DVD Videos

This is an independent film from an independent film company about independent record shops featuring music by independent bands completely financed by music fans and independent record labels. The film charts the rapid rise of record shops in the 1960's / 70s and 80's, the influence of the chart, the underhand deals, the demise of vinyl and rise of the CD as well as new technologies. Hear from over 20 record shop owners and music industry leaders as well as musicians including PAUL WELLER, JOHNNY MARR, NORMAN COOK, BILLY BRAGG, RICHARD HAWLEY and NERINA PALLOT as they all tell us how the shops became and still are a part of their own musical education, a place to cherish and discover new bands and new music. Based on the book "Last Shop Standing" by Graham Jones.

This unique film takes us deep into the artistic and musical challenges of staging Wagner’s epic Ring cycle, as a spectacular and groundbreaking new production is created for The Metropolitan Opera, New York.

The stakes could not be higher as one of the theater's finest stage directors teams up with one of the world's leading opera companies to tackle opera's most monumental challenge. Robert Lepage’s visionary production – the most ambitious in the history of The Met - features a colossal set weighing 90,000-pounds (“The Machine”), designed to meet Wagner’s extraordinary theatrical demands.

An outstanding cast of opera stars including Bryn Terfel and Deborah Voigt are joined by newcomer Jay Hunter Morris, who dramatically steps into the hugely demanding role of the hero Siegfried just days before the production’s world premiere.

An intimate look at the challenges of live opera and the risks that must be taken, the film chronicles the creativity and unflagging determination behind this daring attempt to realize Wagner’s dream of a perfect Ring.

Concert recorded live at the Philharmonie Berlin, May 9, 2012

They are unique and they are known all over the world: the “12 Cellisten der Berliner Philharmoniker”.

In each of their concerts you can marvel at their mastery, the broad spectrum of their repertoire and the stunning tonal variety and diversity of sound produced by the individual musicians on their instruments.

At the occasion of their 40th anniversary they presented the highlights of their program welcomed by an enthusiastic audience at the Berliner Philharmonie. They were supported by the top-class guests stars Annette Dasch (soprano) and Till Broenner (trumpet). With this present Anniversary Edition you can not only experience this excellent concert but also the history of this fascinating group of musicians in a stunning documentation.

Special Packaging in a luxury slipcase.

Documentary The 12 Cellists by Enrique Sánchez Lansch

Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9

Sound formats: PCM Stereo, DTS 5.1

Region code: 0

Subtitles: German, English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean

Booklet notes: English, German

Running time: 164 mins; (Concert 105 mins. Documentary 59 mins.)

A film by REINER E. MORITZ

Music on television has come in various guises over the last 50 years. It was already part of the programme mix at the very beginning and is still around, more sophisticated than ever, live and event driven and at it’s best reaching millions – at any rate more people than those experiencing music in opera houses, concert halls or other venues. Television has been instrumental in popularizing music, preserving precious moments of music making and helping to create music and performances which would not exist without it.

“When music lovers like you lean back today and enjoy a live broadcast from La Scala in Milan, a “Last Night of the Proms”, a “New Year´s Concert” from Vienna or any other Gala they benefit from enormous technical developments over the last fifty years or so and a breed of practitioners who are as virtuosic in handling today´s audiovisual recording equipment as the artists they sort of immortalize for you. While technology advances content ends to get more popular because of the ratings game. In any event television has played a significant role in popularizing classical music since it started. And think about the value of its archives, unless they have been destroyed by penny pinching executives. Isn´t it wonderful that we can watch the very first images of a regular television service in 1936, a Toscanini performing, a Leonard Bernstein with his knowledge and charisma attracting young people to classical music or a Stravinsky conducting his own “Firebird”? And that we have become used to expressive close-ups, behind the scenes material and cameras used like a “fly on the wall”? Even if staging for the camera is more or less out, we do enjoy every bit of live music on the box which slowly turns into your home cinema. And for us practitioners, television still remains a bit of an adventure.” Reiner E. Moritz

A Film by Paul Smaczny & Günter Atteln.

Founded in 1212 the St. Thomas Choir Leipzig is one of the most famous and prestigious boys' choirs in the world. This documentary accompanies “Die Thomaner”, aged between 9 and 18 years old, over a period of one year. Their unique world, from motets to boarding school and the football pitch, is distinguished by success, pressure to perform, doubt, pride, homesickness, and friendship. The film charts the breadth of the boys' experience from the classroom to traveling on tour to South America.

BONUS

Two tracks from Johann Sebastian Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” performed by the choir for which it was written - St. Thomas Boys Choir - in St. Thomas Church, Leipzig, where the composer worked and is buried.

Nr. 1 Chor: »Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen«

Nr. 39 Arie (Alt): »Erbarme dich«

Picture Format DVD: NTSC 16:9

Sound Formats DVD: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0

Region Code: 0 (worldwide)

Running Time: 113:35 min

Running Time Bonus: approx. 14 min

Disc Format: DVD-9

Documentary by Frank Scheffer.

New Documentary by Frank Scheffer based on his archives on the occasion of John Cage’s 100. Anniversary of Birth on September 5, 2012 . († 12.8.1992)

From 1982 to 1992 Frank Scheffer worked with John Cage on many different occasions, which resulted in a unique archive of historical audio-visual material. Based on this unique archive, including interviews, musical performances and images of different locations related to his life and work - filmed on 16mm - the filmmaker Scheffer created “How To Get Out Of The Cage – A Year With John Cage”.

Picture format DVD: NTSC 4:3 / 16:9

Sound format DVD: PCM Stereo

Region code: 0

Booklet notes: English, German, French

Original Language: English

Subtitles: German, French, Japanese

Running time: 52 mins (Documentary), 92 mins (Extra films)

A film by THOMAS ZINTL

In 1945, after the war had ended, the world split into East and West in political terms. The frontier between the two blocs cut straight through Germany and quickly became a dividing line between contrasting cultural systems. In the Soviet occupation zone, major opera houses and concert halls rose again from the ruins and long-established orchestras and choirs were revived. Once the GDR had been founded, the Socialist Unity Party took over responsibility for cultural affairs and quickly developed the idea of a nation of culture-loving working people in deliberate contrast to their portrayal of „Americanized, western capitalists softened by endless consumption“.

Together with sport, classical music was used to advertise the merits of the GDR. Like all other areas of art it was instrumentalized for ideological purposes, and its protagonists - provided they displayed the necessary talent and were not regarded with suspicion by the state security service - often enjoyed extraordinary privileges. This combination of art and dictatorship created an environment in which music-making of world quality was able to flourish.

Through case studies of individuals who lived under the system, the documentary explores the fates of both the privileged and the non-privileged, and delivers insight into the influence of the political system on artistic life. The film includes interviews with contemporary witnesses both from GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG).

Sound Format: PCM Stereo

Picture Format: 16:9

DVD Format: DVD 5, NTSC

Audio Language: DE

Subtitles: IT, GB, FR, ES, JP

Running Time: 52 mins

FSK: 0