Giuseppe Verdi’s powerful opera “Macbeth” received a fulminant staging at the newly reopened Staatsoper Unter den Linden by legendary stage director Harry Kupfer. In this new production superstars Plácido Domingo and Anna Netrebko were singing the title roles. Maestro Daniel Barenboim led the Staatskapelle Berlin portraying the many-layered motives of the opera’s characters “at their very best” (NZZ). This “magical moment of opera” (NZZ) was an “exhilarating success” (SZ). While Domingo “still fascinates the audience after decades” (rbb24), Netrebko performed “perhaps the best role of her life” yet (rbb24). Kwangchul Youn and Fabio Sartori shone as Banquo and Macduff. With monumental choral scenes, the Staatsopernchor did not only sing, but also play ist acting role brilliantly. With ist black marble halls and ist larger-than-life-projections, the stage design by Hans Schavernoch was striking. “A lot of cheering for this evening of legends.” (BR Klassik)
La belle Hélène
A superficial view may regard Offenbach’s lightweight masterpiece, La belle Hélène, as „merely“ an opera buffa. But closer scrutiny of this charming, imaginative firework of intrigue makes one thing clear: the story of the Greek queen who started off the Trojan war is, in this version, a humorous and satirical caricature of the vulgar, decadent Parisian upper classes of Offenbach’s own day. Who better suited to produce a modern rendering of this work than the now highly acclaimed Nikolaus Harnoncourt, who also ensured the work’s historical accuracy? Employing a small string section, shining, colourful brass and richly varied percussion, the opera still strikes one as exceptionally modern. This impression is also enhanced by the designers of the production, recorded in 1997 at the Zurich Opera House: no less a figure than the fashion designer Jean–Charles de Castelbajac was responsible for the humorously expansive costumes; and the highly subtle stage–set was the work of Paolo Pivas.
Carmen
The heroine of Mérimée’s novel and Bizet’s opera is a woman who ruthlessly takes what she wants. Mats Ek’s powerful distillation of the fiery tale of passion and murderous jealousy is a breathtaking explosion of exhilarating and inventive dance. In her blood-red flamenco dress, Ana Laguna is mesmerising as Carmen. Yvan Auzely and Marc Hwang are her rival lovers. Ek uses Rodion Shchedrin’s arrangement of Bizet’s perennially popular music. Recorded in studio with the Cullberg Ballet, this is video dance at its very best.
Le Nozze di Figaro Documentary
“Mozart22” is an enterprise of utterly unique dimensions, the musical project of the century: all of Mozart’s stage works presented over the course of six weeks during the 2006 Salzburg Festival. The project brought together the greatest Mozart singers, conductors, stage directors and ensembles of the day. To make this extraordinary artistic achievement accessible to a broad public, the entire “Mozart22” cycle was recorded with the highest-quality HD technology and 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. The cycle also includes 20 one-hour documentaries containing excerpts from rehearsals, interviews with artists, and background reports that shed light on the meticulously elaborated, multi-layered concepts of the musical interpretations and stage productions. The programs introduce the work in question and situate it in Mozart’s oeuvre. Each documentary is devoted to one opera, whereby the shorter works and fragments are bundled. All the operas, of course, are available from UNITEL CLASSICA. In addition to providing valuable insights from the artists, the documentaries also bear witness to the incredible logistic achievement of the Mozart22 project. At the peak of the project, about 160 people were working on it nearly around the clock. Fifty thousand meters of cable were laid out in seven venues in Salzburg. Parallel to the recording crew of the opera cycle, who required up to twelve cameras for each recording, the documentary filmmakers scurried from rehearsal stage to hotel lounge, from artists’ canteen to make-up studios in their mission to capture the unique dynamics and electrifying atmosphere of this undertaking – a project of superlatives and a landmark in media and music history.
