Verdi´s Rigoletto, one of his most successful operas, is based on Victor Hugo’s play Le roi s’amuse, which for Verdi was the greatest drama of the present day. The “spectacular production“ (La Vanguardia) at the Gran Teatre del Liceu “under excellent musical direction by Riccardo Frizza“, “the dramatic depth of Carlos Álvarez and the triumphant debut of Javier Camarena as Duke of Mantua“ (El Periodico) made it a “top-class Rigoletto“. (bachtrack.com) “A production with this simplicity requires outstanding direction, which is achieved here“ (Seen and Heard International) and is crowned by the colourful costumes of the Oscarwinning Sandy Powell
David Garrett: ALIVE
For the first time, David Garrett performed with his band in the ancient baths of Caracalla, presenting his outstanding program ALIVE. David Garrett plays the greatest soundtracks from the world of movies and games, with numerous world hits such as Happy, Stayin’ Alive, Let it Go, Shallow, Bella Ciao, or Thriller, among others. + BONUS David Garrett – The private life of a star Included is a bonus documentary of star violinist David Garrett. Starting as a so-called Wunderkind of classical music he is now one of the most successful violinists of his generation. His recipe for success is his crossover of rock, pop and classical music: 4.5 million albums sold, 25 gold and platinum awards and enthusiastic fans on tours worldwide. By looking into an otherwise hidden world, interviews of companions, friends and family, archive and private material of previously unreleased material from his childhood underpin the picture of the violin genius showing very private glimpses of his life.
Siberia
Umberto Giordano’s opera Siberia with its libretto by Puccini’s successful librettist Luigi Illica (La bohème, Tosca) premiered in 1903 at La Scala as a replacement of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, which was not finished at the time. Madama Butterfly came out in Milan shortly after Siberia and flopped completely. Umberto Giordano, however, briefly became a public favorite. Shortly after successful re-runs on important theatres, including Buenos Aires, New York and São Paulo, Siberia could not maintain its position in repertoire although Gabriel Fauré designated the second act as “one of the most remarkable and captivating that modern dramatic music can offer.“ This opera rarity performed at Bregenz Festival “is musical narrative theatre in perfection“ (Süddeutsche Zeitung) in which “Uryupin leads the agile Wiener Symphoniker through the score with a sense for delicately tinted colours. Ambur Braid sings the challenging part of Stephanas with bravour“ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung).
Anna Karenina – A ballet by John Neumeier
Thomas Mann once named Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina “the greatest social novel of world literature.” When reading the novel, John Neumeier was deeply fascinated by Tolstoy’s work: not only by the main characters and the plot, but also by the extraordinary variety of thematic connections. It is a story of three families. John Neumeier states: “Tolstoy himself wrote and published ‘Anna Karenina’ as a serial story over a number of years. The feeling in the novel of a developing contemporary narrative – similar to a television series of today – is underlined by the fact that the novel does not end with the death of the title character. My challenge was therefore to give true life and relevance to the story by selecting key emotional situations and essential characters to fit within the framework of an evening-long ballet.“
Madama Butterfly
Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, one of the most played operas today, is performed on the Seebühne for the first time. “Enrique Mazzola leads the Wiener Symphoniker to a beguiling string sound and a flexibility that is so important for Puccini” (Der Tagesspiegel). “Barno Ismatullaeva manages the great aria of Cio-Cio-San touchingly beautifully” (SZ). Stage Director is Andreas Homoki, who together with Michael Levine’s magical stage set with ist subtle landscape paintings brings Japanese flair to Lake Constance, supported not at least by Antony McDonald’s colourful costumes. “These are beautiful filigree images that director Andreas Homoki and his team […] have created” (Der Standard).
Leonard Bernstein Box Vol. 2
This Blu-ray box contains legendary concerts from 1977 – 1990 of Leonard Bernstein conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker, Orchestre National de France and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. Additional included is the Centennial Celebration Concert at Tanglewood, featuring John Williams, Yo-Yo Ma, Andris Nelsons, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tony Yazbeck and many more, performing works by Bernstein, Williams, Mahler and Copland. CONTENT: BD 1 Jean Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 5, 7 // BD 2 Beethoven & Haydn // BD 3 Haydn: Symphonies: Nos. 94, 92, 88 // BD 4 Berlioz, Roussel, Saint-Saëns, Thomas // BD 5 Bernstein at 100
Pavarotti in Hyde Park
This legendary concert of Luciano Pavarotti in Hyde Park,1991, was held to mark the 30th anniversary of the start of Pavarotti’s operatic career. The Guardian wrote that there had not been “such a brouhaha for a free concert” since the concert given by The Rolling Stones in 1969. Attended by 120.000 fans, including Lady Diana, Prince Charles, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Michael Caine and premier John Major, Luciano Pavarotti thrilled the electrified audience with a popular program from Verdi to Puccini (Nessun Dorma), from Mascagni and Leoncavallo to Bixio (Mamma) and Di Capua (‘O sole mio), which is now available for the first time available on Blu-ray, digitally remastered!
Il turco in Italia
The performance of Il turco in Italia at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro is presented as a totally renewed production. With references to films of the iconic film director Federico Fellini “Davide Livermore brought it all together adding the perfect physical comic schtick that matched up perfectly with the musical pace of Rossini’s masterpiece – it was spectacular” (Opera Today). “Obviously the brilliant outcome of the performance is also due to Speranza Scapucci’s conducting, well prepared and highly talented, …” (Il Resto del Carlino Pesaro). The cast featuring Erwin Schrott, “who manages the most intricate colloratura effortlessly with his agile, beautiful bass- baritone…” (General-Anzeiger) and Olga Peretyatko being “the ideal cast” (Das Opernglas) made it a marvellous performance.
Pavarotti in Central Park
When more than 500,000 people gathered in New York’s Central Park on 26 June 1993, they wanted to hear only one thing: The voice of the greatest tenor of the twentieth century: the voice of Luciano Pavarotti. A year earlier, Pavarotti had thrilled the crowds in London’s Hyde Park – here, in New York, he confirmed once again that he is an undisputed world star. He is accompanied by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Leone Magiera, featuring the flutist Andrea Griminelli and The Boys Choir of Harlem, whose voices can be heard on albums of Michael Jackson, Kathleen Battle and many more. The recording of this concert, without doubt one of Pavarotti’s most celebrated performances, includes the famous Puccini arias Nessun dorma and E lucevan le stelle and Neapolitanian songs as ‘O sole mio. This legendary concert is now available for the first time on Blu-ray!
Don Carlo
Based on Schiller’s play of the same name, Don Carlo is Verdi’s most ambitious work, written for the Paris Opéra in 1865–66 in the tradition of a French grand opera. This legendary production from the Salzburg Easter Festival is directed by Herbert von Karajan. With its extraordinary vocal cast, the wonderful set design and costumes it is truly one of the most memorable opera performances.