George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker
Experience the wonder of New York City Ballet’s iconic holiday classic on the big screen. In George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™, Tchaikovsky’s beloved melodies transport the young and young at heart to a magical world where mischievous mice besiege a battalion of toy soldiers, and an onstage blizzard leads to an enchanted Land of Sweets. Balanchine’s stunning choreography shines amidst awe-inspiring set pieces, ornate costumes, and grand one-of-a-kind visual effects, like the one-ton Christmas tree that grows to an astonishing 40 feet.
The Giacomo Variations
‘The Giacomo Variations’ is a chamber opera play based about the late Giacomo Casanova, who, in the face of his approaching death, is still trying to find out, what he was living for, if not only to be coveted and desired by the woman he loves. Giacomo, played by John Malkovich, presents his memories and stories to impress Countess Isabella, the beautiful young sister of his host Karl Emanuel Count von Waldstein and of course has his try on the nurse, the seamstress and the kitchen maid, while he is developing his philosophical view on love, medicine, fashion, and cookery. The play by Michael Sturminger with music concept by Michael Haselböck is based on opera scenes by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte.
The Queens of Pop
ARTE viewers voted for the ‘Queens of Pop’. 8 pop queens were chosen from 50 proposals and these are presented in a 26-minute documentary: From the 1960s: Diana Ross. From the 1970s: Donna Summer and Debbie Harry. From the 1980s: Madonna. From the 1990s: Britney Spears and Mariah Carey. From 2000-2009: Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. The title of the programme, ‘Queens of Pop’, in itself shows where the emphasis lies – none of those simplistic chart rankings, but instead a documentary series that looks at our cultural history, dealing with the women who shaped popular music over the past fifty years.
Yanni – Live from Las Vegas & Acapulco
Experience Yanni and his world famous orchestra in stunning high-definition. In this program, we revisit 2 of Yanni’s critically acclaimed television spectaculars: ‘Yanni Live from Las Vegas’ and ‘Yanni Live from Acapulco’. Each performance was captured by 16 high-definition cameras and 125 channels of digital audio for a brilliant and amazingly clear audio-visual experience. Go center stage for an explosive concert special filled with magnificent performances by the world’s most extraordinary musicians. Featuring Yanni’s favorites like ‘Nostalgia’, ‘Santorini’, ‘Within Attraction’ and a spectacular debut performance of Yanni’s classic composition, ‘Tribute’ by tenor Nathan Pacheco.
Anoushka Shankar – Traveller
Sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar is one of the leading figures in World Music today. She is deeply rooted in Indian classical music, having studied exclusively
with her father, the legendary Ravi Shankar, from the age of nine. Thriving as a composer, she has been exploring fertile ground in the crossover between Indian music
and a variety of genres including flamenco, electronica, jazz and Western classical music. In her latest album ‘Traveller’ she finds her way into the nuances of modern flamenco through the vivid lens of Hindustani technique. The film features a concert at the Festival de Músiques Religioses I Del Món De Girona on July 3rd, 2011.
Murray Perahia – Live in Warsaw
The Warsaw recital of legendary pianist Murray Perahia, recorded on February 24th 2010. Available in three versions: Version 1: Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830; Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109; Frédéric Chopin: Étude Op. 10, No. 4 (Length: 56 min) // Version 2: Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830; Frédéric Chopin: Ballade No. 3 in A-flat major, Op. 47 / Étude Op. 25, No. 5 / Étude Op. 25, No. 1 / Étude Op. 10, No. 4 / Mazurka Op. 50, No. 3 / Mazurka Op. 59, No. 3 (Length: 56’) // Version 3: Bach, Beethoven, Chopin (Length: 76’)
A Baroque Celebration
The 19th of December 2011 was an evening of colour, joy and entertainment, as 19 renowned musicians joined forces in the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris. They were brought together in sound and harmony by the dervish of baroque music, Emmanuelle Haïm. This 10th anniversary of the ‘Le Concert d’Astrée’ was celebrated by Haïm and the musicians in a very special way: an exuberant party of the baroque. The 20 singers and instrumentalists joining the ensemble, having refined their musical collaboration for the past 10 years: Natalie Dessay, Sandrine Piau and Anne Sofie von Otter, as well as Philippe Jaroussky, Patricia Petibon, Rolando Villazon or the Finnish tenor Topi Lehtipuu. —— Arias, Duets, Trios und Quartets from G. F. HANDEL: Il Trionfo del Tempo, Giulio Cesare, The Messiah, Ariodante; H. PURCELL: The Fairy Queen; J. B. LULLY: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, C. MONTEVERDI: L’incoronazione di Poppea; J. P. RAMEAU: Dardanus
Yo Yo Ma – The Goat Rodeo Sessions
The Goat Rodeo Sessions is an ambitious and groundbreaking project that brings together four string virtuosos: world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, fiddler Stuart Duncan, bassist Edgar Meyer and mandolinist Chris Thile. While each artist is a prominent figure in his own music sphere, they have come together as a unified ensemble on a most remarkable and organic cross-genre project. The music, including two tracks with female vocalist Aoife O’Donovan, feels both new and familiar – it’s composed and improvised, uptown and down home, funky and pastoral and above all, uniquely American. A goat rodeo, according to Urban Dictionary, “is about the most polite term used by aviation people (and others in higher risk situations) to describe a scenario that required about 100 things to go right at once if you intend to walk away from it.”
Tracks: Attaboy / Quarter Chicken Dark / Helping Hand / Where’s My Bow? / Here And Heaven (featuring vocals by Aoife O’Donovan & Chris Thile) / Franz And The Eagle / Less is Moi / Hill Justice / No One But You (featuring vocals by Aoife O’Donovan & Chris Thile) / 13:8 / Goat Rodeo // Also available: Making Of: 23′ min. The soundtrack was awarded with
Rhapsody in Blue – LA Phil Opening Gala with Herbie Hancock & Gustavo Dudamel
The Opening Night Gala 2011/2012 of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra features keyboard legend Herbie Hancock who joins Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic for a high-spirited celebration of quintessential American composer George Gershwin. The concert begins with the iconic Tin Pan Alley composer’s Cuban Overture and his beloved An American In Paris. Then the multiple Grammy Award-winning pianist joins Dudamel and the LA Phil to perform arguably Gershwin’s most famous work, the jazz hued Rhapsody in Blue.