The Turn of the Screw

The central dramatic situation of the opera, based on Henry James’s novella, lies in the conflict between the governess and two evil spirits, the former servant Quint and the former governess Miss Jessel, both of whom exerted a great influence on the two children and who after death – at least this is what the governess believes – are trying to establish their hold over the youngsters. The question of whether the ghosts really exist or are only a figment of the young woman’s feverish imagination remains open in the Henry James tale. Indeed, in the opera the ghosts are seen and heard; consequently, in the film, Petr Weigl leaves open the possibility that they are only imagined by the governess. The viewer can decide whether “The Turn of the Screw” is a fairy-tale battle between good and evil or a tragedy about destructive influences on inexperienced youth. Britten’s score stands in contrast to the abundance of ideas to be found both in the literary model and the libretto. The score is tighter and the music formally more consistent than in his other operas. The work consists of a prologue and 16 scenes which are connected by orchestral intermezzos – variations on the main theme. This main theme is a 12-tone scale which, however, Britten in no way considered to be a negation of tonal hierarchy, but rather as a ramification of that technique. “The Turn of the Screw”, written in 1954, was premiered that same year at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice with the English Opera Group.

Documentary on the Filming of “Elektra” – “Do I hear the music? It pours out of me.”

The “Elektra” documentary is the last testimony to a life of artistic fulfillment, an homage to the conductor Karl Böhm. The streets and squares of Vienna unfold before our eyes as the automobile bringing Karl Böhm to the recording studio drives through the city with which Karl Böhm had the most intimate musical relationship. And when he steps up to the conductor’s desk in the Sophiensaal, we are about to witness his last great performance. We see him conversing with the singers and the orchestra, rehearsing, criticizing, encouraging, and reminiscing: “Strauss once told me¿” At the end of the production, after Elektra’s dance, he sits back silently in his chair – exhausted but happy. On 14 August 1981, shortly after the shooting of the film, Karl Böhm died, aged almost 86. His death marked the end of an era. This documentary provides fascinating insights into the work of the director Götz Friedrich. And it also illustrates the dramatic power of musical tragedy, for example in the masterful depiction of Clytemnestra by Astrid Varnay, herself once a fabulous Elektra, and in the outstanding interpretations of top singers such as Leonie Rysanek, Catarina Ligendza, Hans Beirer, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Josef Greindl, Kurt Böhme and others.

Beethoven, Missa solemnis in D major, op.123

This work is part of the complete cycle of Beethoven symphonic and choral works featuring the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam conducted by Leonard Bernstein. In this recording with the Dutch orchestra, Bernstein also conducts the soloists Edda Moser, Hanna Schwarz, René Kollo and Kurt Moll, along with the Chorus of Radio Hilversum.

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.

L’Incoronazione di Poppea

In a rare display of unanimous praise, international music critics rated this cycle one of the greatest operatic events of its time. Although Monteverdi played a truly important role in the development of opera, only few major opera houses have ventured to present these three Baroque masterpieces. Years of intensive study by conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, not only of the transmitted scores but also of the instruments used in Monteverdi’s time, were necessary to provide a basis for the exceptionally high standard of the Zurich productions. Just how meticulously Harnoncourt and the celebrated stage director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle prepared themselves is made partly clear by the fact that the orchestra exclusively played original 17th-century instruments and specially-made copies for these productions. This in turn meant that each of the 39 members of the orchestra needed the qualifications of a soloist. It was not by accident that the recordings of all three productions won top international awards. This was simply further proof that a long-awaited expansion of the standard opera repertoire had successfully been realized. What makes the Monteverdi cycle a unique project is the certainty that it can never again be repeated with quite the same quality and feeling.

Bruckner, Symphony No.8 in C minor (1887 Version)

For his recording of Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony, Herbert von Karajan chose the version of 1887, one of the earliest of several revisions. The performance with the Vienna Philharmonic was recorded live in the spring of 1979 at the monastery church of St. Florian near Linz, where Bruckner spent many years as a student and teacher in his youth.

Mahler, Symphony No.7 in E minor

Leonard Bernstein was the first conductor ever to record all of Mahler’s symphonies not only on disk, but also on video. The Mahler cycle was the first project in the more than 20-year-long association between Leonard Bernstein and Unitel. The leading Mahler interpreter of our time, Bernstein recorded all of Mahler’s symphonies between 1971 and 1985, chiefly with the Vienna Philharmonic, producing a unique musical document and triggering a major reappreciation of Mahler’s works. ‘All Mahler symphonies, all Mahler works for that matter, deal in extremes, extremes of dynamic, of tempo, of emotional meaning. When it is bare, it’s extremely bare, when it is thick and rich, it’s thicker and richer than anything in ‘Götterdämmerung’, and when it is suffering it suffers to a point that no music has ever suffered before.’ (Leonard Bernstein)

Der Zigeunerbaron (The Gipsy Baron)

Next to “Die Fledermaus”, “The Gypsy Baron” is Johann Strauss’s most popular operetta. The libretto gave Strauss the chance to revel in such contrasting musical forms as the csárdás and the Viennese waltz. The style of the lied forms and ensembles is so original and finely balanced that the “Gypsy Baron” can truly be called a comic opera. Among the leading names of the stellar cast are Wolfgang Brendel, Ivan Rebroff, Janet Perry, Ellen Shade, Martha Mödl and, in his debut role, Siegfried Jerusalem as Sándor Barinkay.