Mozart, Sonata in C major, K.296
An important part of Anne-Sophie Mutter’s “Mozart Project” is to present the composer’s mature violin sonatas. Between 2005 and 2007, Ms. Mutter and pianist Lambert Orkis toured throughout Europe, North America and Asia with the Mozart sonatas. In major musical centers such as Paris, London, Vienna and New York, they offered the entire cycle over three consecutive evenings. This three-evening survey was recorded in Munich in February 2006. Mozart composed sonatas for violin and piano from his earliest youth until his final years. But while the early pieces are little more than piano sonatas with violin accompaniments, the more mature works of 1778 begin to integrate the violin and piano parts more closely, and to highlight the growing independence and virtuosity of the violin. Mozart composed several violin sonatas during his stay in Mannheim and on his voyage to Paris in 1778. These first mature sonatas reflect some of the “Sturm und Drang” atmosphere of the music at the court of Mannheim, which emboldened Mozart to write in a freer and more dramatic mode. The E minor Sonata K. 304, for instance, prefigures Romanticism, and K. 306 incorporates a written-out cadenza for both instruments, similarly to an operatic “scena”. Indeed, the sonatas’ closeness to the opera is an element that Anne-Sophie Mutter herself has often pointed out: “For me, these sonatas are like narratives. Mozart never left the operatic stage, not even in his chamber music.” Mozart published his second set of mature sonatas shortly after he moved to Vienna in 1781. Among the most outstanding works of this cycle is the F major Sonata K. 377, a restrained piece of brooding intensity and introspection. The last sonatas were written between 1784 and 1788 and include Ms. Mutter’s favorite, the B flat major Sonata K. 454, “a monumental achievement,” as she puts it. “In the famous Andante, the violin and piano are so elaborately intertwined that you simply don’t notice when the words are taken out of your mouth and put back again. … This work has a depth that’s unequalled.” (Anne-Sophie Mutter) Also available is a “making-of” documentary on “The Mozart Project” (45′), in which Anne-Sophie Mutter talks about her relationship to Mozart’s music and is joined by her colleagues André Previn, Lambert Orkis and Daniel Müller-Schott.
Mozart, Sonata in F major, K.377
An important part of Anne-Sophie Mutter’s “Mozart Project” is to present the composer’s mature violin sonatas. Between 2005 and 2007, Ms. Mutter and pianist Lambert Orkis toured throughout Europe, North America and Asia with the Mozart sonatas. In major musical centers such as Paris, London, Vienna and New York, they offered the entire cycle over three consecutive evenings. This three-evening survey was recorded in Munich in February 2006. Mozart composed sonatas for violin and piano from his earliest youth until his final years. But while the early pieces are little more than piano sonatas with violin accompaniments, the more mature works of 1778 begin to integrate the violin and piano parts more closely, and to highlight the growing independence and virtuosity of the violin. Mozart composed several violin sonatas during his stay in Mannheim and on his voyage to Paris in 1778. These first mature sonatas reflect some of the “Sturm und Drang” atmosphere of the music at the court of Mannheim, which emboldened Mozart to write in a freer and more dramatic mode. The E minor Sonata K. 304, for instance, prefigures Romanticism, and K. 306 incorporates a written-out cadenza for both instruments, similarly to an operatic “scena”. Indeed, the sonatas’ closeness to the opera is an element that Anne-Sophie Mutter herself has often pointed out: “For me, these sonatas are like narratives. Mozart never left the operatic stage, not even in his chamber music.” Mozart published his second set of mature sonatas shortly after he moved to Vienna in 1781. Among the most outstanding works of this cycle is the F major Sonata K. 377, a restrained piece of brooding intensity and introspection. The last sonatas were written between 1784 and 1788 and include Ms. Mutter’s favorite, the B flat major Sonata K. 454, “a monumental achievement,” as she puts it. “In the famous Andante, the violin and piano are so elaborately intertwined that you simply don’t notice when the words are taken out of your mouth and put back again. … This work has a depth that’s unequalled.” (Anne-Sophie Mutter) Also available is a “making-of” documentary on “The Mozart Project” (45′), in which Anne-Sophie Mutter talks about her relationship to Mozart’s music and is joined by her colleagues André Previn, Lambert Orkis and Daniel Müller-Schott.
