Super Diva – Opera for Everyone
The Portuguese Soprano and “opera communicator” Catarina Molder is opening the world of opera for new audiences of all ages and musical backgrounds in an absolute out of the box TV format which integrates magazine, documentary and fiction. After the success of ist preceding Portuguese seasons, Super Diva premieres with 13 English episodes. Each of them focuses on one super opera, unveils ist plot and context and reworks ist most emblematic super aria. World famous guests like Sir Antonio Pappano, Rolando Villazón, Gaëlle Arquez, Sonya Yoncheva or René Pape share their personal experiences in opera confessions. Finally, the Consulting Room! Opera Mix presents new exciting versions of great operatic hits. Super Diva also includes the innovative feature of twitter opera: newly commissioned operas in short film format which reflect upon present-day life and are thematically related to each episode’s super opera. Episodes: Die Zauberflöte, Macbeth, L’incoronazione di Poppea, Cavalleria rusticana, Fidelio, Norma, Otello, Carmen, Faust, Tosca, La forza del destino, Turandot, Tristan und Isolde.
Nederlands Dans Theater 3
According to the ancient Greek legend, Prometheus brought fire and culture to mankind, thus saving the world from being destroyed by Zeus. Through the ages, this story has inspired countless artists, poets and musicians to some of their grandest creations.
Christopher Swann’s film is based on a 1993 televised concert from Berlin’s Philharmonic Hall.
The program features music by Beethoven, Liszt, Skriabin and Nono based on the legend of Prometheus. The four compositions could not be more diverse in style and conception, representing highly different approaches: from the Prometheus as bringer of plague and destruction to the punished Prometheus chained to a rock.
In this film, Christopher Swann stresses a visual approach to this variety of ideas, using a number of modern film techniques to underscore and illustrate the musical presentation.
Performances by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Claudio Abbado are first-rate, although it is the presence of Argerich that will make this DVD an obligatory purchase.
Hélène Grimaud at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
Hélène Grimaud headlines a spectacular evening with the illustrious Camerata Salzburg, directed from the front desk by concertmaster Giovanni Guzzo, at the famed Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. She selected pieces that are all in minor keys yet composed during intensely creative periods in both Mozart’s and Schumann’s careers. Mozart did not write many works in minor tonalities but Grimaud chose it, because it “provides a glimpse behind the mask of jollity that surrounds many of his famous works.“ As an encore: a work by another composer to have accompanied Grimaud through much of her career, Valentin Silvestrov. “Hélène Grimaud and the Salzburg Camerata hypnotise the audience in Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie on this unforgettable evening with piano concertos of the early romantic era of Mozart and Schumann that are unique in terms of sound.“ (operaversum.de). PROGRAM Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 & Symphony No. 40; Schumann: Piano Concerto Op. 54; Silvestrov: The Messenger.
Maria Callas: Magic Moments of Music – Tosca 1964
This film tells the story of one of the most magic moments of music. The beginning of 1964 held a great surprise for the music world: Maria Callas returns to the opera stage as prima donna. Her “Tosca” at the Royal Opera House becomes a sensation. Not even the Beatles received more press coverage. All this, for an artist whose glorious career was said to be over, with the singer herself passing over to legend. It is no longer her performances, but her scandals that, are dominating the headlines. Unlucky in love with her billionaire boyfriend Aristotle Onassis, Maria Callas wants to show them all that the title of ”Primadonna assoluta” is still rightfully hers. On condition that famed stage director Franco Zeffirelli takes on the production, the exceptional vocalist is prepared to take on the role of Tosca. Her fans queue outside the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden for four, even five nights. To get their hands on the sought after tickets, they spend the freezing winter nights in sleeping bags and on fold up chairs. The film tells the story of the event from today´s perspective and features interviews with Antonio Pappano, Rolando Villazón, Rufus Wainwright, Thomas Hampson, Anna Prohaska Wolfgang Joop, Jürgen Kesting, Brian McMaster, Kristine Opolais. As bonus the performance of Tosca´s second act is included. It is one of the most dramatic acts in opera history. The film recording is one of the few opportunities to see Maria Callas on stage and witness her emotional dramatics and vocal competence.
The Phoenix Dance Company
Phoenix emerged in the 1980s as one of the most exciting contemporary groups in Britain, made up of five young black men who were introduced to dance while at school in one of the poorest parts of Leeds. Their extraordinary story is told in documentary film and in a work called The Forming of the Phoenix. The programme’s finale is a performance of Edward Lynch’s Nightlife at the Flamingo, which fuses jazz steps with Phoenix’s own eclectic style.
La Fenice: A Death in Venice
In January 1996, the Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice, considered by many to be the world’s most beautiful opera house, was destroyed in a mysterious fire. Made during the aftermath of this event, when speculation was rife as to the cause of the blaze, this documentary contrasts the past glories of the theatre with the devastation that remained. But La Fenice – named after the phoenix – was to rise from the ashes and plans for its rebuilding are scrutinised in this film.
Einojuhani Rautavaara – Gift of Dreams
In recent years, one of Finland’s leading contemporary composers has found international fame. His Angel of Light CD has become a world-wide best-seller and, in the words of The Financial Times, “popular taste has suddenly caught up with Rautavaara’s mystical Romanticism. The time is right for his style.” Now in his seventies, he is at the height of his musical powers. This impressionistic film explores the charismatic composer’s life and music, glimpsing the richness of his creative imagination.
In Rehearsal: Mariss Jansons
Featuring some of today’s leading conductors in rehearsal, this series gives a unique insight into the process of creating great music. The conductors’ very different styles and methods; the dialogue between an orchestra and an inspired interpreter; the intensity of the preparations for a concert performance; and the struggle towards perfection are captured in these revealing audio-visual records. Most episodes include a full run-through of the work rehearsed. All include interviews with the conductor who is seen at work. Mariss Jansons prepares Bartók’s Miraculous Mandarin Suite with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Masterclass: Christa Ludwig
Christa Ludwig is acknowledged as one of the twentieth century’s most explorative and complete vocal artists. Her professional singing career spanned five decades. Two public masterclasses, recorded at the Volkstheater in Vienna, show her working with young singers set on finding success on the operatic stage. Candid, humorous and encouraging, she focuses on the dramatic truth expressed in the arias of their choice and helps them to communicate this in their interpretations.