summer in the Swiss Alps, has developed over eighteen years into one of the most important classical music festivals in Europe, bringing together great musical talent and dedicated music lovers alike from across the globe. Martha Argerich celebrates her 70th birthday on the 5 June 2011. Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9 Sounds formats DVD: PCM Stereo Region code: 0 Booklet notes: English, German, French Running time: 87 min FSK: 0 “Both directors capture [Argerich's] unique artistry...she sets about the down-to-earth matter of sublime music-making, pulling all her colleagues into her spell...Takacs-Nagy partners Argerich sensitively. Using no baton - just the occasional pencil - he never loses sight of the landscape in a quest for its fruits, and his way of shaping long phrases and building paragraphs is as special as his airy rhythms and attention to inner voices.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2011 ***** “Most pianists a quarter of her age would struggle to match her. One can only marvel at the depth of expression, spontaneity, sense of discovery and playfulness she brings to [the Beethoven]...Just when you think everyone is in top gear, the whole ensemble shifts up another notch - and then goes into overdrive. Thrilling stuff.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2011 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Martha Argerich & Mischa Maisky
At one of her rare appearances with orchestra, Martha Argerich, the grande dame of the piano, joined forces with world-famous cellist Mischa Maisky and the fabulous Lucerne Symphony Orchestra for the world premiere of a newly commissioned work by Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin – “Romantic Offering”, a double concerto for piano, cello and orchestra dedicated to its very first soloists. “I’ve attempted to depict and highlight the most distinctive individual qualities of these two musicians … Romantic Offering should inspire new thoughts and experiences. Music isn’t only the product of experiment. It should move your soul and touch your heart.” Rodion Shchedrin The programme was rounded off by late-Romantic masterpieces by César Franck, Antonín Dvořák and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony under the baton of renowned maestro Neeme Järvi. BONUS: Behind the Scenes of a WORLD PREMIERE with Rodion Shchedrin, Martha Argerich and Mischa Maisky. Picture Format DVD: NTSC 16:9 Sound Formats DVD: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, PCM Stereo Region Code: 0 (worldwide) Running Time: 111:36 min Running Time Bonus: 16:20 min Disc Format: DVD 9 FSK: 0 “There's plenty of contrast [in the Shchedrin]: the misalliance of the two soloists, who only really come together in the climbing apotheosis; the cello in extreme registers; the piano's toccata mania; and all of it done with the highest artistry. Argerich is superb in every nuance.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2011 ***** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | The Grand Organ of Canterbury Cathedral
This fascinating new release is the latest in Priory's series of DVDs and as usual features a full length programme played by John Robinson, the assistant organist and former organ scholar of St. John's College, Cambridge. It also includes a CD of the recital. | | | Usually despatched in 8 - 10 working days. |
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