Berg: Lulu

Recorded in: Orchestra Hall, Detroit 28-29 January 1993, 26-27 March 1994 & 23 May 1994 Producer(s) Brian Couzens Charles Greenwell Leslie B. Dunner Sound Engineer(s) Dan Dene Robert Shafer

Messiah was written with Handel's usual speed in 1741 for performance in Dublin, some of it rehearsed briefly by inadequate singers in Chester, as he made his way to Holyhead to embark for the voyage. The first performance was given at the New Music Hall in Fish-amble Street, Dublin, on 13th April, 1742, in aid of charity. The first London performance took place in Lent 1743 at Covent Garden, but the work failed to please, in part because of reservations that some held about the suitability of such a sacred subject for a theatre. Messiah only achieved it's lasting success after performances in 1750 in aid of the Foundling Hospital, established ten years earlier by Captain Thomas Coram. At his death in 1759 Handel left a fair copy of the score and all parts to the Hospital, an institution that continued to benefit from annual performances of the work. The Scholars Baroque Ensemble: The scholars Baroque Ensemble was founded in 1987 by David van Asch with the idea of complementing the "a-capella" work of the vocal ensemble The Scholars. This group, consisting also of the soprano Kym Amps, counter tenor Angus Davidson and tenor Robin Doveton, has had worldwide success during the last twenty years. The members of THE Scholars Baroque Ensemble are all specialists in the field of Baroque music and play original instruments (or copies) using contemporary techniques, singers and players work together without a director to produce their own versions of great masterpieces such as the St. John Passion by Bach, the 1610 Vespers by Monteverdi, Dido and Aeneas and The Fairy Queen by Purcell, the Messiah and Acis and Galatea by Handel, all of which are being released by Naxos. Concert performances by the ensemble have been highly praised by critics and audiences alike.

Classical Music

Nunkomm, der Heiden Heiland (Now come, Saviour of the Heathen) appears in three versions. The chorale on which it is based is Martin Luther's adaptation of the original Ambrosian hymn Veni Redemptor gentium. The first of these, for two manuals and pedals, opens with the first measures of the chorale theme in the tenor, imitated at once in the alto register, over a constantly moving pedal bass. The melody is then elaborated in the upper part to form an ornamented line. The second treatment of the chorale is in the form of a Trio, three melodic lines, one for each hand and one for the pedals. Here a contrapuntal imitative opening by the two lower parts is followed by the appearance of the ornamented chorale theme, to which the two lower parts provide a postlude in conclusion. The third version of Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland is described as in organo pleno, il canto fermo nel pedale (for full organ, with the chorale melody in the pedal part). An introductory contrapuntal passage derived from the chorale leads to the solemn appearance of the chorale itself in the lowest register, successive pedal entries preceded by similar prefatory passages. The canonic variations on Vom Himmel hoch (From Heaven on high) were apparently written in 1747 and offered by Bach when he was admitted to the polymath Lorenz Christoph Mizler von Kolof's Correspondierenden Societ�t der Musicalischen Wissenschaften (Corresponding Society of the Musical Sciences). Bach was the fourteenth of a membership limited to twenty scholars and musicians, including, among those now better remembered, Telemann and Handel. The Christmas chorale by Martin Luther first appears in the pedal part of a Canon at the Octave that involves the two upper parts in such canonic imitation. The cantus firmus is again heard in the pedals, in the second Canon at the Fifth, followed by the chorale melody itself in canon at the sixth and in inversion in the lower voice, accompanied by a moving pedal part. Once the chorale has been heard in this form, Bachadds a canon at the third, with the upper part entering first with an inversion of the melody. A canon at the second follows, between the pedal bass and tenor in inversion, and then, at the ninth, between a pedal inversion and the top voice. This varied treatment of the cantus firmus itself leads to a Canon at the Seventh between the pedals and tenor. A Canon in Augmentation sets an augmented tenor part in canon with a more rapid upper part, with the steadier chorale melody introduced by the pedals. The Canonic Variations constitute a remarkable technical and musical tour de force.

