Arthaus Catalogue by C Major Entertainment

CATALOGUE 2018 Cast

The Arthaus Musik classical music catalogue features more than 400 productions from the beginning of the 1990s until today. Outstanding conductors, such as Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Giuseppe Sinopoli and Sir Georg Solti, as well as world-famous singers like Placido Domingo, Brigitte Fassbaender, Marylin Horne, Eva Marton, Luciano Pavarotti, Cheryl Studer and Dame Joan Sutherland put their stamp on this voluminous catalogue. The productions were recorded at the world’s most renowned opera houses, among them Wiener Staatsoper, San Francisco Opera House, Teatro alla Scala, the Salzburg Festival and the Glyndebourne Festival. All rights reserved · credits not contractual · Different territories · Photos: © Arthaus · Flyer: luebbeke.com

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OPERA ................................................................................................................................. 3 OPERETTA ......................................................................................................................... 35 BALLET ............................................................................................................................... 36 CONCERT............................................................................................................................ 57 SPECIAL .............................................................................................................................. 75 MUSIC FILM ....................................................................................................................... 86 DOCUMENTARY................................................................................................................. 87 PORTRAIT......................................................................................................................... 100 BIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................................... 110

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OPERA

ALBAN BERG: WOZZECK Length: 95' / Cat. No. A05010312 Libretto by Alban Berg after the Play by Georg Büchner| Directed by: Peter Mussbach| Conductor: Sylvain Cambreling Soloists: Kristine Ciesinski, Dale Duesing, Ronald Hamilton, Barry Banks, Dieter Bundschuh | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Kinderchor der Oper Frankfurt , Frankfurter Museumsorchester Berg was conscripted during the 1914-18 war and acquired from his experiences the compassion and loathing to write his first, terrifyingly great opera, about a soldier tormented and mocked by his superiors until he loses his reason, cutting the throat of his mistress, and drowning himself. A devious world destroys Wozzeck’s sense of identity and turns him into a murderer. This brutalisation is made palpable in Peter Mussbach’s highly-stylised production which, in its expressionistic artificiality, heightens the emotional intensity of this searing work. In his hands Wozzeck becomes an agonising lament over lost innocence. Mussbach is a master of visual and dramatic effect and the impact of his staging is enhanced by the framing opportunities afforded by video recording under studio conditions. Surfaces are steeply raked and blaze in primary colours; perspectives are flattened and distorted; space is confined; decoration has been stripped away; character is manifested through costumes, masks, make-up, movement; the particular stands for the collective. Dale Duesing, as Wozzeck, is a charismatic central figure, an agile performer, restless and tormented. The role of Marie is taken by Kristine Ciesinski, a consummate singer and actress of Berg’s work. Mussbach’s Hauptmann is reminiscent of Alfred Jarry’s Ubu Roi, and his Doctor brings to mind a frock-coated Frankenstein. These monsters of inhumanity are incisively portrayed by Dieter Bundschuh and Frode Olsen. A powerful tenor, Ronald Hamilton sings the role of the grotesquely overblown Drum Major. Conductor Sylvain Cambreling’s reading of the score is characterised by its structural clarity."

ANTONÍN DVORÁK: RUSALKA Length: 147' / Cat. No. A03033275 Directed by: David Pountney | Conductor: Mark Elder | Soloists: Eilene Hannan, Ann Howard, John Treleaven, Phyllis Cannan, Rodney Macann | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the English National Opera David Pountney’s landmark English National Opera staging of Dvořák’s haunting fairy tale opera left critics and audiences spellbound. The production is set in a Victorian nursery where an adolescent girl, on the brink of sensual awakening, dreams of first love. Her story is that of Rusalka the wood nymph who, like Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid, sacrifices all for a love destined to be betrayed. High above the stage Rusalka dreamily swings as the picturesque gives way to the surreal. Influenced by Jung and Freud, Magritte and Delvaux and magically realised in the designs of Stefanos Lazaridis, Pountney’s Rusalka succeeds in creating a fairy tale to enchant the most hardened modern audience. David Pountney states that Rusalka is about “a typical initiation into social and sexual experience” – the evolution from a child to young woman. He conjures up an enchanted world of repression and surreal fantasy. The set is spacious, gleaming white and full of archetypal symbols including a rocking horse, wardrobe, furniture which slides about, dolls that dance, floorboards that open to reveal a pool with a swing high above it. The effect produces a dreamworld which teeters on the edge of a nightmare."

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ANTONIO VIVALDI: ORLANDO FURIOSO Length: 147' / Cat. No. A03033275 Directed by: Pier Luigi Pizzi | Conductor: Randall Behr | Soloists: Marilyn Horne, Kathleen Kuhlmann, Susan Patterson, Jeffrey Gall, Kevin Langan, William Matteuzzi, Sandra Walker | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the San Francisco Opera House Certainly more than just the composer of the Four Seasons, Vivaldi also wrote hundreds of largely famous instrumental works, and his glorious church music is well known; but it wasn’t until recent decades that his operas – of which he is said to have written more than fifty – were resurrected. Orlando furioso occupies a central and very significant place among Vivaldi’s works. Not only does the whole score of this opera demonstrate its composer’s full, creative maturity, but its outstanding features are also an extraordinary musical beauty, an attractive recitative line, and a balance thus created between the various parts of the dramatic and musical whole. This exceptional musical achievement was no doubt partly due to the famous theme of the original story, as well as the literary and dramatic qualities of a first-rate libretto. Pier Luigi Pizzi’s 1979 production of Orlando furioso in Verona marked the beginning of contemporary international interest in Antonio Vivaldi’s operas. Ten years later the same director once more produced this work at the San Francisco Opera. A Californian public greeted the baroque magnificence of this production with great enthusiasm, and both the daily and specialist press outdid each other in eulogies of praise for the director, his new staging, the vocal casting of all the roles and the musical quality of the whole opera."

ARIBERT REIMANN: GESPENSTERSONATE Length: 88' / Cat. No. A05050482 Directed by: Heinz Lukas-Kindermann | Conductor: Friedemann Layer | Soloists: Hans Günter Nöcker, Martha Mödl, Horst Hiestermann, David Knutson, Gudrun Sieber | Orchestra: Junge Deutsche Philharmonie – Ensemble Modern In September 1984, as part of the Berlin Festival Week, the Deutsche Oper Berlin staged the world premiere of German composer Aribert Reimann’s opera “Die Gespenstersonate”. Based on the drama by the Swedish writer August Strindberg, the chamber opera tells the story of a student, who muses about the inhabitants of a fancy-looking house. His crucial meeting with the Old Man pulls him into a world of intrigues, sickness, depression and murder. It plays in and around the presumably haunted house, which seems to drown its inhabitants in its sinister atmosphere. Better known for his operas “Lear” or “Medea”, Reimann established himself firmly as a stage composer from 1965 onwards. “Die Gespenstersonate”, being a modern chamber opera, was performed not on the great stage of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, but at the smaller Hebbel-Theater. Heinz Lukas-Kindermann’s stage direction sets the spectator under its gloomy spell, the exquisite cast performing the demanding score stars Hans Günter Nöcker as the “Old Man” and David Knutson as the Student, as well as well-loved Martha Mödl as the “Mummy”.

ARIBERT REIMANN: MEDEA Cat. No. A03030305 Directed by: Marco Arturo Marelli | Conductor: Michael Boder | Soloists: Marlies Petersen, Michaela Selinger, Elisabeth Kulman, Michael Roider, Adrian Erö | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper Many authors have written works based on the ancient myth of Medea but it was the play by Franz Grillparzer which inspired Aribert Reimann most: “In no other version is it made so brutally clear that Medea is an outsider. (…) Right from the start of act one my mind was flooded by musical ideas and by the end of the second act I really thought my head would burst.” The Vienna State Opera engaged Marco Arturo Marelli – a man with a world-wide reputation, especially for global premieres – as director and scenographer for this performance. Unusually for a world premiere, the first series of performances of the opera were a huge success amongst audiences and press alike. The public stormed the box office and ticket sales by far exceeded availability. A “Sold Out” notice had to be put up for virtually every performance!"

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ARRIGO BOITO: MEFISTOFELE Length: 160' / Cat. No. A03030305 Directed by: Robert Carsen | Conductor: Maurizio Arena | Soloists: Gabriela Beňačková, Judith Christin, Samuel Ramey, Daniel Harper, Emily Manhart, Dennis O'Neill, Douglas Wunsch | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the San Francisco Opera House Arrigo Boito's treatment of the Faust legend is imaginative yet also faithful to Goethe's original conception, and the score is memorable for its rich orchestral sounds, beautifully punctuated with lyrical passages and choral interludes. Robert Carsen's sumptuous, post-modern production of Mefistofele is a gloriously decadent and theatrically stunning realisation, and the San Francisco Opera's performance has been unanimously acclaimed in both Paris and San Francisco. Samuel Ramey, in the title role, has won both critical and overwhelming popular approval."

AULIS SALLINEN: THE PALACE Length: 120' / Cat. No. A13000172 Directed by: Kalle Holmberg | Conductor: Okko Kamu | Soloists: Ritva-Liisa Korhonen, Jaana Mäntynen, Veijo Varpio, Tom Krause, Anja Silja, Sauli Tiilikainen, Jorma Silvasti | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the Savonlinna Opera Festival This recording features the world premiere of Aulis Sallinen fifth opera: The Palace. The opera is based on the libretto by the distinguished writers Hans-Magnus Enzensberger and Irene Dische. Inspired by Mozart’s Entführung aus dem Serail and Ryszard Kapuscinski’s The Emperor, they created a satirical story of the collapse of a thoroughly corrupt court. It shows how absurd an autocrat can get in the setting of ludicrous ceremonies and bizarre rules of precedence. Sallinen’s music is like a kaleidoscope: rich, multi-coloured and many faceted. It is instantly appreciable and approachable. The production by Kalle Holmberg earned thunderous ovations from audience and critics alike."

BENJAMIN BRITTEN: BILLY BUDD Length: 155' / Cat. No. A02005964 Conductor: David Atherton | Soloists: Thomas Allen, Philip Langridge, Richard van Allan, Tim Alber | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the English National Opera A cast of luminaries supported by the English National Opera gives a profound and masterful reading of Britten’s gripping opera of sadism and injustice aboard a British man-o'-war this month. Following the widely acclaimed Peter Grimes, released on Arthaus in May 2003, this production reunites Tim Albery’s direction with the phenomenal talent of Philip Langridge, often acclaimed as a natural successor to Peter Pears. The libretto, by E.M. Forster and Eric Crozier, is based on the literary masterpiece by Herman Melville and tells the tale of a young seaman, Billy Budd, who is persecuted malevolently by his master-at-arms, Claggart. Accused of mutiny, the stammering Budd accidentally strikes Claggart dead and the tormented Captain Vere has no alternative but to hang him. The opera explores many universal themes - the individual at odds with society, the corruption of innocence, the continual conflict of good and evil - which no doubt lay close to the heart of Britten's own pacifism and are themes common to much of his dramatic music. This production has Britain's leading operatic baritone, Thomas Allen, in one of his most distinguished roles, as Billy. He is noted not only for his superb abilities as a singer, but also for his acting skills, particularly necessary for the demanding role of the naive and virtuous character of Billy Budd. Philip Langridge as Captain Vere repeats his recently highly-praised portrayal."

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BENJAMIN BRITTEN: DEATH IN VENICE Length: 138' / Cat. No. A02005068 Directed by: Martha Clarke, Stephen Lawless | Conductor: Graeme Jenkins | Soloists: Michael Chance, Alan Opie, Robert Tear | Orchestra: Glyndebourne Chorus, The London Sinfonietta Perhaps it was Luchino Visconti’s inspired cinematic version of Thomas Mann’s stories which finally prompted the most distinguished English composer of the 20th century to adapt Death In Venice for the musical stage too. Indeed, it appears to be something which he had been considering for several years. Three years after the premiere of the film – and equally three years prior to his death – Britten succeeded with his last music drama in making a connection between opera and dance which was as innovative as it was unconventional, but which was also an outstanding success in every way.The accompanying production by the Glyndebourne Touring Opera, here for the first time on DVD, dates back to October 1989. The world’s press praised the quality of the production (Stephen Lawless) and its choreography (Martha Clarke) as it did the exceptional performances by the musicians and vocalists, in particular Robert Tear as Gustav von Aschenbach."

BENJAMIN BRITTEN: GLORIANA Length: 135' / Cat. No. A05014229 Directed by: Colin Graham | Conductor: Mark Elder | Soloists: Lynda Russell, Elizabeth Vaughn, Sarah Walker, Malcolm Donnelly, Neil Howlett, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Alan Opie, Jean Rigby, Richard van Allan | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the English National Opera Gloriana came into being when Benjamin Britten was asked to compose an opera to celebrate the Coronation of HRH Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. He took as his starting point Lytton Strachey’s Elizabeth and Essex, which had much interested him when he first read it. He had at once seen in it the possibility of an operatic theme and the Coronation provided the right occasion for him to return to it. The tragic relationship between the ageing Queen and the brilliant young Earl of Essex provided Britten with great scope for his strong sense of theatre and this opera combines scenes of great pageantry with moments of private reflection. This contrast vividly depicts Queen Elizabeth’s dilemma – the conflict of duty and personal love. The opera traces the downfall of the Earl of Essex who, presuming upon his privilege as the Queen’s favourite, forces a tragedy upon them both. Elizabeth I never forgot that she as the Queen and that, as a woman, she had to show that she could rule with no less authority and decision than a man, so she felt compelled to sentence Essex to death when he failed her and endangered the country.

BENJAMIN BRITTEN: PETER GRIMES Length: 147' / Cat. No. A05014051 Directed by: Tim Albery | Conductor: David Atherton | Soloists: Janice Cairns, Ann Howard, Maria Bovino, Edward Byles, Anthony Cunningham, Lee Devine | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the English National Opera Peter Grimes encapsulates many of the themes that preoccupy Britten's dramatic works - the vulnerability of innocence, the abuse of power and the suspectibility of the outsider to the pressures of of society.Not since Peter Pears recording, with Britten, at Convent Garden have we been treated to a Grimes of such intelligence and complexity.Director Tim Albery approaches this music theatre with great sensitivity, allowing both the music and the vocal line their individual space to unfold. David Atherton and the orchestra of the ENO, clearly understand how to drive the music's expressive power.

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BENJAMIN BRITTEN: THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA Length: 108' / Cat. No. A02006009 Directed by: Graham Vick | Conductor: Lionel Friend | Soloists: Jean Rigby, Russell Smythe, Richard van Allan, Kathryn Harries, Anthony Rolfe Johnson | Orchestra: English National Opera Orchestra This specially-staged studio recording of the English National Opera’s highly-acclaimed production of Benjamin Britten’s work features outstanding performances by Jean Rigby as Lucretia and Richard Van Allan as Collatinus. Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Kathryn Harries sing the Male and Female Chorus who poignantly comment on the brutal rape of Lucretia by Tarquinius, Prince of Rome. With its bare scrubbed boards, its sliding screens – against which the characters sometimes appear in silhouette – and its high-railed gantry from which the Chorus observe, both Graham Vick’s staging and Russell Craig’s severe designs have a cool, elegant simplicity. With no extraneous movement or gesture to distract the eye, everything is focused with a luminous intensity on the ritualistically compact unfolding of the drama and the inescapable fate of her characters. This ascetic production tellingly matches the austere restraint of Britten’s first chamber opera, scored with sparse texture for a mere twelve instruments, a limitation over which Britten triumphed to produce music of deeply moving intensity. This innovative production is a fine example of the exciting and imaginative work that is characteristic of the English National Opera.

BERND ALOIS ZIMMERMANN: DIE SOLDATEN Length: 112' / Cat. No. A05010350 Directed by: Harry Kupfer | Conductor: Bernhard Kontarsky | Soloists: Michael Ebbecke, Mark Munkittrick, Nancy Shade, William Cochran, Milargo Vargas | Orchestra/Chorus: Staatsopernchor Stuttgart, Staatsorchester Stuttgart Die Soldaten is one of the musical landmarks of the twentieth century. Demanding massive musical forces, the score was so advanced for its time it was deemed impossible to perform by Cologne Opera, which had commissioned the work in 1958. The company eventually premièred a somewhat simplified orchestration in 1965. Its composer, Bernd Alois Zimmermann, lived through the collective nightmare of the Second World War and poured his passionate hatred of the culture of militarism which caused it into this extraordinary work. Calling for huge resources and inventive staging, involving video, electronic tapes and simultaneous action, this revolutionary work, based on a story by the eighteenth century author/poet by Lenz, combines music, language, dance, film, jazz, pantomime and circus to tell the story of the degradation of a young girl in the hands of a corrupt and egotistical military aristocracy. It is an intimate story about ordinary people, yet its theme has resonances which not only made a statement about the entire post-war generation, but offer a metaphor for the modern world. Harry Kupfer's Stuttgart Opera production was praised for its reinforcement of Zimmermann's reputation as a composer of vast stage and musical resources and for revealing a work full of compassion and humanity. Zimmermann's rejection of the classical unities allows for several courses of dramatic action to be told at the same time. Past, present and future merge in harrowing tableaux of the monstrous dehumanising effects of war.

BORIS BLACHER: 200 000 TALER Length: 96' / Cat. No. A05050483 Directed by: Gustav Rudolf Sellner | Conductor: Heinrich Hollreiser | Soloists: Martha Mödl, Günter Reich, Dorothea Weiß | Orchestra: Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin Boris Blacher was one of the most important and most widely performed composers in post-war Germany. In his 1969 opera “200 000 Taler” (200 000 Thalers) he adapted a comedy by famed and popular Jewish author Scholom Aleichem and created a sophisticated milieu study around tailor Schimele Soroker and his family who come to great fortune by winning the lottery. This 1970 recording of the world premiere production stars a stunning Martha Mödl as Soroker’s wife and Günter Reich in the role of the shrewd tailor. Director Gustav Rudolf Sellner leads his fine cast meticulously through the comic and self-ironic material and supports the cliché-less score that Blacher conceived for Aleichem’s characters. Heinrich Hollreiser conducts the Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin with insight and musical mastery. As the Neue Zürcher Zeitung wrote after the premiere, “Blacher discovers forces and notions that move our century within the naive, unpretentious literary material at hand. … Without ever using Jewish melodies this score creates a kind of folklore of a setting that is fully Blacher’s own. Here lives a new style.”

