Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

This recording is in the DVD Audio format and will only play on hardware specifically compatible with the DVD Audio format. Standard CD players will not play this CD.

*** PLEASE NOTE: This is an audio recording (i.e., no video) that is playable on either a standard DVD player or one with DVD-Audio capability. Both stereo and surround sound are available depending on your audio equipment. ***

SVIATOSLAV RICHTER PLAYS BEETHOVEN & CHOPIN

This DVD features rare filmed footage of Sviatoslav Richter, the Soviet pianist known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. Richter is considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. Features him performing Haydn: Concerto in D, Hob. XVIII/11.

Historic live performances, never released in any form, from one of the greatest and most popular classical pianists of all time.

Tracklist: MEDTNER: Violin Sonata No. 1, Op. 21 • Piano Sonata No. 10, Op. 38, No. 1 • 10 Romances and Songs from Opp. 13, 32, 36 & 52

Classical ballet's most powerful tale of love, treachery and forgiveness returns to the Royal Opera House stage. Out hunting, Prince Siegfried chances upon a flock of swans. One among them transforms into the beautiful human Odette and he is immediately enamoured. But Odette is bound by a spell which keeps her captive as a swan during the day. Can Siegfried free her? Tchaikovsky's sensational score combines with the evocative imagination of choreographer Liam Scarlett and designer John Macfarlane to heighten the dramatic pathos of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov's quintessential ballet classic. Swan Lake remains to this day one of the best-loved works in the classical ballet canon.

The life of legendary country singer Patsy Cline is powerfully brought to the screen. From her climb to fame and fortune, though her passionate and turbulent marriage, this is the unforgettable story of the tragically shortlived performer of "I Fall to Pieces," "Sweet Dreams" and other great coutnry classics. Starring Jessica Lang and Ed Harris. (1985) Running time: 115 minutes.

This 2/4/6 disc is a hybrid DVD which will play on current DVD video players as well as DVD Audio players. The 2/4/6 disc features more soundstage depth and textures within the music plus greater large and small scale dynamic contrasts.

The canton of the Graubuenden, the Grey Leagues, covers the largest territory of all Swiss cantons, while remaining the most sparsely populated.

SYM 5

Directed by Andy Sommer. Starring Orchestre de Paris, Berlioz, Christoph Eschenbach.

The videos in this boxed set of live HD recordings of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra were filmed during the 2009-2011 Mahler celebration at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw. The set's eleven discs include performances led by renowned conductors such as Daniele Gatti, Bernard Haitink, Pierre Boulez and Ivan Fischer. In addition to all ten of Mahler's ground-breaking Symphonies, the collection also includes Totenfeier and Das Lied von der Erde and features world class soloists including soprano Miah Persson, mezzo Bernarda Fink and tenor Robert Dean Smith. All of this amazing music is vividly brought to life in surround sound and lifelike high resolution video.

In this recording, Jan�'ek's great choral work, the Glagolitic Mass, is performed by the Czech Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by V�clav Neumann, with Jan Hora on the organ. The soloists are Gabriela Benackova (soprano), Drahomira Drobkova (

Although Beethoven's C Minor Symphony is probably the best-known piece of classical music ever written, it is veiled in myths and misunderstandings that are beginning to clear up thanks to research and performance efforts of musicians such as Jos van Immerseel.

This new release features world premiere recordings of Pawl Lukaszewski’s Symphony of Providence Symphony of Providence was written between 1997 and 2008. It opens with a soprano, mixed choir and orchestra. The symphony has a clearly Christocentric and Christological message. As Lukaszewski writes on his website “The work communicates faith in the protection of Divine Providence and in the new Heave and new Earth...”

Karol Szymanowski's tragic masterpiece, Kr�l Roger (King Roger) powerfully presents the dilemmas of culture versus nature and man versus beast as told through the stormy life of King Roger. Antonio Pappano conducts Szymanowksi's score whose opulence contrasts achingly with the darkening skies of this morality tale in Kasper Holten's first production since becoming director of the Royal Opera House. With inspired performances led by the fine Mariusz Kwiecien, who has made the title role a signature one in his career along with Georgia Jarman in her Royal Opera debut as Roger's loving queen Roxana. Sung in Polish with English, French, German, Japanese and Korean subtitles, this production is further distinguished by marking the return of this opera to the London stage after a 40 year absence along with it's innovative stage, lighting and video design that further enhances this tale.

