Romeo and Julia becomes Julia & Romeo when world renowned choreographer Mats Ek presents his full-length work to Tchaikovsky’s music, with its first performance of the Royal Swedish Ballet at the Royal Opera House. ‘It’s time to turn things around,’ says Mats Ek. Also, one of Shakespeare’s originals was in fact named Julia and Romeo. So you can say that this is a return to the story’s source. And to use the music of Tchaikovsky, and not Prokofiev’s, is also a signal. But the drama’s bearing conflict with the young unprotected love versus the established violence, is still there – a tragedy in which love triumphs by going under. Julia and Romeo is Mats Ek’s first major full-length works since Sleeping Beauty made for the Hamburg Ballet in 1996. Music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, in the selection of Mats Ek, adapted by Anders Högstedt.
Gloria Estefan – The Standards
Seven-time Grammy® Award-winning international superstar Gloria Estefan performs some of her all-time favorite songs, from the Billie Holiday classic ‘Good Morning Heartache’ and her adaptation of Chaplin’s ‘Smile’ to her wedding song, ‘El Dia Que Me Quieras,’ translated into English for the first time as ‘The Day You Say You Love Me.’ Tracks: Good Morning Heartache / They Can’t Take That Away From Me / What A Difference A Day Makes / I’ve Grown Accustomed To His Face / Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar / The Day You Say You Love Me Feat. Joshua Bell / Embraceable You / What A Wonderful World / How Long Has This Been Going On Feat. Dave Koz / Sonríe (Smile) Feat. Laura Pausini / The Way You Look Tonight Feat. Dave Koz / You Made Me Love You / Young At Heart
Erwin Schrott – Rojotango
After winning Placido Domingo’s International Voice Competition, Operalia, in 1998, Erwin Schrott became an operatic superstar, burning up the stages of all the important opera houses of the world like Milan, London, Vienna, Berlin and Paris. In “Rojotango”, recorded at the legendary Admiralspalast in Berlin, Erwin Schrott presents a musical journey through the wonderful world of Tango and the music of Latin America through the streets of Buenos Aires, where Tangos, Milongas and other popular melodies -are being played and sung. The programme features a varied and exciting selection of passionate tangos by Astor Piazzolla and Pablo Ziegler as well as evocative Argentinean and Brazilian folk songs. After the highly successful release of his “Rojotango” album, awarded with the German ECHO KLASSIK, Erwin Schrott now presents “Rojotango” live on stage.
Placído Domingo live at Loreley
Placido Domingo performing on the spectacular stage near the famous Loreley rock! He is joined by the two sopranos Angel Blue, who has been described by Placido as ‘the next Leontyne Price’, and Micaëla Oeste, who was a member of the ‘Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist’ program with Washington National Opera, where she triumphed after stepping in mid-performance as Ophelie in Hamlet. —– Program: PART 1 – 200 Years Wagner & Verdi: Wagner: Die Meistersinger – overture / Walkuere – Winterstuerme / Tannhäuser – Dich theure Halle / O du, mein holder Abendstern // Verdi: Luisa Miller – Lo vidi, e il primo palpito / La Traviata – Pura siccome un angelo / Un giorno di regno – overture / Il trovatore – Udiste … Mira, d’acerbe lagrime /// PART 2: Catalani: Lorelei – Danza delle ondine // Lehár: Das Land des Lächelns – Dein ist mein ganzes Herz // Kálmán: Gräfin Maritza – Höre ich Zigeunergeigen // Lehár: Die Lustige Witwe – Lippen schweigen // Von Suppé: Leichte Kavallerie – overture // Strauss: Die Fledermaus – Trio Act 1 // Luna: El niño judio / D’España vengo // Moreno Torroba: Luisa Fernanda – En mi tierra extremena // Chapí: Las hijas del Zebedeo – Carceleras // Moreno Torroba: Maravilla – Amor, vida de mi vida // Encores
Lang Lang – The Highest Level
“The Highest Level“ explores the Berlin recording session of Lang Lang and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle. The documentary provides insight into processes that are usually veiled: the recording of an album in a league of its own: the preparation of the musicians, the recording in the Philharmonie Berlin, the battle for the perfect sound, the mixing and balancing units during the audio post-production. It is the striking distance to the artists that makes the film an intimate experience. Lang Lang, Sir Simon Rattle, and the musicians of the Berliner Philharmoniker, but of course the audio engineers as well are taking the centre stage. The musical pieces to be recorded are Béla Bartóks Piano Concert No. 2 and Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3.
