Mezzo-soprano Sophie Koch and baritone Thomas Hampson are the stars of this year’s traditional Advent concert in the historic Frauenkirche in Dresden. Conductor Christian Thielemann heads this particularly lavish program with the Staatskapelle Dresden in the famous Baroque church. Together with the State Opera Chorus, and in a setting of resplendent beauty, they perform inspiring and festive works such as arias from Bach’s Mass in B minor and his Christmas Oratorio. The festive Advent concerts have become an institution since the year 2000. The TV broadcast of the concert is watched by almost two million viewers in Germany alone.
Emmanuel Pahud: Works by Frederick the Great
With this programme, Emmanuel Pahud, with no doubt one of the best flute players in the world, honours the 300th anniversary of a great philosopher, musician and composer: the Prussian King Frederick II, also called the Great. Together with the Kammerakademie Potsdam the famous French flutist and member of the Berliner Philharmonics will perform – in one of the palaces build by the King – musical works of Frederick the Great himself, of Johann Joachim Quantz (teacher of Frederick the Great) , of Franz Benda and of Carl Friedrich Emanuel Bach, who was the royal harpsichordist. Also available: Documentary (45’ – A05513518)
Pollini and Thielemann perform Brahms and Reger
Legendary pianist Maurizio Pollini and star conductor Christian Thielemann team up with the Staatskapelle Dresden for an exceptional concert of late-romantic music. For his first concert with the Staatskapelle in nearly 25 years, Pollini plays Brahms’ mighty First Piano Concerto. Thielemann harnesses the orchestra’s dynamic power and melds it with Pollini’s vitality. Also on the program are Brahms’ ‘Tragic Overture’ and Reger’s ‘Romantic Suite’. Reger’s charming, colorfully orchestrated work, premiered with the Staatskapelle in 1912, is a valuable addition to the romantic repertoire.
New Year‘s Eve Concert 2011 Gala Concert from the Semperoper
German Television’s traditional and most successful New Year’s Eve Concert from the stunning Semperoper will feature this year Angela Denoke, Ana Maria Labin and Piotr Beczala. Maestro Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Dresden will celebrate the New Year’s Eve with the most beautiful melodies from operettas by Franz Lehár. A short entr’acte performed in the foyer by members of the theater’s ballet ensemble allows the viewer a glimpse into the luxurious interior of the Semperoper.
Schumann at Pier 2
After their internationally acclaimed Beethoven cycle, Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen now present their vision of Schumann’s four symphonies. As the press wrote: “The dream team under Järvi has just landed another major coup”. In addition to the live recordi of the concerts, the production also features a documentary which portrays the origin and development of the project. “We want to show ourselves as we make music”, says Järvi. Reflecting the ensemble’s pedagogical mission to make classical music accessible to the young, the production took place the popular venue “Pier 2”.
Schumann Cycle Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
After their internationally acclaimed Beethoven cycle, Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen now present their vision of Schumann’s four symphonies. As the press wrote: “The dream team under Järvi has just landed another major coup”. In addition to the live recordings of the concerts, the production also features a documentary which portrays the origin and development of the project. “We want to show ourselves as we make music”, says Järvi. Reflecting the
ensemble’s pedagogical mission to make classical music accessible to the young, the production took place at the popular venue “Pier 2”. —– Lengths: SYMPHONIES: Symph. No. 1: 35′ / No. 2: 41′ / No. 3 36′ / No. 34′; DOCUMENTARY “Schumann at pier2” directed by Christian Berger, 90′ or 2 x 45′ (Cat. no. A055134940000)
High Performance Sports – Singing Opera
What do Jonas Kaufmann, Anja Harteros, Piotr Beczala and Daniel Behle have in common? Besides being internationally acclaimed singers, they’re all “vocal athletes” who keep their voices in shape. In this “rewarding documentary” (Opernglas), filmmakers Barbara and Wolfgang Wunderlich team up with Thomas Voigt to examine the physical and psychological hurdles that constantly face professional singers. Next to theoretical matters, the program offers a generous selection of musical excerpts that illustrate the topic at hand and shed light into the complex interplay of every singer’s body and mind.
Thielemann conducts Faust
Under the direction of romantic-music specialist Christian Thielemann, the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden performs a special Franz Liszt memorial concert at the Semperoper in Dresden to commemorate the 200th anniversary year of one of the 19th century’s greatest composers. The “Faust”-themed concert opens with the Overture to “Faust” in D minor by Richard Wagner, who was Liszt’s son-in-law, before leading into Franz Liszt’s symphonic masterpiece “A Faust Symphony”. “A top orchestra and a top conductor have found one another” (Die Welt).
3 Stars in Berlin – Live from the Waldbühne 2011
When Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann and Erwin Schrott join forces, the result is a summit of vocal giants, recorded for posterity at Berlin’s spectacular outdoor Waldbühne. Accompanied by the Prague Philharmonia under Marco Armiliato, the three singers beguiled the audience with a program ranging from famous arias to forgotten gems. There’s something for everyone, from the connoisseur to the layman who rarely listens to classical music. Also of the highest standard is the recording itself, with expert camerawork ensuring that the concert’s unique atmosphere is vividly transposed to the screen.
Beethoven 9 – Discovering Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
The monumental achievement of Christian Thielemann and the Wiener Philharmoniker forms the basis for this series of stimulating yet highly entertaining films that supplement “Beethoven 9”. They guide the viewer into the cosmos of Beethoven’s symphonies – and into Christian Thielemann’s conception of them. Each 60-minute program focuses on one particular symphony, which it presents in the context of Beethoven’s oeuvre, Thielemann’s interpretation, and the work’s artistic and historical position. While Thielemann introduces the viewer to the fine points of his interpretation, the renowned music critic Joachim Kaiser depicts the unique features of the work and the interpretation, and provides revealing comparisons with other readings of the Beethoven symphonies. In so doing, Kaiser is able to draw upon a treasure that only UNITEL is able to provide: the recordings of the legendary Beethoven cycles with Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein, concert productions with acknowledged Beethoven experts such as Böhm and Kleiber, as well as recordings of Beethoven symphonies with world stars of today such as Gustavo Dudamel and Paavo Järvi.