Here in all their whimsy and vivid charm is a pair of fairy-tale masterpieces from choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. His brilliant adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s surreal Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, choreographed for The Royal Ballet where he is Artistic Associate, is described by The Times as ‘spectacular family entertainment brought to life with enormous theatrical verve’. His innovative reimagining of Cinderella for Dutch National Ballet, to Prokofiev’s celebrated and colourful score, gives the characters renewed depth and complexity, creating a truly magical experience. ‘‘...This Alice looks set to become a classic.’’ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (The Guardian 4 Stars) ‘‘Wheeldon's narrative offers magic in every sphere - design, choreography, and orchestra.’’ Cinderella (BBC Music Magazine 4 Stars)

Also available on Blu-ray

Royal Ballet Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon magically captured the twists and turns of Lewis Carroll’s classic story, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, in his 2011 ballet. Bob Crowley’s vivid sets and costumes take us down the rabbit hole into a colorful world full of curious creatures and captivating characters. Joby Talbot’s original score is full of sweeping melodies and contemporary sounds. Lauren Cuthbertson stars as the inquisitive Alice, with Federico Bonelli as the charming Knave of Hearts, Steven McRae as the tap-dancing Mad Hatter and Laura Morera as the formidable Queen of Hearts. This exuberant and engaging ballet is spectacular entertainment for the whole family. Extra features on this release include Bob Crowley speaking about the costumes, and an insider’s view of Wheeldon’s tap-dancing Hatter. ‘‘Cinematic but also unmistakably balletic, Joby Talbot’s complex, theme-driven score’’ (The Daily Telegraph) ‘‘It’s a joy to look at and packed with featured roles that show off the Royal Ballet’s strength in depth’’ (The Observer)

Talbot: The Winter's Tale

REGIONS: All Regions
PICTURE FORMAT: 16:9
LENGTH: Approx 156 Mins
SOUND: 5.0 DTS SURROUND / PCM STEREO
SUBTITLES: ENGLISH/FRENCH/GERMAN/SPANISH/ITALIAN/DUTCH
NO OF DISCS: 1

In ‘Marco Polo, an opera within an opera’, composer Tan Dun portrays the Venetian explorer’s travels to the Far East as a journey of both inner and physical discovery, a voyage depicting spiritual experiences as well as a geographical expedition. At the same time the work, on a libretto by Paul Griffiths, can be seen as a compositional adventure of the composer himself, unifying the various cultural worlds he occupies: a blend of Western avant garde and Oriental traditions. Pierre Audi’s mythical staging and Jean Kalman’s fabulous set design complement the composer’s own musical direction, forging the dazzlingly versatile soloists, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and Capella Amsterdam to a stunning symbiosis of elements across time and space, a true testimony to cultures intertwined in globalisation.

Polo: Charles Workman
Marco: Sarah Castle
Kublai Khan: Stephen Richardson
Water: Nancy Allen Lundy
Shadow 1/Rustichello/Li Po: Zhang Jun
Shadow 2/Sheherazada/Mahler/Queen: Tania Kross
Shadow3/Dante/Shakespeare: Stephen Bryant
Chinese/Arabian dancer: Mu Na

Netherlands Chamber Orchestra
Cappella Amsterdam
Musical Director: Tan Dun
Stage Director: Pierre Audi

Recorded live at Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam, on 13th and 18th November 2008.

Plus
Illustrated synopsis.
Cast gallery.
Documentary: The Music of Tomorrow – including interviews with the creative team and principle cast members.

Reviews
‘Tan Dun’s Marco Polo was, for me, a multi-dimensional experience which went beyond my expectations and indeed overwhelmed my senses… Here was an opera of our generation: a fusion of elements across time and space, a true testimony to the way our worlds have become intertwined in the globalisation process.’ Anne Ku, Bonjournal.com

Paper becomes a solo instrument in this ingenious fusing of of orchestral music and organic sounds to create accessible, even melodious, music. Tan Dun conducts the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra with soloist Haruka Fuji.