This set contains 2 DVDs, 1 Blu-ray Video Disc, and a 7-day Digital Concert Hall pass.

Sir Simon Rattle was in no doubt: the performance of the St. Matthew Passion which he realized together with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Rundfunkchor Berlin in 2010 was for him “the single most important thing we ever did here.” Critics around the world agreed. They praised the semi-staged “ritualization” by American star-director Peter Sellars, as well as the outstanding musical performances by the soloists, including Magdalena Kozená, Christian Gerhaher, Thomas Quasthoff, and Mark Padmore as the Evangelist. Now the performance is published as a hardcover linen edition with a comprehensive booklet and a voucher for the Berlin Philharmonic's Digital Concert Hall.

"Sellars' surprisingly simple ideas draw us deeply into the drama and prove enormously moving." – NPR

"The female singers are very good – the soprano Camilla Tilling ethereal and the mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozena impassioned – but the men are tremendous, including the pure-toned tenor Topi Lehtipuu. The bass-baritone Christian Gerhaher, singing from far above the other performers, is a resonant, otherworldly Jesus. Mr. Padmore is one of the major Evangelists of our time, and he is heartbreakingly eloquent here, less a biblical narrator than a guide through a dark night of the soul. And if it’s possible for this deeply moving recording to take on any more poignancy, it is probably the final major video release featuring Mr. Quasthoff." – The New York Times

2 DVDs [NTSC 16:9 / PCM Stereo • DTS 5.1]

Blu-ray Disc in high definition video [1080i Full HD 16:9 / 2.0 PCM Stereo • DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1]

Playing time - Concert: 195 mins • Bonus: 51 mins

Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean

Region: 0 (All region)

7- day pass to the BPO's Digital Concert Hall video streaming service

"[M]ightily attractive for the overall quality of the performances…. [The Berlin Philharmonic] play with altogether more heft, a quality born of longstanding tradition and communal spirit. … [T]he playing is always brilliant, with blazing tremolos from the strings, distinctive colorings from the woodwinds and golden orations from the brasses." – James R. Oestreich, The New York Times

With such fresh and invigorating performances this new set conducted by Rattle breathes new life into these Schumann symphonies and is certainly the one to own. [...]

The sound engineers at the Philharmonie are to be congratulated for providing appealing, transparent, well balanced sound with all the instrumental detail wonderfully audible. These are live recordings containing virtually no extraneous noise and I notice that the applause has been removed. As one might expect there has been a lot of time and care lavished on this inaugural release of the Berliner Philharmoniker’s own label. Typical of the work this orchestra undertakes, everything is done with integrity, precision and total empathy for the music. The set is performed with impressive solidity, feeling natural and unmannered with Rattle choosing judicious pacing throughout communicating a spring-like freshness to Schumann’s romantic vision. I can see these Rattle recordings of the Schumann symphonies becoming the benchmark for many years to come such is the excellence of the Berliner Philharmoniker’s performances.

– Michael Cookson, MusicWeb International

I enjoyed these performances greatly. Rattle displays a fine affinity with these scores and though the orchestra members must have played these symphonies many times there’s never the slightest suspicion of routine here: everything sounds fresh and newly discovered – though I hasten to add that there’s never a suspicion of disruptive point-making. In the Behind the Scenes feature one of the orchestra’s first konzertmeisters, Daniel Stabrawa, describes Rattle as one of the few conductors who know what Schumann really means and you sense that the orchestra has relished discovering these scores in performance with him.

This lavish production launches the orchestra’s own label in splendid style and I’m thrilled that I’ve had the chance to experience these fine performances.

– John Quinn, MusicWeb International

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For Simon Rattle, Robert Schumann is "the echt Romantic." And in fact, the exuberance of the period, its passion, and its melancholy can be heard with unique intensity in Schumann's music to this day. For the Berliner Philharmoniker, Schumann's symphonies have always been part of their core repertoire. The 1953 Wilhelm Furtwängler recording in particular has attained cult status. And so it only stands to reason that the Berliner Philharmoniker should launch their Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings label with a cycle of the four Schumann symphonies.

