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Praised by critics as “magnificent”, “breathtakingly theatrical” and full of “zestful imagination”, Melly Still’s “spine-tingling” Rusalka is a Glyndebourne classic – a magical contemporary reimagining of a much-loved fairy tale. Light and darkness, beauty and danger come together in this passionate tale of love against the odds. At once evocative and unsettling, this production collides two contrasting worlds in Rae Smith’s elegant designs made of “brilliant stage-pictures”. Rusalka’s forest home is a dappled space of sunshine and shadows, full of strange woodland creatures, while the Prince’s court is a world of sleek modernity and sophistication – a world of man.

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Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Atys, a tragédie en musique, became known as the ‘king’s opera’ due to Louis XIV’s fondness for it. The work stands as a testament to the Sun King’s courtly refinement, as well as his moves to make France the center of European artistic culture. The opera’s themes of romantic dilemmas and ultimate tragedy, set amidst the poetic atmosphere of Ovid’s classical mythology, create the perfect vehicle for a narrative filled with dramatic intensity combined with a myriad of moving and expressive arias and duets. William Christie conducts this acclaimed production – hailed by The New York Times as being ‘as satisfying it is bold’.

REVIEW:

The role of Atys is physically as well as vocally taxing, but is here superbly realised by the German tenor, Bernard Richter, while the French soprano, Emmanuelle De Negri, is an excellent Sangaride, with the creamy voice of the mezzo, Stephanie D’Oustrac, as Cybele completing the love triangle. The cast list is large, and with the Compagnie Fetes Galantes providing the dancers, the stage is at times totally filled. The reviews at the time of filimg (2011) were suitably euphoric regarding the casting, and equally of the presence of the period instrument orchestra, Les Arts Florrissants, with the idiomatic conducting of William Christie. The filming itself is immaculate in its ideal mix of full stage and close-up images, while the sound quality is gorgeous.

– David's Review Corner (David Denton)

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Charles Gounod was enchanted by the young Provençal-born Frédéric Mistral’s epic love poem Mirèio, and enlisted the distinguished Michel Carré to fashion a libretto. Against the grain of prevailing operatic practice in the 1860s, and its promotion of glamour and spectacle, Gounod relished instead the lives of modest country people and their idyllic world. He utilizes folk dances and a shepherd’s lament to chart the story of his tragic heroine whose desire to marry her true love ends in her death. ‘Everything feels true to the opera’s pastoral spirit’ wrote Gramophone about this production, which marked the opera’s first appearance at the Paris Opera.

REVIEW:

Vocally, and visually, the cast is outstanding, the Albanian, soprano, Inva Mula, ravishing vocally and beautiful of countenance, while the American tenor, Charles Castronova, as Vincent and quite young at the time of filming, has a nice ringing tone to the top of his voice. As the respective fathers, who cause so much grief, we have Nicolas Cavailier and Alain Vernhes acting-out their respective roles to perfection. The chorus are excellent, with conductor, Mark Minkowski, obtaining a fulsome orchestral partnership in an ideally painted accompaniment, the whole video—both in sound and visually—is excellent, and one of the best I have seen.

– David's Review Corner (David Denton)

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Charles Gounod was enchanted by the young Provençal-born Frédéric Mistral’s epic love poem Mirèio, and enlisted the distinguished Michel Carré to fashion a libretto. Against the grain of prevailing operatic practice in the 1860s, and its promotion of glamour and spectacle, Gounod relished instead the lives of modest country people and their idyllic world. He utilizes folk dances and a shepherd’s lament to chart the story of his tragic heroine whose desire to marry her true love ends in her death. ‘Everything feels true to the opera’s pastoral spirit’ wrote Gramophone about this production, which marked the opera’s first appearance at the Paris Opera.