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BORIS BLACHER: PREUSSISCHES MÄRCHEN Length: 103' / Cat. No. A05050481 Directed by: Winfried Bauernfeind | Conductor: Caspar Richter | Soloists: Lisa Otto, Ivan Sardi, Manfred Röhrl, Gerti Zeumer, Donald Grobe, Victor von Halem | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Chor, Orchester und Ballett der Deutschen Oper Berlin On the surface it is a comic version of the “Hauptmann von Köpenick” story in which it is not the petty thief Wilhelm Voigt who carries off the prank but a respected member of society, the clerk Wilhelm Fadenkreutz. He is not a factory owner like Diederich Heßling, but definitely has many of the characteristics of the hero of “Der Untertan”. Boris Blacher and Heinz von Cramer Cramer quickly realised that such a devastating critique of Germany’s past would not be easy to stage, and they toned down the satirical text before presenting it to the intendant of the Städtische Oper, Heinz Tietjen. Blacher also shortened the caricature of the German national anthem played on the tuba at the start of the piece to make it less recognisable. The authors cast about for a long time for a title for their work that would not conflict with Carl Zuckmayer’s “Der Hauptmann von Köpenick”.

CARL HEINRICH GRAUN: MONTEZUMA Length: 140' / Cat. No. A05050476 Directed by: Herbert Wernicke | Conductor: Hans Hilsdorf | Soloists: Alexandra Papadjiakou, Gudrun Sieber, Sophie Boulin, Kevin McCutcheon, Catherine Gayer, Barbara Vogel, Walton Grönroos | Orchestra: Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin Carl Heinrich Graun (1704–1759) wrote a total of 27 operas for the Berlin court and not least for Frederick II. In 1742 his “Cleopatra e Cesare” was performed at the opening of the “Haus Unter den Linden”, and in 1755 he wrote his most impressive work – “Montezuma”. The opera tells the tragic story of the last ruler of the Aztecs, who lost his power and ultimately his life to the Spanish conquistadores. The libretto, in French prose, was written by none other than the Emperor of Prussia himself – Frederick II – and translated into Italian verse by his court poet. The music, written by his kapellmeister Graun, is as virtuosic as it is expressive – highly rewarding for singers and attractive for audiences.

CHRISTOPH WILLIBALD GLUCK: ORFEO ED EURIDICE Length: 83' / Cat. No. A02006348 Directed by: Harry Kupfer | Conductor: Hartmut Haenchen | Soloists: Jeremy Budd, Jochen Kowalski, Gillian Webster | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787), called the opera reformer of the 18th century, greatly influenced the development of music theatre in his time. In honour of his 300th birthday, Arthaus Musik releases this special edition filled with three prize-winning productions of his most popular operas. “Alceste” from Stuttgart, awarded Performance of the Year in 2006 by the magazine Opernwelt, “Iphigénie en Tauride” from Zurich, led by baroque specialist William Christie and Harry Kupfer’s legendary production of “Orfeo ed Euridice” from the Royal Opera House Covent Garden with Jochen Kowalski in the title role, which won the Olivier Award.

DOMENICO CIMAROSA: IL MATRIMONIO SEGRETO Length: 123' / Cat. No. A05050478 Directed by: Gustav Rudolf Sellner | Conductor: Lorin Maazel | Soloists: Josef Greindl, Erika Köth, Lisa Otto, Patricia Johnson, Barry McDaniel, Donald Grobe | Orchestra: Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin Staged by Gustav Rudolf Sellner, conducted by Lorin Maazel, with costumes by Filippo Sanjust and performed by the six soloists with consummate vocal elegance, Cimarosa’s “Die heimliche Ehe” offers unalloyed pleasure, triggering a kind of ecstasy with its combination of delicacy and opulence and its refined humour. It brings out Cimarosa’s musical mastery – but also the visual impact of the opera.

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EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA: TIETAEJIEN LAHJA Length: 45' / Cat. No. A05510083 Directed by: Hannu Heikinheimo | Conductor: Petri Sakari | Soloists: Pia Freund, Jaako Kortekangas, Martti Wallen | Orchestra/Chorus: Veräjäpelto Choir, Tapiola Sinfonietta Created specially for television and recorded in studio, this short opera by one of today’s most eminent Finnish composers is based on a Christmas story by the American writer O. Henry. Rautavaara sets The Gift of the Magi in a poor district of Helsinki in the 1920s. Snow covers the ground and the poor tenants of Mr Salomon’s building live in fear of eviction. Minna (Pia Freund) and Joel (Jaako Kortekangas), two young newly-weds, are having trouble paying their rent, let alone buying Christmas presents. Yet they both long to give the other something special as an expression of their love. So that she can buy Joel a chain for his watch, his most treasured possession, Minna sells her beautiful hair. Joel adores his wife’s shining locks and parts with his watch so that he can purchase the magnificent set of jewelled combs she covets. Though their gifts are now useless, their joy in each other’s love is precious beyond value. In the words of O. Henry: “Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are the wisest. Everywhere they are the wisest, They are the magi.” The telling of the story is unsentimental, Hannu Heikinheimo’s staging exquisitely observed, and Rautavaara’s music powerfully compelling. The Christmas message finds a truly imaginative and unequivocal expression in The Gift of the Magi.

ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK: HÄNSEL UND GRETEL Directed by: Johannes Felsenstein | Conductor: Markus L. Frank | Soloists: Sabine Noack, Ludmil Kuntschew, Alexandra Petersamer | Orchestra/Chorus: Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau, Kinderchor des Anhaltischen Theaters Dessau | Length: 120' / Cat. No. A05018878 Hänsel und Gretel is a fairy-tale opera (Märchenspiel) by Engelbert Humperdinck to a libretto by his sister Adelheid Wette. The idea for the opera was proposed to Humperdinck by his sister, who approached him about writing music for songs that she had written for her children for Christmas based on „Hänsel and Gretel.“ After several revisions, the musical sketches and the songs were turned into a full-scale opera. Hänsel und Gretel has been associated with Christmas since its earliest performances, and it is often performed at Christmas time. It is much admired for its folk music-inspired themes, one of the most famous being the prayer from act II. A family classic, it grew out of a set of incidental music and, written between 1890 and 1893, it was first performed on 23 December 1893 under Richard Strauss in Weimar. The form in which the story is used in the opera derives from the collection of Ludwig Bechstein. Gertrud, the desperate mother, sends her hungry children into the wood to pick strawberries, unaware of the danger to which she exposes them until Peter, the broombinder, returns and is shocked at what she has done; both anxious parents immediately set out to find them. The thoroughly happy ending introduces another significant variation to the familiar version of the brothers J. and W. Grimm.

ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD: DIE TOTE STADT Length: 122' / Cat. No. A05050480 Directed by: Götz Friedrich | Conductor: Heinrich Hollreiser | Soloists: James King, Karan Armstrong, William Murray, Margit Neubauer, Donald Grobe | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Chor, Orchester und Ballett der Deutschen Oper Berlin In 1920s Germany, Erich Korngold's work was considered “degenerate” and banned. Eventually, in 1934, he left for Hollywood. There, he made a name for himself as a film composer and only rarely wrote great works for the stage. Many of his quite successful operas, composed between 1913 and 1927, stopped being performed after World War II. Among these was his perhaps most significant work, Die tote Stadt (“The Dead City”), which was performed again for the first time after a long hiatus in 1955 in Munich. Further productions followed. Nevertheless, Götz Friedrich's version of 1983 for the Deutsche Oper Berlin was only the fifth new production of the opera after 1945. Thanks to it, the work became established in the repertoires of many other opera houses, if only as a curiosity. In the production at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1983, James King, who debuted at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1961 and had a great interest in the role, starred as Paul; the internationally renowned singer Karan Armstrong as Marietta; and William Murray as Frank.

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GAETANO DONIZETTI: DON PASQUALE Length: 124' / Cat. No. A05050454 Directed by: Andrea De Rosa | Conductor: Riccardo Muti | Soloists: Mario Cassi, Claudio Desderi, Laura Giordano | Orchestra/Chorus: Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini, Coro del Teatro Municipale di Piacenza “…Riccardo Muti conducts Don Pasquale in Ravenna - a great celebration for everyone.” This press quote from the Italian music magazine Il giornale della musica hit the mark exactly. Watching this realistic, young and vital production, directed by the 21 year old Andrea da Rosa and listening to a high potential and unspent young cast, you feel how powerful, charming and timeless this score by Donizetti is. This production was recorded during the Ravenna Festival in the gorgeous and patriarchal Teatro Dante Alighieri, in December 2006. Maestro Riccardo Muti shows one more time, what it means to perform an Italian opera with a young and professional Italian cast – an outstanding and breathtaking performance and really, "a great celebration for everyone": the audience, the cast and now - with this DVD - also for the costumers home.

GAETANO DONIZETTI: DON PASQUALE Length: 129' / Cat. No. A00007091 Directed by: Stefano Vizioli | Conductor: Riccardo Muti | Soloists: Ferrucio Furlanetto, Lucio Gallo, Nuccia Focile | Orchestra/Ballet: Corpo di Ballo e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala Over the course of his prolific international career, Italian conductor Riccardo Muti has worked with the most renowned orchestras and opera companies. From 1986 to 2005, he was Music Director of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Arthaus Musik now releases the exclusive box set “Riccardo Muti at La Scala”, compiling five outstanding recordings of operatic masterpieces that were produced during Maestro Muti’s tenure at La Scala, arguably the most important opera house in the world. The operas in this choice collection span more than 100 years of musical history from Gioachino Rossini’s “Moïse et Pharaon”, impressively staged by Luca Ronconi, to Francis Poulenc’s “Dialogues des Carmélites” in an intense production by Robert Carsen. Also included are opera favourites “Don Pasquale” by Gaetano Donizetti and Giuseppe Verdi’s “Otello” as well as Giacomo Puccini’s early masterwork “Manon Lescaut”. World-class soloists such as José Cura, Plácido Domingo, Barbara Frittoli, Erwin Schrott and Anja Silja give outstanding performances under the baton of Maestro Riccardo Muti.

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL: ADMETO Length: 196' / Cat. No. A05050452 Directed by: Axel Köhler | Conductor: Howard Arman | Soloists: Mechthild Bach, Romelia Lichtenstein, Matthias Rexroth | Orchestra: Händelfestspielorchester Halle | George Frideric Handel‘s ‚Admeto‘ is considered one of the most successful operas produced in the first half of the 18th century. Along with ‚Radamisto‘, ‚Giulio Cesare‘, ‚Tamerlano‘, ‚Rodelinda‘ and ‚Alessandro‘, which were also written in this period, ‚Admeto‘ belongs to Handel‘s so-called ‚London operas‘ - works he composed for the Royal Academy of Music. Though born in Halle, Germany, Handel spent most of his adult life in London and became a British subject in 1727. Axel Köhler, the celebrated counter-tenor who is active in Munich, Halle and Berlin – now also well known for his work as a director - has brought ‚Admeto‘ into the modern era in timeless style by the skilful application of imaginative theatrical digressions. Köhler’s production at the Halle Opernhaus revisits a work that encompasses comedy, tragedy and almost absurd grotesqueness and gives it a convincing metaphor in the form of a modern hospital. The recording of ADMETO on this DVD forms the highlight and also the conclusion of our Handel Festival cycle, which began four years ago with TAMERLANO, and was followed by TESEO.

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GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL: ARIODANTE Length: 190' / Cat. No. A02006781 Directed by: David Alden | Conductor: Ivor Bolton | Soloists: Lesley Garrett, Gwynne Howell, Mark Le Brocq, Ann Murray, Paul Nilon, Christopher Robson, Joan Rodgers | Orchestra/Chorus: English National Opera Chorus When this production of Handel’s Ariodante – directed by David Alden and conducted by Ivor Bolton – had its premiere, it met with unanimous critical and popular acclaim. Alden, as a theatrical modernist, transformed the opera seria into an eroticallycharged nightmare of lust, betrayal and violated innocence. With a superlative cast including Ann Murray, Joan Rodgers and Gwynne Howell this rich and strange Ariodante is a surprisingly modern drama of psychological and physical cruelty. Ariodante is Handel’s 1735 setting of an episode from Ariosto, in which the King of Scotland’s daughter is treacherously accused of infidelity to her promised husband. The central situation of sexual jealousy and mistaken identity is set amidst a web of intense family relationships. The range of feelings provoked as the characters develop is caught in music of quite extraordinary emotional power, even by Handel’s own exalted standards.

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL: GIULIO CESARE IN EGITTO Length: 180' / Cat. No. A02006832 Directed by: John Copley | Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras | Soloists: Janet Baker, Valerie Masterson, Sarah Walker, James Bowman, Della Jones, John Tomlinson | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the English National Opera Dame Janet Baker, in one of her greatest roles, leads a cast of some of Britain’s finest interpeters of baroque opera and their performance under the baton of Sir Charles Mackerras is one of the highest musical excellence. John Copley’s acclaimed English National Opera production was restaged in studio, skilfully using all the technical advantages offered, to create this top quality recording. The opera was first performed in 1724 at the Haymarket Theatre in London using castrati singers in the heroes’ roles. This production follows modern practice in using women in these parts. Dame Janet’s virtuoso role as Julius Caesar has been heralded as a masterful recreation of the music which Handel wrote for the finest singers of his time.

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL: RINALDO Length: 127' / Cat. No. A05050489 Directed by: Eugenio Monti Colla | Soloists: Antonio Giovannini Gesche Geier Friederike Schöder Florian Götz Yosemeh Adjei Owen Willetts Cornelius Uhle | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Lautten Compagney Berlin, Compagnia Marionettistica Carlo Colla & Figli Early music and an old craft – the charm of the stage and marionettes are unified in a spectacular performance of Handel’s magic opera „Rinaldo“ by the Lautten Compagney, conducted by baroque specialist Wolfgang Katschner, and the puppet theatre Carlo Colla e Figli. Sung by a first-class cast, this beautiful production is an exciting and memorable experience for the audience. The puppet theatre Carlo Colla e Figli is one of the best known companies in the world, performing for more than 200 years. Today the plays of the company are popular all over the world by an audience of adults and young people, on the occasion of the most important national and international events. The Lautten Compagney is one of the most renowned and creative baroque instrument ensembles in Germany. With their infectious joy in performing and their innovative concepts, these ‘early musicians’ effortlessly translate the musical language of the Baroque to the present. “One should have seen how virtuoso ‘Carlo Colla e Figli” from Milan transform the gestures and stage tricks of this magic opera into the miniature form ... Splendidly sung.” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

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GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL: XERXES Length: 186' / Cat. No. A02006257 Directed by: Nicholas Hytner | Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras | Soloists: Christopher Booth-Jones, Lesley Garrett, Rodney Macann, Valerie Masterson, Ann Murray, Jean Rigby, Christopher Robson | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the English National Opera Nicholas Hytner’s highly innovative production of Handel’s comic opera won the coveted Laurence Olivier Opera Award. This live recording from the English National Opera stars Ann Murray as Xerxes, whose love for Romilda, sung by Valerie Masterson, sets off a series of love intrigues. The designer, David Fielding, has produced a stunning and elegant series of curious and absorbing images, creating a world of its own and recreating the culture of Vauxhall Gardens in Handel’s own time. Sir Charles Mackerras conducts the English National Opera orchestra in an edition prepared by himself.

GEORGES BIZET: CARMEN Length: 164' / Cat. No. A02006817 Directed by: Núria Espert | Conductor: Zubin Mehta | Soloists: Maria Ewing, Luis Lima, Gino Quilico, Leontina Vaduva | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House The libretto, by Henri Meilac and Ludovic Halévy, is based on a novella by Prosper Mérimée. The first performance of Carmen on 3 March 1875, produced such a hostile reaction that Bizet left Paris physically and psychologically ill, and died only three months later on 3 June 1875, following two serious heart attacks. The massive scandal of the premiere may have been partially the result of Bizet’s attempt to reform the Opéra Comique genre, yet it must still be said that Carmen is operatic history’s most famous example of a failure being corrected by the passage of time: Carmen is now one of the most frequently performed operas in the world. The major Spanish actress and producer Nuria Espert was brought in for the production at London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1991, while the authentic Flamenco choreography comes from Cristina Hoyos and is danced by, among others, Juan Ortego. For the musical side of this successful production Zubin Mehta had top vocalists at his disposal to perform the roles of Carmen, Don José and Escamillo.

GIACOMO MEYERBEER: L'AFRICAINE Length: 191' / Cat. No. A03037633 Directed by: Lotfi Mansouri | Conductor: Maurizio Arena | Soloists: Ruth Ann Swenson, Shirley Verrett, Plácido Domingo | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Chorus, Ballet and Orchestra of the San Francisco Opera House Plácido Domingo, as Vasco da Gama, and Shirley Verrett, as the African queen whom he has enslaved, star in Meyerbeer's spectacular grand opera, in a colourfully exotic production by Lotfi Mansouri, under the sensitive musical direction of Maurizio Arena. The visual splendour of Wolfram Skalicki's designs matches the vocal distinction of the cast: "Domingo was the honeyed, ringing Gama of everyone's expectations, Verrett as lustrous and inward a Sélika as ever, Ruth Ann Swenson a gem-like Inès" (Opera Magazine).

