Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies

The Beethoven cycle of the 21st century!

Christian Thielemann joins forces with the prestigious Wiener Philharmoniker in a unique and monumental project BEETHOVEN 9, their first-ever recording of all 9 Symphonies in full high definition and Surround Sound. This recording from the Golden Hall of Vienna´s Musikverein is accompanied by nine(!) hour-long documentaries, one on each symphony, featuring Christian Thielemann and Germany´s most eminent music critic, Prof. Joachim Kaiser. From insights into Beethoven´s musical thinking to interpretational comparisons, including excerpts form legendary performances by Karajan, Bernstein, Böhm, Järvi etc., to historical perpsectives – no aspect of Beethoven´s symphonic oeuvre will remain untreated!

Donizetti: Maria Stuarda

Maria Stuarda is the most popular work in Gaetano Donizetti´s triology of bel canto operas on Tudor queens, a triology that also includes Anna Bolena and Roberto Devereux. The production of Venice´s beautiful Teatro La Fenice, which was gloriously rebuilt after the fire of 1996, shows Queen Mary and her embittered foe Elizabeth both as prisoners of passion for the same man, trapped in a labyrinth that is the central set-element in Italian-based Franco-Tunisian director Denis Krief´s staging. “To conjure up… hatred and jealousy, you don´t need a stage setting, just two splendid prima donnas: Sonia Ganassi and Fiorenza Cedolins.” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)

Alfred Brendel über Musik Drei Vorträge

Alfred Brendel, einer der größten Pianisten und musikalischen Denker unserer Tage, unternimmt in diesen drei Vorträgen eine musikalische Entdeckungsreise hinter die Noten und in die Mysterien der Musik und fasziniert seine Zuhörer mit einer Vielfalt musikalischer Beispiele, mit denen er seine Aussagen am Klavier illustriert. Diese Vorträge, eigens für die audiovisuelle Aufzeichnung in den Räumen der Salzburger Festspiele präsentiert, sind dank der gelungenen Mischung aus Theorie und Musik nicht nur für den Experten aufschlussreich und unterhaltsam, sondern für jeden interessierten Musikfreund. „Ein Höhepunkt der Salzburger Festspiele. Der ausführende Künstler wird zum buchstäblichen Charakterdarsteller.“ Die Welt

Der Ring – Highlights

Special budget-priced DVD and Blu-ray

100 minutes of the most stunning visual and musical highlights of this production by La Fura dels Baus

Incl. two new documentaries about Franc Aleu and Carlus Padrissa

Ludwig van Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 1, 2 & 3. Discovering Beethoven with Joachim Kaiser and Christian Thielemann

The Beethoven cycle of the 21st century!

Christian Thielemann joins forces with the prestigious Wiener Philharmoniker in a unique and monumental project BEETHOVEN 9, their first-ever recording of all 9 Symphonies in full high definition and Surround Sound. This recording from the Golden Hall of Vienna´s Musikverein is accompanied by nine(!) hour-long documentaries, one on each symphony, featuring Christian Thielemann and Germany´s most eminent music critic, Prof. Joachim Kaiser. From insights into Beethoven´s musical thinking to interpretational comparisons, including excerpts form legendary performances by Karajan, Bernstein, Böhm, Järvi etc., to historical perpsectives – no aspect of Beethoven´s symphonic oeuvre will remain untreated! This 2 DVD-set or Blu-ray contains Beethoven Symphonies 1, 2 & 3 and the Documentaries about Symphonies 1, 2 & 3.

Beethoven – Thielemann – Wiener Philharmoniker from Elmar Kruse on Vimeo.

Il Mondo della Luna

2009 marked Haydn´s anniversary year as well as Nikolaus Harnoncourt´s 80th birthday. For this occasion the maestro chose Il mondo della luna, a delicious mixture of satire, comedy and science fiction based on a popular comedy by Carlo Goldoni. Haydn´s music unleashes a display of fireworks performed with irresistible energy by Harnoncourt and his ensemble. Renowned actor and director Tobias Moretti relates the story as a magical fairy tale infused with slapstick and fantasy costumes. “This piece is extreme, completely insane and very funny. Wherever you puncture the surface of Haydn, you come upon sheer madness.” Nikolaus Harnocourt

Karajan conducts Mozart & Dvorák

Combining the forces of two of the 20th century´s greatest musicians – Yehudi Menuhin and Herbert von Karajan in their only recorded performance together – this magnificent programme marks a high point in filmed classical music. Both features, Mozart´s Violin Concerto No. 5 and Dvorák´s “New World” Symphony, were directed by master film-maker and long-time Karajan collaborator Henri-Georges Clouzot (The Wages of Fear).

Bonus: Herbert von Karajan in conversation with Yehudi Menuhin (on Mozart) and Prof. Joachim Kaiser (on Dvorák). Special bonus feature: Previously unreleased rehearsal session prior to Violin Concerto No. 5!

Messiah

To mark the 250th anniversary of Handel´s death, Vienna´s Theater an der Wien realized a truly extraordinary project: the staging of Messiah, the composer´s most popular oratorio.Collaborating with an exquisite cast of singers, Claus Guth, one of today´s highly renowned stage directors, delivered “an emotionally and psychologically charged sequence of images … “The audience was thrilled” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)

André Previn – A Bridge Between Two Worlds

André Previn is one of the leading musicians of our day. The eighty-one-year-old cosmopolitan pianist, conductor and classical composer has not only received no fewer than foru Academy awards for his film adaptations but was also one of the most influential jazz musicians of the fifties and sixties. A Bridge Between Two Worlds is a portrait of Previn´s fascinating musicianship and also looks candidly at his private life, including his relations with his two ex-wives, Mia Farrow and Anne-Sophie Mutter. As a bonus, this release features Mozart´s two Piano Quartets K. 478 and K. 493 with André Previn at the keyboard.

Alfred Brendel On Music Three Lectures

In these three lectures Alfred Brendel, one of the greatest pianists and musical thinkers of our age, takes us on a musical voyage of discovery that goes behind the notes and explores the mysteries of music. He holds his listeners enthralled with an array of musical examples that illustrates his explanations at the piano. Presented to be specifically recorded audio-visually, these lectures where held in the rooms of Salzburg Festival. Thanks to their successful blend of music and theory, they are informative and entertaining not only for experts but also for all lovers of music with an interest in deepening their understanding of the subject. “A highlight of the Salzburger Festspiele. The artist Alfred Brendel became a real character actor.” Die Welt