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Indeed, it was to La Scala in 1966 that Rudolf Nureyev entrusted the debut of “his” Sleeping Beauty, and now, twelve years after its last performance, his masterpiece returns to the stage with the magnificent sets created by Oscar winner Franca Squarciapino at La Scala in 1993, and Felix Korobov conducting the extraordinary score by Tchaikovsky. Florence Clerc is in charge of the choreographic revival, and the result is nothing short of extraordinary. “Timofej Andrijashenko had a great debut with the Désiré of Nureyev. Polina Semionova was an amazing Aurora” (Strata Gemmi) “A great production, a success thanks to a superlative and thrilling ballet company.” (LUUK)

It's an event that draws many thousands of music lovers to one of the most beautiful cities in the world every summer: the opera season at the ancient Arena di Verona. The 2,000-year-old roman amphitheater with its gigantic stage dimensions is one of the largest and best preserved Roman construction of its kind, and with over 22,000 seats it is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular open-air venues of the world! The revered master of opera Franco Zeffirelli, who died shortly before the premiere of Il Trovatore, created a legendary scenery with groups of giant sized armored knights, a fortress turning into a luminous cathedral, an enormous choir, horses, breathtaking fights: “his perhaps best arena production” (Opernglas). It brings Anna Netrebko to the Arena of Verona where she is giving her much-anticipated debut in one of Giuseppe Verdi’s most popular operas. Next to Anna Netrebko as Leonora perform Verdi accomplished baritone Luca Salsi as Count di Luna and Yusif Eyvazov returns to the Arena as his powerful-voiced opponent Manrico. MET star Dolora Zajick as Azucena and young rising Italian bass Riccardo Fassi as Ferrando join the prestigious ensemble. “Zeffirelli gives to the arena what it merits: a colourful, multifaceted staging in which impressive mass scenes alternate with intimate moments [...]“ (Der Neue Merker) “Unforgettable” (Verona Settegiorni)

Together with photographer Mat Hennek, French star pianist Hélène Grimaud devises a multimedia concert project at the Grand Hall of Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. Grimaud’s virtuosic piano performance is accompanied by Hennek’s highly praised photo series “Woodlands”, which depicts genuine portraits of trees, Grimaud’s piano recital includes works by Romantic and impressionistic composers. They are connected by seven “Transitions”, written exclusively for Grimaud by British composer and DJ Nitin Sawhney. The motives of Hennek’s Woodlands series create an extraordinary visual backdrop, which in combination with Grimaud´s pianistic “impeccable clarity and articulation” (Hamburger Abendblatt) and the Elbphilharmonie’s splendid acoustics grants a concert experience of a special kind.

REVIEW:

Grimaud is a pianist ideally suited for the repertoire included in this program. She possesses a prodigious technique, the ability to evoke a broad palette of instrumental colors, and a patrician sense of phrasing. Grimaud can also summon a prodigiously focused and powerful sonority in the grand climaxes. The artistic level of this collaborative recital is of a very high order. Both the video and audio quality of the Blu-ray/DVD are superb.

– Fanfare

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The works of award-winning composer Chaya Czernowin have been performed worldwide at significant new music festivals and prestigious venues, and she is the first woman to be appointed composition professor at Harvard University. Commissioned by Deutsche Oper Berlin and widely acclaimed in the critical press, ‘Heart Chamber’ uses voice and stage as internalized sonic and visual landscapes to create a genuine multi-sensory musical experience. With only two characters and a hint of a narrative, this is a grand opera on the smallest of transformations, focusing on the intense beauty and vulnerabilities of falling in love. ‘It is seldom that audiences at the Deutsche Oper Berlin have listened with such rapture to a new commission’ (Online Merker). Director Uli Aumüller’s feature film ‘I did not rehearse to say I love you’ is also included and takes a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the opera.

Directed by Anna Schmidt. Starring Julian Rachlin, Jonny Greenwood, Andrzej Wajda.