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GIACOMO PUCCINI: IL TRITTICO Cat. No. A05050461 Directed by: Cristina Pezzoli | Conductor: Julian Reynolds | Soloists: Alberto Mastromarino, Amarilli Nizza, Rubens Pelizzari, Annamaria Chiuri, Elisa Fortunati | Orchestra/Chorus: Orchestra della Fondazione Arturo Toscanini, Coro Lirico Amadeus del Teatro Comunale di Modena, Coro di Voci Bianche del Teatro Comunale di Modena In cooperation with the Teatro Communale in Modena and Italian Television RAI, Arthaus presents “Il trittico” (The Triptych) – Puccini’s collection of three one-act operas. With two leading Italian singers in the main roles – soprano Amarilli Nizza sings “Giorgetta”, “Suor Angelica” and “Lauretta” and baritone Alberto Mastromarino sings “Michele” and “Gianni Schicchi” – this new staging by Cristina Pezzoli sees all three operas performed together as the composer intended. Unfortunately, nowadays the operas, which superficially seem unrelated, are often separated with only one or two pieces of the trio performed in an evening or even paired with another one-act opera by a different composer – an arrangement that Puccini despised. This DVD presents all three as one piece of art. The Triptych of “Il tabarro”, “Suor Angelica” and “Gianni Schicchi” received its world premiere at the Metropolitan Opera on December 14, 1918. Puccini’s creation of three one-act operas during World War I was a logical consequence of a life’s opera-making that was dedicated not so much to finding the right libretto to set, but rather to finding the right feeling in a dramatic subject to call forth music. As a whole, “Il trittico” is well balanced. “Il tabarro”, the first work, is dark and brooding, full of the violence and grit associated with verismo opera. “Suor Angelica”, the second, was Puccini‘s personal favourite – nowadays, nevertheless, it is usually omitted if only two of the acts are performed. It is an uplifting tale of religious redemption. “Gianni Schicchi”, the third act, is the most popular, a comedic farce full of greed and conniving.

GIACOMO PUCCINI: LA BOHEME Length: 116' / Cat. No. A03030303 Directed by: Francesca Zambello Conductor: Tiziano Severini | Soloists: Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti, Gino Quilico, Stephen Dickson, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Sandra Pacetti, Italo Tajo | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the San Francisco Opera House Luciano Pavarotti and Mirella Freni's incomparable partnership as Rodolfo and Mimi, the tragic lovers in Puccini's muchloved bittersweet opera, is captured for posterity in this live recording from the San Francisco opera. Francesca Zambello's production boasts a superlative cast with Gino Quilico as Marcello, Nicolai Ghiaurov as Colline, Stephen Dickson as Schaunard and Sandra Pacetti as Musetta. The Italian conductor Tiziano Severini drew critical acclaim for his passionate and spontaneous reading of the score.

GIACOMO PUCCINI: MADAMA BUTTERFLY Length: 141' / Cat. No. A00008578 Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli | Conductor: Daniel Oren | Soloists: Fiorenza Cedolins, Marcello Giordani, Juan Pons, Francesca Franci, Mina Blum | Orchestra/Chorus: Orchestra e Coro dell' Arena di Verona This DVD combines a number of operatic highlights: Puccini’s Madama Butterfly - the composer’s self-proclaimed favourite work and certainly one of the most beloved operas in the repertoire - is brought to life at the worldfamous Arena di Verona. This opulent production, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, is sung by a cast of excellent singer-actors and conducted by longestablished Arena di Verona conductor Daniel Oren with all the splendour that a Puccini opera demands.The opera is staged in front of the imposing Roman backdrop of the “Arena di Verona” and directed by respected film and opera director Franco Zeffirelli. Fiorenza Cedolins is a sought after Butterfly singer and her Pinkerton is played by the renowned tenor Marcello Giordani. The performance is lead by Daniel Oren who has worked with the opera festival for more than two decades. The sum of all this is a gloriously sung musical experience.

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GIACOMO PUCCINI: MADAMA BUTTERFLY Length: 137' / Cat. No. A05050488 Directed by: Vincent Boussard | Conductor: Alexander Joel | Soloists: Alexia Voulgaridou, Cristina Damian, Teodor Ilincai In 2012, the Hamburg State Opera presented a new production of Giacomo Puccini’s masterpiece “Madama Butterfly”. The internationally renowned director Vincent Boussard stages the opera, collaborating with star fashion designer Christian Lacroix and set designer Vincent Lemaire. Together they succeed in bringing to life the moving tragedy of the young Japanese geisha Cio-Cio San in a stylish and sophisticated production that focuses on the title role, impressively portrayed by Greek soprano Alexia Voulgaridou. Subtly conducted by Alexander Joel, the dynamic cast includes Romanian Tenor Teodor Ilincai as Cio-Cio San’s love interest, B.F. Pinkerton and Estonian baritone Lauri Vasar as Consul Sharpless. “Madama Butterfly” contains an enormous wealth of psychological poetry. Through his music, Giacomo Puccini lends his characters extremely rich and complex profiles and created an extraordinary explosive force.

GIACOMO PUCCINI: MADAMA BUTTERFLY Length: 145' / Cat. No. A00007434 Directed by: Keita Asari | Soloists: Yasuko Hayashi, Hak-Nam Kim, Peter Dvorsky, Giorgio Zancanaro | Orchestra/Ballet: Corpo di Ballo e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala Giacomo Puccini, the most significant Italian opera composer to follow in the footsteps of Giuseppe Verdi, discovered the foundation for Madam Butterfly in London where he had traveled for the first performance of his Tosca in June 1900. Puccini immediately recognized the moving effect of the tragic single-act drama, and towards the end of the year he decided to use it as the basis for an opera. (The plot of the opera is set “in Nagasaki around 1900”.) A car accident in February 1903 prevented the composer from working for a considerable period; however, he noted the completion of “Butterfly” on 28 December. The first performance at Milan’s Scala nearly two months later (17 February 1904) belongs among operatic history’s great premiere scandals. Puccini withdrew the work, divided its two acts into three, added the tenor aria “Addio fiorito asil”, and abbreviated parts. Performances in Brescia (May 1904), Paris (1906) and Berlin (1907) marked the work’s rise to success, which belongs to a tradition of operas based on exhilarating, exotic, oriental themes. The Scala production of 1986 is characterized by an authentic Far Eastern flair. The Japanese director Keita Asari had at his disposal a décor and costumes team and two exceptional vocalists to perform the main roles from Asia.

GIACOMO PUCCINI: MANON LESCAUT Length: 120' / Cat. No. A05018877 Directed by: Ansgar Weigner | Conductor: Frank Beermann | Soloists: Heiko Trinsinger, Astrid Weber, Zurab Zurabishvili | Orchestra: Robert-Schumann-Philharmonie Manon Lescaut, Puccini‘s first major success, is a work of impassioned emotions based on the 18th-century novel by Abbé Prévost, depicting the doomed infatuation of Chevalier des Grieux for beautiful, fun-loving Manon. Puccini clothes the story in warmly passionate music that makes a direct appeal to the listener‘s emotions. “Manon”, wrote Puccini to his publisher Giulio Ricordi in 1889, “is a heroine I believe in and therefore she cannot fail to win the heart of the public.” This turned out to be a truly prophetic statement since none of Puccini’s other world successes were received on their fi rst nights as rapturously as Manon Lescaut. The popularity of Puccini’s great masterpiece has never waned and the production at the Chemnitz Opera House was hailed as “a magnificent event” and “moments we go to the opera for.”

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GIACOMO PUCCINI: TOSCA Length: 118' / Cat. No. A00008617 Directed by: Hugo de Ana | Conductor: Daniel Oren | Soloists: Fiorenza Cedolins, Marcelo Álvarez, Ruggero Raimondi, Marco Spotti, Fabio Previati | Orchestra/Chorus: Orchestra e Coro dell' Arena di Verona A superlative staging of Puccini’s Tosca by Italian opera producer Hugo de Ana brought to you from the world-famous Arena di Verona and complete with all the splendour that a Puccini opera demands! The popular tragedy is sung by a dream team cast of excellent singer-actors and conducted by long-established Arena di Verona conductor Daniel Oren. The recording captures one of those special Verona summer evenings, when the audience fills the historic circle in expectation of the enjoyment of an open-air opera performance. Verona’s amphitheatre, known as the ‘arena’, provides an atmospheric setting for the summer festival. To view an opera in the former amphitheatre, the second largest of its kind after the Colosseum in Rome, can truly be regarded as an impressive experience. The DVD, however, provides a closer look at the stage and the singers and brings this dramatic opera directly to the home viewer.

GIACOMO PUCCINI: TURANDOT Length: 130' / Cat. No. A03031220 Directed by: Peter McClintock | Conductor: Donald Runnicles | Soloists: Eva Marton, Lucia Mazzaria, Kevin Langan, Michael Sylvester, Theodore Baerg, Dennis Peterson, Craig Estep | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the San Francisco Opera House The enclosed DVD video release is an ARTHAUS MUSIK presentation of no more and no less than the perfect blend of two human senses: a music lover"s eye and ear will both experience the very finest quality production. Alone the star-studded vocal ensemble, under the direction of internationally renowned director David Runnicles, guarantees a satisfactory interpretation of Puccini"s majestic opera. The aria, "Nessun dorma," which has now become a global hit, is sung by the young Indiana-born tenor Michael Sylvester as Calaf. At the vanguard of the contemporary art genre, David Hockney has been hired as both director and designer to contribute his experience to this well-staged opera project.

GIOACHINO ROSSINI: IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA Length: 154' / Cat. No. A86000372 Directed by: Dario Fo | Conductor: Alberto Zedda | Soloists: Simone Alaimo, Jennifer Larmore, David Malis, Renato Capecchi, Richard Croft | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus of the Netherlands Opera, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra For his first opera production, Dario Fo, the theatre director known for his brilliant wit, chose to stage Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia for the Netherlands Opera. First mounted in 1987, it was a huge success and a live recording of its revival in May 1992, the 200th anniversary of Rossini's birth, has been made. Fo has said that 'Rossini is the musician of eating and love. He composes music rich in herbs and aromas, in which you find olives, tomatoes, fish, grapes, roses and rosemary, sheets and tablecloths, dry wine and the laughter of girls.' His 'Barbiere' is a joyful carnival. During the overture he fills the stage with carnival revellers and immediately the commedia dell'arte origins of opera buffa are restored. Visual theatrics abound, never at the expense of the music, but highlighting it, engaging the eye as well as the ear. Fo addresses the heart more than the intellect and Rossini's comedy comes up dazzling and vital.

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GIOACHINO ROSSINI: LA CENERENTOLA Length: 160' / Cat. No. A05006828 Directed by: Michael Hampe | Conductor: Riccardo Chailly | Soloists: Francisco Araiza, Ann Murray, Gino Quilico | Orchestra/Chorus: Wiener Philharmoniker, Chor der Wiener Staatsoper La Cenerentola ist eine von denjenigen Opern Rossinis, die sich nicht in ein stilistisches Korsett zwängen lassen: eine Buffa mit tragischen Schlaglichtern, eine Komödie mit Elementen des Zauberspiels, eine Parabel, in der alle von einer Person — nämlich Alidoro — gelenkt werden. Das Märchen läutert sich über die Charakterkomödie zur barocken Allegorie, um am Ende Ferrettis Untertitel La bontà in trionfo — Der Triumph der Güte Genüge zu tun. Für die Salzburger Festspiele des Jahres 1988 inszenierte Michael Hampe La Cenerentola zusammen mit dem Bühnen- und Kostümbildner Mauro Pagano und dem Lichtdesigner Hans Toelstede. Seine Sicht betont weniger das Märchen, als vielmehr Rossinis untergründig vorhandene satirisch-kritischen Kommentare zur Gesellschaft seiner Zeit und zu den Beziehungen der Menschen zueinander. Für die musikalische Qualität sorgte eine Starbesetzung mit Ann Murray als Angelina und Francisco Araiza als Don Ramiro ebenso, wie die souveräne Leitung des Wiener Staatsopernchors und der Wiener Philharmoniker durch den ausgewiesenen Rossini-Fachmann Riccardo Chailly. Als Don Magnifico ist der eben verstorbene Walter Berry zu erleben.

GIOACHINO ROSSINI: LA GAZZA LADRA Length: 173' / Cat. No. A05009403 Directed by: Michael Hampe | Conductor: Bruno Bartoletti | Soloists: Nucci Condò, Brent Ellis, Carlos Feller, David Kuebler, Alberto Rinaldi | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor der Oper Köln, Gürzenich Orchester Köln | This Cologne Opera production, one of Rossini’s most brilliant compositions, was directed by Michael Hampe and boasts a star-studded cast with Ileana Cotrubas, Carlos Feller, David Kuebler and Alberto Rinaldi. Rossini’s opera is a perennial favourite and tells the story of a servant girl, accused of stealing a silver spoon. She is brought to trial by the Justice of the Peace, whose advances she has repulsed, and is condemned to death. Tragedy turns to comedy when, just before the execution is due to take place, it is discovered that the real thief is a magpie. Bruno Bartoletti conducts this lively and colourful production, designed by Mauro Pagano.

GIUSEPPE VERDI: AIDA Length: 156' / Cat. No. A05050230 Directed by: Luca Ronconi | Conductor: Lorin Maazel | Soloists: Maria Chiara, Luciano Pavarotti, Ghena Dimitrova, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Juan Pons, Paata Burchuladze | Orchestra/Chorus: Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala | Luciano Pavarotti heads an exceptional cast in this spectacular live recording from La Scala, Milan, with Ghena Dimitrova, Maria Chiara, Nicolai Ghiaurov and Juan Pons, all in peak form. Luca Ronconi's magnificent production of Verdi's muchloved masterpiece was a triumphant success, with Mauro Pagano's monumental settings capturing perfectly the imposing grandeur of the land of the Pharaohs and the ochre hues of the desert. Lorin Maazel conducts.

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GIUSEPPE VERDI: DON CARLO Length: 155' / Cat. No. A05050472 Directed by: Gustav Rudolf Sellner | Conductor: Wolfgang Sawallisch | Soloists: James King, Pilar Lorengar, Josef Greindl, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Patricia Johnson, Martti Talvela, Lisa Otto | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin In 1964 Deutsche Oper Berlin still had no General Music Director. But Artistic Director Gustav Rudolf Sellner made a virtue out a necessity and – in addition to the permanent conductor Heinrich Hollreiser and the regular guest conductor Karl Böhm – brought in further conductors from home and abroad for individual productions. For “Don Carlos” he invited Wolfgang Sawallisch, who since 1957 had been making a name for himself at the Bayreuth Festival, above all with “Tannhäuser” and the “Flying Dutchman” and since 1960 had been acting General Music Director in Hamburg. He had at his disposal an ensemble of outstanding soloists. In addition to Josef Greindl and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, they included James King in the title role, Pilar Lorengar, Martti Talvela, Patricia Johnson and Lisa Otto as the Voice from Heaven.

GIUSEPPE VERDI: FALSTAFF Cat. No. A05050468 Directed by: Bernd Weikl | Conductor: Uwe Sandner | Soloists: Arlette Meißner, Bernd Weikl, John Pickering, Steffen Schantz, Yanyu Guo, Wioletta Hebrowska, Marian Henze, Carlos Aguirre, Alexis Wagner | Orchestra/Chorus: Orchester und Chor des Pfalztheaters Kaiserslautern The stout Sir John Falstaff has financial problems. To refill his empty pockets he strives for amorous affairs with Alice and Meg, the wives of the rich citizens Ford and Page. The two ladies might even have consented, had they not received identical love letters. So they decide to play a trick on him. At the same time Alice exposes her husband’s chronic jealousy. In the end, Nannetta, the Fords’ daughter, is allowed to marry for love against her father’s plans.Finally, a nightly masquerade in Windsor park brings out the moral of the story: „Tutto nel mondo è burla – All the world’s a burlesque“. Towards the end of his operatic work, Giuseppe Verdi succeeds in a brilliant comedy of characters with philosophical wisdom and sparkling musical wit. The libretto of Arrigo Boito is based upon William Shakespeare’s comedy „The Merry Wives of Windsor“ and scenes from „Henry IV“. Bernd Weikl’s witty production shows the simultaneity of tragedy and comedy. The opera’s motto „All the world’s a burlesque“ is also reflected in the stage design of Thomas Doerfler and in the costumes of Julia Holewik. Both set and clothes are inspired by Shakespeare’s theatre, the Italian tradition of „Commedia dell’ arte“ and the world of circus.

GIUSEPPE VERDI: LUISA MILLER Length: 152' / Cat. No. A05050487 Directed by: Stefano Vizioli | Conductor: Michael Güttler | Soloists: Olesya Golovneva, Vladislav Sulimsky, Luc Robert, Taras Shtonda, Ivonne Fuchs, Lars Arvidson, Emma Lyrén | Orchestra/Chorus: Malmö Opera Chorus and Orchestra Giuseppe Verdi’s “Luisa Miller” is an opera in three acts based on Schiller’s “Kabale und Liebe” (Intrigue and Love). Just before Christmas 2012, it was recorded at the Malmö Opera, the leading opera house in the expansive region of Öresund in Sweden. “Luisa Miller” is the story of the lovers Luisa and Rodolfo. Their love is challenged by class distinctions between their families. Despite the couple’s struggle, the story eventually ends in inevitable tragedy. The Russian opera singer and rising star Olesya Golovneva is breathtaking as Luisa and the Swedish “Expressen” writes that Luc Robert as Rodolfo “is a gold treasure from Canada. A real tenor!” Conducted by internationally acclaimed Michael Güttler, who works for opera houses and orchestras all over the world, including the Orchestre de Paris and the Wiener Staatsoper, this opera is a ‘must have’.

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GIUSEPPE VERDI: MACBETH Length: 150' / Cat. No. A05014006 Directed by: Luca Ronconi | Conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli | Soloists: Renato Bruson, James Morris, Mara Zampieri, Dennis O'Neill, David Griffith | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin Macbeth signifies the beginning of Verdis life-long preoccupation with William Shakespeare where he came close to emulating the master with his congenial composition of Othello and whom he even surpassed with Falstaff. Aware of the great musical as well as literary challenge, Verdi wrote the scenario himself and essentially concentrated the piece on three main protagonists: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the prophecy of the witches. During the first performance on 14 March 1847 in Florence the audience reacted with great displeasure. The piece only gradually established itself in the world of opera. Luca Ronconi’s new production of Verdi’s early masterpiece which was first performed in June 1987 at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin was received in Germany and around the world with great praise.

