A “triumph of remembrance,” wrote the daily “Die Welt” in its online service following a stirring concert that left its audience hovering between hushed reverence and deafening exultation. The Golden Hall of Vienna’s Musikverein was the dazzling venue for the live recording of one of four concerts given by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa and with Anne-Sophie Mutter. The series began in Berlin’s Philharmonie before going on to Paris, Lucerne and Vienna, where it culminated on 28 January. And there, in Vienna, Karajan’s “Berliner” never sounded better, evoking “a time which self-confidently sought the private and subjective in music, and believed it could find them in the mirror of the works.” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung).
New Year’s Eve Concert 1989 – Carmina Burana
New Year’s Eve concert 1989 from Berlin featuring Seiji Ozawa conducting the Berlin Philharmonic and Kathleen Battle in a performance of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.”
Oedipus Rex
This ambitious production uses a number of striking visual elements including a massive set that floats above a reflecting pool, huge puppets and sculptures. The noted Butoh artist, Min Tanaka, dances the role of Oedipus, and is joined by twenty dancers to portry this classical tragedy.
Dvorak in Prague: A Celebration
Some of classical music’s most renowned performers come together in the beautiful Old World setting of Prague to celebrate the work of the Czech Romantic composer Anton Dvorak. Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, opera singer Frederica Von Stade, and Rudolf Firunsky are soloists in performances of several of Dvorak’s most moving works. The Prague Philharmonic Chorus and the Boston Symphony Orchestra provide the lush background music, and the entire extravaganza is overseen by conductor Seiji Ozawa.