{"title":"Ben Paterson","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"wagner-siegfried-elder-halle-50883","title":"Wagner: Siegfried \/ Elder, Halle","description":"\u003cimg src=\"\/graphics\/features\/gramophone_choice.jpg\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The Hallé completes its highly regarded Ring cycle, with the live recording of its acclaimed Bridgewater Hall performance under Sir Mark Elder. “Roaring jubilation and radiant beauty from Elder and the Halle…. Elder is a superb Wagnerian, acutely conscious of the complex relationship between tempo and pace, and immaculate in his judgment both of the span of each act and the ebb and flow of detail within it. Thrilling climaxes alternated with moments of astonishing beauty and quiet, almost exquisite terror.” (The Guardian on the Halle’s performance of Siegfried) The third element of Wagner’s Ring cycle contains humor, drama and a concluding ecstasy as the eponymous hero meets his heroine Brünnhilde, setting up the explosive finale of the concluding opera. With enormous orchestral forces and dramatic use of leitmotiv themes the music portrays the full gamut of emotions and provides a perfect vehicle to display the heights of the Hallé’s powers under Elder. This production was recorded at the Bridgewater Hall, capturing all the drama of the acclaimed live performance.","brand":"Halle","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013210722538,"sku":"5065001341601","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3666483-2423975.jpg?v=1778275129"},{"product_id":"jeths-ritratto-paterson-amsterdam-sinfonietta-397452","title":"Jeths: Ritratto \/ Paterson, Amsterdam Sinfonietta","description":"\u003cp\u003e“I wish to be a living work of art,” reads the famous comment made by Luisa Casati, the extravagant marchesa who drew everyone's attention to herself as a high society personality in the early 20th century and who inspired a number of leading artists to take up their writing pens, paintbrushes and cameras: Casati was the most prolifically portrayed woman of her age. She was both Muse and Maecenas who gathered an extensive coterie of famous artists around herself – an egregious set of people, some of whom were also her lovers. She led a split existence. On the one hand, she turned herself into a living work of art and organized grotesque parties as the backdrops to her own performances; on the other hand, she commissioned artists to immortalize her as a “piece of art” – and artists were queuing up at her door as she had enormous wealth at her fingertips to realize these whims. In the opera, Casati’s biography is compressed into a single party evening at her Venetian palazzo. Over seven scenes, we see a melange of events from the heroine’s life that actually occurred over many decades, to which the creators then added their own dreamed-up plot. Jeths’s palette as a composer has become ever richer and more dramatic as the years have passed. His spectrum ranges from attention to sound and color to a subtle use of harmonic tension. His musical language was originally more atonal, but he has always flirted with tonality. And now more than ever, his notes are at the service of the text, the theatrical impression and the beauty of the human voice. In his music, Jeths employs multiple references to existing music.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Challenge Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46013268066538,"sku":"608917284928","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3886807-2680049.jpg?v=1778239096"},{"product_id":"verdi-aida-serjan-paterson-rizzi-blu-ray-133582","title":"Verdi: Aida \/ Serjan, Paterson, Rizzi [Blu-ray]","description":"\u003cb\u003eNote: This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Giuseppe Verdi \u003cbr\u003e  AIDA \u003cbr\u003e  (Blu-ray Disc Version)\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Set against the magnificent backdrop of Lake Constance, every production at the Bregenz Festival faces strong natural competitors. But with this first-ever production of Verdi’s “Aida” (in an abridged version) on the lakeside stage, it is easy to overlook the beauty of the surrounding nature. Stage director Graham Vick and set designer Paul Brown conjure up an “open-air spectacle of superlatives” (Die Zeit) that throws a bridge between ancient Egypt and today’s U.S. The stage effects are stunning: ruins of the Statue of Liberty pieced together with the help of giant cranes, boats carrying priestesses and prisoners – parts of the opera even take place in the lake itself! And in the Grand March – one of the most famous marches in opera – a golden elephant comes sailing into view on a barge¿ Under Carlo Rizzi, the Wiener Symphoniker brilliantly support the chorus and soloists, among whom Iano Tamar (Amneris) and Tatiana Serjan (Aida) stand out. Drawing capacity crowds of over 200,000 spectators in just one season, “Aida” is the festival’s most successful opera to date, even more successful than the “Tosca” production, which has been immortalized in the James Bond film “Quantum of Solace”.