DVD Videos

András Schiff, born in 1953 in Budapest, is nowadays one of the most appreciated and distinguished pianists in the world. Magically, he brings life into pieces, makes them breathing and swinging and keeps up almost forgotten ideals of piano playing.

Thus, he is not only a great pianist, but also a professional whose view is not limited on piano music, but who has wide knowledge of the broad field of macro culture. This enables him to play the piano which always makes sense to his own point of view.

Surely Bach’s French Suites, which he composed during his years at Cöthen (1717–1723), are among the finest inducements to practise that any teacher has ever made to a pupil. In this case Bach wrote them for his young wife, Anna Magdalena. The over-riding impression left by these suites is one of endearing tunefulness. Clavier-Übung II is a later collection of didactic keyboard pieces. It comprises two greatly contrasted works: the Italian Concerto and the Overture in the French Style. These performances admirably demonstrate the thoughtful and persuasive approach that András Schiff adopts when performing Bach.

The Concert Recording is accompanied with some interviews with András Schiff, which enriches and completes the great experience of the concert. During the interview, Schiff sits at the Steinway piano and explains the French Suites which J. S. Bach composed during 1722 and 1725 for Cembalo, but also its closeness to Bach’s Goldberg variations and Orchestra suites. He plays a short passage of a Suite, explains it and plays again, but then he interrupts himself once again. This happens without script but with refreshing spontaneity and directness. Completing this part, you can see András Schiff at the Thomas Church and Bach Museum where he talks about Bach’s years in Leipzig, his musical and personal development.

Bonus: Schiff explains Bach

Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9

Sounds formats DVD: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1

Region code: 0

Bonus-Original Language: German

Bonus-Subtitles: English, French

Running time: 168 mins (134 mins Performance + 34 mins Bonus)

FSK: 0

Bonus feature: Ida Haendel in conversation with Giselle Brodsky, Founder and Artistic Director of the Miami International Piano Festival. Color, stereo, 4:3, 66 mins. (recital) plus 59 mins. (bonus), all regions.

Five decades after his first appearance on stage the legendary Barenboim plays a special anniversary concert in the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires.

A touching encounter between the pianist and the enthusiastic audience of his home country Argentina.

Main Program includes favourite piano works by Beethoven, Mozart and Albeniz.

Presenting not less than 13 encores by Chopin, Schumann, Villa-Lobos, Scarlatti, to name just a few.

“A transatlantic superstar, one half of the classical music world's most golden ever couple, and long-time leader of two of the world's foremost orchestras, Daniel Barenboim nevertheless maintains a work schedule that takes him all over the world. Both a pianist and conductor, he says simply, ‘I like to work and I like variety." BBC

Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9

Sounds formats DVD: PCM Stereo, DD 5.0, DTS 5.0

Region code: 0

Booklet notes: English, German, French

Subtitles: English, German, French

Running time: 140 mins (Concert) / 90 mins (Documentary)

In her book and DVD project “Using Technique and Imagination to achieve Artistic Expression”, Quintessence in 3 parts, the famous cellist Maria Kliegel opens up a new avenue that is intended to help advanced cellists over these obstacles. Using numerous examples from the cello repertoire, the book is a distillation of her experience.

The 2 DVDs provide a demonstration of the cello techniques, for the bow and for the left-hand, described in the book. Maria Kliegel also plays and analyzes the ”infamous” passages from the Cello Concertos by Haydn (D) and Schumann and from Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations.

“… I strongly recommend her book and demonstration DVDs to all.” Janos Starker

“… She is talented not only in interpreting but also in analysis of the technical cello elements …” Mstislav Rostropovich

“… Having read and studied Maria Kliegel‘s treatise on the cello I have only words of gratitude …” Bernhard Greenhouse, Beaux Arts Trio

Total Running Time: DVD 1 - 260 mins DVD 2 – 240 mins

NTSC: No Region Coding

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Dual Layer Disc • Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo •

Dolby Surround 5.0

Worldwide Available

Recorded in 2008

At the age of seventeen, Irina Chistyakova looks back at an international concert career spanning ten years. Irina is the youngest of the four protagonists of the film „Russia's Wonder Children“ made in 2000. By now seventeen years old, she is going through a drama that many prodigies experience: while they were children, they were able to stun audiences with the contrast of their delicate appearances and precocious talents. Now, only perfectly accomplished performances matter. In consequence they have become COMPETITORS in the merciless music industry. They all want to get right to the top – but it is tough scaling the dizzy heights to the top of the piano-players' olympus. There's only space for a handful of piano virtuosos.

