Experience the iconic music from movies and series such as Babylon Berlin, The Great Gatsby and Burlesque with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Danish Radio Big Band and guests. The Babylon Hotel is the concert where the upper class meets the underworld in a melting pot of euphoria and extravagance, nostalgia and pleasure with a carefree sinfulness only seen in the exuberant nightlife of the 1920s around the world. This concert evening takes you through the fictional Babylon Hotel, where the doors are opened to a world of music from movies like The Great Gatsby, Babylon, Burlesque, the TV series House of Dreams and Babylon Berlin and the operas Porgy and Bess and Mahagonny - and much more.

An all star ensemble of early and baroque music specialists masters the delicate beauty of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos: the alternating solo and ensemble parts all shine with musical excellence, the communication between the musicians is outstanding, the structure of the music is always clear and intuitively understood. The Orchestra Mozart is led by Giuliano Carmignola, the Italian master of the violin, who has earned a reputation as a specialist in 18th-century music with his work with the Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca and the Venice Baroque Orchestra. The soloists include also other eminent instrumentalists such as Jacques Zoon, Reinhold Friedrich, Alois Posch, Ottavio Dantone, Danusha Waskiewicz, Mario Brunello, Alessio Allegrini and Jonathan Williams.

Marked by a profound dramatic and spiritual intensity, the St John Passion was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1724. Based on the Gospel according to St John, it recounts the last moments of Christ's life, from his arrest to his burial in the tomb. The Cantor's Passion is one of the most sublime works in his repertoire, drawing the listener into a mystical and contemplative reflection. Ga�tan Jarry conducts the Orchestre de l'Op�ra Royal and the child singers of the T�lzer Knabenchor, to restore this treasure of sacred music to it's rightful place.

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Johann Sebastian Bach
MASS IN B MINOR
(Blu-ray Disc Version)

Reglint Bühler, soprano
Susanne Krumbiegel, mezzo-soprano
Susanne Langner, alto
Martin Lattke, tenor
Markus Flaig, bass

Leipzig St. Thomas Choir (Thomanerchor Leipzig)
Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
Georg Christoph Biller, conductor

Recorded live at St. Thomas Church, Leipzig, 23 June 2013

Picture format: 1080i Full-HD
Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: Latin, English, Korean
Running time: 114 mins
No. of Discs: 1 (BD 25)

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Nothing else that he wrote is as all-encompassing as the Mass in B minor, not even the great Passions,” says Herbert Blomstedt about Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Opus summum”. The Dresdner Kammerchor and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under the musical direction of Herbert Blomstedt have merged ingeniously to conclude the Bachfest Leipzig with this unrivaled work – a work that bears close connections to choir and orchestra, as well as to Herbert Blomstedt himself. J. S. Bach Mass in B minor, BWV 232 Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. Performing this monumental work is the ever-capable Dresdner Kammerchor conducted by Herbert Blomstedt. Featured soloists include Christina Landshamer, soprano, Elisabeth Kulman, alto, Wolfram Lattke, tenor, and Luca Pisaroni, bass.

Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concertos rank among the most popular works of Baroque music. To mark their 300th anniversary in 2021, Collegium 1704 played all six Brandenburg Concertos on historical instruments in K�then Castle's restored Hall of Mirrors. Founded by V�clav Luks in 2005, the orchestra is one of the most renowned ensembles of our time specializing in baroque music. Given the great stylistic and structural diversity of these concertos, they were the perfect choice to record these musical gems at the historical location of their inception.

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Distinguished Bach specialist Sir András Schiff returned to the BBC Proms in 2018 to present Book II of The Well-Tempered Clavier. Extending the variety already evident in Book I (available on 2.110653), Bach’s effortless brilliance and new-found sonorities push harmony and counterpoint further than ever with a combination of ancient and modern styles, church austerity and gallant lightness. Schiff has said that ‘no-one combines the sacred and the secular as Bach does’, and this is comprehensively demonstrated in Bach’s fascinating and challenging sequence. This performance in the Royal Albert Hall was described as ‘a musical meditation for our troubled times’ by the Independent.

