Herbert Blomstedt is omnipresent on the concert stages of this world. Where others have been enjoying their retirement for decades, the 95-year-old continues to tour the globe as conductor of numerous top orchestras and, in doing so, seems to defy biological laws. His esprit for conducting even seems to have grown over the years; his art, musical ethics, and empathy in dealing with people in general and with orchestra musicians, in particular, have long since made him a living legend.

The feature-length film portrait When Music Resounds, the Soul Is Spoken To was created between his 90th and 95th birthdays. It accompanies Herbert Blomstedt in his work with selected orchestras, which are representative of the many international ensembles he has either led or with which he still works regularly, and observes the gifted communicator during rehearsals and concerts. Blomstedt vividly conveys his clear interpretive ideas, turning every orchestra rehearsal into an experience. When Music Resounds, the Soul Is Spoken To also illuminates the career of the American-born cosmopolitan, who left his Christian and musically influenced home in Sweden to conquer the international concert halls. The film deliberately avoids statements by third parties; only the exceptional artist himself has his say. He shares personal experiences, gives insight into his musical world of thoughts and life, and conveys deeply human insights from a career spanning over 70 years. As an exciting discourse on life philosophies, musical life and experiences as a musician, the film is a portrait of an unpretentious artist who has decisively shaped the classical music world for decades and continues to do so to this day.

The celebration of YULE in Northern Europe harks back to a transition from ancient Pagan Germanic culture to the more formal spirituality of the newer Christian rite. On this album the two traditions sit side by side, creating a matrix where acappella voices meet improvising instruments in a synthesis of secular and sacred.

Trio Mediæval - Anna Maria Friman - Linn Andrea Fuglseth - Jorunn Lovise + Husan Sinikka Langeland, kantele; Vegar Vårdal, hardanger fiddle and violin; Arve Henriksen, trumpet and organ; Anders Jormin, double bass; Helge Norbakken, percussion.

Vincenzo Bellini’s first great operatic success I Capuleti e i Montecchi is based on an Italian version of Romeo and Juliet in which the feuding clans seek reconciliation through the wedding of Giulietta and Tebaldo. Giulietta’s lover, Romeo, begs her to elope with him, but fate has other plans for the couple. Topped with the ‘agile coloratura runs and lyrical grace’ (New York Times) of soprano Jessica Pratt, this acclaimed production takes place in the historical and beautifully atmospheric Teatro La Fenice, the same venue in which I Capuleti e i Montecchi had its triumphant premiere in 1830.

REVIEWS:

Ruben Amoretti makes for fierce Capellop and Luca Dall’Amico’s solid bass lends gravitas to Lorenzo. Omer Meir Wellber conducts a sympathetic account of the score, well played by La Fenice’s orchestra.

--Gramophone

Naxos has recently been reaching back into archives from the not too distant past for some of its home video releases of opera. The latest one is this recording of a performance of Bellini’s sixth opera taken from a staging in Venice in 2015. The staging by Arnaud Bernard in most respects observes a traditional interpretation of Felice Romani’s libretto...Bernard achieves some really striking friezes, as seen in the closing tableau for Act Two and a wonderful visual effect for Giulietta’s funeral procession.

Capellio, Giulietta’s father is given an imposing performance by Rubén Amoretti. His bass is strong and solid with an appropriately sepulchral aspect to his tone. His contribution is my choice for the most fearsome Cappellio available.

Vocally [Sonia Ganassi's] mezzo has a fine sheen to it, especially in the upper register where her tone could be described as glowing...[she] gives a fine performance of Romeo. Jessica Pratt’s Giulietta is notable for her polished acting. Her every gesture is in tune with the heroine’s increasingly desperate situation. Her concentration on her character doesn’t lag for an instant, as witnessed her performance of the long opening recitative before “Oh! Quante volte”, in which she presents a singularly riveting, three-dimensional portrait. Platt’s voice is in splendid shape on this occasion, her singing is poised and the tone is always brightly expressive. There is little of the uneven vocal production which sometimes affects her singing. Both stars’ voices meld quite beautifully in their duets and leave nothing to be desired [in] some of Bellini’s most ravishing music.

The chorus and orchestra are in excellent form and respond beautifully to the energetic baton of Omer Meir Wellber. He offers plenty of rhythmic drive but rarely did I sense that the music was rushed, as is so often the case in recent performance practice of early 19^th century operas. The production has some incredibly beautiful costumes from the late Renaissance period and the High-definition camera work does real justice to that aspect of the production.

--MusicWeb International (Mike Parr)

Mieczyslaw Weinberg's powerful Holocaust drama Die Passagierin channels his and his family's ordeals of wartime and Soviet persecution, applying them musically to Zofia Posmysz's autobiographical novel. The score was praised by Shostakovich for it's 'beauty and greatness', with a narrative that unfolds on an ocean liner bound for Brazil on which a former Auschwitz guard and one of her Polish prisoners confront impossible moral conflict and harrowing flashbacks in music that is sparse, dark, sardonic and intermittently tender. This acclaimed Oper Graz production draws us movingly into the raw unimaginable madness of this imperishable moment in history.