Like Irina, Nikita Mndoyants (18), Dmitry Krutogolovy (19), and Elena Kolesnichenko (25), are still showered with praise and distinction. But what price did they have to pay for it? Did a barely experienced childhood leave its marks on their psyche? Irina has already had her share of backache, tendonitis and neuritis. Is the constant physical exertion by endless daily practice sessions really justifiable? If they want to become concert pianists, it is inevitable.

The pain – both physical and psychological – is a daily companion and must be overcome somehow. And it is incredibly difficult to add something new, refreshing, something of one's own to the international reservoir of piano ideas.

The film COMPETITORS tells a universal tale of success and failure in the world of classical music. Approaching the four protagonists very closely and combined with moving flashbacks from the film "Russia's Wonder Children", it will become a poetical study with a deeply human touch of four young people growing up under the severe pressure of a just about inhumane competitive strife.

Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9

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

Region code: 0

Original Language: Russian

Subtitles: English, German, French

Booklet notes: English, German, French

Running time: 98 mins

FSK: 0

Spectral Strands, with works for viola, both with and without electronics, interpreted by the most outstanding contemporary viola player, combines with the literally brilliant video material, a unique conjunction of sound, space and images. Garth Knox’s collaboration with video artist Brian O’Reilly has resulted in an audiovisual programme where the audible and visible correspondences of light, shadow, texture and colour and their fragmentation offer new ways of perception.

Although the rainbow is a familiar object, the discovery that ordinary white light can be split into a spectacular spectrum of bands of light remains a source of wonder. With the advent of spectral music the same process was applied to sound, and the no less spectacular sound spectrums obtained with the help of the computer excited a whole generation of composers. The music, with its abstract but particularly emotional qualities and the video, in its play with barely recognisable forms and objects which dissolve into patterns, coloured surfaces and rhythms establish in the selected works consistent references to each other. It is precisely in this special relationship that hearing extends itself into seeing and vice versa.

NTSC, Dolby Digital AC 3, 5.0 or Stereo

Country code: 0 , Languages: German/English

Running time: 56:44 minutes

Frédéric Chopin Year 2010 coincides with the 60th anniversary of Daniel Barenboim’s stage début, and as a pianist he has decided to devote this year to the great Romantic master of the keyboard.

Chopin was born on 1 March 1810 in a small village near Warsaw, and on the eve of the 200th anniversary of this date Barenboim gave this wildly acclaimed Warsaw recital as part of an extensive European tour.

The program comprised some of the composer’s best-known works, including the great B flat minor Sonata with its famous Funeral March, which sounded to many “as the composer may well have imagined it”.

While Chopin used to advise his piano scholars to take singing lessons, Barenboim, as an experienced conductor of operas is most familiar with the human voice as well. With his brilliant virtuosity, he lead the audience through a most colorful program, once again proving his talent for this composer.

Picture Format DVD: NTSC 16:9

Sound Formats DVD: Dolby Digital 5.1., DTS 5.1, PCM Stereo

Region Code: 0 (worldwide)

Running Time: 90:45

Disc Format: DVD 9

FSK: 0

The first release in ‘L’Opéra Français Collection’ series of DVDs, covering the diverse repertoire of French Opera, although this one concentrates on a key figure in English history – Henry VIII. This first DVD comes in glowing 5.1 surround sound, complete with English subtitles.

This new DVD (with a free bonus CD containing specially recorded performances of some of the works) is a release by Priory of the BBC programmes that were recorded on six famous European Organs by Dame Gillian Weir in the late 1980s: [St Bavo, Haarlem; The Abbey Church, Ottobeuren; St Knud’s, Odense; Ulster Hall, Belfast; Hedvig Eleonora Kyrka, Stockholm; St Ouen, Rouen]. Running for over 150 minutes this unique visual collection of performances by one of the world’s most famous organists is not to be missed.

This DVD issue by Priory, the first since the original broadcast of the series, offers for many the first opportunity to hear the soundtrack in stereo. The programmes contain a glittering array of pictures and sound from these world famous organs: additionally, Dame Gillian talks about the pieces and the instruments. When first broadcast these programmes were watched by up to 2 million people.

This series of TV programmes presents the very best of the 16th Verbier Festival with worldwide renowned artists such as Susan Graham, Martha Argerich, Yuri Temirkanov, Stephen Kovacevich, and Philippe Jaroussky.

Born in 1969 in San Pedro, Argentina, Nelson Goerner has established himself as one of the foremost pianists of his generation. After studying in Argentina with Jorge Garrubba, Juan Carlos Arabian and Carmen Scalcione, he was awarded First Prize Winner at the Franz Liszt Competition, Buenos Aires in 1986. He was discovered by Martha Argerich.

Nelson Goerner is very interested in the music by Frédéric Chopin. His debut CD on EMI was dedicated to him.

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: 54 min

FSK: 0