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REVIEW:

Last month I mentioned how astonishing it was that András Schiff performed Bach’s entire Well-Tempered Klavier, Book I, at the 2017 BBC Proms completely from memory. Now there’s Schiff’s playing Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II, at the 2018 BBC Proms, and — if it’s even possible—it’s even more incredible that, once again, Schiff plays the entire 140-minute work from memory. Bach’s preludes and variations are enough to tax any pianist, but Schiff plays one of our greatest composers’ greatest works with artistry and graceful calm. Hi-def video and audio are excellent.

– The Flipside

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Johann Sebastian Bach was undoubtedly the greatest musical thinker of his age. Dubbed ‘the Old Testament of music’ by the conductor and pianist Hans von Bülow, the Well-Tempered Clavier is acknowledged to be one of the most significant works ever written for the keyboard. Each of these 24 preludes and fugues encapsulates its own mood, and Bach’s delight in mixing technical strictness with freedom of expression has made this work an indispensable element of Western culture for centuries. Sir András Schiff is heralded as one of the finest Bach interpreters today, and this first complete performance at the prestigious BBC Proms was summed up as ‘stupendous’ by The Independent.

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REVIEW:

That he played the one hundred and ten minutes of the First Book from The Well-Tempered Clavier from memory was a feat in itself; that he played it without a blemish was remarkable, and that he imbued it with such happiness was something to remember. Played without an interval, and with both feet firmly planted on the stage, we come as near to Bach’s harpsichord as you can get from a modern Steinway concert grand piano.

– David's Review Corner (David Denton)

It is a superb account, bursting at once with piety toward the spirit of this music and sheer irreverence toward it's execution (The New York Times on the recording of the Bach Partitas by Gidon Kremer) Gidon Kremer is one of the most headstrong and original artists in the music business and has been hailed once by Herbert von Karajan as the world's best violinist. His return to Johann Sebastian Bach's Partitas was a major event. Kremer's first recording of these works was released almost a quarter of a century ago, and he hadn't played the partitas in public for over twenty years until this 2002 recording. Those who have followed Gidon Kremer's artistic development over the past years will note how much his tone and articulation have changed. The new rendering displays Kremer's very personal sense of spontaneity and a readiness to take risks. In a very personal way, the film "Back to Bach" shows Gidon Kremer's most important encounters with Bach. It accompanies the famous violin virtuoso showing rehearsals, recording sessions and discussions with a few trusted confidants, as well as rare archival footage.

*** This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD or HD DVD players. ***

In 2000, seventeen years after George Balanchine’s death, a rare and precious ballet arrived at the Paris Opéra: Jewels, a work first performed by the New York City Ballet in 1967. This alluring, abstract ballet, a triptych in which each piece sparkles with the brilliance of a precious stone, is a lyric tribute to women and to the capital cities of the great dance schools. Couturier, painter and craftsman Christian Lacroix created the glorious costumes and sets which, together with the outstanding performances of the dancers and the sensitive musical direction of Paul Connelly, results in a celebration of sumptuous splendour. Aurélie Dupont, Marie-Agnès Gillot, Agnès Letestu, Clairemarie Osta, Laëtitia Pujol, Jean-Guillaume Bart, Kader Belarbi, Mathieu Ganio

Ballet de L’Opéra national de Paris
Orchestre de L’Opéra national de Paris

Choreography: George Balanchine
Musical Director: Paul Connelly
Set & costume design: Christian Lacroix

Recorded live at the Opéra national de Paris, October & November 2005.

Repertoire:
Gabriel Fauré - Pelléas and Mélisande and Shylock
Igor Stravinsky - Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Symphony No.3 in D major

Plus:
George Balanchine forever - A film by Reiner E. Moritz

Reviews:
"For Rubies nothing but delight. Aurélie Dupont, Marie-Agnes Gillot, Alessio Carbonne were electric, super charged, at the head of a fizzing cast, hard edged, hard driven, hard to beat." -- Financial Times

"A gem of dazzling brilliance." -- The Independent

Region code: 0 (all regions)
Picture: 1080i
Sound: 2.0 & 5.0 PCM Audio
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian

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The Paris Opera Ballet, though historically and famously a classical ensemble, proved over the years to be perfectly at ease with the demands and the subtilities of the contemporary repertoire. A tribute to its dazzling technique and unique style, this collector box-set features three milestones in the recent history of the French company : Pina Bausch’s Orpheus und Eurydike, a "Tribute to Jerome Robbins," ten years after his passing, and Anne Teresa de Keersmaker’s Rain. All these programs were filmed at the Palais Garnier, a world-reknowned temple of classical ballet : a way to insure the continuity between the masterpieces of yesterday, and those of today.