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The works of award-winning composer Chaya Czernowin have been performed worldwide at significant new music festivals and prestigious venues, and she is the first woman to be appointed composition professor at Harvard University. Commissioned by Deutsche Oper Berlin and widely acclaimed in the critical press, ‘Heart Chamber’ uses voice and stage as internalized sonic and visual landscapes to create a genuine multi-sensory musical experience. With only two characters and a hint of a narrative, this is a grand opera on the smallest of transformations, focusing on the intense beauty and vulnerabilities of falling in love. ‘It is seldom that audiences at the Deutsche Oper Berlin have listened with such rapture to a new commission’ (Online Merker). Director Uli Aumüller’s feature film ‘I did not rehearse to say I love you’ is also included and takes a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the opera.

ABBA FOREVER: The Winner Takes It All is the multi-Gold Award-winning, definitive up-to-date telling of the ABBA story with all four members of the band in interviews and special sequences filmed with them, rare archive, and a feast of ABBA songs. It starts with their pre-Abba careers, then the inside story of how they conquered Eurovision (first in Swedish, then in English), and then how they've continued to conquer the world several times over. We see them in performance and even going into the sound studio to discover how the ABBA sound was created. We also explore Mamma Mia!, the stage hit, onstage and backstage. With Benny Andersson, Bj�rn Ulvaeus, Agnetha F�ltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Other guests include Bono (in interview and with U2 playing Dancing Queen onstage with Benny and Bj�rn), Donny Osmond, Barbara Dickson, Neil Sedaka, ABBA music engineer and wizard Michael Tretow (in interview and at the mixing board!), producer Pete Waterman, broadcaster Paul Gambaccini and more. ABBA and the guests illuminate how the songs came about, how they evolved, and what makes them so incredibly good. Songs include: Mamma Mia! Dancing Queen Super Trouper Waterloo SOS Fernando Ring Ring Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) Does Your Mother Know Knowing Me, Knowing You The Winner Takes It All Thank You For The Music The Day Before You Came I Know Him So Well (from 'Chess') Money Money Money

In 1990, commissioned by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, veteran music film director Robert Mugge and renowned music scholar Robert Palmer ventured deep into the heart of the North Mississippi Hill Country and Mississippi Delta to seek out the best rural blues acts currently working. Starting on Beale Street in Memphis, they headed south to the juke joints, lounges, front porches, and parlors of Holly Springs, Greenville, Clarksdale, Bentonia, and Lexington. Along the way, they visited celebrated landmarks and documented talented artists cut off from the mainstream of the recording industry. The resulting film expresses reverence for the rich musical history of the region, spotlighting local performers, soon to be world-renowned, thanks in large part to the film, and demonstrating how the blues continues to thrive in new generations of gifted musicians.

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Darcey Bussell and Roberto Bolle star in Frederick Ashton’s Sylvia, restored to the splendor of its elegant, opulent three-act form and featuring the choreographer’s darkly comic characterizations. By contrast La fille mal gardée, starring Marianela Nuñez and Carlos Acosta, has been treasured as one of Ashton’s happiest creations – his artistic tribute to nature and his beloved Suffolk countryside. The Tales of Beatrix Potter bring the famous stories of the English writer and illustrator to life in a warm and witty work for all ages. Swept up in the ballet’s childlike exuberance, the entire cast delivers outstanding portrayals of such colorful figures as Jemima Puddle-Duck, Mr Jeremy Fisher, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and the irrepressible Peter Rabbit.

This precursor to Monterey Pop and Woodstock is the granddaddy of all concert films, a chronicle of the 1958 Newport, Rhode Island Jazz Fest where music greats like Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, Anita O'Day, Chuck Berry, Mahalia Jackson, George Shearing, Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, and Dinah Washington gave electrifying performances. Songs include "Blue Monk," "Sweet Georgia Brown," "Catch as Catch Can," "Tiger Rag," and more. 84 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English; audio commentary; bonus documentary "Bert Stern: Original Madman" (2011); more.

