The Most Beautiful Operas of All Time: Tosca

Take life, drama, and comedy. Add stage and music. Voilà: you‘ve got opera! But once an opera has gone out into the world from the stages of Milan, Paris or Vienna, each work begins to develop a life of ist own. How do audiences of the 18th or the 21st century understand the work? How much of the composer‘s own biography has gone into his work? How does opera co-exist with the other arts of ist time? These and other topics form the core of ten half-hour documentaries, a one-of-a-kind tour of the most beautiful operas of all time. Evocative visuals, stylish re-enactments, statements from leading international singers, conductors and directors, excerpts from the most prominent productions of each opera – all of this is served up in a cool, modern aesthetic aimed at viewers who are not the traditional target audiences of opera.

The Most Beautiful Operas of All Time: Fidelio

Take life, drama, and comedy. Add stage and music. Voilà: you‘ve got opera! But once an opera has gone out into the world from the stages of Milan, Paris or Vienna, each work begins to develop a life of ist own. How do audiences of the 18th or the 21st century understand the work? How much of the composer‘s own biography has gone into his work? How does opera co-exist with the other arts of ist time? These and other topics form the core of ten half-hour documentaries, a one-of-a-kind tour of the most beautiful operas of all time. Evocative visuals, stylish re-enactments, statements from leading international singers, conductors and directors, excerpts from the most prominent productions of each opera – all of this is served up in a cool, modern aesthetic aimed at viewers who are not the traditional target audiences of opera.

The Most Beautiful Operas of All Time: Aida

Take life, drama, and comedy. Add stage and music. Voilà: you‘ve got opera! But once an opera has gone out into the world from the stages of Milan, Paris or Vienna, each work begins to develop a life of ist own. How do audiences of the 18th or the 21st century understand the work? How much of the composer‘s own biography has gone into his work? How does opera co-exist with the other arts of ist time? These and other topics form the core of ten half-hour documentaries, a one-of-a-kind tour of the most beautiful operas of all time. Evocative visuals, stylish re-enactments, statements from leading international singers, conductors and directors, excerpts from the most prominent productions of each opera – all of this is served up in a cool, modern aesthetic aimed at viewers who are not the traditional target audiences of opera.

The Most Beautiful Operas of All Time: Der Rosenkavalier

Take life, drama, and comedy. Add stage and music. Voilà: you‘ve got opera! But once an opera has gone out into the world from the stages of Milan, Paris or Vienna, each work begins to develop a life of ist own. How do audiences of the 18th or the 21st century understand the work? How much of the composer‘s own biography has gone into his work? How does opera co-exist with the other arts of ist time? These and other topics form the core of ten half-hour documentaries, a one-of-a-kind tour of the most beautiful operas of all time. Evocative visuals, stylish re-enactments, statements from leading international singers, conductors and directors, excerpts from the most prominent productions of each opera – all of this is served up in a cool, modern aesthetic aimed at viewers who are not the traditional target audiences of opera.

The Most Beautiful Operas of All Time: Lohengrin

Take life, drama, and comedy. Add stage and music. Voilà: you‘ve got opera! But once an opera has gone out into the world from the stages of Milan, Paris or Vienna, each work begins to develop a life of ist own. How do audiences of the 18th or the 21st century understand the work? How much of the composer‘s own biography has gone into his work? How does opera co-exist with the other arts of ist time? These and other topics form the core of ten half-hour documentaries, a one-of-a-kind tour of the most beautiful operas of all time. Evocative visuals, stylish re-enactments, statements from leading international singers, conductors and directors, excerpts from the most prominent productions of each opera – all of this is served up in a cool, modern aesthetic aimed at viewers who are not the traditional target audiences of opera.

The Mahler Project – Documentary

The Mahler Project: A fascinating documentary on the musical world of Gustav Mahler as seen by the two great musicians, and a recording of Mahler’s colossal Ninth. “Mahler created a new world with each of his symphonies (…) It is a fantastic journey for both of us”. With these few words, Daniel Barenboim sums up the vast scope of a project undertaken with his friend Pierre Boulez: two very different world-class conductors tackle all nine completed symphonies of Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) with one orchestra, the Staatskapelle Berlin. Performed as a complete cycle in Berlin, Vienna and New York, the concerts were a tremendous success. The Financial Times even wrote: “New York is going Mahler mad”. Before embarking on this journey, the two conductors underwent a long period of reflection and discussion. In this documentary, director Christoph Engel compiles a rich selection of statements, conversations and musical excerpts which show how differently each maestro approaches this mighty oeuvre.

Anne-Sophie Mutter plays Mendelssohn: Violin Sonata in F major

In 2008 Anne-Sophie Mutter was awarded not only the prestigious Ernst von Siemens Music Award, but also the Leipzig Mendelssohn Award. The award ceremony in March 2008 was crowned by a gala concert at Leipzig’s Gewandhaus. The recording offers a selection of masterpieces by Mendelssohn (1809-1847) in a variety of instrumentations. Joining her in Mendelssohn’s Sonata for Violin F major (Length: 25’ – A05512287) is pianist André Previn, who is also an internationally renowned conductor and composer. He and cellist Lynn Harrell also interpret the D-minor Trio (Length: 29’ – A055122880001) with her. This is a stunning anthology of chamber music from one of the most vibrant composers of the early romantic era, performed by top artists of today!

Anne-Sophie Mutter plays Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor

In 2008 Anne-Sophie Mutter was awarded not only the prestigious Ernst von Siemens Music Award, but also the Leipzig Mendelssohn Award. The award ceremony in March 2008 was crowned by a gala concert at Leipzig’s Gewandhaus. The recording offers a selection of masterpieces by Mendelssohn (1809-1847) in a variety of instrumentations. Joining her in Mendelssohn’s Sonata for Violin F major (Length: 25’ – A05512287) is pianist André Previn, who is also an internationally renowned conductor and composer. He and cellist Lynn Harrell also interpret the D-minor Trio (Length: 29’ – A055122880001) with her. This is a stunning antholog of chamber music from one of the most vibrant composers of the early romantic era, performed by top artists of today!