Francesco Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur was inspired by the real-life story of a celebrated actress at the Comédie-Française who was much admired by Voltaire. Hailed as a masterpiece, the opera was triumphantly staged in cities around the world after its premiere in 1902. The dramatically effective narrative is a passionate love triangle filled with intrigue and complicated plot twists set in the gallant 18th century. Its subtle ironies and gorgeous cantabile style of music provide a perfect vehicle for the star cast in this stunning production from the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

REVIEWS:

The playing is admirably sensuous: Cilea knew his Wagner and Debussy, and Harding pointedly emphasizes the debts, while also giving us plenty of Italianate passion and lyricism.

-- Gramophone (DVD/Blu-ray of the Month, January 2023)

This Maggio Musicale production from Florence boasts a genuine star at its heart...María José Siri marks out her own territory, thanks to her lustrous voice and honestly theatrical characterization...The remaining star turn here is the conductor Daniel Harding in full-on verismo mode, notably sensitive to his singers’ needs, and inspiring the Maggio Musicale orchestra to project Cilea’s score with refined virtuosity.

-- Opera

This is an invitation to stand with kings in battle, to fall in love, to witness the brutal machinations of politics, and to laugh with rogues in this 27-disc collection.

Shakespeare’s Globe, the reconstruction of his most famous London theatre, is at the centre of the astonishing global fascination with Britain’s greatest playwright. Completed in 1997, it is a living theatrical experiment that has allowed audiences to experience the impact of Shakespeare’s stories in the architecture for which he wrote; the result has been a rediscovery of the plays in all their human richness. This collection brings together 26 Globe Theatre productions from 2009 to 2018, featuring the finest actors and leading directors in a project committed to creating ever wider access to this rich cultural heritage. Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories and Tragedies contain dazzling poetry, romance, epic power struggles, human suffering and ingenious, raucous humour. These films capture the unique atmosphere and theatrical space of the Globe Theatre, with the exhilarating sense of interaction in live performances between the audience and the actors on stage exquisitely maintained on screen.

Cast including: Stephen Fry, Malvolio (Twelfth Night); Mark Rylance, Olivia (Twelfth Night); Roger Allam, Falstaff (Henry IV) & Prospero (The Tempest); Jamie Parker, Hal (Henry IV), Henry V & Oliver (As You Like It); Samantha Spiro, Katherina (The Taming of the Shrew) & Lady Macbeth; Catherine Bailey, Portia (Julius Caesar); Eve Best, Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing) & Cleopatra (Anthony and Cleopatra); Jessie Buckley, Miranda (The Tempest).

Selected reviews of previously issued recordings:

...it is difficult to imagine that Twelfth Night could be performed more effectively than it currently is at the Globe theatre..."

-- The Guardian

Dromgoole is blessed with a smashing pair of young lovers. Adetomiwa Edun's Romeo is fresh, cheeky, light on his feet and full of the ebullience of young love...

-- The Daily Telegraph

Eve Best's directorial debut is a cracking - at times, terrifying - production of Macbeth. --- The Daily Telegraph

Henry IV is the Shakespeare play that's perfectly suited to the Globe.

-- The Guardian

See classics by Shakespeare, Schiller, Euripides, Büchner, Chekhov, Gorky, Ibsen, Molière and Heiner Müller on this new release from Belvedere. This extensive edition features more highlights of the world's uniquely diverse German theatre landscape, united in a 10- video box set. Die Theater edition reflects the great variety of current German theatre on video. The cast lists read like a who’s who of the German-language theatre landscape, and is an excellent visual impression of theatre on stage, which should not be missing in any discerning collection.

"Glorious fun" -- The Guardian

A father ends up in the wrong country on the wrong day as a government makes hasty proclamations about travel. A lonely son, while searching for his brother, loses himself. Across town a wife starts to realize her husband is not the man she thought he was (but rather likes it). Will anything ever be the same again? Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, a fairy tale farce of everyday miracles, mistaken identity and double vision, is directed by comedy master Phillip Breen.

The documentary Three Tenors – Voices for Eternity tells the story of the most successful concert in the history of classical music, featuring recent interviews with José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Zubin Mehta, Pavarotti‘s widow Nicoletta Mantovani, Lalo Schifrin, Brian Large, Mario Dradi, Paul Potts, Sir Bryn Terfel, Norman Lebrecht, Didier de Cottignies and many more. Behind-the-scenes-footage, showing the emotional highlights of the first concert and the sequel in Los Angeles offers a fascinating insight into what takes place beyond the spotlight, and includes excerpts from the legendary concert of the Original Three Tenors - José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti, conducted by Zubin Mehta at the Terme di Caracalla, Rome 1990 on the eve of the Football World Cup.

