This live recording, from St. John’s Smith Square in London, features the celebrated classical guitarist Julian Bream playing Rodrigo’s haunting Concierto de Aranjuez, with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, conducted by Charles Groves. This piece is a lasting tribute to Spain and to the instrument that has personified and illuminated so beautifully her musical culture.
Lonely Town, Lonely Street
A passionate and energetic picture of lonely people in a large city, Robert North’s jazz ballet takes ist title from the popular music by Bill Withers to which it is set. Andrew Storer’s designs, with fire escapes and overspilling dustbins, suggest a seedy district of an American town. Rambert Dance Company gives an electrifying performance in this studio recording.
String Quartet in F major
This live recording of the celebrated American string quartet comes from the library of the monastery at Polling, near Munich, which boasts an exquisite baroque interior. They play Ravel’s String Quartet in F.
Sounds Magnificent – The Story of the Symphony
This series, featuring Sir André Previn and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, tells the story of the symphony. In each programme, Previn introduces a performance of a major symphonic work. He sets the music to be performed in the context of its composer’s life and work, explaining the way in which it contributed to the development of the symphonic form. His comments are illustrated by the orchestra, who play a variety of supporting extracts. The music featured in the series is Haydn’s Symphony No. 87, Mozart’s Symphony No. 39, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 (extracts) and Symphony No. 7, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 (Pathetique), and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. Six parts à 88′.
Svadebka (Les Noces)
In his composition Les Noces (Svadebka), Stravinsky pictures the ceremony of a traditional Russian country wedding. The music, with its fast pace and intricate rhythmic structures, presents the composer’s greatest choreographic challenge and Jiri Kylián finds the theme an intriguing one: “Marriage is very strange, but also beautiful. In Russia, especially, it used to be rather mysterious as well, above all for the bride.” This performance was recorded in studio.
Symphony of Psalms
Jiri Kylián’s ballet, set to Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, captures the archaic power of the music. The restrained gestures of a group of dancers contrast with the forceful and passionate movements of individuals and pairs who are set apart from them. The setting, designed by William Katz, enhances the suggestion of a ritual dance. This performance was recorded in studio.
La cathédrale engloutie
Jiri Kylián’s ballet is set to a composition by Claude Debussy which was inspired by a fifteenth-century Breton legend. This tells how a cathedral was built on a seashore as a symbol to the Almighty that he would reign over the people. But they led godless lives and, as a result, the cathedral disappeared below the waves. This performance was recorded in studio.
Torso
Czech choreographer Jiri Kylián was moved to create Torso by the plight of the Russian dancers, Valery and Galina Panov, who found asylum in Israel. His own experience of being cut off from his homeland, after the Dubcek regime was crushed, has been a lasting influence on his work. This ballet, set to music by Toru Takemitsu, and dedicated to all in exile, expresses a profound feeling of dislocation. Sabine Kupferberg and Leigh Warren feature in this studio recording.
¡Guitarra!
Celebrated classical guitarist Julian Bream features in this series, playing some of the finest pieces in the repertoire of the Spanish guitar, including compositions by Albéniz, Granados, de Falia, Tárrega and Rodrigo. Filmed on location in Spain, the programmes trace the evolution ot the instrument from 1500 to the present day. Against a backdrop of magnificent buildings and beautiful landscapes, ist music and history form a rich evocation of the country and her people.
The Raphael Quartet plays Beethoven
The acclaimed Dutch string quartet plays two works by Beethoven: The Cavatina movement of String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major Op. 130 and String Quartet in B flat major Op. 133 (Grosse Fuge).