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Il Re – Kevin Short \u003cbr\u003e  Amneris – Iano Tamar \u003cbr\u003e  Aida – Tatiana Serjan \u003cbr\u003e  Radamès – Rubens Pelizzari \u003cbr\u003e  Ramfis – Tigran Martirossian \u003cbr\u003e  Amonasro – Iain Paterson \u003cbr\u003e  Un messaggero – Ronald Samm \u003cbr\u003e  Una sacerdotessa – Elisabetta Martorana\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Camerata Silesia \u003cbr\u003e  Polish Radio Choir, Krakow \u003cbr\u003e  Bregenz Festival Chorus \u003cbr\u003e  Vienna Symphony Orchestra \u003cbr\u003e  Carlo Rizzi, conductor\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Graham Vick, stage director \u003cbr\u003e  Paul Brown, stage and costume designer \u003cbr\u003e  Ron Howell, choreography \u003cbr\u003e  Wolfgang Göbbel, lighting designer\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Recorded live from the Bregenz Festival, 22 and 24 July 2009.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Picture format: 1080i High Definition \u003cbr\u003e  Sound format: PCM Stereo \/ DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 \u003cbr\u003e  Region code: 0 (worldwide) \u003cbr\u003e  Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian \u003cbr\u003e  Running time: 135 mins \u003cbr\u003e  No. of Discs: 1 (Blu-ray)\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"C Major Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"Blu-Ray","offer_id":46025390948586,"sku":"814337010249","price":50.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1672478.jpg?v=1778387788"},{"product_id":"verdi-aida-serjan-paterson-rizzi-232949","title":"Verdi: Aida \/ Serjan, Paterson, Rizzi","description":"Giuseppe Verdi \u003cbr\u003e  AIDA \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Il Re – Kevin Short \u003cbr\u003e  Amneris – Iano Tamar \u003cbr\u003e  Aida – Tatiana Serjan \u003cbr\u003e  Radamès – Rubens Pelizzari \u003cbr\u003e  Ramfis – Tigran Martirossian \u003cbr\u003e  Amonasro – Iain Paterson \u003cbr\u003e  Un messaggero – Ronald Samm \u003cbr\u003e  Una sacerdotessa – Elisabetta Martorana\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Camerata Silesia \u003cbr\u003e  Polish Radio Choir, Krakow \u003cbr\u003e  Bregenz Festival Chorus \u003cbr\u003e  Vienna Symphony Orchestra \u003cbr\u003e  Carlo Rizzi, conductor\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Graham Vick, stage director \u003cbr\u003e  Paul Brown, stage and costume designer \u003cbr\u003e  Ron Howell, choreography \u003cbr\u003e  Wolfgang Göbbel, lighting designer\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Recorded live from the Bregenz Festival, 22 and 24 July 2009.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Picture format: NTSC 16:9 \u003cbr\u003e  Sound format: PCM Stereo \/ Dolby Digital 5.1 \u003cbr\u003e  Region code: 0 (worldwide) \u003cbr\u003e  Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian \u003cbr\u003e  Running time: 135 mins \u003cbr\u003e  No. of DVDs: 1 (DVD 9)\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e R E V I E W:\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e At Bregenz one can expect spectacular productions – or at least conspicuous ones. I am talking about Opera on Lake Bodensee which takes place in July and August each year. It’s part of the Bregenz festival which provides a lavish offer of opera, theatre and concerts. The outdoor stage surrounded by water invites gigantic sets and the long distance to the grandstand on the shore requires amplifying equipment. I have seen some productions on DVD and also some stills. They are generally provocative, putting the characters in settings as far away from the original as can be imagined.  \u003ci\u003eIl trovatore\u003c\/i\u003e a few years ago took place in an industrial landscape, possibly on an oil platform. This  \u003ci\u003eAida \u003c\/i\u003egoes even further. The water here isn’t ocean deep but allows the actors to wade, to swim, to fall in or splash, even to be drowned. During the prelude two lifeless bodies hanging on a wire attached to an enormous building crane, are slowly transported before the eyes of horrified onlookers until they are lowered down into a barge off the stage. In  \u003ci\u003eTrovatore\u003c\/i\u003e fire was central to the proceedings; in  \u003ci\u003eAida\u003c\/i\u003e water has the same importance, the Nile being the life-blood of the Egyptians. There is a water ballet in the triumphal scene. The tomb episode takes place on a ship drifting among the waves. During the final duet the ship rises from the water and sails into the sky, leaving Amneris alone at the waters’ edge. A real amphibious opera. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Dominating the stage picture are two monstrously big, blue feet. Why are they there? Whatever the reason they appear to function as the firm foundation around which the action rotates, whether it be Aida, the slave girl, scrubbing the floor, Amneris in black dotted evening gown airing her human ‘dogs’ or high priests and soldiers invading the stage. There are activities aplenty with numerous extras just being there, costumes are a mix of modern and ancient. All this business tends to suffocate the central conflicts and it is typical of the performance that it is in the Nile scene – act III – that the action grabs the viewer by the throat; this is the first scene with no external distractions. In a way this is dramaturgically sensitive, since the first two acts primarily deal with festivities, while the core of the drama is the triangle Aida – Amonasro – Radames. This is an oversimplification of the plot. There are many strands in the libretto and Amneris – though basically an evil character but one who loves – is the hub around which everything rotates. In this performance it also becomes obvious why Verdi initially contemplated naming the opera  \u003ci\u003eAmneris\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Iano Tamar, the Georgian soprano who was also a great Leonora in  \u003ci\u003eIl\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003ci\u003eTrovatore\u003c\/i\u003e, is the star; her somewhat darkish timbre contrasting well with Tatiana Serjan’s girlish Aida. Tamar has authority and a thrilling lirico-spinto voice. In the first scene in act IV she is truly great. Serjan at first seems too lyrical for Aida, having a fluttery soubrette voice but it sits well with her youthful looks. Her  \u003ci\u003eRitorna vincitor\u003c\/i\u003e is however sung with intensity and in the third and fourth acts she grows in stature, no doubt inspired by Scottish baritone Iain Paterson’s powerful Amonasro. He is an unusually dangerous Ethiopian king. Rubens Pelizzari is a rather pale Radamès in the first two acts but like his Aida he grows and in the Nile duet he finds a glow that has eluded him before.  \u003ci\u003eO terra addio\u003c\/i\u003e, though sung in a strange setting, is delivered with lyrical beauty and warmth by both artists. Tigran Martirossian is an acceptable Ramfis but Kevin Short’s King is terribly wobbly. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  As so often with these Bregenz productions one ends up in two minds. They’re innovative for sure, and this  \u003ci\u003eAida \u003c\/i\u003eis no exception. One can marvel at ideas that suddenly illuminate the proceedings but just as often one thinks: ‘What’s the point of this?’ Carlo Rizzi keeps things together and draws splendid playing from the Wiener Symphoniker. The choral forces have no easy task to walk all those stairs and balance on wet slippery stones while keeping an eye on the conductor but they manage it well. Sound and pictures are good. Readers have to decide from my descriptions whether this is a DVD worth spending money on, but Iano Tamar’s glorious Amneris should definitely be seen and heard. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  -- Göran Forsling, MusicWeb International\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"C Major Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"DVD","offer_id":46025492627690,"sku":"814337010232","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1657943.jpg?v=1778324302"},{"product_id":"cookin-in-the-couve","title":"COOKIN' IN THE COUVE","description":"COOKIN' IN THE COUVE","brand":"CELLAR LIVE","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46055166247146,"sku":"628308830732","price":12.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4378316-3270930.jpg?v=1780079467"}],"url":"https:\/\/arkivmusic.com\/collections\/ben-paterson.oembed","provider":"ArkivMusic","version":"1.0","type":"link"}