Mozart, Sonata in D major, K.306
An important part of Anne-Sophie Mutter’s “Mozart Project” is to present the composer’s mature violin sonatas. Between 2005 and 2007, Ms. Mutter and pianist Lambert Orkis toured throughout Europe, North America and Asia with the Mozart sonatas. In major musical centers such as Paris, London, Vienna and New York, they offered the entire cycle over three consecutive evenings. This three-evening survey was recorded in Munich in February 2006. Mozart composed sonatas for violin and piano from his earliest youth until his final years. But while the early pieces are little more than piano sonatas with violin accompaniments, the more mature works of 1778 begin to integrate the violin and piano parts more closely, and to highlight the growing independence and virtuosity of the violin. Mozart composed several violin sonatas during his stay in Mannheim and on his voyage to Paris in 1778. These first mature sonatas reflect some of the “Sturm und Drang” atmosphere of the music at the court of Mannheim, which emboldened Mozart to write in a freer and more dramatic mode. The E minor Sonata K. 304, for instance, prefigures Romanticism, and K. 306 incorporates a written-out cadenza for both instruments, similarly to an operatic “scena”. Indeed, the sonatas’ closeness to the opera is an element that Anne-Sophie Mutter herself has often pointed out: “For me, these sonatas are like narratives. Mozart never left the operatic stage, not even in his chamber music.” Mozart published his second set of mature sonatas shortly after he moved to Vienna in 1781. Among the most outstanding works of this cycle is the F major Sonata K. 377, a restrained piece of brooding intensity and introspection. The last sonatas were written between 1784 and 1788 and include Ms. Mutter’s favorite, the B flat major Sonata K. 454, “a monumental achievement,” as she puts it. “In the famous Andante, the violin and piano are so elaborately intertwined that you simply don’t notice when the words are taken out of your mouth and put back again. … This work has a depth that’s unequalled.” (Anne-Sophie Mutter) Also available is a “making-of” documentary on “The Mozart Project” (45′), in which Anne-Sophie Mutter talks about her relationship to Mozart’s music and is joined by her colleagues André Previn, Lambert Orkis and Daniel Müller-Schott.
Mozart, Sonata in E flat major, K.302
An important part of Anne-Sophie Mutter’s “Mozart Project” is to present the composer’s mature violin sonatas. Between 2005 and 2007, Ms. Mutter and pianist Lambert Orkis toured throughout Europe, North America and Asia with the Mozart sonatas. In major musical centers such as Paris, London, Vienna and New York, they offered the entire cycle over three consecutive evenings. This three-evening survey was recorded in Munich in February 2006. Mozart composed sonatas for violin and piano from his earliest youth until his final years. But while the early pieces are little more than piano sonatas with violin accompaniments, the more mature works of 1778 begin to integrate the violin and piano parts more closely, and to highlight the growing independence and virtuosity of the violin. Mozart composed several violin sonatas during his stay in Mannheim and on his voyage to Paris in 1778. These first mature sonatas reflect some of the “Sturm und Drang” atmosphere of the music at the court of Mannheim, which emboldened Mozart to write in a freer and more dramatic mode. The E minor Sonata K. 304, for instance, prefigures Romanticism, and K. 306 incorporates a written-out cadenza for both instruments, similarly to an operatic “scena”. Indeed, the sonatas’ closeness to the opera is an element that Anne-Sophie Mutter herself has often pointed out: “For me, these sonatas are like narratives. Mozart never left the operatic stage, not even in his chamber music.” Mozart published his second set of mature sonatas shortly after he moved to Vienna in 1781. Among the most outstanding works of this cycle is the F major Sonata K. 377, a restrained piece of brooding intensity and introspection. The last sonatas were written between 1784 and 1788 and include Ms. Mutter’s favorite, the B flat major Sonata K. 454, “a monumental achievement,” as she puts it. “In the famous Andante, the violin and piano are so elaborately intertwined that you simply don’t notice when the words are taken out of your mouth and put back again. … This work has a depth that’s unequalled.” (Anne-Sophie Mutter) Also available is a “making-of” documentary on “The Mozart Project” (45′), in which Anne-Sophie Mutter talks about her relationship to Mozart’s music and is joined by her colleagues André Previn, Lambert Orkis and Daniel Müller-Schott.