GIUSEPPE VERDI: OTELLO Length: 155' / Cat. No. A05050475 Directed by: Hans-Peter Lehmann | Conductor: Giuseppe Patanè | Soloists: Renata Tebaldi, Hans Beirer, William Dooley, Mario Ferrara, Sieglinde Wagner | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin When Renata Tebaldi sang “Desdemona” in Verdi’s Otello at London’s Covent Garden in 1950, it was her first operatic performance outside Italy. It was also the role in which she made her last appearance on the opera stage, at the Metropolitan Opera New York in 1973. Between these two performances she made close to a hundred stage appearances as Desdemona, not to mention two studio recordings with Alberto Erede and Herbert von Karajan. It was Arturo Toscanini who coined for her the moniker “voce d’angelo” (voice of an angel). She made her highly acclaimed debut as “Desdemona” at the Metropolitan Opera in 1955 and from that moment on made New York the focus of her life. From there she made regular and extended concert tours all over the world, but opera appearances in Europe – particularly northern Europe – were extremely rare. Tebaldi visited Berlin on just two occasions. She gave a rapturously received concert in the Deutschlandhalle in May 1961. On that occasion she promised her fans she would return, and the Berliner Morgenpost even heard it “rumoured” she would appear in her classic role as Desdemona at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, which was about to reopen. This Otello production was planned as a media event from the outset, with cameras in attendance even at the preliminary rehearsal stage. Whereas the first performance took place before an invited audience on 30 August 1962 and was given over entirely to a TV recording by Sender Freies Berlin (SFB), the second performance was open to the operagoing public and was broadcast by SFB-Hörfunkprogramm.

HECTOR BERLIOZ: LA DAMNATION DE FAUST Length: 134' / Cat. No. A02006059 Directed by: Rodney Greenberg | Conductor: Sir Georg Solti | Soloists: Keith Lewis (tenor), José van Dam (baritone), Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo-soprano) | Orchestra/Chorus: Chicago Symphony Chorus and Orchestra This live recording was made at the Royal Albert Hall during one of London’s famous Promenade Concert seasons. Sir Georg Solti conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a magnificent performance of Berlioz’s concert cantata. This feast of Berlioz launched Solti’s farewell tour with the orchestra he had directed for twenty years and was described by The Times as “the unsurpassable culmination of two decades of music-making...one that summarised all that has been most admirable about Solti’s long reign in Chicago.”

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HENRY PURCELL: DIDO AND AENEAS Length: 55' / Cat. No. A02503868 Debby Bishop, Peter Straker, Seeta Indrani, Janet Kay, Lynne Kieran When asked to adapt Purcell's melodious and moving work for this special studio presentation, composer Howard Goodall aimed to reach an audience normally resistant to opera. He chose Debby Bishop and Peter Straker - stars of musicals rather than opera - as the tragic lovers, used modern instruments, including saxophone, guitar and synthesiser, in his orchestration, and replaced recitative with spoken dialogue. A Dido as Purcell might have written it today? In a short introduction, Goodall and Purcell virtuoso Simon Preston discuss this question.

HENRY PURCELL: THE FAIRY QUEEN Length: 135' / Cat. No. A02005993 Directed by: David Pountney | Conductor: Nicholas Kok | Soloists: Yvonne Kenny, Thomas Randle, Simon Rice, Richard van Allan | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the English National Opera The new production of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen launched in 1995 by the English National Opera (ENO) was received with great enthusiasm by both the public and musical press. This atmospheric production was prepared by David Pountney, Robert Israel created the stage set, Dunya Ramicova was responsible for costume design and Quinny Sacks was responsible for the choreography of the dance roles as well as the numerous breathtaking ballet scenes. Under the musical direction of Nicholas Kok, the English National Orchestra played a baroque music which was as crystal clear as it was expressively infectious. Next to outstanding performers of the dancing roles such as Puck (Simon Rice) and the Indian boy (Arthur Pita), an entire armada of excellent singers was summoned up such as one seldom experiences together on the baroque opera stage. These included Yvonne Kenny as Titania, Thomas Randle as Oberon and Richard Van Allan as King Theseus. Jonathan Best, with his comic portrayal of the drunken poet, was loved by the audience and praised highly by the press, while other singers like Michael Chance, Mary Hegarthy, Janis Kelly, Marc Le Brocq and Christopher Ross all contributed their talents to produce an unusual musical theatre experience that has been masterfully preserved on this DVD.

IGOR STRAWINSKY: THE RAKE'S PROGRESS Length: 140' / Cat. No. A04001045 Directed by: Jörg Immendorff | Conductor: Sylvain Cambreling | Soloists: Jonathan Best, Jerry Hadley, Dawn Upshaw, Monte Pederson | Orchestra/Chorus: Camerata Academica, Chor der Wiener Staatsoper In 1951, in Venice, Igor Stravinsky conducted the premiere of his only full-length opera The Rake’s Progress. He had conceived the idea for this work after visiting the Chicago Art Institute in 1947, where he came upon a series of eight satirical engravings of the same title, created by the English painter and copperplate engraver William Hogarth in 1735. On the recommendation of his neighbour Aldous Huxley, Stravinsky asked W. H. Auden to write an opera libretto for him, which was ready by late February 1948

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JACQUES OFFENBACH: LA BELLE HELENE Length: 120' / Cat. No. A05014044 Directed by: Helmuth Lohner | Conductor: Nikolaus Harnoncourt | Soloists: Carlos Chausson, Deon van der Walt, Volker Vogel, Vesselina Kasarova | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Oper Zürich A superficial view may regard Offenbach’s lightweight masterpiece, La belle Hélène, as „merely“ an opera buffa. But closer scrutiny of this charming, imaginative firework of intrigue makes one thing clear: the story of the Greek queen who started off the Trojan war is, in this version, a humorous and satirical caricature of the vulgar, decadent Parisian upper classes of Offenbach’s own day. Who better suited to produce a modern rendering of this work than the now highly acclaimed Nikolaus Harnoncourt, who also ensured the work’s historical accuracy? Employing a small string section, shining, colourful brass and richly varied percussion, the opera still strikes one as exceptionally modern. This impression is also enhanced by the designers of the production, recorded in 1997 at the Zurich Opera House: no less a figure than the fashion designer Jean–Charles de Castelbajac was responsible for the humorously expansive costumes; and the highly subtle stage–set was the work of Paolo Pivas.

JACQUES OFFENBACH: LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN Length: 135' / Cat. No. A05007362 Directed by: Walter Felsenstein, Georg Mielke | Conductor: Karl-Fritz Voigtmann | Soloists: Rudolf Asmus, Melitta Muszely, Hanns Nocker, Vladimír Bauer, Christa Noack, | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin Walter Felsenstein (1901–1975), founder and general director of the Komische Oper in Berlin, was one of the twentieth century’s greatest creative theatre directors, who played a hugely important role in the revival of opera as a theatrical art form. A brilliant artist who directed over 190 productions during the course of his career, he was equally committed to the works, their creators, the ensemble and the audience. Jacques Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, opéra fantastique, is an unfinished work – its state of source material remains obscure. Even today, important manuscripts in Offenbach’s hand are still turning up, including, as recently as 1987, the original libretto submitted to the censors. It is the unfinished aspect of Tales of Hoffmann that has continued to exercise the imaginations of generations of theatrical producers. In Berlin, all five acts of the work were played at the opening night of Hans Gregor’s Komische Oper at Weidendammer Brücke in 1905 and ran for an incredible 500 performances; it was produced at Otto Klemperer’s Kroll Oper at the Platz der Republik in 1929; and, in 1931 Max Reinhardt tried an opulent interpretation of the work that enjoyed a successive run of 175 performances. When Felsenstein decided to produce Hoffmann, there was little source material to go on. However, not even he could have guessed that preparatory work on that opera would take over a year. He asked the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris to prepare copies of the original piano score of the first performance, the libretto from the first performance by Jules Barbier (Calmann-Lévy Éditeurs) and the five-act play of the same name, a drame fantastique, by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. Using this material as a starting point, Felsenstein created his own German five-act version based on the five-act play – the work he considered closest to Offenbach’s intentions. In this version, the recitatives added by Ernest Guiraud have been completely eliminated to allow the text of play to be developed more fully. Referring back to material dating from the first performance, Felsenstein found himself in complete agreement with Offenbach, who sought “a dramatically convincing sequence of spoken word, music and song, and not a through-composed opera.”

JACQUES OFFENBACH: ORPHEUS IN DER UNTERWELT Length: 101' / Cat. No. A05050479 Directed by: Götz Friedrich | Conductor: Jesús López Cobos | Soloists: Donald Grobe, Julia Migenes Johnson, Astrid Varnay, Hans Beirer, Helmuth Lohner, George Shirley | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin “Orpheus in der Unterwelt”, Offenbach’s satirical answer to Gluck’s “Orfeo”, was premiered in Paris 1858 and portrays society as amoral, the upper class as lax and indifferent to all and public opinion in charge of both. In the early 1980s legendary director Götz Friedrich created his own contemporary version of the operetta at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, in German, filled with allusions to the contemporary cultural scene and society in general. Starring a large cast of renowned artists – singers and actors – Orpheus’ odyssey to the Olympic Gods and to the Underworld, in order to save his wife, receives a new face – away from Paris in the 19th century and to bourgeois West-Berlin.

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JOHN CHRISTOPHER PEPUSCH / JOHN GAY: THE BEGGAR'S OPERA Length: 134' / Cat. No. A02005060 Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner | Soloists: Roger Daltrey (Macheath) Stratford Johns (Peachum) Patricia Routledge (Mrs Peachum) Carol Hall (Polly Peachum) Rosemary Ashe (Lucy Lockit) | Orchestra/Chorus: English Baroque Soloists John Gay (1685-1732), a genial poet and playwright with a talent for satire, got the idea for The Beggar’s Opera from his friend, the satirist Jonathan Swift, who had mentioned to him that “A Newgate pastoral might make a pretty sort of thing”. It was staged by the actor-manager John Rich (who introduced pantomime to England) and succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, making, it was said, “Gay rich and Rich gay”. In general, ballad opera, set among London’s criminal classes and full of satirical jibes about corruption in high places, suited English taste better than Handel’s heroic operas by the 1720s. Created specially for television, this Beggar’s Opera captures the quality and satiric edge of the Hogarth engravings which influenced Gay’s original version. The characters of this highly-spirited comedy of London low-life thrived on thieving, lechery and deceit: Peachum, the receiver of stolen goods, shops his clients when it suits him; Macheath, the highwayman, has married Polly Peachum but is promised to Lucy Lockit; Lucy tries to poison her rival, Polly; Peachum and Lockit can both profit from Macheath’s demise and so he is brought to the gallows through his lecherous exploits. Lust, greed and corruption abound in this exuberant piece of popular theatre. The music for this production has been arranged from the eighteenth-century folksongs of the original (selected by Johann Christoph Pepusch) by baroque specialists Jeremy Barlow and John Eliot Gardiner, who conducts The English Baroque Soloists, performing on authentic period instruments. Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who and star of the films including Tommy, McVicar and Lisztomania, heads a distinguished cast as the villainous hero Macheath.

JULES MASSENET: WERTHER Length: 135' / Cat. No. A05018880 Directed by: Robert Tannenbaum | Conductor: Daniel Carlberg | Soloists: Silvia Hablowetz, Keith Ikaia-Purdy, Armin Kolarczyk | Orchestra: Badische Staatskapelle Jules Massenet´s opera Werther belongs to the most favourite works of French repertoire. It is in the first wave of German Romantic literature that Massenet found the source for his doubtless most powerful work – and certainly his most popular ! Might the French musician have detected in his own life the inspiration for these pages about the tormented fate of Werther and Charlotte, of their impossible love, their sighs, their unhappiness? Rarely has the author of Manon found a more poignant or fitting touch, leading the listener right inside the tempestuous soul of his characters. It was first performed in 1892 in Vienna, and based on a famous novel by J.W.Goethe “The Sorrows of Young Werther”. The story of a main character Werther takes place around 1772 in Wetzlar near Frankfurt, and unveils a touching drama of two young hearts who were not allowed to find happiness, because of the conventions of the period and family conditions. When Werther meets Charlotte, he falls in love with her at first sight but is desolated after finding out she is about to marry someone else. Charlotte´s jolly and optimistic sister Sophie hides her feelings she secretly cherishes towards Werther who is hopelessly infatuated with Charlotte and has numerous time, to no avail, attempted to win her heart.

LEOS JANACEK: FROM THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD Length: 91' / Cat. No. A04001297 Conductor: Claudio Abbado | Directed by: Klaus Michael Grüber | Soloists: Nicolai Ghiaurov, Philip Langridge, Heinz Zednik, Monte Pederson From the Salzburg Festival 1992 Based on Dostoevsky's 'diary' of his years as a political detainee, Janáček's singular opera, with its profoundly disturbing, but ultimately uplifting, message about the human condition, is set in a nineteenth-century Siberian prison camp. This Salzburg Festival production by Klaus-Michael Grüber graphically depicts the grinding tedium of life in this penal colony. A superb cast is headed by the great Bulgarian bass Nicolai Ghiaurov, and Claudio Abbado conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance hailed as a musical triumph. (Sung in the original Czech version)

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LEOS JANACEK: THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN Length: 98' / Cat. No. A01008501 Directed by: Nicholas Hytner | Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras | Soloists: Thomas Allen, Eva Jenis, Hannah Esther Minutill | Orchestra/Chorus: Orchestre de l'opéra national de Paris, Choeur de Châtélet Nicholas Hytner's enchanting production, sung in the original Czech, is conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, a master of the best Janáček style. Through myriad shifts of scene, the episodic story is presented in brightly-coloured sets and costumes of blissful innocence and simplicity, designed by Bob Crowley. Jean-Claude Gallotta's choreography for the insects and animals, and Jean Kalman's lighting add to the nostalgically poetic effect of the whole. With Sir Thomas Allen as the Forester, the cast includes Eva Jenis, Hanna Minutillo, Richard Novak and Ivan Kusnjer.Peter Mussbach’s production, recorded for this DVD by Brian Large, was first performed at the 1996 Salzburg Festival. Sylvain Cambreling directed the choir of the Vienna State Opera and the Camerata Academica. The soloists included Jonathan Best (Trulove), Dawn Upshaw (Anne Trulove) and Jerry Hadley (Tom Rakewell).

LEOS JANACEK: THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN Cat. No. A05050463 Directed by: Walter Felsenstein, Georg Mielke | Conductor: Václav Neumann | Soloists: Werner Enders, Irmgard Arnold, Manfred Hopp, Rudolf Asmus, Josef Burgwinkel | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin Walter Felsenstein (1901–1975), founder and general director of the Komische Oper in Berlin, was one of the twentieth century’s greatest creative theatre directors, who played a hugely important role in the revival of opera as a theatrical art form. A brilliant artist who directed over 190 productions during the course of his career, he was equally committed to the works, their creators, the ensemble and the audience. “Vixen is a work I fell strangely in love with […]” said Felsenstein and created a fable with a distinctive dramatic structure. By directing this opera Felsenstein illustrated the amazing nature of the piece with all its philosophical depth and poetical power. His production of The Cunning Little Vixen is supported by the visionary setting of Rudolf Heinrich. The bright and energetic music of the Czech composer Leoš Janáèek comprises humanity and offers pleasant warmth to the stories of gifted poet Rudolf Tìsnohlídek. Felsenstein describes Leoš Janáèek as “[…] a unique and inimitable phenomenon in the history of music.” The production narrates the life story of a little fox. It contains a fine mix of cute and funny elements together with serious realism in one story. Two early performances were given on 11 and 12 May ahead of a guest performance by the Komische Oper in Prague. The premiere took place on 30 May 1956. The magnetic recording of this production by Deutscher Fernsehfunk took place in 1965 at the Adlershof studios. With its profound and touching story the Cunning Little Vixen is an opera like no other.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: FIDELIO Length: 129' / Cat. No. A02006816 Directed by: Adolf Dresen | Conductor: Christoph von Dohnányi | Soloists: Neill Archer, Lynton Atkinson, Mark Beesley, Gabriela Beňačková, Robert Lloyd, Marie Mclaughlin, Monte Pederson, Josef Protschka, Hans Tschammer | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House “Those in search of a thoroughly teutonic Fidelio should speed to The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. It moves swiftly and surely, is powerfully cast and is conducted with fine muscular authority by Christoph von Dohnányi,” wrote The Times of this production by Adolf Dresen, which starred Gabriela Beňačková and Josef Protschka. Designed in an austere but traditional style by Margit Bardy, it conveys Beethoven's theme – the triumph of love and freedom over the forces of evil and oppression – with a natural, unadorned simplicity.

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LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: FIDELIO Length: 124' / Cat. No. A05050473 Directed by: Gustav Rudolf Sellner | Conductor: Artur Rother | Soloists: Walter Berry, James King, Christa Ludwig, Josef Greindl, William Dooley, Lisa Otto | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin The Deutsche Oper in Berlin had hardly opened on 24th September 1961 before it started preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary. How was that possible? Had it entered into some sort of time warp? That might indeed have been possible for a theatre that in the past had devoted itself to Richard Wagner’s works. But there was a simpler explanation: the Deutsche Oper Berlin had, in fact, originally opened on 7 November 1912 under the title of Deutsches Opernhaus. Thus it was Beethoven’s “Fidelio” that featured at the opening of the Deutsches Opernhaus in 1912 – and it was also chosen for the anniversary concert on 7th November 1962 that is documented in this DVD. The conductor of the Deutsche Oper orchestra was a man who had been personally involved in much of the former history of the opera house – Artur Rother. He had joined it in 1934 and in the 28 years leading up to the anniversary, Rother conducted no fewer than 66 premieres. The production was in the hands of theatre director Gustav Rudolf Sellner and his chief set designer Wilhelm Reinking. Special care was taken in selecting the cast for the anniversary performance. For the four main roles, singers were chosen who already had international experience but were still fresh and vigorous. Christa Ludwig, James King and Walter Berry would also come to be regarded by Metropolitan Opera as ideal interpreters of the two main roles – but not until 1966 and 1971 respectively and Josef Greindl’s Rocco was famous in Vienna, Salzburg, Munich and Berlin.