One of the first truly American-born and -bred composers, Leo Sowerby wrote organ music that came straight from the heartland. From his early studies in Grand Rapids, Michigan to his successful career in Chicago, Sowerby revitalized organ music with a body of work rivaling Bach in terms of both quantity and quality.
Sowerby was fascinated by traditional forms, and his 'Classic Concerto' explores many of these structures. Within its three brief movements, it gives an excellent introduction to Sowerby's playful sense of harmony. 'Medieval Poem' and 'Pageant,' both written earlier, also delve into traditional themes.
'Festival Musick' is an audience favorite, bright and playful. Its sense of humor is evident to occasional listeners as well as those more intimately versed in organ music. Composed during a single week in summer, it is one of Sowerby's last compositions.
Both organists involved with this album have the remarkable technical skill and performing panache to bring Sowerby to life. The rich sound of the organ at St. Bartholomew's Church in New York City and accompaniment of the Fairfield Orchestra have been captured masterfully. WORKS FOR ORGAN AND ORCHESTRA is a well-performed and expertly engineered recording.

This recording celebrates Sousa's important early associations with dance and the music theatre. Picture a young John Philip Sousa, a tiny young man aged eleven, confidently standing in front of a group of much older musicians, playing his violin in the style of the famous Strauss and leading his own popular dance orchestra as Washington's society swirls and dances in front of him. It is impossible to overestimate the effect this interaction of the young man, his orchestra and the dancers was to have on the later Sousa -the composer to be. He was once quoted as saying, "I want my marches to make a man with a wooden leg stand up and dance." The dance never left him. Dancing rhythms for ever permeated his compositions, marches and dances alike. A young Dance Prince begat the March King. Soon also, his musical activities brought him to the theatre, where he began to experience the close and often raucous give and take of audience and performer that constituted the popular side of nineteenth century American theatre and early vaudeville. By the age of 21 he was the leader, arranger and concert master of the orchestra at Ford's Theatre in Washington. Later he led the Chestnut Street Theatre Orchestra in Philadelphia. Once again the magical chemistry of music and rhythm, as it reaches for audiences, became central to the composer's thinking. While many of the dances found here stem from this early period of Sousa's life, these initial encounters with the infectiousness of music and how it infuses dancers and listeners never left him. Throughout his long and sparkling career he continued to write music for each new craze: waltzes, gallops, two-steps, gavottes, tangos, cakewalks, rags, polkas, marches of course, and sometimes even a foxtrot or two.

Classical Music

Rossini's penultimate opera, premiered in 1828 at the Op�ra National de Paris, is a musical comedy about a love triangle set during the Crusades. At the Op�ra Comique it's plot is transported to the time of the works' creation with France's military expeditions to Algeria. It is staged by a first-rate creative team: Stage director Denis Podalyd�s and costume designer Christian Lacroix provide stunning visuals, whilst conductor Louis Langr�e leads the Orchestre des Champs-�lys�es, the Ch�ur Les �l�ments and a stellar cast of soloists in this delightful fool's game. Mezzo-soprano Ga�lle Arquez shines with her "superlative technique" (Le Monde) and Julie Fuchs's Ad�le performance elicits "more than just admiration, namely enthusiasm in the etymological sense of the word: inspired by the divine" (Le Monde). "A masterpiece!" (T�l�rama), "Pure pleasure!" (Les �chos). Le Comte Ory at the Op�ra Comique is "a true musical and theatrical celebration where everything sparkles!" (Bachtrack)

Also available on Blu-ray

This production of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, directed by Pierre Audi, has received high acclaim in Paris and Rome. “Pierre Audi is one of the few directors who works with Wagner by subtraction, imagining the story in a minimalist dimension, out of time, abstract: … Don't miss it.“ (Il Messaggero). "The Orchestra of Teatro Opera of Rome proves with this interpretation that it is one of the best opera house orchestras in Europe.“ (KlassikInfo.de) “Ecstasy, emotion and effect unleashed by Daniele Gatti at the podium of the Orchestra was overwhelming.“ (News.at). “Excellent Andreas Schager as Tristan, vocally strong Rachel Nicholls as Isolde.“ (KlassikInfo.de) “Brilliant! Gatti is a supreme Wagnerian, gloriously aware of all the kinesthetic requirements. Schager is convincing, Nicolls among the great Isoldes I've heard. If your ambition is to increase your understanding of Tristan, beg, borrow or steal a ticket.” Jack Buckley, SEEN AND HEARD

