The Latvian maestro Andris Nelsons is already one of the most sought-after young conductors in the world and once again served notice of his extraordinary talent when he conducted two concerts with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam at the prestigious Lucerne Festival. In the present recording of the first of these concerts (which are both available on DVD and Blu-ray from C Major Entertainment), orchestra and conductor demonstrate their brilliance in some of the most spectacular orchestral works ever written. “A profoundly moving interpretation” (Neue Zürcher Zeitung).
Andris Nelsons, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Yefim Bronfman at Lucerne Festival
The Latvian maestro Andris Nelsons is already one of the most sought-after young conductors in the world and once again served notice of his extraordinary talent when he conducted two concerts with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam at the prestigious Lucerne Festival. In the present recording of the second of these concerts (which are both available on DVD and Blu-ray from C Major Entertainment), Beethoven’s majestic Fifth Piano Concerto proves a memorable encounter between Nelsons and master pianist Yefim Bronfman, who remains calm and composed despite the piano part‘s virtuoso passage-work and knuckle-breaking chords. “A return to the magician of the podium: a conductor bursting with temperament and capable of conjuring up the most magnificent orchestral sonorities” (Neue Luzerner Zeitung).
Orfeo ed Euridice
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the small but ambitious Castell de Peralada Festival, the famous Catalan theatre collective La Fura dels Baus and its director Carlus Padrissa staged Christoph Willibald Gluck’s opera Orfeo ed Euridice. A splendid cast as well as an avant-garde production that makes extensive use of large projection screens and includes the members of the orchestra as actors onstage result in one of the most exciting opera performances in recent years. “La Fura’s concept is surprising and its originality demands our attention … it gives rise to moments of great beauty and evocative power” (El País).
Die Entfuehrung aus dem Serail
Barcelona’s prestigious Gran Teatre del Liceu presents Mozart’s beloved Singspiel in an elegant, dramaturgically twisted production with a sparkling cast of top-rank international stars headed by coloratura soprano Diana Damrau as Konstanze and rising star Olga Peretyatko as Blonde. Stage director Christof Loy has conjured up a thought-provoking and strikingly original scenario in which both Konstanze and Blonde are feeling respect, admiration and even profound love for their captors. The result is a tantalizing approach that overturns the traditional patterns of good and evil.
“Diana Damrau achieved a huge success at the Barcelona Liceu.” Opera News
“Franz-Josef Selig, the best Osmin I have ever seen.” Opera News
Tannhaeuser
This exciting modern-day adaptation of Tannhäuser, Richard Wagner’s fable of love and redemption, features one of the great Wagner singers of our time in the lead role, Peter Seiffert. Using the magnificent space of Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu in its entirety, renowned Canadian director Robert Carsen has transformed this mythic narration of medieval troubadours into a compelling and at times very amusing tale that plays out in a world of contemporary painters and art dealers. Thus, the work’s original message of
salvation takes on a new edge: it is now about artistic glory and expressing the inexpressible. “Heldentenor Peter Seiffert ruled the stage” (Opera News).
The Makropoulos Affair (Vec Makropulos)
Premiered in 1926, Leoš Janác?ek’s absorbing masterpiece Ve?c Makropulos reflects all the dominant musical styles of the early 20th century, from Bohemian tunefulness to big Straussian phrases, Berg-like jaggedness and primeval rhythms. With the “breathtakingly grandiose” (Salzburger Nachrichten) Angela Denoke in the lead role, this emotionally
powerful opera was given superior treatment at the hands of the Wiener Philharmoniker under Esa-Pekka Salonen. They and the entire cast joined forces to make this production one of the highlights of the 2011 Salzburg Festival. “Ms. Denoke is a compelling actress … Salonen ensures a brilliant reading of Janác?ek’s fascinating score.” – The New York Times
Music is the language of the heart and soul – A portrait of Mariss Jansons, Mahler Symphony No. 2 Ressurection
Mariss Jansons is one of the most influential conductors of our age. In 2012 the charismatic Latvian musician conducted his second New Year Concert in Vienna, an honour that very few conductors have enjoyed. For the present documentary portrait, the film maker Robert Neumüller observed Jansons at work in Amsterdam, Riga, St Petersburg, Vienna and Salzburg. The film shows Jansons working with his various orchestras, including rehearsals for the 2012 New Year Concert, and also explores his private life, resulting
in a number of fascinating insights into Jansons’ artistic development and philosophy. By way of a bonus, this release features a complete performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Mariss Jansons.
Music is the language of the heart and soul – A prortait of Mariss Jansons, Mahler Symphony No. 2 “Ressurection”
Mariss Jansons is one of the most influential conductors of our age. In 2012 the charismatic Latvian musician conducted his second New Year Concert in Vienna, an honour that very few conductors have enjoyed. For the present documentary portrait, the film maker Robert Neumüller observed Jansons at work in Amsterdam, Riga, St Petersburg, Vienna and Salzburg. The film shows Jansons working with his various orchestras, including rehearsals for the 2012 New Year Concert, and also explores his private life, resulting
in a number of fascinating insights into Jansons’ artistic development and philosophy. By way of a bonus, this release features a complete performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Mariss Jansons.
The Little Mermaid
In The Little Mermaid, Hamburg Ballet Director and Chief Choreographer John Neumeier blends dance, dramatic storytelling and spectacle into a stunning interpretation of Hans Christian Andersen’s fable. The talented, award-winning Russian composer, Lera Auerbach, presents a dramatic score that evokes both atmosphere and emotional tone. With choreography, sets and costumes all by Neumeier, this ballet – as much theater as it is dance – reveals the depths of the choreographer’s imagination. Neumeier elevates a fantasy into a sophisticated portrayal of psychological transformation and the resilience of the spirit, human or otherwise. “Neumeier‘s place in the ballet world is as singular as his interpretation of the tale.“ (San Francisco Chronicle)
Rudolf Buchbinder/Wiener Philharmoniker Beethoven Piano Concertos Nos. 1 – 5
After decades of work on Beethoven’s original scores, the Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder offers a definitive interpretation of all of Beethoven’s piano concertos in this series of live recordings of his ecstatically acclaimed performances in the Musikverein in Vienna. Buchbinder conducts the Vienna Philharmonic from the piano and achieves a rare degree of tension and chamber-like concentration. “There is no one else who plays Beethoven with such classical perfection and at such a high level.” Der Kurier, Vienna