Andris Nelsons and the Wiener Philharmoniker confront the uncompromising power of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 6, the composer's darkest and most enigmatic symphonic statement. With gripping intensity and architectural control, Nelsons traces the work's inexorable march from martial determination to catastrophic collapse. The famous hammer blows in the finale strike with devastating force, while moments of lyrical repose are shaped with haunting restraint. This performance reveals Mahler's Sixth as a tragic drama of fate and resistance, uncompromising in it's emotional impact. Recorded at the Salzburg Festival, the concert forms part of the Wiener Philharmoniker's Mahler cycle with Andris Nelsons. 'Mahler's ?tragedy' as a catharc experience in Salzburg. Standing ovaons for the Wiener Philharmoniker under Andris Nelsons' (Die Presse) Program: Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6
Andris Nelsons and the Wiener Philharmoniker confront the uncompromising power of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 6, the composer's darkest and most enigmatic symphonic statement. With gripping intensity and architectural control, Nelsons traces the work's inexorable march from martial determination to catastrophic collapse. The famous hammer blows in the finale strike with devastating force, while moments of lyrical repose are shaped with haunting restraint. This performance reveals Mahler's Sixth as a tragic drama of fate and resistance, uncompromising in it's emotional impact. Recorded at the Salzburg Festival, the concert forms part of the Wiener Philharmoniker's Mahler cycle with Andris Nelsons. 'Mahler's ?tragedy' as a catharc experience in Salzburg. Standing ovaons for the Wiener Philharmoniker under Andris Nelsons' (Die Presse) Program: Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6
In this new production of the Arena di Verona, Giacomo Puccini's masterpiece La Boheme emerges as an intimate drama. Director Alfonso Signorini contrasts the summer setting of the amphitheatre with a snow-covered vision of 19th-century Paris, placing the tragic love story of Mimì and Rodolfo within a striking visual frame. Audience favourite Vittorio Grigòlo gives a charismatic interpretation of Rodolfo, alongside soprano Juliana Grigoryan, who presents Mimì in her Arena d ebut. Luca Micheletti and Eleonora Bellocci complete the central quartet as Marcello and Musetta. Under the musical direction of Daniel Oren, the orchestra and chorus of the Arena di Verona bring Puccini's score to life. 'An evening of great occasions, with a cheering audience well in excess of ten thousand' (L'Adige).
In this new production of the Arena di Verona, Giacomo Puccini's masterpiece La Boheme emerges as an intimate drama. Director Alfonso Signorini contrasts the summer setting of the amphitheatre with a snow-covered vision of 19th-century Paris, placing the tragic love story of Mimì and Rodolfo within a striking visual frame. Audience favourite Vittorio Grigòlo gives a charismatic interpretation of Rodolfo, alongside soprano Juliana Grigoryan, who presents Mimì in her Arena d ebut. Luca Micheletti and Eleonora Bellocci complete the central quartet as Marcello and Musetta. Under the musical direction of Daniel Oren, the orchestra and chorus of the Arena di Verona bring Puccini's score to life. 'An evening of great occasions, with a cheering audience well in excess of ten thousand' (L'Adige).
Handel's Baroque opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto unfolds here as a high-stakes drama of power, passion and survival. Dmitri Tcherniakov's powerful production strips the story to it's psychological core, placing political rivalry and a fiery love story within the claustrophobic setting of an underground bunker. Christophe Dumaux delivers a compelling Cesare, while Olga Kulchynska shines as a 'lyrical' Cleopatra in her Salzburg debut. With a superb supporting cast, above all Lucile Richardot as Cornelia 'with her smouldering mezzo' (BR Klassik) and Federico Fiorio as Sesto, Emmanuelle Haim conducts Le Concert d'Astree from the harpsichord, shaping 'a perfect whole' (Kurier) of musical brilliance and electrifying theatre.