Also available on Blu-ray

RICHARD STRAUSS – At the End of the Rainbow

A documentary by Eric Schulz

This documentary shows a new perspective on the personality and oeuvre of Richard Strauss, who saw himself as the last great composer at the end of an era, “at the end of the rainbow.” This carefully researched production presents spectacular hitherto unreleased pictures of Richard Strauss. Among others: a live recording of the premiere of the “Olympic Anthem” at the Berlin Olympic stadium in 1936. The very first performance of this piece ever to be heard, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic and a choir of 1000 singers conducted by Richard Strauss himself. These spectacular rare pictures are embedded in interviews with relatives, famous musicians and Strauss experts, such as Christian Strauss, Stefan Mickisch, and Brigitte Fassbaender. Director Eric Schulz is an acclaimed documentary film maker whos first two films, Carlos Kleiber Traces to Nowhere and Herbert von Karajan - The Second Life both attracted worldwide attention and were rewarded with various prizes, including the ECHO Klassik and the Gramophone Award.

Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Audio Language: German
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Chinese
Booklet notes: English, German, French
Running time: 97 mins
No. of DVDs: 1 (DVD 9)

Gustav Mahler’s Ninth Symphony shows the culmination of the composer’s career. The concert recorded in this landmark live performance was part of The Mahler Project, in which friends and conductors Daniel Barenboim and Pierre Boulez tackled all of Mahler’s symphonies with the Staatskapelle Berlin. A documentary from Christoph Engel accompanies the concert, in which a diverse selection of statements and conversations from both conductors is featured.

Also available on Blu-ray

The unforgettable "masterful use of light and silhouettes" (Milano Post) with which Giorgio Strehler interpreted the charm of Mozart’s Singspiel was conceived for the Salzburg Festival, where it was staged in 1965 under the baton of then 29 year old Zubin Mehta, and then regularly revived at La Scala from 1972 onwards. At twenty years since the death of the great director, who from 1951 staged some by-now legendary operas at La Scala, Teatro alla Scala proposed anew this celebrated staging and called to the podium the man who conducted it the first time – Zubin Mehta. "Extraordinary, a wonder …" (Corriere Della Sera). The stage set with magnificent palace architecture and a sea view at centre is a veritable feast for the eyes, which is equally true for the elaborately and lovingly designed costumes. The viewer feels like he‘s being transported into the oriental aura. The fact that the current performance is conducted by Maestro Zubin Mehta, now over 80 years old, builds a bridge to Strehler‘s Salzburg production, which dates back more than half a century, and at the same time provides a touching detail of this timelessly monumental performance.

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REVIEW:

This new release gives Zubin Mehta the honour of having four commercial recordings of Mozart’s Turkish opera. There is a CD of his 1965 Salzburg performance (Orfeo C392952I). VAI issued a video of the 1967 Salzburg revival (DVDVAI4521), and there is a rather colourful 2002 production from Florence (review). One might almost think that this is the opera that Maestro Mehta is most identified with. I suspect that many opera lovers would think first of his recordings Turandot with Pavarotti and Sutherland and Il Trovatore with Domingo and Price.

Mehta’s association with Entführung was first given international prominence at the 1965 Salzburg Festival in a brand-new production by Giorgio Strehler. He was the 32-year-old hotshot maestro of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, seen as a rising star throughout the world. At the time of this 2017 performance he was 84, and had a long and varied career behind him. His direction on this evening is mellow and flowing. A great deal of consideration is given to the singers in their florid arias. His reading has warmth and charm, which I often find lacking in revivals of this opera. In comparison, the 1965 Entführung on CD has somewhat more excitement and edge to the reading. Yet throughout Mehta’s tempi have altered only slightly, and always there is warmth and care.

Mauro Peter as Belmonte has an elegant and burnished tenor sound, with something of a baritonal quality to his tone. His is a committed and impassioned portrayal which does not quite outshine some of his predecessors in the role. His stage presence is quite natural, and makes for a very appealing portrayal.

