Set in 16th-century France and Spain, Don Carlos tells of the political and amorous rivalry between King Philip II and his son, Don Carlos, over Elisabeth de Valois. Boasting an international cast in one of Verdi’s most popular operas, Luc Bondy’s moving production is the original French version restored to five acts.
Otello
Herbert von Karajan, a master painter of aural and visual panoramas, has created a medley of Mediterranean moods, extending from the violent storm of the Overture to the golden hues of the palace scenes. Jon Vickers, in one of his greatest roles as the brooding Moor Othello, displays the full brilliancy of his legendary voice; Mirella Freni, as Othello’s tormented wife Desdemona, secures our compassion with singing of serene vocal beauty; Peter Glossop is as evil an Iago as one can imagine. Three definitive portrayals of some of Verdi’s most powerful characters. With the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chorus of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Herbert von Karajan’s Salzburg Festival production is assured of an electrifying impact.
Beethoven, Missa Solemnis in D major, op.123
Recorded live in Salzburg in 1979, the performance of Beethoven’s Missa solemnis was one of the highlights of Herbert von Karajan’s Easter Festival that year. Amassing the forces of the Berlin Philharmonic and the chorus of the Wiener Singverein, Karajan provided an unforgettable experience enhanced by the artistry of renowned soloists Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Ruza Baldani, Eric Tappy and José van Dam. The Missa solemnis blends an age-old religious service with a musical outpouring of human emotions in an intensely personal manner. Beethoven conceived the mass for a religious occasion, the installation of Archduke Rudolf as Archbishop of Olmütz in 1820. However, he did not complete it in time and the work was given its premiere in St. Petersburg on 7 April 1824. In his score, Beethoven wrote the words “From the heart… may it find its way to the heart.” Indeed, the work’s dramatic, almost volcanic fervor never fails to go to the heart of all listeners.
Verdi: Messa da Requiem
The history of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem’s interpretation is inextricably bound up with the name of Herbert von Karajan. He conducted the work on countless occasions and in this legendary concert he performed it with some of the greatest singers of that time: Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Agnès Baltsa, José Carreras, and José van Dam. Verdi wrote his Messa da Requiem in 1873/74, between Aida and Otello, for Alessandro Manzoni, a poet whom he much admired. Verdi’s Mass for the Dead is not intended for liturgical use but for the concert hall. In addition to its profound spirituality, this masterpiece brings together the finest qualities from Verdi’s operas: endless melodic lines and captivating musico-dramatic effects.
La damnation de Faust
This live recording was made at the Royal Albert Hall during one of London’s famous Promenade Concert seasons. Sir Georg Solti conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a magnificent performance of Berlioz’s concert cantata. This feast of Berlioz launched Solti’s farewell tour with the orchestra he had directed for twenty years and was described by The Times as “the unsurpassable culmination of two decades of music-making…one that summarised all that has been most admirable about Solti’s long reign in Chicago.
Bruckner, Te Deum
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) completed his Te Deum in 1883. It is perhaps his most “modern” work, with its ostinato technique, sharply delineated sound groups and primeval rhythmic power pointing ahead to the 20th century. In this 1978 production with the Vienna Philharmonic and chorus of the Wiener Singverein under Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989), the work unfolds its full majesty particularly thanks to the great soloists Anna Tomowa- Sintow, Agnes Baltsa, David Rendall and José van Dam. And, of course, to Herbert von Karajan, one of Bruckner’s most congenial interpreters. Karajan embodied classical music in the general consciousness as an epoch- making conductor, media star, opera producer, festival director and festival founder. But in spite of his Promethean and widely varied activities, he remained a superb conductor, with a grasp of the standard orchestral and operatic repertory from Mozart to Schoenberg that was unsurpassed among his peers.
Brahms, Ein deutsches Requiem, op.45 (live)
The performance of Brahms’ German Requiem with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna’s “Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde” and the soloists Gundula Janowitz and José van Dam conducted by Herbert von Karajan was recorded live at the Salzburg Easter Festival in March 1978. Maestro Karajan focused on the gentle, comforting aspect of the work, presenting it as a Requiem for the living.
Beethoven, Symphony No.9 in D minor, op.125
Recorded live at the Berlin “Philharmonie” on New Year’s Eve 1977, this rousing interpretation of Beethoven’s most popular symphony with the Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan weaves a rich tapestry of emotional contrasts. The Ninth is an affirmation of optimism and beauty, written when Beethoven was almost completely deaf. The final movement is considered by many to be the composer’s crowning glory. It had been Beethoven’s lifelong dream to set Schiller’s “Ode to Joy” to music, for the poem put into words Beethoven’s most impassioned desire: peace and brotherhood in the world. Giving eloquent voice to this plea are the world-renowned soloists Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Agnes Baltsa, René Kollo and José van Dam.
Les Contes d’Hoffmann
This production from the Chorégies d’Orange Festival, one of the festivals with the longest and richest traditions in France, is directed by the French conductor Michel Plasson, whose interpretation of the operatic works by Offenbach, Gounod and Massenet were considered to be the most excellent of our time. Performing is baritone José van Dam, one of today’s most famous and sought after interpreters of the bass-baritone repertoire.
Messa da Requiem
Herbert von Karajan recorded Verdi’s Requiem multiple times over the course of his career, such that it became one of the signature works of his repertoire. In this film, he brings together an exceptional group of some of the late 20th century’s greatest singers: Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Agnès Baltsa, José Carreras, and José van Dam. Composed between Aida and Otello, the Messa da Requiem is dedicated to his friend, the poet Alessandro Manzoni, who had participated in the Italian unification movement, the Risorgimento. The technically and artistically challenging work was described by Verdi’s contemporary, the conductor Hans von Bülow, as an “opera in ecclesiastical garb”, an interesting expression of the fascinating tension between the theatrical and the religious in this monumental chef-d’oeuvre.