As an endless source of inspiration, Ovid's Metamorphoses have left a lasting mark on our culture for over two thousand years. Combining some of it's episodes with music by Antonio Vivaldi, Stage Director Barrie Kosky creates a pasticcio for our times, a fascinating new work of rich imagination and breathless narratives. With a leading cast of singers assembled by Cecilia Bartoli, and with the participation of actor Angela Winkler, Hotel Metamorphosis stands out as 'a panopticon of human emotions'. Vivaldi expert Gianluca Capuano conducts Les Musiciens du Prince - Monaco, presenting a unique variety of Vivaldi's arias, ensembles and choruses, music with a particularly powerful emotional charge. 'What a brilliant evening of theatre.' (BR Klassik) / 'Checking into this hotel guarantees a luxury stay.' (Kurier) / 'the musical Champions League.' (Deutschlandfunk Kultur)
As an endless source of inspiration, Ovid's Metamorphoses have left a lasting mark on our culture for over two thousand years. Combining some of it's episodes with music by Antonio Vivaldi, Stage Director Barrie Kosky creates a pasticcio for our times, a fascinating new work of rich imagination and breathless narratives. With a leading cast of singers assembled by Cecilia Bartoli, and with the participation of actor Angela Winkler, Hotel Metamorphosis stands out as 'a panopticon of human emotions'. Vivaldi expert Gianluca Capuano conducts Les Musiciens du Prince - Monaco, presenting a unique variety of Vivaldi's arias, ensembles and choruses, music with a particularly powerful emotional charge. 'What a brilliant evening of theatre.' (BR Klassik) / 'Checking into this hotel guarantees a luxury stay.' (Kurier) / 'the musical Champions League.' (Deutschlandfunk Kultur)
Handel's Baroque opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto unfolds here as a high-stakes drama of power, passion and survival. Dmitri Tcherniakov's powerful production strips the story to it's psychological core, placing political rivalry and a fiery love story within the claustrophobic setting of an underground bunker. Christophe Dumaux delivers a compelling Cesare, while Olga Kulchynska shines as a 'lyrical' Cleopatra in her Salzburg debut. With a superb supporting cast, above all Lucile Richardot as Cornelia 'with her smouldering mezzo' (BR Klassik) and Federico Fiorio as Sesto, Emmanuelle Haim conducts Le Concert d'Astree from the harpsichord, shaping 'a perfect whole' (Kurier) of musical brilliance and electrifying theatre.
With a spectacular cast and the staging direction of Stefano Poda, this production of Verdi's Nabucco presents the Arena di Verona in a postmodern aesthetic brought to light through a futuristic vision, cosmic symbolism and absolute abstraction. Anna Netrebko gifts the festival's audience with a powerful interpretation of one of Verdi's most demanding roles: her Abigaille is 'beautiful, vivacious, magnetic' (La Stampa) and 'tackles this formidable challenge with great confidence' (Rivista Musica). Amartuvshin Enkhbat is 'a marvellous performer of Nabucco, deeply moving' (Forum Opera). 'Pinchas Steinberg conducts the choir and orchestra of the Arena di Verona with verve, power, brio and fire' (Der Merker), a magnificent performance that culminated in a rendition of 'Va' pensiero' brimming with pathos and intensity.
With a spectacular cast and the staging direction of Stefano Poda, this production of Verdi's Nabucco presents the Arena di Verona in a postmodern aesthetic brought to light through a futuristic vision, cosmic symbolism and absolute abstraction. Anna Netrebko gifts the festival's audience with a powerful interpretation of one of Verdi's most demanding roles: her Abigaille is 'beautiful, vivacious, magnetic' (La Stampa) and 'tackles this formidable challenge with great confidence' (Rivista Musica). Amartuvshin Enkhbat is 'a marvellous performer of Nabucco, deeply moving' (Forum Opera). 'Pinchas Steinberg conducts the choir and orchestra of the Arena di Verona with verve, power, brio and fire' (Der Merker), a magnificent performance that culminated in a rendition of 'Va' pensiero' brimming with pathos and intensity.