Three masterworks by Kader Belarbi shine in these stunning Ballet du Capitole productions. Hailed by Le Figaro as ''simply magnificent: a miracle in two acts'', Le Corsaire is a bold reinvention of a 19th-century classic. La Bete et la Belle - a compelling reimagining of the classic fiary tale Beauty and the Beast - had its place affirmed among hte best of modern ballets by Belarbi's much-lauded production for Theatre du Capitole. La Reine morte, based on Montherlant's play of the same name and set to an enchanting score by Tchaikovsky, tells the tragic story of King Peter I of Portugal's devotion to his beloved Ines.

This unique collection brings together four jewels of the Royal Ballet repertoire that will delight and captivate young viewers the world over. Prepare to be enchanted by the timelessly colourful characters of Beatrix Potter including Peter Rabbit and friends; swept up in the magical world of Clara and her beloved Nutcracker; dazzled by Alice's weird and wonderful adventures in Wonderland; and spellbound by the action in Prokofiev's classic Peter and the Wolf. "Peter Rabbit's beautiful and magical garden of dreams will transport every adult straight back to their childhood. " (The Stage - The Tales of Beatrix Potter) "One of the very best seasonal treats for children and adults alike, the Royal Ballet's Nutcracker is a handsome, magical, thoroughly traditional rendering of ETA Hoffmann's immortal if deeply strange story." (Sunday Express - The Nutcracker) "What a treat this is - such an imaginative treatment of a favourite story. There are extraordinary, eccentric sets and special effects; colourful, larger-than-life, argumentative characters and extraordinary costumes. Lauren Cuthbertson, as Alice, is excellent, her every movement suggesting the actions and emotions of this curious, spirited pre-adolescent... Christopher Wheeldon's choreography is very imaginative and fitting for every character." (Musicweb International - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) "... Matthew Hart's Peter and the Wolf is one of the most beguiling children's ballets around. " (The Daily Telegraph - Peter and the Wolf)

Sensuous contemporary ballet meets the energy of musical theatre in four distinctive short works showcasing the extraordinary versatility of The Royal Ballet's Artistic Associate, Christopher Wheeldon. His hugely successful career, spanning ballet to musical theatre from London to New York and beyond, has garnered international acclaim. These exceptional pieces - Fool's Paradise, The Two of Us, Us and An American in Paris - are a feast for the senses highlighting the Tony- and Olivier-award-winning choreographer's remarkable range. This collection is a testament to Wheeldon's diverse expression and creativity.

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This box set contains three extraordinary ballet choreographies by the successful German choreographer Christian Spuck for the Ballett Zürich whose ballet director he has been since the 2012/13 season: Verdi’s Messa da Requiem conducted by Fabio Luisi, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and Mouse King, conducted by Paul Connelly, and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet conducted by Michail Jurowski. Christian Spuck comes from Marburg and was trained at the John Cranko School in Stuttgart. He began his dance career with Jan Lauwers’ Needcompany and Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker’s Ensemble Rosas. In 1995 he became a member of the Stuttgart Ballet and served as the company’s resident choreographer from 2001 to 2012. In Stuttgart he created fifteen world premieres, including the story ballet Lulu. Eine Monstretragödie after Frank Wedekind, Der Sandmann and Das Fräulein von S. after E.T.A. Hoffmann. Since the 2012/13 season, Christian Spuck has been director of Ballett Zürich.

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The contemporary vocal music of the Baltic states is infused with the timeless resonances of a folk tradition dating back to pagan times, and created a sensation when it was first unleashed upon European concert halls in the second half of the 20th century. This very special programme from the acclaimed SWR Vokalensemble represents the most eloquent and sophisticated choral repertoire of this region. Veljo Tormis’ intense folk song arrangements, and compelling works by Peteris Vasks and Arvo Part are included next to music of entrancing colours, heard in remarkable settings by a younger generation of award-winning composers.

The sixth album of the prodigy sisters with 470,000 albums sold. French classical crossover stars go back to their roots and revisit the repertoire they loved growing up. An enticing assortment of lean-back repertoire, including Hans Zimmer's "Now We Are Free" (from the movie Gladiator), Pr�lude from Bach's Cello Suite No. 1, Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", The Beatles's "Yesterday", and Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Some tracks feature piano accompaniment. Camille and Julie Berthollet's second album has now sold more than 100 000 copies in France and is now a Platinum Album.