Jazz lovers everywhere couldn't wait for this 2019 documentary-and now, it comes to DVD. Many of the interviews featured here were conducted by Linda Lipnack Kuehl, a journalist who set out to write the definitive Billie Holiday biography but died under mysterious circumstances before it was completed. Linda's story intertwines with Billie's in intriguing fashion, joining interviews with Count Basie, Charles Mingus, Tony Bennett and more including FBI agents who trailed and arrested Holiday. You'll see rare footage of the jazz icon, too, newly restored and beautifully colorized. Greenwich Entertainment.

1956 was Elvis Presley's breakthrough year, and this program takes you back, including his early television performances on the Dorsey Brothers Show and the Ed Sullivan Show, and an entire hour of rare footage and performances captured during the amazing year when Elvis Presley became not only a star, but a phenomenon. So slip on your blue suede shoes, and step back to the beginning of an era, with rare, early recordings and never-before-seen footage. The reign of the King has just begun! Narrated by The Band's Levon Helm.

With the "Méditation", Jules Massenet probably wrote one of the most famous melodies of our time. It originates from his Comédie-lyrique "Thaïs", which – unlike Massenet's operas "Werther" or "Manon" – never made it into the international opera repertoire. Presumably because the two main roles of Thaïs and Athanaël demand something almost superhuman from the singers. In the new production by Peter Konwitschny at the Theater an der Wien, the American soprano Nicole Chevalier is one of the most exciting singers currently on stage in the title role. At her side, the young Austrian bass-baritone Josef Wagner celebrates his house debut. This is a fascinating and musically excellent performance of a timeless classic of the opera repertoire. “Gigantically well told (...) Grandiose!” (Der Kurier) // “An acoustic delight” (Der Standard)

This very special release includes 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 in Italy, watched by 1.6 billion spectators worldwide. For the first time available on Blu-ray, digitally remastered! This edition includes the new documentary The Three Tenors - From Caracalla to the World featuring recent interviews with José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Zubin Mehta, Pavarotti‘s widow Nicoletta Mantovani, Lalo Shifrin, Brian Large, Mario Dradi, Paul Potts, Sir Bryn Terfel, Norman Lebrecht, Didier de Cottignies and many more. Previously unpublished backstage material shows the tenors unadorned and offers a fascinating insight into what takes place beyond the spotlight in Rome, 1990 and the sequel in Los Angeles, 1994. The film takes a completely new look at the concert legends. For the first time, they talk about José Carreras‘ struggles with leukemia, their rivalries and friendships, their spectacular contract poker and life as an opera star.

Jean-Christophe Maillot’s inspired adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew won 3 Masques d’Ors (best choreographic show, best male dancer (Petruchio) and best female dancer (Katherine) and has toured the world to great acclaim since it was created for the Bolshoi in 2013. Now Maillot’s own Monte Carlo Ballet bring this “funny, fast-witted version” (The Guardian) to the screen, with a fresh and witty re-interpretation of the combative relationship between Katherine and Petruchio as they fight to find true love. Set against an inspired selection of some of Shostakovich’s most memorable music, this is one the finest “Shakespeare ballets” and not to be missed. "The Taming of the Shrew conveys the idea that there’s someone for everyone, irrespective of who or what you are. Who can judge a relationship with an outside eye? Love works in mysterious ways, and it isn’t for us to question it." (Jean-Christophe Maillot).

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Over a decade of dance is represented here with no fewer than 22 ballets in this magnificent 15-disc collection of stunning performances by The Royal Ballet, including spectacular stagings of well-known narrative ballets, era-defining abstract works and show-stopping shorter ballets. 19th-century masterpieces, heritage works by Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan, and contemporary classics by The Royal Ballet’s Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor and Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon are here performed by Royal Ballet dancers past and present. A special edition book contains articles about The Royal Ballet, its repertory and its choreographers, as well as full synopses for all the narrative ballets, richly illustrated with striking photographs of the productions.