MARK-ANTHONY TURNAGE: GREEK Length: 81' / Cat. No. A02005069 Directed by: Peter Maniura, Jonathan Moore | Choreography by: Peter Brennan | Conductor: Richard Bernas | Soloists: Quentin Hayes, Fiona Kimm, Richard Stuart, Helen Charnock | Orchestra/Chorus: Almeida Ensemble Turnage’s operatic retelling of Oedipus the King, moved to present-day London Greek, first performed in 1988, was composed in on behalf of the Munich Biennale and is based on Steven Berkoff’s adaptation of Oedipus the King to a modern setting. It received its premiere in Munich and won the prizes for best opera and best libretto. It is a typical example of Turnage’s determinedly urban type of music. His compositional style is not consistently tonal, but remains accessible, colourful, often with aggressive effects, but always retaining an underlying lyricism, at times with a powerful dramatic impact and emotional power.

MICHAEL TIPPETT: KING PRIAM Length: 138' / Cat. No. A02006828 Directed by: Robin Lough | Conductor: Sir Roger Norrington | Soloists: Omar Ebrahim, Howard Haskin, Neil Jenkins, Rodney Macann, Anne Mason, Janet Price, Sarah Walker | Orchestra/Chorus: Kent Opera Chorus and Orchestra The re-telling of part of the original epic legend of Troy follows the Homeric characters through their love, loyalties and vengeance – leading to the final slaughter of King Priam at the altar of his burning city. The opera also speaks of the inevitability and futility of war. Rodney Macann heads a strong cast in the title role, giving a compelling performance as Priam, alongside Sarah Walker’s moving portrayal of Hector’s wife, Andromache. Howard Haskin plays Priam’s rebellious son Paris, who elopes with Helen, wife of the Greek King of Sparta, thus instigating the great Trojan war. Nicholas Hytner’s innovative production is matched by the starkly stylised setting designed by David Fielding, which creates a timeless arena of war. Minimal costume and colour, frozen action and white light further enhance Tippett’s marvellously sparse music played with fearless conviction and driving impetus by the youthful Kent Opera Orchestra under the direction of Roger Norrington.

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MIKHAIL I. GLINKA: RUSLAN I LJUDMILA Length: 211' / Cat. No. A75000016 Conductor: Valéry Gergiev | Directed by: Lotfi Mansour | Choreography by: Mikhail Fokine | From the Maryinsky Theatre St. Petersburg 1995 | Soloists: Vladimir Ognovenko (Ruslan), Anna Netrebko (Lyudmila), Mikhail Kit (Svetozar), Larissa Diadkova (Ratmir), Galina Gorchakova (Gorislava) This live recording from the Kirov Opera provides a rare opportunity to see Glinka's magical masterpiece in its entirety, in a magnificent production which brought together the formidable talents of conductor Valéry Gergiev, producer Lotfi Mansouri and stage designer Thierry Bosquet. The staging, though new, is in fact a meticulous recreation of an historic original, a spectacular piece of stagecraft from the height of Russia's pre-Revolutionary Golden Age. The cast features some of Russia's finest singers, including Galina Gorchakova, Larissa Diadkova and Yuri Marusin. The ballet contained in the opera is performed by the internationally-acclaimed Kirov Ballet. (Sung in Russian)

PETER TCHAIKOVSKY: THE QUEEN OF SPADES Length: 169' / Cat. No. A02005994 Directed by: Graham Vick | Conductor: Andrew Davis | Soloists: Nancy Gustafson, Yuri Marusin, Tony Palmer, Dimitri Kharitonov, Sergei Leiferkus | Orchestra/Chorus: London Philharmonic Orchestra, Glyndebourne Chorus Tchaikovsky is regarded as Russia’s great symphonist. In his music he succeeded in creating a synthesis between the national musical language of Russia and the compositional forms and techniques of western European romanticism. His works are distinguished by rich melodic passages, parts of which are full of the deepest melancholy, interspersed with cheerful, dance-like, sections drawn from Russian folk music. His great operas Eugene Onegin and Pique Dame reveal a fascinating artistry that uses expressive, highly dramatic characters and scenes. Pique Dame was written quickly, in the spring of 1890 in Florence, and its first performance took place the same year at the Marinsky theatre in St. Petersburg. The production recorded here received the highest acclaim for its outstanding interpretation at the 1992 Glyndebourne Festival. The London Philharmonic under Andrew Davis accompanied a cast which included Sergei Leiferkus (Count Tomsky) and Dimitri Kharitonov (Prince Jeletzky).

PHILIP GLASS: SATYAGRAHA Length: 168' / Cat. No. A05010571 Directed by: Achim Freyer | Conductor: Dennis Russell Davis | Soloists: Leo Goeke, Ralf Harster, Inga Nielsen, Helmut Danninger, Elke Estlinbaum | Orchestra: Staatsorchester Stuttgart The preocupation of the composer of “minimal music”, Philip Glass, with Indian music and his interest in Gandhi began in 1966 during his first visit to India where he met Ravi Shankar. Since then, the rhythmic figures of Indian music have exercised a significant influence on his music which has a strong meditative and almost hypnotic effect through the repetitive sequences of tones with minimal changes. Glass’s work needs time to unfold its hypnotic effect and fascination. With his second opera Glass didn’t want to draw a historic portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. Instead he used the example of Gandhi’s work during the last years between 1893 and 1914 in South Africa to draw an outline of the current worldwide political and religious problems. In South Africa Gandhi formulated his theory of passive resistance and civil disobedience known as "Satyagraha" as a reaction to the government"s discrimination against the Indian population evidenced by its denial of basic rights such as the right to vote.

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PIETRO MASCAGNI: CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA Cat. No. A05050462 Directed by: Maurizio Scaparro | Conductor: Zhang Jiemin | Soloists: Ildiko Komlosi, Sung Kyu Park, Marco di Felice, Barbara Di Castri, Cinzia De Mola | Orchestra/Chorus: Orchestra e Coro del Teatro di San Carlo Following the sensational success of his one-act opera Cavalleria rusticana at Rome’s Teatro Costanzi on 17 May 1890, Mascagni left no stone unturned in his attempt to ensure that his star remained in the ascendant. But neither his Cavalleriaremake, Silvano (1895), nor his Romantic reworking of the Lady Godiva legend, Isabeau, has survived the passing years. This Cavalleria rusticana has left the traditional opera house far behind it and been staged in an open-air theatre once associated with the Emperor Nero. The site in question is the legendary Roman baths in the port of Baia not far from Naples, arguably the most famous resort in classical antiquity and at the same time a byword in luxury and vice. Although some of the baths have vanished in the course of the last two millennia, the remains form a unique backdrop with their high walls and galleries poised between heaven and earth. A World Heritage Site, this was the setting for a production of Cavalleria rusticana by the visiting San Carlo company from Naples in the summer of 2007.

RICHARD STRAUSS: CAPRICCIO Cat. No. A05050460 Directed by: Robert Carsen | Conductor: Ulf Schirmer | Soloists: Reneé Fleming, Anne Sofie von Otter, Rainer Trost, Gerald Finley, Dietrich Henschel | Orchestra/Chorus: Orchestre et Choeur de l'Opéra national de Paris When the curtain fell at the Paris Opera premiere of Capriccio, the audiences rose to long and frenetic ovations. They unanimously applauded each singer in a cast of stars, but Renée Fleming was undoubtedly the leading light of this remarkable production. Every one of the performers in this production is outstanding and can be regarded as the best possible singer for the role - Opera fans from all over the world came to Paris to see this production. This Capriccio also served as a role debut for American star soprano Renée Fleming who took on the role of the Gräfin. The critics celebrated her performance as “ideal” in all aspects: musically, dramatically and above all vocally and she was cheered frenetically by the audience at the Palais Garnier of the Opéra National de Paris. Dietrich Henschel had critics raving about his sensitively sung Graf, Anne Sofie von Otter won audiences over with her highly ironic interpretation of the singer Clairon. Rainer Trost presented himself both as a true actor and as a versatile tenor in the role of the composer Flamand, Gerald Finley gave a very convincing poet Olivier and Franz Hawlata was described by a critic as “a glowing” La Roche. Altogether a true ensemble of stars!

RICHARD STRAUSS: CAPRICCIO Length: 144' / Cat. No. A05013526 Directed by: Stephen Lawless | Conductor: Donald Runnicles | Soloists: Hakan Hagegard, Kiri Te Kanawa, Tatiana Troyanos, Victor Braun, Simon Keenlyside, David Kuebler, Michel Sénéchal, Dale Travis | Orchestra: Orchestra of the San Francisco Opera House Capriccio is somewhat unique in the opera repertoire. this "conversation piece for music in one act" was written in 1942 during Strauss' later years and concerns an intellectual discussion at a soiree about whether words or music are the most important in opera, thus an opera itself. Strauss himself feared that the public at large would not know how to take this "treat for cultural connoisseurs" - but he was wrong. His theatrical "thatrical fugue" was to become one of the most frequently performed of his late works. This production provides a wonderful showcase for the inimitable Kiri Te Kanawa, a Strauss specialist, who sparkles her way through the role of the humoured and charming contess torn between two suitors.

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RICHARD STRAUSS: SALOME Length: 110' / Cat. No. A02006783 Directed by: Luc Bondy | Choreography by: Lucinda Childs | Conductor: Christoph von Dohnányi | Soloists: Catherine Malfitano, Bryn Terfel, Kenneth Riegel, Anja Silja | Orchestra: Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Staged for the Royal Opera, Luc Bondy’s Salome is a terrifying study of a family of degenerates. Never decadent, it is about decay. Spare and severe, it is staged in close focus in the bowels of Herod’s palace, with every small exchange of his monstrous family spotlit in a dismal and cavernous space. The characterisations of Catherine Malfitano, Bryn Terfel, Kenneth Riegel and Anja Silja are exceptionally powerful. Conductor Christoph von Dohnányi draws every strand and fleck of colour from Strauss’s cauldron of a score.

RICHARD WAGNER: DAS RHEINGOLD Cat. No. A05050457 Directed by: Michael Schulz | Conductor: Carl St. Clair | Soloists: Mario Hoff, Tomas Möwes, Erin Caves | Orchestra: Staatskapelle Weimar Outside Germany, the name Weimar tends to evoke mixed feelings and pictures of German history of the last hundred years. Within Germany, Weimar means a town in the state of Thuringia arguably saturated with the “Deutsche Kultur” of the “Weimarer Klassik”, the legendary Bauhaus, and finally the life and work of Franz Liszt and his son in law Richard Wagner. In Weimar Richard Wagner began composing the first part of his RING-cycle, “Das Rheingold”. In 2008 the Nationaltheater Weimar started a new production of this unique tetralogy. The conductor is Carl St.Clair, a former student of Leonard Bernstein. With Michael Schulz’ fine and highly intelligent staging this new “Ring” production on DVD and BluRay becomes an outstanding document of contemporary opera theatre.

RICHARD WAGNER: DIE WALKÜRE Cat. No. A05050455 Directed by: Michael Schulz | Conductor: Carl St. Clair | Soloists: Erin Caves, Kirsten Blanck, Catherine Foster | Orchestra: Staatskapelle Weimar “The free man must be his own maker” – Richard Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung reflects the composer’s autobiography as much as the political turmoil of his times. As work progressed, another figure grew to be as important as the hero Siegfried, the god Wotan, the mouthpiece for Wagner’s ideas. “He’s exactly like us: he is the sum of today’s intellectual consciousness, whereas Siegfried is what we hope the human being of the future will be, but who cannot be fashioned by us, and who must make himself by means of our destruction!” Our own doom as the basis of a happier future? Wagner dressed this Herculean task musically in the spreading, shimmering web of his leitmotivic working (there are approximately 20 distinct motives in Die Walküre). Dramaturgically, the conversational style of “Das Rheingold” gives way to the tone of bourgeois tragedy: incestuous passion, more than one form of deep-seated marital antagonism, and a lot of talk, a lot of self-justification in the form of recapitulation. This, the First Day of the tetralogy (Das Rheingold being a “preliminary evening”), was without doubt the “most moving, the most tragic” of all Wagner’s works in the view of his wife Cosima, expressed in her diary on 31 August 1873. The text of Die Walküre was finished on 1 July 1852, and the score was completed in late March 1856. With the financial help of his ever-generous friend (and future father-in-law) Franz Liszt, Wagner went to rest from his labours on the shores of Lake Geneva.

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RICHARD WAGNER: GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG Cat. No. A05050458 Directed by: Michael Schulz | Conductor: Carl St. Clair | Soloists: Norbert Schmittberg, Renatus Mészár, Catherine Foster | Orchestra: Staatskapelle Weimar A bleak wind chord of E flat minor opens Richard Wagner’s “Götterdämmerung”. It establishes the dominant atmosphere of the piece from its first bar: twilight, a deceptive half-light, prevails. Shadowy figures stumble towards the abyss. The last evening of the Ring is one of plotting and betrayal, of ominous oaths, a chilling lust for power, abuse and humiliation – and, also, of a superbly staged apocalypse, when the beings and things destined for destruction shine brightly for one last time. The leitmotivs and thematic ideas from throughout the whole tetralogy recur in Götterdämmerung, intensified and woven into a musical web from which there can be no escape. Everything appears to fit together fatally with everything else. There is nothing more to be done. The net of catastrophe is knotted too fatefully for that, both musically and dramatically. When Wagner sat down to write a prose outline of what turned out as the last part of the Ring, he called it Siegfried’s Death. That was in the year of revolutions, 1848. The new title, usually translated as Twilight of the Gods, came later (Bernard Shaw called it Night Falls on the Gods but that never caught on). All the threads of the drama run now towards the hero’s fall. The death of Siegfried precipitates the final dissolution of the gods’ world, set in train by Wotan when he impiously tore a branch from the World Ash-Tree, and to which the god was already resigned long ago, before he knew of Siegfried’s conception. The natural order has been diverted from its proper course, and the last hope of righting it rests with Siegfried – the human being of the future. He knows no constraints, no fear of violence moderates his thirst for action, he is naïve and spontaneous. To Wagner he represented Utopia, Thomas Mann described him as “harlequin, god of light and anarchistic social revolutionary”, Shaw as “a totally unmoral person, a born anarchist, the ideal of Bakunin, an anticipation of the ‘overman’ of Nietzsche”. Yet he is unfree, nevertheless: he must run on the rails laid by Wotan and thus he is the instrument (one might say, war machine) of the failing power of the old gods as they wait for annihilation. The truly new, however, as Wagner saw it, can only rise from the ashes of the old. So Siegfried too must die, and Brünnhilde, magnanimous in forgiveness, assumes the roles of tragic heroine and redeemer by her self-sacrifice.

RICHARD WAGNER: SIEGFRIED Cat. No. A05050456 Directed by: Michael Schulz | Conductor: Carl St. Clair | Soloists: Johnny van Hall, Frieder Aurich, Tomas Möwes | Orchestra: Staatskapelle Weimar Richard Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung reflects the composer’s autobiography as much as the political turmoil of his times. As work progressed, another figure grew to be as important as the hero Siegfried, the god Wotan, the mouthpiece for Wagner’s ideas. “He’s exactly like us: he is the sum of today’s intellectual consciousness, whereas Siegfried is what we hope the human being of the future will be, but who cannot be fashioned by us, and who must make himself by means of our destruction!” Our own doom as the basis of a happier future? Second ‘day’ – and third part – of Richard Wagner’s ‘Ring’, the musical saga that its author spent more than a quarter of a century composing. It follows the rise of a young hero, Siegfried, the illegitimate son of the twins whose story we were told in Die Walküre. On the one hand, there is learning about life, glorying in nature and in the emotions, as opposed to those of calculation and greed on the other. This episode shows how Wagner was intent on changing society, on showing that a different kind of man can exist, that the mercenary petit bourgeois world can be replaced by greater humanity and freedom.

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RICHARD WAGNER: TANNHÄUSER Length: 198' / Cat. No. A05014049 Directed by: David Alden | Conductor: Zubin Mehta | Soloists: Waltraud Meier, Jan-Hendrik Rootering, René Kollo, ClaesHåkan Ahnsjö, Nadine Secunde, Bernd Weikl | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Chor und Ballett der Bayerischen Staatsoper The double title of the opera "Tannhäuser oder der Sängerkrieg auf der Wartburg", which had its grand premiere on 19 October 1845 under Wagner"s direction in the Hoftheater in Dresden, is already an indication of how Wagner"s work unites two circles of material whose tradition stems from separate sources. The figure of the minnesinger is an historical fact and his episodes are documented with the "Tannhäuserlied" as far back as 1520. In a musical sense, the contrast between diatonicism and chromaticism is symbolic of two different worlds. Wagner revised the original work from 1845 in 1847, among other things, by changing the finale and then adapted the opera once again for a Paris production in 1861 (this is the "Parisian version" with additions). David Alden's new production by the Bavarian State Opera at the National Theater in Munich, which premiered at the opera festival on 6 July 1994, was celebrated by audiences and music journals alike as a milestone of contemporary Wagner adoptions. Zubin Mehta conducted this focused yet enchanting musical interpretation.

RICHARD WAGNER: TANNHÄUSER Length: 303' / Cat. No. A05018876 Directed by: Nikolaus Lehnhoff | Conductor: Philippe Jordan | Soloists: Robert Gambill, Waltraud Meier, Camilla Nylund, Stephen Milling, Roman Trekel | Orchestra/Chorus: Festspielhaus-Chor Baden-Baden, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin From the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden: "Tannhäuser" by Richard Wagner (1813-1883). Conductor: Philippe Jordan - Stage director: Nikolaus Lehnhoff. With Robert Gambill (Tannhäuser), Camilla Nylund (Elisabeth), Waltraud Meier (Venus), Stephen Milling (Landgraf), Roman Trekel (Wolfram von Eschenbach). Simultaneously with the Bayreuth Festival began on 25 July 2008 the Summer Festival in Baden-Baden. On the program also Wagner with a first-class cast of singers. "Singing festival in Anti-Bayreuth" wrote the German daily Tagesspiegel. Radio DKultur described the high quality of the production: "Too bad this evening Wagner was over after almost six hours with two hour breaks so quickly." With 2,500 seats the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden is Germany's largest opera house and concert hall. It was opened in 1998.