Bianca e Fernando, commissioned for the inauguration of the Carlo Felice Theatre in 1828, was composed at the start of Bellini’s career as one of the most important opera composers of the 19th century. The superb music for this dramatic story of filial love, wicked intrigues and triumph over tyranny was received with the ‘jubilation and admiration of the citizens of Genoa’ and greatly admired by the likes of Donizetti, earning Bellini recognition throughout Italy and beyond. This acclaimed first modern performance brings to light precious lost pages of music, reviving the original ‘splendid celebration’ of its premiere.

This is one volume in a multi-volume set. Find the complete box set here.

On the occasion of the Bruckner bicentenary, the Wiener Philharmoniker recorded its first ever complete Bruckner cycle under the baton of Christian Thielemann. In addition to the well-known canon of nine symphonies, the two earliest Bruckner symphonies in F minor and D minor, which are a world premiere on DVD and Blu-ray, were also recorded for the first time in the orchestra's history. This uniquely complete edition from the Musikverein and Salzburg Festival, featuring 11 symphonies, also includes extensive conversations with Christian Thielemann about each symphony and insights into his rehearsal work.

“Two symphonies that document Bruckner's path to mastery quite excellently. (…) Conclusion: The next interesting Bruckner milestone in the cycle.” (Kurier) / “Masterly, kapellmeisterlike, dreamlike.” (Der Standard) / Beautiful to weep for and artistically accomplished. [...] The interpretation of the Fifth may be considered a milestone. The way the musicians realized this work was simply grand." (Kurier)

On this new release from the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare’s classic tale is reimagined especially for the screen. King Leontes rips his family apart but grief opens his heart. Will he find the child he abandoned before it is too late? This production of Shakespeare’s play is staged for the screen by the RSC. Directed by Erica Whyman, the play is set across a 16-year span, from the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II to the moon landings. “The first ever televised Royal Shakespeare Company world premiere is solid.” (The Independent) “Autolycus can be a touchstone for personal taste and Anne Odeke was delicious here across the whole gamut, from singing voice through to cream-cake comedy.” (The Arts Desk)

Reviews

“Enchanting” – The Times ★★★★

“Engaging and high-spirited” – The Stage ★★★★

Pablo Picasso is one of the greatest artists of all time - and right up until his death in 1973 he was the most prolific of artists. Many films have dealt with these later years - the art, the affairs and the wide circle of friends. But where did this all begin? What made Picasso in the first place? Too long ignored, it is time to look at the early years of Picasso; the upbringing and the learning that led to his extraordinary achievements. Working closely with all three Picasso Museums in Malaga, Barcelona and Paris this film explains how he rose to such great heights.

The first installment of what is widely acknowledged to be Shakespeare’s greatest historical saga, Henry IV Part 1 is an epic tale of power, treachery and war, exploring the complexity of father-son relationships. Featuring an Olivier award-winning performance from Roger Allam as Falstaff, the comical mentor to Jamie Parker’s Prince Hal, this is a celebrated presentation of the English classic, expertly directed by Dominic Dromgoole.

REVIEWS:

"Henry IV is the Shakespeare play that's perfectly suited to the Globe. In Dominic Dromgoole's intelligent, faithful and entertaining new production, Sir John Falstaff, that 'sweet creature of bombast', might have stopped for a pint of sack in Southwark en route for a rendezvous with Doll Tearsheet at the Boar's Head." (The Guardian)

"It is the first time these wonderful plays have been staged at the reconstructed globe and it may be one of this theatres finest achievements." (The Daily Telegraph)

A colossal work that defies all boundaries: Prokofiev's monumental setting of Tolstoy's epic novel War and Peace. The story, set during Napoleon's Russian campaign between 1809 and 1812, is condensed by the composer into a powerful sequence of scenes in which the love story between Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky alternates in striking contrast with the depiction of the Russian army's battle against the French invasion-interwoven yet deeply connected. The music narrates how the aristocracy's rigid social hierarchy stands in the way of two young people's happiness, how seduction succeeds while an abduction fails, how some renounce their love while others fall as heroes-all while people, amidst the grandeur, search for true connection. With a wealth of magnificent themes and poignant moments, Prokofiev's operatic masterpiece merges social drama and historical chronicle into a sweeping panorama. Dmitri Tcherniakov's staging presents a gathering of people in a historically charged setting: the famous Pillar Hall of the House of the Unions in Moscow. Forced into an indefinite coexistence, they instinctively begin to embody characters, reenact conversations, scenes, and celebrations, as if drawing from a vast collective memory. What starts as an impromptu role-play soon turns into an emotional experience where the lines between assumed and genuine feelings blur. An outstanding ensemble performs under the musical direction of General Music Director Vladimir Jurowski.