Lenneke Ruiten gives a tour-de-force reading of Konstanze. Her woodwind-like tone has grown in size since her Pentatone recording of Mozart arias in 2009 (PTC5186376). Her music is presented in a grand manner, with passionate expression. She is very impressive in executing the difficult coloratura roulades. I would go as far as stating that her assumption of Konstanze stands among the finest ever recorded. We can only be grateful that her performance was captured at the peak of her artistry. She also looks quite lovely, and her acting is on a level similar to her singing.

Maximillian Schmitt as Pedrillo has a very enthusiastic and charming stage presence. That helps him dispatch much of the humourous action that is relegated to Pedrillo; in this he does not disappoint. Vocally, he has an impressive-sounding top range for “Frisch zum Kampfe”, but tonal unsteadiness tends to creep into the mid- and low registers of his voice.

Sabine Devielhe is an adorable Blonde. Her natural stage presence shines through the soubrette traditions of this role. Her voice is diamond-bright, and she gives us an incredibly winning version of “Welche Wonne welche lust”.

Tobias Kehrer gives an adorable portrayal of Osmin. In this production he is more of a buffo rather than a threatening presence. This is matched by his vocal means of a rather soft-grained sound combined with a deeper, more impressive low range. Like many who have sung Osmin, he is challenged by the coloratura sections of “O wie will ich triumphieren”.

This production is a new staging of the 1965 Giorgio Strehler production for Salzburg. It was restaged by Mattia Testi in honour of the 20th anniversary of Strehler’s death. Strehler was a producer whose work in opera has become something of a legend over the years. Early in his carreer, he discovered the technique of Chiaroscuro lighting which was used in Renaissance paintings and early silent films. The complex lighting structure makes the rear of the stage more brightly lit than the front. On film, it can produce some truly wonderful cinematic images. It also has the ability to do this on stage but sadly in live performance it does not register well for home viewing. Even the exacting standards of today’s HD cameras are not up to the challenge of conveying the action which occur in the shadows at the front of the stage. Strehler’s Entführung production used this effect heavily.

In much of his later stage work, Strehler toned down the degree of use, as DVDs of his Nozze di Figaro from Paris and Don Giovanni from La Scala demonstrate. It is rather a pity that so much of the singing occurs in the dark part of the stage, which leaves us with soloists who are seen only in silhouette. In the opera house the audience are partly able to make out some of the singers’ expressions but that is not the case for home viewing. This mars what is in effect a very charming staging of Mozart’s opera. There are a few truly inspired moments where the shadow effect actually enhances the story, like when Pedrillo is tempting Osmin with the Cypriot wine. The imagery here is truly unforgettable for a moment that normally paces without much notice. The sets and costumes are spare but quite beautiful and elegant. Sound and picture quality of this Blu-ray are superlative, aside from the above-noted comments. Ultimately, while I am grateful to have this recording, the lighting issue will prevent it from being anyone’s first choice for this opera. Even so, the particularly fine singing of the female leads and Mehta’s warm and winning reading of the score should absolutely be heard.

– MusicWeb International (Mike Parr)

In a competitive field — there are at least three other DVDs about Leonard Bernstein currently on the market — it is only modestly successful. To wit, we are still awaiting a documentary that provides a seriously critical appraisal of this iconic figure.

The best parts of Georg Wübbolt’s film are probably the interviews, especially those with Bernstein’s children; they emphasize their father’s endless curiosity and his love of teaching. Many of the other friends and colleagues interviewed talk about how they were moved to embrace classical music by watching Bernstein on his Omnibus television shows in the 1950s or by attending the Young People’s Concerts he did with the New York Philharmonic.

The Bernstein footage on this documentary has all been seen before in other documentaries. One of the most memorable sequences depicts Bernstein losing his patience with the Vienna Philharmonic in rehearsal.