Jean-Christophe Maillot’s inspired adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew won 3 Masques d’Ors (best choreographic show, best male dancer (Petruchio) and best female dancer (Katherine) and has toured the world to great acclaim since it was created for the Bolshoi in 2013. Now Maillot’s own Monte Carlo Ballet bring this “funny, fast-witted version” (The Guardian) to the screen, with a fresh and witty re-interpretation of the combative relationship between Katherine and Petruchio as they fight to find true love. Set against an inspired selection of some of Shostakovich’s most memorable music, this is one the finest “Shakespeare ballets” and not to be missed. "The Taming of the Shrew conveys the idea that there’s someone for everyone, irrespective of who or what you are. Who can judge a relationship with an outside eye? Love works in mysterious ways, and it isn’t for us to question it." (Jean-Christophe Maillot).

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Romeo and Juliet: Beyond Words is a ballet feature film created by the International Emmy Award-winning Michael Nunn and William Trevitt. It stars the dancers of The Royal Ballet in Kenneth MacMillan’s classic ballet and is set to Sergei Prokofiev’s original score. Highlighting the essence of MacMillan’s world-renowned choreography, Nunn and Trevitt’s Romeo and Juliet takes us into the action with striking intimacy. Through detailed portrayals by The Royal Ballet dancers, we experience Shakespeare’s iconic characters in a new and intimate way, and this groundbreaking film captures the kind of extraordinary performances that have earned The Royal Ballet their world-class reputation. Filmed on location, Nunn and Trevitt’s Romeo and Juliet has been re-imagined for the camera, in a production that is internationally recognized as being at the zenith of dance storytelling. This is a story everyone knows, told in the universal language of dance, presented in a way never seen before.

Explore the dreamlike world of Rudolf Nureyev’s interpretation of The Nutcracker. In his imaginative retelling of a 19th-century classic, the young Clara is propelled by dark forces from the realm of childhood into a radiant kingdom where she takes center stage. With a striking psychoanalytic dimension to the traditional festive favorite, Clara’s surreal journey becomes an allegory for the hopes and dreams of a young girl on the cusp of adulthood, her transformation evoked by the whirling snowflakes and glittering sugar of Tchaikovsky’s famous score. This 1968 recording is a golden opportunity to watch a great historical performance from The Royal Ballet featuring the illustrious pairing of Rudolf Nureyev and Merle Park in a scintillating display of virtuosity.

This release features five outstanding operas from Bregenz Festival’s amazing lake stage: Aida, Andrea Chenier, Die Zauberflote, Turandot, and Carmen. The reviews of these individual performances were gleaming. “Stage director Graham Vick and set designer Paul Brown conjure up an open-air spectacle of superlatives.” (Die Zeit about Aida) “A gigantic set with iconic qualities- a masterly achievement.” (Die Welt about Andrea Chenier) “David Pountney finds stunning answers to the everlasting questions surrounding The Magic Flute.” (Der Togesspiegel about Die Zauberflote) “A bit of Hollywood in Bregenz: Melodies for millions, impressively staged grand opera.” (ZDF heute journal about Turandot) “… Kasper Holten’s production of Carmen on Es Devlin’s extraordinary set was a knockout…” (The Telegraph) Elisabeth Sobotka, the artistic director of the Bregenz Festival, sums it up by saying “Art doesn’t belong to a clique in society. Art is a jewel, a rich resource that must be made accessible to a large audience. See, and hear, for yourself… and enjoy the richness of the artistic offerings on the incomparable lake stage.”

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The Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood spotlights Bernstein's wide-ranging talents as a composer, his many gifts as a great interpreter and champion of other composers, and his role as an inspirer of a new generation of musicians and music lovers across the country and around the globe. The gala concert features a kaleidoscopic array of artists and ensembles from the worlds of classical music, film, and Broadway. The entire first half of the program is dedicated to selections from such brilliant Bernstein works as Candide, West Side Story, Mass, and Serenade. Music from the classical canon very dear to Bernstein's heart-selections includes from Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn, the finale of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony and music by Aaron Copland, plus a new work by John Williams.