Wagner defined Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg as the most complete work that he had ever created. The Bayreuth Festival 2025 presents the comedy in a new production staged by Matthias Davids, whose playful irreverence stands between tradition and renewal. Under the exceptional baton of Daniele Gatti, who debuted in Bayreuth in 2008 with Parsifal, the cast showcases it's brilliance and finesse. Georg Zeppenfeld, at the core of the performance, interprets Hans Sachs with excellent vocal skills and particular sensibility. Equally remarkable performances are given by Michael Spyres and Christina Nilsson, respectively, as Walther and Eva, and by Michael Nagy as a finely drawn Beckmesser. The result is a compelling piece of music theatre: 'A comedy of manners where themes of art, tradition and human love arise naturally.' (Seen and Heard International) Michael Spyres 'has everything a Stolzing needs: he is effortlessly present, sounds light yet embodied in the upper register, a German knight with italianità.' (BR-KLASSIK)
With a sublime cast and the revolutionary staging by Ulrich Rasche, this Salzburg Festival production of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda transforms a bel canto masterpiece into an evening of theatre. The conflict between Maria and Elisabetta becomes tangible through contrasting costumes, a constantly shifting space of rotating platforms, and projected images. Lisette Oropesa's Maria showcases 'a truly wonderful display of vocal intelligence, human warmth and a completely effortless, natural tone' (Süddeutsche Zeitung), while Kate Lindsey's Elisabetta conveys the fury and despair of the English monarch with striking intensity. Under the baton of Antonello Manacorda and with the outstanding contribution of the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance, this production conquers through rhythm, movement, and physical presence as expressive forces. 'Lisette Oropesa imbues all of this with vocal mastery and emotion. Beyond pure virtuosity, she shapes the inner workings of the character into operatic drama.' (Der Standard)
Wagner defined Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg as the most complete work that he had ever created. The Bayreuth Festival 2025 presents the comedy in a new production staged by Matthias Davids, whose playful irreverence stands between tradition and renewal. Under the exceptional baton of Daniele Gatti, who debuted in Bayreuth in 2008 with Parsifal, the cast showcases it's brilliance and finesse. Georg Zeppenfeld, at the core of the performance, interprets Hans Sachs with excellent vocal skills and particular sensibility. Equally remarkable performances are given by Michael Spyres and Christina Nilsson, respectively, as Walther and Eva, and by Michael Nagy as a finely drawn Beckmesser. The result is a compelling piece of music theatre: 'A comedy of manners where themes of art, tradition and human love arise naturally.' (Seen and Heard International) Michael Spyres 'has everything a Stolzing needs: he is effortlessly present, sounds light yet embodied in the upper register, a German knight with italianità.' (BR-KLASSIK)
With a sublime cast and the revolutionary staging by Ulrich Rasche, this Salzburg Festival production of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda transforms a bel canto masterpiece into an evening of theatre. The conflict between Maria and Elisabetta becomes tangible through contrasting costumes, a constantly shifting space of rotating platforms, and projected images. Lisette Oropesa's Maria showcases 'a truly wonderful display of vocal intelligence, human warmth and a completely effortless, natural tone' (Süddeutsche Zeitung), while Kate Lindsey's Elisabetta conveys the fury and despair of the English monarch with striking intensity. Under the baton of Antonello Manacorda and with the outstanding contribution of the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance, this production conquers through rhythm, movement, and physical presence as expressive forces. 'Lisette Oropesa imbues all of this with vocal mastery and emotion. Beyond pure virtuosity, she shapes the inner workings of the character into operatic drama.' (Der Standard)
World Orchestra For Peace - Valery Gergiev At The Abu Dhabi Festival
C Major Entertainment
DVD
$26.99Aug 30, 2011
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5. ROSSINI William Tell: Overture. PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 1, “Classical” • Valery Gergiev, cond; World O for Peace • C MAJOR 707008 (DVD: 104:00) Live: Abu Dhabi 1/4/2011
& SOLTI’S VISION—THE WORLD ORCHESTRA FOR PEACE: THE FIRST 15 YEARS 1995–2010
The World Orchestra for Peace was founded by Sir Georg Solti in 1995, incorporating players from around the globe. Solti’s successor as its conductor is Valery Gergiev, who leads the present concert at the Abu Dhabi Festival, the orchestra’s first appearance in the Arab world. The DVD contains a pleasant bonus feature about the history of the orchestra and its workings. One thing that this documentary makes clear is the affection between Gergiev and his players. With what essentially is a pick-up orchestra, Gergiev hones an ensemble of beauty and refinement, with a powerful sonority. I concur with the audience in Abu Dhabi; this concert is a resounding success.
The William Tell Overture receives beautiful playing from the solo cello, flute, and English horn, plus an incisive response by the trombone choir. The interpretation is unhackneyed—one hears Gergiev’s skill as an opera conductor in setting an atmosphere. His hands flutter to create tension. The Lone Ranger music possesses a fine edge and is very exciting; I couldn’t help but conduct along with it. Gergiev takes the first three movements of the “Classical” Symphony at a leisurely pace. He begins the first movement by making circles with his right hand, suggesting the long line of the music. Gergiev’s gestures remind me of a remark Leonard Bernstein made to Glenn Dicterow: “I’m not a time beater. I’m an inspirer.” The solo bassoon in this movement is suitably puckish. The second movement here reveals the strongest influence of Haydn, with exquisite playing. The Gavotte in Gergiev’s hands is like a slow, heavy-footed Russian dance. Gergiev’s tempo for the finale is quick but not breathless. In the witty exchanges between orchestral choirs, the 20th century greets the 18th.
