Lincke: Berliner Luft March

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

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 BD: NTSC (1080i Full HD)

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

Region code: 0

Booklet notes: English, German, French

Running time: 105 mins

Daniel Barenboim conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in their open-air summer venue, in a concert of spirited Latin-American gems from 1998.

This is a wonderful evening of evocative tango and Latin American inspired rhythms, fittingly conducted by the Argentinian-born Daniel Barenboim. Despite playing music outside their usual repertoire, the Berlin Philharmonic enthrals the audience with an exotic programme, which begins with works by those ‚honorary Spaniards‘ Ravel and Bizet, and then features special arrangements of lesser-known melodies and dances from a host of South American composers, including Rodrigo‘s famous Guitar Concerto played by John Williams, and passionate tango by Astor Piazzolla.

This is a rousing, fiery concert from the leafy open-air Waldbühne, the Berlin Philharmonic summer home in the woods outside Berlin, and is a must-see for all classical music lovers.

Arrangements by José Carli; direction by Bob Coles

Sound Format: PCM STEREO, DD 5.1

Picture Format: 4:3

DVD Format: DVD 9, PAL

Running Time: 119 mins

FSK: 0

Directed by Brian Large.

Being the typically “Berliner” events they are, the annual summer concerts of the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Berlin Waldbühne far surpass the usual in open-air shows and are generally sold out months in advance. A traditional part of these concerts involves the early arrival of the guests who, laden with the requisite picnic paraphernalia, take their seats with a view to enjoying the hours until “their” Philharmonic gala is ready to begin. While there is little likelihood of finding the majority of these concert-goers at a “regular” performance of the Berliner Philharmoniker, the unique atmosphere of the Waldbühne – one of the most attractive amphitheatres in Europe – is irresistibly appealing and has long been the Mecca of many classical music fans.

The world-famous conductor, Seiji Ozawa, joined the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Waldbühne for the “Russian Night”, which naturally focused on music by great Russian composers. The outstanding Overture from Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Symphony, whose battle noise and canon fire are reminiscent of the Russian victory over the Napoleonic invaders, was just one of the items on the programme. With an orchestra as fabulous as the Berliner Philharmoniker plus a conductor as passionate as Seiji Ozawa, the success of the concert was a foregone conclusion.

Sound Format: PCM STEREO, DD 5.1

Picture Format: 4:3

DVD Format: DVD 9, PAL

Running Time: 98 mins

FSK: 0

An extraordinary programme for an extraordinary night: The Berliner Philharmoniker celebrates the final day of the 20th Century with Grand Finales in the first part and heralds the leap into the 21st Century with an explosion of sparkling music pieces in the 2nd half of the programme. For the Grand Finales, maestro Abbado conducts masterpieces like Beethoven‘s Finale of the 7th symphony, excerpts from Stravinsky‘s „Firebird“ and the final movement of Mahler‘s 5th Symphony. In the famous Finale of Arnold Schoenberg‘s „Gurre Lieder“, the internationally renowned actor Klaus Maria Brandauer plays a leading role.

Sound Format: PCM STEREO, DD 5.1

Picture Format: 16:9

DVD Format: DVD 9, PAL

Running Time: 113 mins

FSK: 0

Based on the amphitheatre in the ancient Greek city of Epidaurus, and nestled in a natural valley, the Waldbühne theatre seats 22,000 in leafy comfort and remains one of Berlin‘s favourite open air concert venues, with magnificent views of the stage. World class conductors lead the Berlin Philharmonic in evening concerts of popular favourites.

At the Waldbühnen concert in 1994, the Berlin Philharmonic put a programme together under the heading ‚A Night of Dances and Rhapsodies‘, which presented the works of central European composers. The dance and folk pieces of music from the 19th century, which the orchestra performed under the baton of Mariss Jansons, emphasised the different styles and trends from this musically significant era.

Sound Format: PCM STEREO, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1

Picture Format: 4:3

DVD Format: DVD 9, PAL

Running Time: 101 mins

FSK: 0

Region Code: 0

Worldwide available excluding USA/CA, Japan

As one of the most beautiful open-air venues in Europe, the Berlin Waldbühne draws more than twenty thousand people per year to enjoy popular classical music performed by the world-renowned Berlin Philharmonic under the beguiling canopy of a summer night’s sky.

While some of the most famous conductors have already taken the podium at these concerts, repeated performances have most notably been given by the Italian maestro Claudio Abbado.

The programme of Abbado’s 1996 “Italian Night” at the Waldbühne focused on highlights from operas by the Italian composers Giuseppe Verdi, Gioacchino Rossini and the master of bel canto – Vincenzo Bellini.

Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic were once again accompanied by outstanding luminaries from the international opera scene: the Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu, whose exquisite good looks are surpassed only by the sublime beauty of her voice, the great Russian tenor Sergej Larin and the Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, one of the most soughtafter opera and oratorio singers in the world.

Sound Format: PCM STEREO, DD 5.1

Picture Format: 4:3

DVD Format: DVD 9, PAL

Running Time: 107 mins

FSK: 0

The extraordinary atmosphere of this Open Air venue is the imagination of this production. More than 20,000 people attended the yearly Open Air Concert of the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Waldbühne in Berlin. The atmosphere is as unique as the Night of the Proms Concert.

This is a full programme of musical showpieces and some of the most popular pieces of classical music like Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker, Mascagni Intermezzo, Paganini Il carnevale die Venezia and Sibelius Valse triste.

The famous violinist Vadim Repin is clearly happy to indulge, performing here with all the appropriate showmanship and artistry alongside the first-class Berliner Philharmoniker and Mariss Jansons. This isn´t only a production for core classical lovers – this is a night for a wide audience.

“Repin’s playing of the Paganini has to be watched to be believed, and the audience, quite justifiably, go wild at the end, causing him to repeat the piece, this time modified for even greater effect, enchanting all present including orchestra and conductor. " John Phillips, MusicWeb International

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: 116 mins

Audience: all