Mozart, Sonata in A major, K.526
An important part of Anne-Sophie Mutter’s “Mozart Project” is to present the composer’s mature violin sonatas. Between 2005 and 2007, Ms. Mutter and pianist Lambert Orkis toured throughout Europe, North America and Asia with the Mozart sonatas. In major musical centers such as Paris, London, Vienna and New York, they offered the entire cycle over three consecutive evenings. This three-evening survey was recorded in Munich in February 2006. Mozart composed sonatas for violin and piano from his earliest youth until his final years. But while the early pieces are little more than piano sonatas with violin accompaniments, the more mature works of 1778 begin to integrate the violin and piano parts more closely, and to highlight the growing independence and virtuosity of the violin. Mozart composed several violin sonatas during his stay in Mannheim and on his voyage to Paris in 1778. These first mature sonatas reflect some of the “Sturm und Drang” atmosphere of the music at the court of Mannheim, which emboldened Mozart to write in a freer and more dramatic mode. The E minor Sonata K. 304, for instance, prefigures Romanticism, and K. 306 incorporates a written-out cadenza for both instruments, similarly to an operatic “scena”. Indeed, the sonatas’ closeness to the opera is an element that Anne-Sophie Mutter herself has often pointed out: “For me, these sonatas are like narratives. Mozart never left the operatic stage, not even in his chamber music.” Mozart published his second set of mature sonatas shortly after he moved to Vienna in 1781. Among the most outstanding works of this cycle is the F major Sonata K. 377, a restrained piece of brooding intensity and introspection. The last sonatas were written between 1784 and 1788 and include Ms. Mutter’s favorite, the B flat major Sonata K. 454, “a monumental achievement,” as she puts it. “In the famous Andante, the violin and piano are so elaborately intertwined that you simply don’t notice when the words are taken out of your mouth and put back again. … This work has a depth that’s unequalled.” (Anne-Sophie Mutter) Also available is a “making-of” documentary on “The Mozart Project” (45′), in which Anne-Sophie Mutter talks about her relationship to Mozart’s music and is joined by her colleagues André Previn, Lambert Orkis and Daniel Müller-Schott.
Mozart, Sonata in B flat major, K.378
An important part of Anne-Sophie Mutter’s “Mozart Project” is to present the composer’s mature violin sonatas. Between 2005 and 2007, Ms. Mutter and pianist Lambert Orkis toured throughout Europe, North America and Asia with the Mozart sonatas. In major musical centers such as Paris, London, Vienna and New York, they offered the entire cycle over three consecutive evenings. This three-evening survey was recorded in Munich in February 2006. Mozart composed sonatas for violin and piano from his earliest youth until his final years. But while the early pieces are little more than piano sonatas with violin accompaniments, the more mature works of 1778 begin to integrate the violin and piano parts more closely, and to highlight the growing independence and virtuosity of the violin. Mozart composed several violin sonatas during his stay in Mannheim and on his voyage to Paris in 1778. These first mature sonatas reflect some of the “Sturm und Drang” atmosphere of the music at the court of Mannheim, which emboldened Mozart to write in a freer and more dramatic mode. The E minor Sonata K. 304, for instance, prefigures Romanticism, and K. 306 incorporates a written-out cadenza for both instruments, similarly to an operatic “scena”. Indeed, the sonatas’ closeness to the opera is an element that Anne-Sophie Mutter herself has often pointed out: “For me, these sonatas are like narratives. Mozart never left the operatic stage, not even in his chamber music.” Mozart published his second set of mature sonatas shortly after he moved to Vienna in 1781. Among the most outstanding works of this cycle is the F major Sonata K. 377, a restrained piece of brooding intensity and introspection. The last sonatas were written between 1784 and 1788 and include Ms. Mutter’s favorite, the B flat major Sonata K. 454, “a monumental achievement,” as she puts it. “In the famous Andante, the violin and piano are so elaborately intertwined that you simply don’t notice when the words are taken out of your mouth and put back again. … This work has a depth that’s unequalled.” (Anne-Sophie Mutter) Also available is a “making-of” documentary on “The Mozart Project” (45′), in which Anne-Sophie Mutter talks about her relationship to Mozart’s music and is joined by her colleagues André Previn, Lambert Orkis and Daniel Müller-Schott.