RICHARD WAGNER: TRISTAN UND ISOLDE Length: 225' / Cat. No. A05050444 Directed by: Johannes Felsenstein | Conductor: Golo Berg | Soloists: Richard Decker, Iordanka Derilova, Marek Wojciechowski | Orchestra/Chorus/Bellet: Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau “There are no bounds to the longing, the desire, the bliss, and the anguish of love. The world, power, fame, glory, honor, chivalry,loyalty, friendship...all are swept away. Only one thing is left alive...yearning, yearning, insatiable desire....“ (Richard Wagner). Of all operas, perhaps the one that least needs ingenious extramusical assistance is “Tristan”, this aurally erotic work that speaks so vividly to the listener‘s inner eye. Wagner‘s score is simply more illustrative and sensuously pictorial than any series of stage pictures could be. Golo Berg’s sensuous conducting of the Dessau Philharmonic, continually presses that truth home. He leads the orchestra in a lithe and propulsive performance that shows unusual consideration for the wonderful voices of the singers. A sensational opera night at a small German opera company.

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SERGEI PROKOFIEV: THE FIERY ANGEL Length: 124' / Cat. No. A05013527 Directed by: David Freeman | Conductor: Valery Gergiev | Soloists: Galina Gorchakova, Sergei Leiferkus, Evgenia PerlasovaVerkovich, Mikhail Kit, Larissa Dyadkova | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Chorus and Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, The St Petersburg Mariinsky Acrobatic Troupe Valéry Gergiev is said to be at his best when interpreting Russian composers. Convincing evidence is given with this production of Sergei Prokofiev’s “The Fiery Ange”l from the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. Prokofiev's disturbingly enigmatic opera was never performed during his lifetime – it was considered too decadent by Stalin and his successors – but David Freeman's imaginative production asserts it as one of the composer's greatest masterpieces. Galina Gorchakova and Sergei Leiferkus inspire with brilliant performances in the two main roles. The opera is derived from a novel by the Russian decadent Valéry Bryusov. Ostensibly, it is a tale of religious hysteria and demonic possession and also explores symbolically the love triangle endured by the writer and his self-destructive lover, the poet Nina Petrovskaya. David Freeman has completely entered into this opera's strangely unnerving world. Evil is all around us and in his sensational production the image is taken quite literally.

SERGEI PROKOFIEV: WAR AND PEACE Length: 253' / Cat. No. A75000017 Directed by: Graham Vick | Conductor: Valéry Gergiev | Soloists: Olga Borodina, Alexander Gergalov, Gegam Gregoriam, Nicolai Othnotnikov, Yelena Prochina | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the Kirov Opera Sergei Prokofiev devoted the last twelve years of his life to War and Peace. He completed the instrumentalisation by April 1942 and the entire score was ready in March 1943. Having completed the first version (containing eleven scenes) unusually quickly, the composer continued working on the opera over the next ten years. Consequently, the work has appeared in different versions and orchestrations. Tolstoy’s massive chronicle of Russian family life during and after the Napoleonic Wars is one of the greatest novels in world literature and is very close to the hearts and experiences of the Russian people. During World War II, another ‘great patriotic war’, the Soviet authorities, in the face of the Nazi invasion, pasted pages of Tolstoy’s book on to public buildings. Writing his final opera during this momentous period, Prokofiev very skilfully captured Tolstoy’s piercing insight into human nature, choosing dramatic key moments from Tolstoy to reflect private and public destinies against a background of Russia under threat. This production of War and Peace was mounted at a time when the country was again undergoing momentous changes. The greatest landmark in the stage history of the opera came with the 1991 production at the Mariinsky Theatre, when Prokoviev´s complete score was performed for the first time with no cuts (the musical director and conductor was Valéry Gergiev and the production was directed by Graham Vick and designed by Tim O´Brian). This production, staged at the start of the third millennium, presents a fresh reading of Prokofiev´s masterpiece.

VINCENZO BELLINI: NORMA Cat. No. A05050466 Directed by: Francisco Negrin | Conductor: Giuliano Carella | Soloists: Vincenzo La Scola, Fiorenza Cedolins, Sonia Ganassi, Andrea Papi, Begoña Alberdi | Orchestra/Chorus: Orchestra Sinfònica i Cor del Gran Teatre del Liceu Arthaus Musik presents a powerful story of love, betrayal and honour, “Norma” is a classic of the belcanto tradition, combining lavish vocal splendour with a story of great passion and nobility. Over the centuries, opera composers and librettists have created scores of spectacular roles for sopranos. And of all the great soprano roles in operatic history, there‘s one that may cover more dramatic territory, and demand more of those who perform it, than any other. The title character in Bellini‘s “Norma” is a role with emotions ranging from haughty and demanding, to desperately passionate, to vengeful and defiant. And the singer must convey all of this while confronting some of the most vocally challenging music ever composed. Italian soprano Fiorenza Cedolins is one of the most thrilling Normas of the younger operatic generation of singers. Along with a distinguished supporting cast (Sonia Ganassi as Adalgisa and Vincenzo La Scola as Pollione) this finest psychologically staged production by Francisco Negrin, conducted by Giuliano Carella, makes the belcanto tradition vivid and exciting for all generations.

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VLADIMIR DESHEVOV: ICE AND STEEL Length: 105' / Cat. No. A05018879 Directed by: Immo Karaman | Choreography by: Fabian Posca | Conductor: Will Humburg | Soloists: Algirdas Drevinskas, Hiroshi Matsui, Yevgeny Taruntsov, Anna Toneeva | Orchestra/Chorus: Saarländisches Staatsorchester, Chorus of the Saaländisches Staatstheater Ice and Steel – A unique historical witness! – During the 1920s Vladimir Dechevov (1889 – 1955) was regarded as one of the most promising younger Soviet composers. Darius Milhaud, who made his acquaintance in 1926 during a visit to Leningrad, praised him in the French press as a “genius” and “extremely original”. However, subsequent attempts to make his compositions better known abroad were unsuccessful. In 1929 followed Dechevov’s best-known composition: Ice and Steel. But such were the ideological tensions of this period that this avant-garde work soon disappeared from the public stage. Although Dechevov was one of the chief proponents of the left wing musical avant-garde in the 1920s and explicitly came out in favour of critical appropriation of elements from Western modernism, he was not subjected to direct ideological attacks during the Stalinist era. Neither, however, despite clearly moderating his compositional style, did he succeed in obtaining a prominent position in the conformist musical culture of socialist realism that held sway after 1932. It was only after the outbreak of the Second World War that he started once again to produce major works of his own: ballet music based on classical materials and patriotic tone poems. However, these did not prevent his name from increasingly being forgotten.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: COSI FAN TUTTE Length: 139' / Cat. No. A06001125 Directed by: Willy Decker | Conductor: Arnold Östmann | Soloists: Ann Christine Biel, Maria Höglind, Ulla Severin, Enzo Florimo, Magnus Linden, Lars Tibell | Orchestra/Chorus: Drottningholm Court Theatre Chorus and Orchestra The old philosopher Don Alfonso enrages his two friends, the officers Ferrando and Guglielmo, with his claim that their fiancées will sooner or later be unfaithful to them - like all women. He proposes a wager, which the two friends accept. They swear on their honour as soldiers that they will prove him wrong and that Dorabella and Fiordiligi are not like “all women”. The immaculately restored eighteenth-century Court Theatre at the country residence of the Swedish Royal Family is the ideal home for period opera. Ever since Drottningholm Court Theatre was rediscovered in the 1920s, it has served as a living memorial to the fabulous extravagance of courtly entertainment and provided the wherewithal for the recreation of the spectacular scenic transformations of the seventeenth and eighteenth century operatic repertoire. The conductor Arnold Östman was appointed Drottningholm’s Artistic Director in 1980 and immediately set about establishing a Drottningholm Mozart style, attempting to recapture an authentic flavour through detailed historical research and the use of period instruments. He collaborates with German producer Willy Decker on this ever-popular Mozart comedy with an extensively rehearsed cast of young Swedish singers who “…proved a triumph of stylish teamwork, with singers and orchestra listening to each other, almost as it were breathing together.” (Daily Telegraph)

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: DIE ENTFUEHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL Length: 133' / Cat. No. A06001121 Directed by: Harald Clemen | Conductor: Arnold Östmann | Soloists: Richard Croft, Elisabeth Hellström, Aga Winska, BengtOla Morgny, Emmerich Schäffer, Tamas Szüle | Orchestra/Chorus: Drottningholm Court Theatre Chorus and Orchestra Set in the exotic seraglio of the Pasha Selim, the story revolves around the rescue of the lovely Constanze by her lover Belmonte – a tale of love, bravery and forgiveness. In this work, Mozart breaks new ground in introducing dramatically rounded characters with recognisably human feelings and weaknesses. The work influenced and changed the nature of opera throughout Europe. This charming production from Drottningholm does full justice to Mozart’s score. Arnold Östman’s deliberate conducting combined with Carl Friedrich Oberle’s design demonstrates that this really is “an eternal masterpiece of music drama by a youthful, exuberant composer who suddenly found his individual voice and style in the field of opera with this particular work” (Opera now)

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WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL Length: 130' / Cat. No. A05050477 Directed by: Günther Rennert | Conductor: Gary Bertini | Soloists: Zdzisława Donat, Horst Laubenthal, Martti Talvela, Hans Peter Hallwachs, Barbara Vogel, Norbert Orth, Knut Sommer | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin Mozart composed his Singspiel “Die Entführung aus dem Serail” in 1781, encouraged by no one less than the Austrian emperor Joseph II in order to emphasise the importance of this “national” form of music theatre as opposed to the Italian opera. It was a great success during Mozart’s lifetime and has until today lost none of its magic. In 1976 the Deutsche Oper Berlin presented a new stage direction, after Gustav Rudolf Sellner’s had been played there for many years, by the renowned Günther Rennert. Besides widely known soloists like Horst Laubenthal and Zdzisława Donat, or the actor Hans Peter Hallwachs as Selim, the star of the evening was undoubtedly the Finnish multi-talented bass Martti Talvela. The premiere in December 1976 was recorded live and broadcast on ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen).

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE FOR KIDS Cat. No. A05050467 Directed by: Ulrich Peter | Conductor: Thomas Barthel | Soloists: Ruben Drole, Franziska Rabl, Boguslaw Bidzinski, Philippe Duminy, Rebeca Olvera, James Elliot | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Oper Zürich Mozart’s masterpiece is presented in a version shortened to 60 minutes for the youngest (from 5 years), young and also adult audiences, thus providing children with their first insight into the fascinating world of opera. Papageno is the presenter, who accompanies the audience through the piece in an easily understandable, cheerful manner, and experiences his adventures with the prince Tamino, who has fallen in love with Pamina, the daughter of the Queen of the Night, and yearns to liberate her from the kingdom of Sarastro, who has abducted her. However, until the happy ending of the piece, there are numerous hindrances to be overcome, such as wild beasts that bar Tamino’s path, or Monostatos, who has also fallen in love with Pamina. And even if Papageno is in no mood for heroic deeds, his yearning for a “girl or young woman” is rewarded – and her name, of course, is Papagena.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE Length: 161' / Cat. No. A06001122 Directed by: Göran Järvefelt | Conductor: Arnold Östmann | Soloists: Ann Christine Biel, Birgit Louise Frandsen, Birgitta Larsson, Stefan Dahlberg, Mikael Samuelsson, László Polgár | Orchestra/Chorus: Drottningholm Court Theatre Chorus and Orchestra Die Zauberflöte is the artistic and philosophical testament of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who died a few weeks after the work’s première in Vienna. Intertwining music of awesome purity and beauty with the conventions of the singspiel - a popular form of musical comedy – Mozart’s final operatic legacy to the world explores Man’s search for the truth and his confusion between the forces of dark and light and the final utopian resolution of seemingly irreconcilable elements. Because of the opera’s relationship to freemasonry, commentators have identified Tamino with the Emperor Joseph II, Pamina with the Austrian people, Sarastro with Ignaz von Born, Monostatos with the clergy and the Queen of the Night with the Empress Maria Theresa. Whichever level one approaches Die Zauberflöte on, it remains a great work in the spirit of the Enlightenment as well as a delightful fairy-tale. Nothing is so simple as to be absolutely clear-cut. In life, the serious and the comic often intermingle in a way that is disconcerting. In Die Zauberflöte, Mozart succeeds in combining these two elements in a way which has never been surpassed. The light and vibrant presentation of the Scandinavian cast internationally renowned bass Lászlo Polgár is the only non-Scandinavian soloists – the authentic staging and the lean orchestra sound conducted by the illustrious Arnold Östman makes this performance definitely one of the best Zauberflöteperformances of the 20th century.

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WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: DON GIOVANNI Length: 176' / Cat. No. A05050471 Directed by: Carl Ebert | Conductor: Ferenc Fricsay | Soloists: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elisabeth Grümmer, Pilar Lorengar, Josef Greindl, Donald Grobe, Walter Berry, Erika Köth | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin The opening of the Deutsche Oper Berlin on 24 September 1961 is always seen in the context of partition of Germany, cemented six weeks earlier, and the construction of the Berlin Wall. The coincidence of the two events did not go unnoticed in the many press reports at the time, with most citing remarks about the city’s circumstances by the then Governing Mayor of Berlin, Willy Brandt: “Having experienced more in the last few weeks than in an entire generation, a city divided by a wall of coercion and shame is once again making music, producing theatre, staging fine international exhibitions and can at last open the doors of its long-awaited new opera house.” For almost twenty years – since the destruction of the former “Deutsches Opernhaus” in November 1943 – Berlin had had to make do with a makeshift stage. Although already in the early stages of a terminal illness, Ferenc Fricsay conducted the inaugural performance. Fricsay died in 1963. Staged by Carl Ebert, the performance featured a cast of singers unparalleled to this day, including Dietrich Fischer- Dieskau in the title role, Elisabeth Grümmer and Pilar Lorengar as Donna Anna and Donna Elvira, Donald Grobe, who stepped in at short notice and built an international career on his performance, Walter Berry as Leporello and Erika Köth as Zerlina. The inaugural performance of Don Giovanni at the Deutsche Oper Berlin is available here for the first time on DVD.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: DON GIOVANNI Cat. No. A05050465 Directed by: Walter Felsenstein | Conductor: Zdeněk Košler | Soloists: György Melis, Klara Barlow, John Moulson, Rudolf Asmus, Anny Schlemm, Herbert Rössler | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin Walter Felsenstein (1901–1975), founder and general director of the Komische Oper in Berlin, was one of the twentieth century’s greatest creative theatre directors, who played a hugely important role in the revival of opera as a theatrical art form. A brilliant artist who directed over 190 productions during the course of his career, he was equally committed to the works, their creators, the ensemble and the audience. With his adaption of “Don Giovanni” (1966) Felsenstein paid homage to Mozart and his ingenious work which he always admired. He decided to celebrate the reopening of the Komische Oper (1966) with the premiere of this “opera of all operas”, which blends comedy, melodrama and supernatural elements. As Don Giovanni, Felsenstein assigned the Hungarian baritone György Melis. This outstanding singer, who had already interpreted the role of the amorous conquerer at the Festivals of Glyndebourne in 1961, appeared in Felsenstein’s adaption also as an outstanding actor. With impressive Klara Barlow as Donna Anna and a distinguished cast at his side this production is an extraordinary listening pleasure. Besides that it sets benchmarks in filming operas. “Don Giovanni” by Felsenstein is a filmed opera, rather than a feature film based on the opera, and reflects a particular staging of this masterpiece in opera history. Through the lens, Felsenstein made this work come alive to reveal the various personal relationships at the core of the quintessential tragicomedy by Mozart. The founder of the Komische Oper Berlin brought his own genius to the result in a film that is as strong dramatically as it is musically. Through his efforts in filming this opera, Felsenstein does not minimize music in this film but rather intensifies it.

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WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: IDOMENEO Length: 143' / Cat. No. A06001120 Directed by: Michael Hampe | Conductor: Arnold Östmann | Soloists: Ann Christine Biel, Stuart Kale, Anita Soldh, David Kuebler, John-Eric Jacobsen, Olle Sköld | Orchestra/Chorus: Drottningholm Court Theatre Chorus and Orchestra Idomeneo, King of Crete, has been away from home during the long years of the Trojan War. Idamante, his son, now regent of the island, waits for his return, heralded by the arrival of Trojan prisoners in Crete. One of these prisoners is Ilia, daughter of the murdered King Priam of Troy. Idamante has fallen in love with Ilia, but is loved by Electra, daughter of the Greek King, Agamemnon, who is taken refuge in Crete. The Drottningholm Court Theatre is a tiny and exquisite rococo theatre, the only surviving eighteenth-century theatre in Europe in perfectly-preserved working order. The Swedish conductor and musicologist Arnold Östman became the theatre’s director in 1981 and introduced an orchestra of original instruments playing an authentic style to complement the unique atmosphere of his surroundings and he has steadily built up a worldwide reputation for his authentic interpretation of Mozart. This revised revival of the acclaimed 1986 Drottningholm production by Michael Hampe conducted by Arnold Östman, was staged during the Mozart Bicentenary year. Combining both tragedy and comedy with drama, Idomeneo boasts a series of superbly expressive pieces which Einstein described as “one of those works that even a genius of the highest rank, like Mozart, could write only once in his life.”

