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!

The Schönberg Cycle: String Sextet Op. 4 (Verklärte Nacht)

In a series of specially-staged performances, The Schoenberg Quartet – Janneke van der Meer (violin), Wim de Jong (violin), Henk Guittart (viola) and Viola de Hoog (cello) – perform Schoenberg’s complete works for strings. The recordings benefit from the creative use of visual techniques, and the intimate camerawork, focus on detail and superb sound quality which studio conditions facilitate. The quartet is joined by Arleen Augér (soprano) for the String Quartet No. 2, and by Jan-Erik van Regteren Altena (viola) and Taco Kooistra (cello) for Verklärte Nacht.

String Quartet in D

27′

String Quartet No. 1 in D minor Op. 7

46′

String Quartet No. 2 in F sharp minor Op. 10

33′

String Quartet No. 3 Op. 30

33′

String Quartet No. 4 Op. 37

36′

String Sextet Op. 4 (Verklärte Nacht)

31′

String Trio Op. 45

21′

A 52-minute companion documentary is available to accompany these performances.

In this documentary, made to accompany The Schoenberg Cycle, the Schoenberg Quartet is seen preparing for their performance of the cycle in Los Angeles in 1989. Their tutor is the violist Eugene Lehner, a member of the former Kolisch Quartet, which, in ist day, worked extensively with Schoenberg, Berg, Webern and Bartók, premiering many of their works. Ronald, Lawrence and Nuria Nono Schoenberg, as well as staff at The Schoenberg Institute contribute to this fascinating film.

Recital Andrei Gavrilov

One of today’s great concert pianists, Andrei Gavrilov enjoys a distinguished international career and has been awarded many of the music world’s top prizes for his audio releases. This recital was recorded in studio and features Gavrilov playing two works by the great pianist/composer Sergei Rachmaninov: Piece No. 1 in E flat minor from Morceaux de Fantaisie Op. 3, and Piece No. 3 in B minor from Moments Musicaux Op. 16.

The LaSalle Quartet Plays Music by Berg and Webern

In this live recording from the magnificent baroque library of the monastery at Polling, near Munich, the highly-acclaimed American LaSalle Quartet plays Berg’s String Quartet Op. 3, and a rondo and Six Bagatelles Op. 9 by Webern. An illuminating commentary by violinist Walter Levin on the Bagatelles is included in the programme.

Kreutzer Sonata – String Quartet No. 1

In the last ten years of his life, Leoš Janácek enjoyed a glorious burst of creativity. His inspiration was partly derived from his unconsummated love for a young married woman – Kamill Stoesslova – whom he met in 1917 and to whom he wrote over six hundred letters. The title of Intimate Pages that was given to String Quartet No. 2 refers to these love letters. This recording, featuring the international-acclaimed Czech Panocha Quartet, was made at the University in Prague.

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.

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).

Zuzana Ruzickova: English Harpsichord Music

In this recording, the virtuoso harpsichordist Zuzana Ruzickova plays a selection of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century music, including works by William Byrd, John Bull, William Croft, Richard Farnaby, Thomas Morley and John Mundy.

Leif Ove Andsnes plays Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition

Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition were inspired by artworks by his late friend Hartmann, but they’ve inspired many other artists in turn. In 2009, the Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes – a musician who has never been afraid to do his own thing – collaborated with the South African visual artist Robin Rhode to re-imagine Mussorgsky’s masterpiece. Rhode’s arresting video images accompany a live performance of Pictures at an Exhibition, given by Andsnes in a shipyard building at the extraordinary Risør Festival in southern Norway – a compelling, wholly original fusion of sight, sound and place, and a refreshingly personal take on a much-loved classic.

Peter Waters & Barbara Hendricks: Fauré

Australian pianist Peter Waters and his jazz ensemble, the Treya Quartet, garnered widespread praise for their sensitive jazz arrangements of songs by the French composer Gabriel Fauré. This beautifully-shot music film compares these arrangements with the original versions, as sung by the internationally-acclaimed American soprano Barbara Hendricks. She is accompanied by Waters, who also plays in the Quartet with Paolo Fresu (trumpet), Tony Overwater (double bass) and Gilbert Paeffgen (drums/percussion). The performances are interspersed with answers to the question: “Why the songs of Fauré in a jazz setting?” Hendricks, meanwhile, contributes her thoughts on the power of song as a form of expression and means of communication.