In Tchaikovsky’s Fifth, Gergiev molds the rich sound of the orchestra with the curve of his arms. I heard Gergiev say in an interview with Gilbert Kaplan that Furtwängler is one of his idols, which helps explain the never-capricious freedom of tempo in this performance. The opening clarinet solo is dark and mellifluous. Inexorable fate dominates Gergiev’s conception of the first movement. Nothing is sugary here. Its coda has an unusually slow, slightly menacing tempo. The horn solo that opens the second movement is dusky and dreamlike. In the darkness and heaviness of this movement, the conductor provides a foretaste of Shostakovich’s slow movements. Gergiev here gets the maximum expressiveness out of his body, perhaps wishing he could do even more. He doesn’t signal an end to the slow movement, just letting it fade away. The waltz offers a nervous respite from the previous movement. The finale is not march-like or triumphal. Gergiev paints it on a huge canvas, even down to beautiful tuba playing. The final peroration seems Byronic in its suggestion of despairing heroism. In sum, this is an individual and striking Tchaikovsky Fifth, gorgeously played.
In the encore, Johann Strauss Jr.’s Tritsch-Tratsch Polka, the orchestra creates a completely different atmosphere, echt Viennese. The violin playing is especially lithe and sparkling. The sound engineering in stereo is very good, with just a hint of congestion in climaxes. I was unable to try out the surround-sound option. The director does a fine job, alternating not overbearing views of Gergiev with sensitively judged close-ups of the orchestra’s players. I enjoyed just listening to the DVD’s sound while lying down as much as I did viewing its picture. If you are looking for CDs of the primary works, I would recommend Sir Colin Davis for the Rossini, Masur and the London Philharmonic or Rostropovich in the Prokofiev, and in the Tchaikovsky Antal Doráti and the London Symphony or Leonard Bernstein on Deutsche Grammophon. Gergiev really presents a seminar on the conductor’s art on this DVD. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to see how a major artist achieves his results.
FANFARE: Dave Saemann
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Gioacchino Rossini: Guillaume Tell: Overture Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25, “Classical” Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 Johann Strauss II: Tritsch-Tratsch Polka, Op. 214
World Orchestra for Peace Valery Gergiev, conductor
Recorded live from the Abu Dhabi Festival, 2011.
Bonus: - Solti’s Vision: The World Orchestra for Peace – The First 15 Years 1995–2010.
Picture format: NTSC 16:9 Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS 5.1 Region code: 0 (worldwide) Subtitles: German Running time: 83 mins (concert) + 21 mins (bonus) No. of DVDs: 1 (DVD 9)
“The Tutto Verdi series, in its goal of being complete, makes it possible to not only hear but see performances of works one seldom encounters outside of Parma...One does not have to be a Verdi completist like me to find a lot to enjoy in Tutto Verdi. The rarities are worth knowing to expand your sense of the composer’s output. The seven operas with Nucci are fascinating on so many levels, not the least of which is that his younger colleagues respond to his work not by being in awe but by allowing themselves to dig deeper and bring their performances to a higher plain than they imagined they were capable of. What would Peppino say?” – Fred Plotkin, WQXR
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Giuseppe Verdi TUTTO VERDI – The Operas, Vol. 3 (1855–1893) (11-DVD Box Disc Set)
I Vespri Siciliani (Teatro Regio di Parma, 2010) Simon Boccanegra (Teatro Regio di Parma, 2010) Un Ballo in Maschera (Teatro Regio di Parma, 2011) La Forza del Destino (Teatro Regio di Parma, 2011) Don Carlo (Teatro Comunale di Modena, 2012) Aida (Teatro Regio di Parma, 2012) Otello (Salzburg Festival, 2008) Falstaff (Teatro Regio di Parma, 2011)
Bonus: - Introduction to each opera
Picture format: NTSC 16:9 Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS 5.1 Region code: 0 (worldwide) Subtitles: Italian, English, German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Japanese Running time: 20 hours 41 mins (operas) + 1 hour 27 mins (bonus) No. of DVDs: 11 (DVD 9)
Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese Booklet: English, German, French No. of Discs: 1 Run time: 214 minutes Disc Format: Blu-ray 50 Picture: 16:9, HD Audio: PCM Stereo, PCM 5.1 Bonus Material: Introduction to Don Carlo Subtitles Bonus: Italian, English Region Code: 0 (worldwide)
VERDI Don Carlo • Fabrizio Ventura, cond; Mario Malagnini (Don Carlo); Giacomo Prestia (Filippo II); Cellia Costea (Elisabetta); Simone Piazzola (Rodrigo); Alla Pozniak (Eboli); Luciano Montanaro (Grande Inquisitore); O Regionale dell’Emilia-Romagna; Lirico Amadeus Ch • C MAJOR 724 704 (Blu-ray: 204:00 + 11:00) Live: Modena 2012
Perhaps it is because this comes from Modena, site of the opera’s third incarnation in 1886, but this production seems a level in quality above many of the others produced for the Tutto Verdi project. The so-called Modena version of Don Carlo is the revised four-act version in Italian, first seen in 1884, with the Fontainebleau Scene restored, and that is the version performed here, making it almost as long as the French five-act original version. Perhaps taking it out of Parma, site of many of the other and mostly dreary productions in the Tutto Verdi series, has helped the quality as well. Sets are not lavish, but shrewdly functional: platforms stage left and right with ramps that frame often striking painted backdrops. Several large props are used as well: the tomb of Charles V, a statue of the Virgin in Philip’s alcove sanctuary, and a large wooden platform seen in the forest of Fontainebleau. Costumes are strictly in period and lavishly handsome, the lighting used intelligently to create additional atmosphere. Modena’s chorus is typically arrayed along the sides or back. The sound is a bit more recessed than on most of the other Tutto Verdi videos, as are the principal singers’ voices in comparison to the orchestra. I found this effect somewhat mitigated when listening in the surround format.