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: LA CLEMENZA DI TITO Length: 128' / Cat. No. A06001124 Directed by: Göran Järvefelt | Conductor: Arnold Östmann | Soloists: Marie Höglind, Anita Soldh, Pia-Maria Nilsson, Stefan Dahlberg, Lani Poulson | Orchestra/Chorus: Drottningholm Court Theatre Chorus and Orchestra Premiered not very successfully, in Prague on September 6th 1791, La Clemenza di Tito had turned into a considerable triumph within a month and was the first Mozart opera to be heard in London in 1806. The opera celebrates one man’s wisdom and regal benevolence and his struggle to maintain clemency no matter what the provocation. Vitellia, daughter of the deposed Emperor, believes the title of Empress to be hers by right of birth. Despite her love for Tito she seeks revenge when he plans to marry another. A dreadful conspiracy begins to unfold where passion overrides loyalty, and integrity is tested to the extreme. For his last opera, written for the coronation of Leopold II as King of Bohemia in 1791, Mozart used a formal opera seria libretto, but at its heart are intimate scenes of intense emotional conflicts.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: LA CLEMENZA DI TITO Length: 143' / Cat. No. A02006813 Directed by: Nicholas Hytner | Conductor: Andrew Davis | Soloists: Philip Langridge, Diana Montague, Elzbieta Szmytka, Martine Mahé, Ashley Putnam, Peter Rose | Orchestra/Chorus: London Philharmonic Orchestra, Glyndebourne Chorus La Clemenza di Tito was commissioned to celebrate the coronation of the Emperor Leopold II as King of Bohemia in 1791, and was written in eighteen days. Nicholas Hytner's elegant new staging, performed in the original Italian language, was premiered during the Mozart Bicentenary season at Glyndebourne on 28th June, 1991. An impressive cast is led by Philip Langridge (Tito), Ashley Putnam (Vitellia) and Diana Montague (Sesto). New recitatives, to replace those written by Mozart’s pupil Süssmayr, were commissioned from composer Stephen Oliver for this production. Andrew Davis conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

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WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: LA FINTA GIARDINIERA Length: 150' / Cat. No. A06000766 Directed by: Göran Järvefelt | Conductor: Arnold Östmann | Soloists: Britt-Marie Aruhn, Ann Christine Biel, Petteri Salomaa, Richard Croft, Stuart Kale, Annika Skolund | Orchestra/Chorus: Drottningholm Court Theatre Chorus and Orchestra Mozart’s charming opera tells the story of a Countess who disguises herself as a gardener in order to find and forgive her lover, who thinks he has killed her in a quarrel. The score is one of real musical delights with uncommonly rich and full orchestration and prominent parts for wind in particular. Arnold Östman conducts this Göran Järvefelt production in which the countes is played by Britt-Marie Aruhn.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: LE NOZZE DI FIGARO Cat. No. A05050464 Directed by: Walter Felsenstein | Conductor: Geza Oberfrank | Soloists: Ursula Reinhardt-Kiss, Jozsef Dene, Ute TrekelBurkhardt, Werner Enders, Uwe Kreyssig | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin The Marriage of Figaro that received its premiere on 26 February 1975 in the Komische Oper Berlin was Walter Felsenstein’s last production and in many respects can be regarded as representing his legacy. Having just returned from directing a guest production at Vienna’s Burgtheater, Felsenstein had been working on Figaro since early February 1974. He had already directed three productions of the work – in 1934 in Cologne, in 1942 at the Salzburg Festival and in 1950 at the Komische Oper. For the latter production, he had used earlier translations as the basis for producing a new text version, but he now decided that this was inadequate, as he had reached the conclusion that from the point of view of both form and expression, rhyme was crucial at many points in the musical numbers. He also wanted to further fine-tune the formulation of the text – putting the emphasis on the sense rather than word-for-word equivalence (which was, in any case, impossible). For a 74-year-old, Felsenstein had a punishing work schedule. In addition to working on Figaro (translating the libretto, analysing the pieces with the conductor, working on the overall concept, holding discussions with the set and costume designers), he also had to find time for his work as General Director, for congresses, for a guest production of Bluebeard and for many other duties. His principle was, “always to start from the beginning again, to try to reach an understanding of the text and the music as though they had never before been interpreted or ‘understood’. I call it ‘taking the work literally’. And it is above all the music that has to be taken literally.” Thus he tried to approach even his fourth production of the work in a spirit of ‘naivety’, while, at the same time, benefiting from the experience gained with his previous productions. With inexorable meticulousness, Felsenstein pored over the opera, consulting its roots in the works of Beaumarchais and Paisiello (The Barber of Seville) in order to be able to understand the relationship between the characters in Mozart’s work.

WOLFGANG RIHM: OEDIPUS Length: 120' / Cat. No. A05006566 Directed by: Götz Friedrich | Conductor: Christof Prick | Soloists: Andreas Schmidt, William Pell, William Dooley, Lenus Carlson, William Murray, Emily Golden | Orchestra: Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin As one of the most versatile and best-known contemporary German composers, Wolfgang Rihm has always impressed and shocked with the powerful expressiveness of his music. And his “Oedipus”, originally commissioned by the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1987 has lost nothing of its musical impact over the years. Rihm’s opera – in an impressive production by the intendant and principal director at the time, Götz Friedrich, with baritone Andreas Schmidt (at the start of his international career) in the title role – was praised by audiences and critics alike. Schmidt was subsequently not only much in demand as a performer of the classical repertoire and a lieder recitalist but also gained a reputation for his interpretations of works by other contemporary composers ranging from Hans Werner Henze to Peter Ruzicka. The literary figure of Oedipus – the man who unknowingly killed his father and fathered four children with his mother, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of the oracle – is a staple of western culture. The process by which he develops towards eventual recognition of his guilt is a painful one. In the end, Oedipus punishes himself in a theatrical gesture by gouging out his eyes. With its exploration of the theme of guilt and responsibility it is a legend that never fails to fascinate – and is ideal material for the operatic stage.

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OPERETTA

FRANZ LEHÁR: DIE LUSTIGE WITWE Length: 125' / Cat. No.: A05050453 Composer: Franz Lehár | Directed by: Helmuth Lohner | Conductor: Franz Welser-Möst | Soloists: Ute Gfrerer, Rodney Gilfry, Dagmar Schellenberger, Piotr Beczala | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Oper Zürich To save the billions belonging to the young and attractive widow Hanna Glawari for his country Pontevedro, Baron Zeta initiates a very special matchmaking: he commands the charming womanizer Count Danilo Danilowitsch to carry out his patriotic duty in marrying the widow. What the baron cannot have known is that Danilo and Hanna already had a relationship in the past… Helmut Lohner really excels in presenting this amusing love story on stage. The gorgeous set (mainly designed in red and gold), the elegant costumes (with an accomplished mix of traditional costumes and Parisian evening attire, which perfectly reflects the mix in Lehár’s composition), and the presentation of the characters (with a shrewd eye-twinkling) add up to a formidable whole.

JOHANN STRAUSS JR.: DIE FLEDERMAUS Length: 197' / Cat. No.: A02006815 Composer: Johann Strauß | Directed by: John Cox | Conductor: Richard Bonynge | Soloists: Nancy Gustafson, Jochen Kowalski, Louis Otey, Marilyn Horne, Luciano Pavarotti, Dame Joan Sutherland, Judith Howarth | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House After its first performance in Vienna, the operetta Die Fledermaus set out to conquer the world. It is one of the few operettas which are regularly staged by the great opera houses of the world such as the New York Metropolitan Opera, the Milan Scala, The Staatsoper in Vienna and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London. In 1977 John Cox directed the piece in London with a lavish production using a stage set of Julia Trevelyan Oman. On New Year’s Eve of 1990 this production gave the luxurious setting for Joan Sutherland’s farewell from her London audience which had admired the singer since her great success at this famous opera house in the fifties. The glittering party in the second act of Die Fledermaus reached its high point during her tumultuously applauded appearance and the engagement of her friends and colleagues Luciano Pavarotti and Marilyn Horne with whom she had often appeared together on stage.

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BALLET

ALICE Length: 64' / Cat. No.: A99001669 Composer: David Del Tredici | Directed by: Norman Campbell | Choreography by: Glen Tetley | Conductor: Ermanno Florio Many creative talents have found inspiration in the books of Lewis Carroll, and Glen Tetley's ballet on this theme is set to music by David Del Tredici. His multi-layered ballet presents many of the famous characters from the Alice books and also speculates on the relationship between Carroll and his real life muse, ten-year-old Alice Liddell. Music, dance and design are combined to great dramatic effect in this specially-staged studio recording, which stars prima ballerina Karen Kain.

ALONZO KING Length: 160' / Cat. No.: A05050494 Composer: Mickey Hart, Arcangelo Corelli, Francis Poulenc, Zakir Hussain | Choreography by: Alonzo King | Orchestra/ Chorus/Ballet: Alonzo King Lines Ballet The choreographer Alonzo King, acclaimed as “one of the few, true Ballet Masters of our times” by world-famous William Forsythe, works with his company The Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco. Before founding LINES Ballet in 1982 King has been working for companies around the world, including the Frankfurt Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, the Washington Ballet and the Hong Kong Ballet. With its global perspective on dance the LINES Ballet attracts worldwide attention combining modern dance and classical ballet. Alonzo King gives his dancers the chance to get involved into the creative process of the choreography. Critics often comment on the “new language” or “re-invention of form” arising in King‘s choreographies.

BALLERINA Length: 239' / Cat. No.: A025030660000 / 4 episodes Directed by: Derek Bailey This four-part series is presented by prima ballerina assoluta Natalia Makarova. It focuses on the many aspects of the female role in classical ballet, including the way a great ballerina reaches the pinnacle of her art, how she builds up a special relationship with a partner, the great roles created for her and the handing-on of knowledge and skills. Each film contains extensive dance extracts, shot on location throughout Europe with leading dancers and companies.

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BELLA FIGURA Length: 32' / Cat. No.: A02503825 Composer: Lukas Foss, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Alessandro Marcello | Directed by: Hans Hulscher | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater Like much of Jiří Kylian’s highly inventive work, this abstract piece is introspective and tantalisingly ambiguous. Most intriguing are the long crimson skirts that bare-chested dancers, both male and female, wear at times. Exquisitely beautiful, the dance flows as if it inhabits the music – a mellifluous collage of Vivaldi, Pergolesi, Marcello, Torelli and Lukas Foss. In this studio recording featuring the Nederlands Dans Theater, the dance space is strikingly defined by light and darkness, with black drapes used to frame the dancers in unusual ways.

BIRTH-DAY Length: 37' / Cat. No.: A86500312 Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Directed by: Petra Lataster-Czisch, Peter Lataster | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater III „Between our Birth-day and our Death-day much time and energy, filled with creation, desire, love and confusion, is spent … and during much of this time we make fools of ourselves. Mozart, whose music I have chosen for this production, is the greatest example of someone whose time between day ‘A’ and day ‘Z’ was painfully limited, but who nevertheless has understood life in all its richness, fantasy, clownery and madness.“ (J. Kylián)

BLACK & WHITE Length: 101' / Cat. No.: A05050502 Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Anton Webern, Steve Reich | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater Nederlands Dans Theater: the name has long stood for innovative dance theater on the cutting edge. But when Czech choreographer Jiří Kylián works with the ballet, something completely new is created. For Kylián combines his experience in neoclassical dance with the extreme techniques of modern dance. In six abstract - one might even say surreal - pieces of the ballet sequence entitled "Black and White", the Nederlands Dans Theater presents a "projection screen" for the existential questions of mankind.

CARAVAGGIO Length: 90' / Cat. No.: A05018875 Composer: Bruno Moretti, Claudio Monteverdi | Choreography by: Mauro Bigonzetti | Conductor: Paul Connelly | Soloists: Beatrice Knop, Polina Semionova, Vladimir Malakhov, Mikhail Kaniskin, Dmitry Semionov, Elisa Carrillo Cabrera, Michael Banzhaf | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Staatsballett Berlin, Staatskapelle Berlin Caravaggio, born Michelangelo Merisi, has entered history due to his paintings of dramatic intensity. Caravaggio used to venture the threshold beyond the pale throughout his life. He was seen for admiration of his work and harsh opposition towards his extraordinary realism in painting human beings. Due to his passionate personality, he encountered more than several confl icts with people around him, sponsors, and the law. One of his foremost artistic twists was the extreme contrast between brightness and darkness, light and shadow. Mauro Bigonzetti is one of the leading choreographers of the Italian ballet which freed itself from the predominance of mainly classical opera companies in the 80’s. He created his choreographies mainly for the Aterballetto in Reggio Emilia that helped him to fame and worldwide attention. “When I think of Caravaggio, I think of the artist and the human being at the same time. These are the two sides of the human existence that interest me in particular. The relations of these two worlds are the inspiration for this work:

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CINDERELLA Length: 100' / Cat. No.: A05014011 Composer: Sergei Prokofiev | Choreography by: Maguy Marin | Conductor: Yakov Kreisberg | Soloists: Françoise Jouillie, Dominique Laine, Jayne Plaisted, Patrick Azzopardi, Bernard Cauchard, Nathalie Delassis, Danielle Pater | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Orchestre et Ballet de l’Opéra national de Lyon The ballet Solushka (Cinderella), by Sergei Prokofiev, was written as a commissioned work for the famous ballet company of the Kirov Theatre in what is now St Petersburg. Its premiere, however, actually took place in Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre on 21 November 1945. The work achieved international status with Frederick Ashton’s version, which appeared under the English title of Cinderella in 1948. The accompanying recording of Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Cinderella is taken from a performance by the Opéra National de Lyon in 1989, choreographed by Maguy Marin. Set and costumes are by Montserrat Casanova, lighting design by John Spradbery, and the musical directorship of the Opéra National taken up by Yakov Kreisberg. Studio production of the Lyon Opera House recording was by Måns Reuterswärd.

COPPÉLIA Length: 90' / Cat. No.: A05014178 Composer: Léo Delibes | Directed by: Thomas Grimm | Choreography by: Maguy Marin | Conductor: Kent Nagano | Soloists: Nerses Boyadjian, Maria Brown, Francoise Joullie, Josu Zabala | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Orchestre et Ballet de l’Opéra national de Lyon Léo Delibes was 30 years old when he achieved his critical breakthrough in France’s musical metropolis. Having made his debut with the music for the ballet La Source (The Source), he was immediately entrusted with the commission of writing a ballet composition that would fill an entire evening performance; the result was Coppélia. The scenery for this fairy-tale piece was designed by Charles Nuitter, and the story was taken from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Der Sandmann (The Sandman). In 1994 the Opéra National de Lyon performed Léo Delibes’s ballet Coppélia under the choreography of Maguy Martin. The set was designed by Renaud Gaulot, costumes by Montserrat Casanova, with lighting by Jørgen S. Johannessen. Kent Nagano conducted the orchestra of the Opéra National.

CORPS Length: 30' / Cat. No.: A86500116 Composer: Alban Berg | Directed by: Wilbert Bank | Choreography by: Hans van Manen | Conductor: Sir Colin Davis Hans van Manen's Corps takes its inspiration from Alban Berg's elegiac Violin Concerto and reflects the 'longing for' and 'taking leave of' expressed in the music. The nervous restlessness and often aggressive pattern of the movements capture the impotent rage invoked by the death of a loved one. The corps de ballet plays a leading role, interacting with twelve male dancers and three female dancers. This performance by the Dutch National Ballet was recorded in studio and Gidon Kremer is the soloist with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis.

CRY Length: 30' / Cat. No.: A02503823 Music: Alice Coltrane, Laura Nyro, Chuck Griffin | Choreography by: | Alvin Ailey | Ballet company: | Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater | Soloist: | Deborah Manning | Directed by: | Thomas Grimm "Cry" was choreographed by Alvin Ailey in 1971 for Judith Jamison and has remained central to the Ailey repertoire ever since. It is Ailey's tribute to black women and he created it as a birthday present to his mother. The dance evokes the struggle of black women and shows this struggle turning to anger and finally to celebration.

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DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM: TRIPLE BILL Length: 59' / Cat. No.: A905000670000 Choreography by: Agnes de Mille, Lester Horton, Arthur Mitchell, Robert North | Conductor: David Lamarche, Markus Lethinen | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Dance Theatre of Harlem The “Dance Theatre of Harlem’s” birthplace was in a disused garage in Harlem, a black district of New York. Arthur Mitchell, the founder who still acts as its artistic director, set up the ballet school with the aim of giving black dancers the opportunity of sound training, as their skin color meant that they often encountered difficulties finding employment with existing companies which consisted mainly of white dancers. Since its humble beginnings in 1969 – it was founded shortly after the murder of Martin Luther King – the “Dance Theatre of Harlem” has attained worldwide status. Today the repertoire is performing a representative cross section from the history of artistic dancing. Alongside classics of the Russian school such as “Swan Lake” and “Sheherazade” are shown the successful neoclassical dance routines from the years following the First World War as well as works by contemporary choreographers.

DANCEMAKERS: LAR LUBOVITCH Length: 48' / Cat. No.: A025031140000 Composer: W. A. MOZART/PHILIP CLASS | Directed by: Bob Lockyer | Choreography by: Lar Lubovitch The Lar Lubovitch Dance Company exhibits a characteristic New York vitality and energy. Their idiosyncratic style of movement is loose-limbed and athletic, with a casual exuberance that asks not to be taken too seriously. Music is often the catalyst for Lubovitch's choreography, and this is demonstrated by the two works performed in this studio recording: Concerto Six Twenty-Two, danced to Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A major K622, and North Star, to music by Philip Glass.

DARK Length: 84' / Cat. No.: A065001800000 Composer: Joachim Kühn | Choreography by: Carolyn Carlson | Soloists: Michele Abbondanza, Antonella Bertoni, Magda Borrull Pascual, Colette Malye, Peter Morin, Markku Nenonen, Toméo Vergés Her body is long and slender – emaciated, almost. But certainly not lacking strength. Those distinctive lines – once in motion – are reminiscent of the rapid strokes of a calligrapher’s brush moving across a sheet of paper. Yet for all the spontaneity, every detail is considered. Nothing is left to chance. And the observer is given complete freedom to interpret the message the choreographer communicates in partnership with her performers, the composer and the designers of set, costume and lighting. Carolyn Carlson is a magician of ambiguity who transports her audience into a netherworld where life meets death. Her characters (or choreographic structures) are subject to constant metamorphosis. For the inspiration she offers, modern and contemporary dance owes a debt of gratitude to this purist of simplicity. The piece is set to an original score by Joachim Kühn, played on a piano, modified via a digital console. A company of eight dancers, including Carlson herself, perform Dark for this specially-shot studio recording.