– Musical Toronto (Paul E. Robinson)

Picture Format: NTSC 16:9
Sound Format: PCM Stereo
Subtitles: English (Original Language), German, French, Korean
Region Code: 0 (Worldwide)
Total Running Time: 76 mins

Also available on Blu-ray

The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace by Welsh composer Sir Karl Jenkins is the most performed work by any living composer. This performance is the largest ever staged and was uniquely performed in synchronisation with a specially commissioned war-archive film reinforcing the narrative of the work – the build up to war, war itself and the consequences of war. Projected onto five giant screens, the film delivers a poignant backdrop to the moving musical narration providing the audience with a powerful and emotional multimedia experience. In this truly unique historic occasion Sir Karl Jenkins conducts The World Orchestra for Peace and around 2,000 singers from nearly 30 countries who joined together to Sing for Peace in Berlin.

Also available on Blu-ray

Haydn is generally seen as one of the main originators of the “Viennese sound”, the inimitable style of playing which is still very much alive today and is particularly cultivated by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. This orchestra has Haydn’s music in its blood, and its interpretation of his symphonies demonstrates a supreme confidence, musical sophistication and lightness of touch. As a noted American music critic remarked following a performance of the Oxford Symphony conducted by Leonard Bernstein: “Let’s have no further argument: the Vienna Philharmonic is the world’s greatest orchestra. Bernstein’s interpretations of the symphonies have consistently met with unreserved critical acclaim. He, of all conductors, possessed precisely the qualities which Haydn’s music requires: grace, charm and a generous measure of wit.” The present recording was recorded at Grosser Musikvereinssaal Wien in 1984 and 1985. This is truly documentation of a master at work.

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DETAILS:

Booklet: English, German, French
Run time: 111 minutes
Disc Format: DVD 9
Picture: NTSC 4:3
Audio: PCM Stereo
Region Code: 0 (worldwide)

Ballet Hispánico, a “strong ambassador of not just Latino culture but of dance itself” (Broadway World), brings its bold and eclectic brand of contemporary dance to the screen with two audience favorites: CARMEN.maquia, an electrifying modern take on Bizet’s passionate opera choreographed by Spaniard Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, and Cuban-born Pedro Ruiz’s Club Havana, a virtuosic re-imagining of a sizzling nightclub filled with the exhilarating rhythms and colors of Havana’s golden era.

Also available on Blu-ray

One of opera’s most beautiful masterpieces, Gluck’s exquisite drama introduces us to Orpheus, the poet and musician whose every word and note communicate the most overwhelming love for his Eurydice. Lyric presents Orphée et Eurydice in the Paris version, which contains thrilling ballet sequences that will come to vivid life under the direction and choreography of the legendary John Neumeier. Lyric’s production stars Dmitry Korchak as Orphée with Andriana Chuchman as Eurydice and Lauren Snouffer as Amour. The Chicago Tribune deemed the production “triumphant” and “miraculously fresh and alive.” The production features Gluck’s reworking of the original German opera into a French-language production featuring ballet. “To hear [Gluck’s] songful art pour out uninterrupted…[is] to understand the overwhelming power of melody.” (New York Times)

Max Emanuel Cencic excels with his celebrated and award-winning production of George Frideric Handel's masterpiece Arminio at the International Handel Festival Karlsruhe. The remarkable counter-tenor Cencic, who dedicates himself to the revival and performance of the music of the 18th century, demonstrates once more that Baroque singing can be both technically brilliant and at the same time modern and emotionally engaging. His enchanting staging of Arminio is the fulminant revival of the heroic story. When premiered in 1737 at London's Covent Garden, Arminio strangely received only six performances, despite being praised as "a miracle" and "in every respect excellent and vastly pleasing" by contemporaries. Handel's opera fell into oblivion - until Cencic put it into the limelight, resulting in the "rehabilitation of the piece" (FAZ). Cencic's production of Arminio, which created a furor when performed at the Theater an der Wien, features the ensemble Armonia Atenea under the baton of George Petrou and stars the stage director in the leading role: "Cencic is not only as counter-tenor but also as stage director at the peak of his success" (S�ddeutsche Zeitung).

John Neumeier Collection presents four ballets by legendary American choreographer John Neumeier. Featured works include The Little Mermaid (Die kleine Meerjungfrau), Tatiana, Weihnachtsoratorium (Christmas Oratorio) and Nijinsky. “Nearly nobody else besides John Neumeier can tell stories with the bodies of his dancers. - Hamburger Morgenpost