Wagner in Switzerland
This concert is a celebration of Richard Wagner’s 200th anniversary in 2013, featuring famous soloists of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra who perform Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll at his home in Tribschen, Switzerland: The original place, where he composed and world premiered the piece on the staircase in 1870 as a birthday present to his wife Cosima. The program is rounded by the Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder in the original version for female voice and piano, performed by the exceptional mezzo-soprano Elisabeth Kulman and pianist Eduard Kutrowat on Wagner’s original grand piano. The performance-part is complemented by documentary features offering an insight into Richard Wagner’s life at Tribschen.
Speak The Music – Robert Mann
Robert Mann has been a legendary force in music for seventy years. As founder and first violinist of the Juilliard String Quartet in 1946, he brought an astonishing new sense of energy to chamber music worldwide. “Speak the music” traces Mann’s career as performer, and as composer and devoted teacher. It includes performances of Haydn and Beethoven quartets, as well as Bartok and Elliott Carter, whom the Juilliard Quartet championed. The film also highlights Mann working with young quartets in his typically no-holds-barred master classes. Appearing in the film are Seiji Ozawa, Elliott Carter, and Itzhak Perlman.
Krzysztof Penderecki – Concert in Celebration of his 80th Birthday
Grand Gala Concert with international classical music stars on occasion of the 80th birthday of Krzysztof Penderecki. Program: Threnody – To the Victims of Hiroshima, Conductor: Krzysztof Urbanski // Duo Concertante for Violin and Double Bass – Soloists: Anne-Sophie Mutter, Roman Patkoló // Concerto grosso for three Cellos and Orchestra – Soloists: Arto Noras, Ivan Monighetti, Daniel Müller-Schott, Conductor: Charles Dutoit // Credo – Soloists: Iwona Hossa, Ewa Vesin, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Krystian Krzeszowiak, Nikolay Didenko, Conductor: Valery Gergiev.
The Wayne Shorter Quartet – The Language of the Unknown
“The Language of the Unknown” enters the universe of one of the last living saxophone legends of Jazz. Wayne Shorter’s maxim is to reinvent his music in each concert, always again in the radical originality. The film accompanies the great saxophonist and his band as they ready themselves for a concert on November 3, 2012, in the Salle Pleyel in Paris and observes the effect of the music on their creators, who are normally much too busy with creating the new rather than to deal with music already played. Surprising insights into the essence of their music open up, as well as the realization that true Creator-Spirit goes far beyond pure virtuosity. “Without doubt, one of the best jazz documentaries of all time.” Jazz Podium (Also available: The Wayne Shorter Quartet – Live in Paris. Concert 93′ min. / Prog. No. 9346)
The Wayne Shorter Quartet – Live in Paris
Wayne Shorter’s maxim is to reinvent his music in each concert, always again in the radical originality. After his legendary work with the Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, the Second Miles Davis Quintet and his years with Weather Report in his year 2000, Wayne Shorter formed the Wayne Shorter Quartet, the first formation under his own name. This group provides him with the freedom to reinvent and form his music always again. He sees the celebrated soloists Brian Blade, John Patitucci and Danilo Pérez less as sidemen but rather as equal elements of an organism. They call their method ”Zero Gravity“, an original state of music which they always re-conjure in the interaction, and which is the basis of their explorative journeys into new musical territory. The concert recorded here took place on 3rd November, 2012 at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. ALSO AVAILABLE: “The Language of the Unknown – A Film about the Wayne Shorter Quartet” (57′ min. / Prog. No. 9345)