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Abandoned by her lover Anatol, Vanessa retreats from the world, waiting and hoping with only her mother and her niece Erika for company. But when, 20 years later, Anatol’s handsome young son arrives unexpectedly, he shatters the calm of this shuttered household of women. Past and present love collides, and the aftershocks threaten to destroy them all. Samuel Barber’s Pulitzer Prize-winning first opera boasts one of the 20th century’s most beautiful scores. Poised constantly on the edge of song, Vanessa unfolds in generous swathes of melody, rich in filmic strings and soaring brass, with echoes of Puccini, Berg and Strauss. It climaxes in a final quintet of Mozartean poignancy – one of the great ensembles of the contemporary repertoire.

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REVIEW:

Warner’s handsome and perceptive staging of Barber’s Vanessa has probably done more to silence the work’s naysayers than any in recent memory. Thanks to Warner’s perception and motivation this excellent cast really deliver. Shadowy, opulent, effulgent – Barber’s Vanessa is the opera that bridges Hollywood and the Broadway stage.

– Gramophone

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World premiere on Blu-ray! Beatrice di Tenda is a tragic opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini. In Beatrice very diverse elements coexist: there are music patterns already experimented in Norma and used here to their utmost potential, side by side with new ways and techniques, which would be treasured by Verdi.

Also available in DVD!

The award-winning Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin has become one of the world’s leading chamber orchestras on period instruments. These concerts reveal some of the foundations of Beethoven’s genius, and capture vital performances from the 2020 SWR Schwetzingen Festival, the biggest radio festival for classical music in the world. These first two concerts of four see Beethoven’s revolutionary development through his first three symphonies set against C.P.E. Bach’s novel orchestration, Mozart’s pre-echo of a theme from the ‘Eroica’ Symphony, and Paul Wranitzky’s richly narrative Grande Sinfonie caractéristique, a work banned by the Viennese authorities of the day. The third and fourth concerts are also available on Naxos.

Also available in DVD!

The award-winning Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin has become one of the world’s leading chamber orchestras on period instruments. These concerts reveal some of the foundations of Beethoven’s genius, and capture vital performances from the 2020 SWR Schwetzingen Festival, the biggest radio festival for classical music in the world. Robert Schumann pointed out similarities between Méhul’s First Symphony and Beethoven’s Fifth, and these third and fourth concerts in the cycle also include a tempest by Holzbauer that precedes Beethoven’s by half a century, plus the little-known Le portrait musical de la nature by Justin Heinrich Knecht, a work that also anticipates Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony. The first and second concerts are also available on Naxos.

BEETHOVEN VIOLIN CONCERTO & SYMPHONY NO 6 PASTORAL

An exile from his native land following the failed revolution of 1848, the impoverished Richard Wagner is in Zürich working on his opera Tristan und Isolde. There he meets Otto and Mathilde Wesendonck, ardent admirers of his music. Wagner’s passionate and scandalous affair with Mathilde, whose poems he set to music, is explored in this feature film by director Jens Neubert. After their relationship ended, Wagner left Zurich for Italy, forever remembering Mathilde as ‘my first and only love’.

Beethoven’s opus of 32 piano sonatas, known as “the New Testament of piano music,” is a landmark in piano literature. Spanning Beethoven’s entire life, the sonatas reflect his whole development as a human being and a musician, moving from one century into the next, from one epoch in music in to another. With the sonatas “Pathetique,” “Moonlight,” “Waldstein,” “Appassionata,” “Hammerklavier,” and the final sonata op. 111, the cycle contains some of the most known piano pieces of all time. Now, for the first time in its history the complete cycle was performed at the Salzburg Festival. For this challenge the Festival asked no less than the world-renowned and influential Beethoven expert and pianist Rudolf Buchbinder. With more than 45 performances of Beethoven’s complete sonata cycle in concert halls all over the world and his relentless drive to discover new details and facets in the sonatas through meticulous study of the scores, “Buchbinder has set new standards in the interpretation of Beethoven’s works.” (Bayerischer Rundfunk). As a bonus, this release includes a 36 minute interview with Rudolf Buchbinder about the Beethoven Piano Sonatas.