The singers themselves are variable in quality, but also a stronger cast than usual in this series. A cut above the other singers (or two or three cuts above) is the Elisabetta of Cellia Costea. You can tell right away she is a good one: her solid intonation, secure top, and fine ability to emotively color the text give her away. Costea also seems an excellent actress, but even she can’t rescue the poor Carlos of tenor Mario Malagnini. Malagnini looks too old and sings too poorly to be the title singer in a major production such as this, and he hasn’t got the first clue about acting or interacting with others. His most intense gesture with bosom buddy Rodrigo or beloved Elisabetta is to grasp them on the forearm, and he never looks anywhere but at the audience (or the prompter?). The King Philip of Giacomo Prestia begins with a pronounced wobble, but the voice smoothes out by the time of his big scenes in the Fourth Act, and his fine acting makes the rather unlikeable character of the king come alive as few have done in the past. Simone Piazzola sings pretty competently as Rodrigo, as does mezzo Alla Pozniak in the role of Princess Eboli, although she finds a few flat notes Verdi is not responsible for. Luciano Montanaro seems to strain to find volume as the blind Grand Inquisitor and forces his high notes, robbing the role of any real menace or authority.
Even with a mailed-in performance by the tenor, this Don Carlo makes an impression. As one of the first appearances of this opera on Blu-ray, its sharp clarity and vivid colors impress, and much of the gripping drama is evoked quite effectively. Finding any little nuggets of entertaining opera among the general dross of the Tutto Verdi series has proved difficult, yet they are out there and, as this one, probably deserve some success. Hopefully, soprano Costea will be given better opportunities in the near future; Elisabetta is a near lyric role, but any new Verdian soprano on the block is a major find these days. There are, of course, several other quite good video productions of Don Carlo available, but with versions in French and Italian, four-act and five-act, with and without ballet, there are hardly any two alike. This set from Modena deserves to be seen, and is recommended.
Based on Schiller's play of the same name, Don Carlos was written for the Paris Opera between 1865 and 1867 in the tradition of a French grand opera. Reportedly revised and performed in Italian as Don Carlo, the opera seen here in the version that Verdi prepared for Modena in 1886. This is Verdi's most ambitious and most forward-looking work.
![Tutto Verdi Operas Vol 3, 1855-1893 [11-DVDs]](http://arkivmusic.com/cdn/shop/files/2335711.jpg?v=1788499097&width=800)
![Tutto Verdi Operas Vol 3, 1855-1893 [11-DVDs]](http://arkivmusic.com/cdn/shop/files/81qc1bEHUGL.jpg?v=1788499097&width=800)
![Tutto Verdi Operas Vol 3, 1855-1893 [11-DVDs]](http://arkivmusic.com/cdn/shop/files/2335711.jpg?v=1788499097&width=400)
![Verdi: Don Carlo / Ventura, Prestia, Malagnini, Piazzola, Costea [blu-ray]](http://arkivmusic.com/cdn/shop/files/2225669.jpg?v=1788481040&width=800)
![Verdi: Don Carlo / Ventura, Prestia, Malagnini, Piazzola, Costea [blu-ray]](http://arkivmusic.com/cdn/shop/files/91FUim7tbfL.jpg?v=1788481040&width=800)
![Verdi: Don Carlo / Ventura, Prestia, Malagnini, Piazzola, Costea [blu-ray]](http://arkivmusic.com/cdn/shop/files/2225669.jpg?v=1788481040&width=400)
