In 2010, the music world celebrated the 300th birthday of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, one of the most important and fascinating composers of the early 18th century. C Major Entertainment and UNITEL honour the composer, violinist and organist by presenting his complete stage entertainments recorded at the famous Pergolesi Festival in the composer’s home town, Jesi. Performed by singers and musicians specialising in the music of the 18th century. The cycle includes: ‘Adriano in Siria’ + ‘Livetta e Tracollo’ (193’), ‘L’Olimpiade’ (approx. 210’), ‘Salustia’ (approx. 170’), ‘Il Prigionier superbo’ (124’), ‘Lo Frate ‘nnamorato’ (approx. 200’), ‘Il Flaminio’ (183’) and ‘La Serva Padrona’ (approx. 50’).
Sir András Schiff in Weimar
In the classical city of Weimar, where his great compatriot Franz Liszt once worked, Sir András Schiff, who was knighted in 2014, devoted himself to three of his “great loves”: Bach, Beethoven and Schubert. The setting could not have been more fitting: For the first time, it was possible for a production to record a piano recital at the Anna Amalia Library in Weimar. PROGRAM Bach: Capriccio on the departure of a beloved brother in B flat major, BWV 992; Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 “Pastoral”; Schubert: Three Late Piano Pieces , D. 946, Hungarian Melody in B minor, D. 817
Salzburg Festival 2022: Il trittico
Il trittico was premiered in New York on 14 December 1918, composed while the First World War was still raging in Europe. At first glance, the three one-act operas Gianni Schicchi, Il tabarro and Suor Angelica seem to have no connection with each other; their common denominator is solely the entanglement of man in a fateful destiny that only exceptionally, for a moment, seems to promise a happy outcome to the “adventure of life” — a set of themes that in its complexity seems to be in such good hands with few directors as with Christof Loy. The main female roles in the three opera acts are performed by the Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian, a very rare and tremendous feat, but once again connects the works to each other. “Grigorian is […] a wonderful, intense performer: a gracefully graceful Donna fragile as Lauretta, a feverishly longing for love while tormented by guilt Giorgetta, and a desperately lost Angelica rebelling with defiance.” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
Salzburg Festival 2022: Bluebeard’s Castle & De Temporum Fine Comedia
The Salzburg Festival presented Bluebeard’s Castle in a double bill evening together with Carl Orff’s De temporum fine comoedia. In his staging of the two works, Romeo Castellucci, reveals the profound connections in their juxtapositio between interiority and explosion of violent power.
Bach, Weihnachtsoratorium (Christmas Oratorio) BWV 248, Cantata No.6
Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” was first heard in its entirety at Leipzig’s St. Thomas church at Christmastime 1734. Some Leipzig church-goers may have recognized some of the melodies, since Bach used material from earlier works, sometimes reworking the music to fit new texts. This practice, called the “parody technique”, was frequent in Bach’s time. The six separate, large-scale but related parts of the Oratorio tell the Nativity story through texts of the apostles St. Matthew and St. Luke, and through traditional or newly written material. Bach is credited with shaping the text and selecting the Biblical passages in such a way that the work follows a logical sequence. This contribution gives the piece a musically dramatic and compelling textual unity. Considered one of the world’s leading specialists of Baroque music, Nikolaus Harnoncourt founded the “Concentus Musicus Wien” in 1953. It has since become one of the world’s most respected ensembles specializing in the performance of early music on original instruments or faithful reproductions. With its opulent decor and gilt ornamentation, the Austrian Baroque church of Waldhausen provides a setting evocative of Bach’s times. An added highlight of the program is the retelling of the Nativity story with the magnificent carved figures of two master wood-carvers of the Baroque period from Upper Austria. Also heard on the recording are the distinguished tenor Peter Schreier, bass Robert Holl and the Tölzer Boys’ Choir.