The Schumann symphonies have accompanied the orchestra throughout 2013 – in Berlin and on tour in Europe and Asia. The Berlin Tagesspiegel wrote of a "defining moment," while the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung praised the "truly sensational quality." Another special feature of this recording from the Philharmonie is the decision to use the early version of the Fourth Symphony from 1841, whose appeal for Simon Rattle lies in its extra "lightness, grace, and beauty" compared to the established later version. The presentation of the product, its packaging, and the special features, go far beyond what standard CDs offer.

The linen-bound CD/Blu-ray edition includes the Schumann cycle in different formats. In addition to the traditional audio CDs, there is also a Blu-ray Disc which enables music lovers to listen to the recording in audiophile studio quality of 96kHz/24bit or as HD video. If you are looking for the recording in even higher resolution, there is an accompanying code which allows you to download a version online in up to 192kHz/24bit. An additional code grants 7 days' access to the Berliner Philharmoniker's video platform, the Digital Concert Hall. The release also includes bonus material such as behind-the-scenes videos and a comprehensive booklet with articles about the composer, his symphonies, and the Schumann tradition of the Berliner Philharmoniker.

This set contains 2 DVDs, 1 Blu-ray Video Disc, and a 7-day Digital Concert Hall pass.

Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle was one of the outstanding events of the past season.

As before with the St. Matthew Passion, star director Peter Sellars succeeded in creating a staging which made the spiritual and dramatic content of the Passion story even more intensive. The New York Times also praised the “brilliant and energetic” playing of the orchestra, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung the “haunting, almost unsurpassable singing of all those involved.”

The top-class ensemble of singers was led by Mark Padmore, one of the leading Evangelist interpreters of our day.

The edition features both a DVD and a Blu-ray version, making it playable on all popular video players. Added to this, it is exclusively presented with a linen hardcover, a comprehensive booklet and numerous photos. The extensive bonus material includes an interview with Simon Rattle and Peter Sellars, an introduction to the work by chorus master Simon Halsey, and a voucher for the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Digital Concert Hall.

"The follow-up [to the St. Matthew Passion], Mr. Sellars’s “St. John Passion,” has been eagerly anticipated. Granted a luxurious amount of rehearsal and a nearly intact cast from the “Matthew” performances … the simmering performance lives up to the high expectations. ... The Philharmonic was lucky to have once more the tenor Mark Padmore, one of the great Evangelists of our time, and superb here." – The New York Times

2 DVDs [NTSC 16:9 / PCM Stereo • DTS 5.1]

Blu-ray Disc in high definition video [1080i Full HD 16:9 / 2.0 PCM Stereo • DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1]

Playing time - Concert: 135 mins • Bonus: 52 mins

Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean

Region: 0 (All region)

7- day pass to the BPO's Digital Concert Hall video streaming service

There is hardly a better way to approach Ludwig van Beethoven than through his piano concertos. Beethoven’s own instrument was the piano, and in his improvisations – which made him the darling of the Viennese salons – he merged virtuosity and unbridled expression. The piano concertos give a clear idea of these performances. At the same time, they are prime examples of Beethoven’s ability to create large orchestral works with seemingly endless arcs of tension. One of the most revered artists of our time, Mitsuko Uchida is known as a peerless interpreter of the works of Mozart, Schubert, R. Schumann and Beethoven, as well for being a devotee of the piano music of Alban Berg, Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, and György Kurtág.

Shura Cherkassky was born in Odessa, Ukraine in 1909 and died in London in 1995. He was initially taught by his mother who had played for Tchaikovsky, but when the family moved to the US in 1923, he studied with his long-time teacher and mentor, the legendary Josef Hofmann, before auditioning for Rachmaninov. Prior to World War II, he had made his name in the US but from 1945 he extensively toured Europe and settled in London in 1961. The last of the great Romantic tradition of pianists, Cherkassky was described by Bryce Morrison as a ‘mercurial genius’, a unique personality, blessed with an incredible technique, who delighted in defying convention as no performance was identical. For a musician reluctant to visit the studio, live performances were the showcase for his stunning virtuosity and creativity caught on the wing.