This program celebrates the 50th anniversary since the launch of the international phenomenon. In 1963 he debuted in Amsterdam, Vienna, Zurich and finally London where he substituted for the ailing Giuseppe di Stefano as Rodolfo in La Bohème. Today it is still his powerful sound with its natural grace and brilliant colour which is considered by many the world’s greatest voice. This one hour program includes that hit and other beloved arias from La Bohème, Rigoletto and Aida; Neapolitan songs in arrangements by Henry Mancini including ‘Mamma’ and ‘O Sole Mio’; favourite sacred songs like ‘Panis Angelicus’; as well as popular duets with Bono, Sting and Eric Clapton.
Jonas Kaufmann – You Mean The World To Me
“You are my Heart’s Delight”, “My Song Goes Round the World”, “My Happiness that Remained” – these evergreens are the musical expression of one of the most artistically rich and thrilling eras in European cultural history: Berlin during the last years of the Weimar Republic. Together with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin under the guidance of Jochen Rieder, Jonas Kaufmann, one of the most sought-after tenors of our time brings these hit numbers alive in the legendary recording studios of the Funkhaus Berlin, Nalepastraße. Also available: Documentary “You Mean The World To Me” (52′), Cat.No. 9160
The original 3 Tenors Concert at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome
Magic was created in July 1990, when Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and José Carreras met onstage at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome and became the Three Tenors. This greatest musical event ever is an awe-inspiring orgy of the greatest hits for the tenor voice. Zubin Mehta exquisitely captures the largeness of this bonanza through the grandiose orchestra.
W. F. Bach – Rediscovered Cantatas
2010 marked the 300th anniversary of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710 – 1784), the eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach. While rather unknown today, Wilhelm Friedemann was one of the most outstanding headstrong composers of his time. However, after World War Two, many of his works went missing and, amazingly, were found again by the renowned Bach researcher Christoph Wolff (Harvard) in Kiev (Ukraine) in 1999. For the musical world, the rediscovery of these musically and technically highly sophisticated compositions was a sensation. The international TV audience will have the unique opportunity to take part in the world premiere of these four beautiful cantatas, performed in the impressive Augustiner-Church in Mainz. Cantatas: ‘Ach, dass du den Himmel zerrissest’, ‘Gott fähret auf mit Jauchzen’, ‘Wohl dem, der den Herren fürchtet’, ’O Wunder, wer kann dieses fassen’.
The Three Tenors – The Lost Concerts
The Three Tenors began their collaboration with a performance at the ancient Baths of Caracalla in Rome, the eve of the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final. Following the big success of the 1990/1994 concerts, The Three Tenors opened a world tour of 31 concerts, the last one in 2003. Seven of these 31 concerts had been recorded for TV but disappeared somewhere in London. All attempts to bring back these invaluable recordings to the audience failed. Now, after all these years, C Major in cooperation with Three Tenors Ltd. managed to assemble the most beautiful moments of six lost concerts in Munich, Tokyo, London, Vienna, New York and Pretoria.
Carmina Burana
They are one of the most famous and most frequently performed works of classical music: Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana”. The Latin title refers to a collection of songs from Benediktbeuern dating from the 11th and 12th centuries with texts written in Middle Latin, Old French and Middle High German. Orff chose 24 of these songs, their topics ranging widely from the volatility of happiness and prosperity to the fleeting nature of life, from the joy of the return of spring to the pleasures and dangers of drunkenness, gluttony, gambling, and lust. At the Palau de la Música in València, the Orquestra de València, one of the great Spanish symphony orchestras, together with one of Spain’s oldest choirs, Orféon Pamplones, perform this epic work under the musical direction of Alexander Liebreich. They are joined by the excellent soloists Sara Blanch, Joaquín Asiáin and André Baleiro, creating a memorable musical evening.
Mythodea
The Mythodea concert in Athens, 2001, was a landmark event showcasing Vangelis’s visionary fusion of electronic and orchestral music. Held at the ancient Herodes Atticus Theater, the performance brought to life his composition Mythodea, originally created as the soundtrack for NASA’s Mars Odyssey Mission. Vangelis performed live on synthesizers, joined by the London Metropolitan Orchestra, sopranos Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman, harpists, the Greek National Opera Chorus, and percussion ensembles Seistron and Typana. The concert combined sweeping electronic soundscapes with classical grandeur, evoking the mystery of space. It remains one of Vangelis’s most iconic performances, celebrating music as a bridge between earth and cosmos.
Carnegie Christmas Hall Concert
The film features thirty musical pieces performed at Carnegie Hall on December 8, 1991. Soloists like Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, and Wynton Marsalis perform on a tiered stage before Christmas-themed panels. The uninterrupted program blends sacred and secular works from various traditions, including jazz, spirituals, European carols, and songs by composers like Hugh Martin and Mel Tormé. Performers also include the Wynton Marsalis Septet, the American Boychoir, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s under André Previn.
Il Volo in Agrigento
With million of fans all over the world, Il Volo, the Italian operatic pop trio, has achieved great international success. This special concert brings the trio in a exclusive location in the south of Italy: Il Volo performs in the Valle dei Templi, the UNESCO World Heritage Site and impressive monumental ensemble of Hellenic architecture in Sicily. An unmissable opportunity to hear the greatest hits that conquered the hearts of many, with the unique personalities of Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble.
Messa di Gloria
The ‘Messa a quattro voci’, better known as the ‘Messa di Gloria’, is a youthful work by Giacomo Puccini for orchestra and choir as well as solo tenor and baritone. It was the Italian composer’s final project at the Istituto Musicale Pacini in Lucca and was premiered there on 12 August 1880.
The majestic Romanesque church of San Biagio in Bellinzona, the capital of the canton of Ticino and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, provides an appropriate setting for this milestone in classical music. The performance with original texts and instrumentation by Puccini offers the perfect opportunity to discover the Italian composer’s diverse compositional talent outside the world of opera.