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DEAD DREAMS OF MONOCHROME MEN Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A05510294 Choreography by: David Hinton, Clara Van Gool | Soloists: Gabriel Castillo, Kate Champion, Nigel Charnock, Nigel Charnock, Jordi Cortes Molina, Jordi Cortes Molina, David Emanuel, Ross Hounslow, Wendy Houstoun, Jeremy James, Juan Kruz Diaz De Garaio Esnaola, Russell Maliphant, Lloyd Newson, Melanie Pappenheim (Vocals), Diana Payne-Myers, Lauren Potter, Liam Steel, Dale Tanner, Robert Tannion, Douglas Wright | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: DV8 Physical Theatre: This visually stunning and emotionally raw piece of dance theatre was conceived with reference to the notorious Dennis Nilsen's murders of homeless London teenagers. It is a passionately sympathetic look at loneliness, at the terrible consequences of lust imagined as love and trust turned to vicious sexual torment. Created by Lloyd Newson, Nigel Charnock, Russell Maliphant and Douglas Wright, who perform in this film version, it was specially reworked for the cameras, losing none of its hard-hitting intensity. (Music by Sally Herbert)

DÉJÀ VU Length: 13' / Cat. No.: A05050499 Composer: Arvo Pärt | Soloists: Tasmin Little, Martin Rosco | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater The first in the series he called Déjà vu. “And? Have you seen anything like this before?” he seemed to fix his critics good and proper. He created Déjà vu in June 1995 for two dancers in the junior troupe: Yolanda Martin and Fabrice Mazliah, both just twenty years old. Their entrée is highly unorthodox. They crawl backwards from the wings on all fours, dressed in black cat suits, one from the left, the other from the right. He uses Arvo Pärt’s music Fratres – which had, indeed, been used over and over by choreographers from all over the world – as the complement of a refined and intense struggle for power between two equal partners, man and woman.

DER TRAUM IST AUS (INTRODUCTION AND BALLET) Length: 55' / Cat. No.: A055103210000 Composer: John Lennon | Directed by: Thomas Grimm | Choreography by: Christopher Bruce Christopher Bruce's ballet, specially-choreographed for television, is set to music by John Lennon and performed by soloists of the Cullberg Ballet. The piece has a biographical theme and includes scenes recalling Lennon with his family, breaking out of his working class background, falling in love and eventually dying at the hands of an assassin. The songs used are Mother, Working Class Hero, Love, Well, Well, Well, Look at Me, Don't Believe It, My Mummy is Dead and Imagine. A documentary introduction to this programme is also available.

DIVINING Length: 30' / Cat. No.: A02504069 Choreography by: Alvin Ailey, Judith Jamison, Talley Beatty | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre In this brilliant studio recording, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the country's boldest and most exciting dance company, brings its distinctive style home to you - dazzling, brash and dynamic, yet graceful and poetic. Divining was Judith Jamison's first major work as a choreographer for Alvin Ailey. The dance evokes a strong feeling for African tribal ritual and is set to hauntingly rhythmic drum music. Revelations expresses Ailey's intense feelings for his roots in the South. Here you'll see Ailey's vivid "blood memories" of the blues, spirituals, gospel music, ragtime and folk songs as well as the hard life of the Southern black during the Depression. Set to Modern Jazz, The Stack-Up takes place in modern-day Harlem. You'll witness the cruel reality of urban street life as a young man is destroyed by drugs. Cry was choreographed by Alvin Ailey in 1971 for Judith Jamison and is one of his most famous pieces. Created as a birthday present for his mother, it is Ailey's tribute to black women. You can't help feeling being moved by the struggle, the anger and most importantly, the celebration.

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DON QUICHOTE Length: 122' / Cat. No.: A05018881 Composer: Ludwig Minkus | Choreography by: Alexander Gorsky, Marius Petipa, Alexei Ratmansky | Conductor: Kevin Rhodes | Soloists: Anna Tsygankova, Matthew Golding, Peter de Jong, Karel de Rooij | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: The Dutch National Ballet, Holland Symfonia. Don Quichote – an audience favourite of prestigious companies worldwide – is a dazzling display of high spirits, virtuosity and Spanish temperament. The flamboyant leaps, dizzying pirouettes and crisp pointe work that are standard features of the production give the performers every opportunity to show off their technical prowess. But at the same time, the comic story based on Cervantes’ masterpiece makes strong demands on the dancers’ acting abilities. The leading Russian choreographer Alexei Ratmansky has drawn inspiration for his production from the libretto of the first version of Don Quichot by Marius Petipa, created in 1869. The former artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet and Artist in Residence of the American Ballet Theatre now has also added his own new elements and choreography to the ballet. The modern designs for the ballet, by the renowned French designer Jérôme Kaplan, refer to the times of Cervantes.

DUST AND LIGHT Length: 30' / Cat. No.: A05550196 Composer: Mickey Hart, Arcangelo Corelli, Francis Poulenc, Zakir Hussain | Choreography by: Alonzo King | Orchestra/ Chorus/Ballet: Alonzo King Lines Ballet The choreographer Alonzo King, acclaimed as “one of the few, true Ballet Masters of our times” by world-famous William Forsythe, works with his company The Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco. Before founding LINES Ballet in 1982 King has been working for companies around the world, including the Frankfurt Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, the Washington Ballet and the Hong Kong Ballet. With its global perspective on dance the LINES Ballet attracts worldwide attention combining modern dance and classical ballet. Alonzo King gives his dancers the chance to get involved into the creative process of the choreography. Critics often comment on the “new language” or “re-invention of form” arising in King‘s choreographies.

DUTCH NATIONAL BALLET Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Sergei Prokofiev, Erik Satie, Claude Debussy | Directed by: Thomas Grimm | Choreography by: Hans van Manen, Toer Van Shayk | Conductor: Bernard Haitink | Produced by: Produced by RM Arts/Dutch National Ballet/Danmarks Radio/NPS | Soloists: Paul Patto | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Quartetto Italiano, The Dutch National Ballet 7th Symphony A86500115 Length: 38' The 7th Symphony by Beethoven is often referred to as a 'dance symphony' and was described by Wagner as a 'grand apotheosis of the dance', but van Schayk hears in the music the voice of an almost obsessive idealism. Beethoven wrote the his Symphony No. 7 between 1812 and 1813, the last years of the Napoleonic Wars, and the choreographer feels that it expresses the composer's ecstatic longing to reach the sublime future he was convinced lay ahead at the end of the dark period of the war. Music performed by The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, conducted by Bernard Haitink. Große Fuge A86500117 Length: 27' A great admirer of George Balanchine, Hans van Manen was once told that Beethoven was one of the few composers whose work was impossible to choreograph. Van Manen rose to the challenge, creating Grosse Fuge to Beethoven's String Quartets, opus 133 in B flat major (Grosse Fuge) and the Cavatina from opus 130 in B flat major. The resulting work is an abstract ballet on van Manen's favourite theme - the tension and relationships between human beings. He once said, "As soon as I place two people in an empty room I express a mood or a relationship."Set Design - Jean-Paul Vroom, Costume Design - Hans van Manen, Musicians - Quartetto Italiano

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Piano Variations A865001120000 Length: 57' With a good deal of ironic and sometimes sarcastic humour eroticism and aggression between man and women are expressed in the Piano Variations choreographed on Prokofiev's Sarcasms Op. 17, to Satie's Gnossiennes Nos. 1, 2 & 3 and Debussy's Etudes No. 12, 2 & 4. In an interview van Manen he talks about the Piano Variations and his ideas in choreography.

ENTER ACHILLES Length: 50' / Cat. No.: A05510068 Choreography by: David Hinton, Clara Van Gool | Soloists: Gabriel Castillo, Kate Champion, Nigel Charnock, Nigel Charnock, Jordi Cortes Molina, Jordi Cortes Molina, David Emanuel, Ross Hounslow, Wendy Houstoun, Jeremy James, Juan Kruz Diaz De Garaio Esnaola, Russell Maliphant, Lloyd Newson, Melanie Pappenheim (Vocals), Diana Payne-Myers, Lauren Potter, Liam Steel, Dale Tanner, Robert Tannion, Douglas Wright Adapted specially for television and filmed on location, DV8’s Enter Achilles is unsettling, powerful stuff. Charting dangerous emotional ground in movement that is both innovative and revealing, Lloyd Newson’s dance theatre work explores masculinity. It is set in a shabby British pub, a testosterone-laden place where manliness is impregnable. Pint glasses permanently in hand, eight men lark around, joke crudely, and display their unanimity. But, beneath the bonhomie, there is a disturbing undercurrent of paranoia and insecurity. (Music by Adrian Jonston)

FAMILY PORTRAIT Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A06500177 Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Directed by: Birgit Cullberg | Choreography by: Birgit Cullberg Birgit Cullberg's ballet to Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio in A minor Op. 50 is set in the 1860s and concerns four people locked in a complex family conflict – a father (Niklas Ek), a mother (Eva Evdokimova), their daughter (Liselott Svalberg) and her beau (Håkan Mayer). Conflicting emotions make them virtual strangers to each other, but they are bound together by a profound love. Chromakey techniques allow the dancers to move in and out of Impressionist paintings by Manet, Monet, Turner and others.

FOLIAS Length: 30' / Cat. No.: A05510045 Composer: Gregorio Paniagua | Directed by: Klaus Lindemann | Choreography by: Hans Manniegel The Heinz Bösl Foundation Junior Company performs Hans Manniegel's colourful ballet set to a score by Gregorio Paniagula. The music was composed after a famous melody that attained wide popular currency 1500-1700 and to which the wild Portuguese folia was danced. Manniegel's theme is the madness of dancing till you drop and the often humorous choreography demands exact timing and precise rapid footwork. The fluent mixture of neo-classical and contemporary movements creates an exciting work.

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FOR BIRD WITH LOVE Length: 43' / Cat. No.: A90500112 Directed by: Thomas Grimm | Choreography by: Alvin Ailey, Ulysses Dove | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre For the American dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey (1931–1989) dance is an international art which discloses itself to all people because it doesn"t require any spoken language. Everywhere that the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre appeared, the audiences greeted the harmonic beauty, the dynamic movements and the dance-like expression of the soloists with great enthusiasm. Ailey choreographed 79 ballets and developed his own style using modern dance, jazz and classical ballet. His pieces relate amusing and earnest stories of the black inhabitants of North America. His choreographs are an expression of their deep faith as well as their grace, their sorrow and their joy of living. And of course they have a special energy and sensuality because Ailey mainly choreographed his pieces to “black” music by using elements of blues, spirituals, jazz and soul.

FRANK BRIDGE VARIATIONS Length: 24' / Cat. No.: A05050498 Composer: Benjamin Britten | Choreography by: Hans van Manen | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater Ted Brandsen, the National Ballet’s new artistic director, was ready to welcome him with open arms and after eighteen years Van Manen returned as their regular choreographer. The first work he created for the company in this capacity were the Frank Bridge Variations, set to nine out of the eleven movements of the Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, in which Benjamin Britten had used a theme from his old teacher. Strikingly, in this work Van Manen replaced the pointe technique by an earthly tone in the expression. In the funeral march the dancers merely walk the stage in stern patterns. The “less is more” adage is even more strongly expressed in the duets: a few turns, a few lifts, and maximum power of expression. Limitation reveals the master. Call it “déjà vu”, if you like.

GISELLE Length: 89' / Cat. No.: A06000910 Composer: Adolphe Adam | Directed by: Måns Reuterswärd | Choreography by: Mats Eks | Conductor: Richard Bonynge | Soloists: Ana Laguna, Luc Bouy, Yvan Auzely, Vanessa McIntosh, Lena Wennergren | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo “Giselle“ is seen as the epitome of romantic ballet and ever since its debut performance in 1841, it features among the standard repertoire of countless ballet companies. The acclaimed Swedish choreographer and dancer, Mats Ek, made dance history in the early eighties with his bizarrely unromantic and radically drastic new interpretation of the ballet classic. He interpreted the content and the style of the second act in a contemporary way for the Swedish Cullberg Ballet - one of the most famous modern dance formations in the world. Mats Ek keeps the music of Adolphe Adam: he uses a 1969 recording of the Monte Carlo Opera Orchestra conducted by Richard Bonynge that we also hear in this studio recording. The premiere cast of characters, Ana Laguna (Giselle), Luc Bouy (Albrecht), Yvan Auzely (Hilarion), Vanessa McIntosh (Bathilde) and Lena Wennergren (Myrtha), turn the accompanying recording into a first class ballet documentation. “My version of Giselle is an attempt at retelling the story. For me Giselle – and this applies to the old ballet as well – is about love. Love, which in the old version conquers death. That differs in mine. But love remains the main thing.” Mats Ek

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HAYDN, SYMPHONY IN D (WORKSHOP AND BALLET) Length: 53' / Cat. No.: A05500724 Directed by: Hans Hulscher | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián | Conductor: David Porcelijn | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater, Nederlands Balletts Orchestra | The Nederlands Dans Theatre is one of Europe's leading contemporary dance companies. Jiří Kylián, the company's Artistic Director, has been hailed by critics as a "choreographic genius". This film shows him rehearsing his ballet "Symphony in D" with students from the Royal Ballet School. The ballet, based on Joseph Haydn's Symphonies Nos. 73 and 101, is an affectionate send-up of classical ballet poses and, as well as showing Kylián in rehearsal and interview, this programme includes a full performance of the choreography given by the Nederlands Dans Theater in The Hague. The Nederlands Dans Theatre is one of Europe's leading contemporary dance companies. Jiří Kylián, the company's Artistic Director, has been hailed by critics as a "choreographic genius". This film shows him rehearsing his ballet "Symphony in D" with students from the Royal Ballet School. The ballet, based on Joseph Haydn's Symphonies Nos. 73 and 101, is an affectionate send-up of classical ballet poses and, as well as showing Kylián in rehearsal and interview, this programme includes a full performance of the choreography given by the Nederlands Dans Theater in The Hague.

INTIMATE PAGES Length: 30' / Cat. No.: A90500071 Composer: Leoš Janáček, Bill Withers | Choreography by: Christopher Bruce, Robert North | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Rambert Dance Company The musical and thematic basis for choreographer Christopher Bruce’s ballet “Intimate Pages” was the String Quartet No. 2 by the Czech composer Leoš Janáček. Indeed, Bruce even borrowed the quartet’s title for his choreographed work. A victim of unrequited love, the composer wrote this delicate and finely crafted work in 1928, the last year of his life. For a little over a decade he had been corresponding with a young married woman he had met in 1917, having written in the intervening period over six hundred letters. The ballet conveys both the joy and the anguish expressed in the music. Christopher Bruce, one of the leading contemporary British choreographers, has very close ties to the Rambert Dance Company. He trained here, joined the company in 1963 and soon rose to prominence as one of its leading dancers. In 1969 he created the first of many ballets he has devised for the troupe’s repertoire. From 1975 to 1979 he took a hand in directing the ensemble, later returning after a number years of freelance choreography to take up the position of artistic director in 1996.

JANÁČEK, SINFONIETTA Length: 24' / Cat. No.: A86500286 Directed by: Hans Hulscher | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián | Conductor: Karel Ančerl | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Česká filharmonie This studio recording featuring the Nederlands Dans Theater captures a scintillating performance of Kylián's ballet inspired by the music of his Czech compatriot, Janáček. It is danced against a backdrop of the Bohemian countryside, created by Walter Nobbe, and expresses his emotional attachment to his homeland. He chose the piece because it stands as an ode to freedom, beauty and the joy of living, and the result is a ballet full of energetic exuberance, combined with some moving lyric passages.

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JARDI TANCAT Length: 59' / Cat. No.: A865001410000 Directed by: Jellie Dekker | Choreography by: Nacho Duato | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater Nacho Duato's ballet Jardi Tancat is based on the lyrics of old Catalan folk songs, set to music and sung by María del Mar Bonnet. Its theme is the joy and pain of working the land and it is danced by three couples who continue to sow, plant, reap and thresh in proud defiance of their barren surroundings. In this programme, a performance of Jardi Tancat is preceded by an introduction in which the Spanish dancer/ choreographer talks about his work. There is film of rehearsals for the ballet and Duato is also seen preparing for the lead role in Jiři Kylián's L'Histoire du soldat.

JIŘÍ KYLIÁN'S CAR MEN Length: 26' / Cat. No.: A05550561 Composer: Claude Debussy | Directed by: Boris Paval, Jiří Kylián | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián | Soloists: Sabine Kupferberg, Gioconda Barbuto, David Krügel, Karel Hruška | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater Exactly 20 years separate Jiří Kylián’s solo Silent Cries and his black-and-white film, Car Men, made in 2006 in collaboration with the Dutch filmmaker, Boris Paval Cone. What unites the two works is the sheer expressiveness of the dance on the one hand, and the distinctive facial gestures and body language of the dancer Sabine Kupferberg on the other. Kupferberg is the one who pulls the strings in Car Men, victim and plotter in equal measure, prepared at all times to stand up to life’s problems – as well as to her three co-actors Escamillo, Don José and Micaëla – with humour and enigmatic wit. And so at the end of Kylián’s unusual, slapstick-like tragicomedy, she simply abandons her three colleagues, self-assured and incorrigible – just like her role model Carmen. Including additional ballets by Jiří Kylián: Silent Cries, La Cathédrale Engloutie

KAGUYAHIME Length: 70' / Cat. No.: A86000387 Choreography by: Jiří Kylián | Conductor: Maki Ishii | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater Kaguyahime is one of Japan’s oldest fairytales. The story of the mysterious Moon Princess inspired Jiří Kylián to create a fulllength ballet and to commission a score from the Japanese composer Maki Ishii. Through its use of western percussion instruments and Japanese drums, the work combines both occidental and oriental elements, its rhythmic vitality providing a musical structure for the poetic tale. Woodwind instruments extend the tonal colour, as does the use of traditional Gagaku music from the Japanese court. When Jiří Kylián first discovered the fairytale, he found two compelling reasons to choreograph it. First, he was interested in the way the story combines realistic and supernatural elements as only fairytales can; and secondly, he was fascinated by what the tale reveals of Japanese culture through the interplay of the earth and the moon.

KAMMERBALLET Length: 25' / Cat. No.: A05050496 Composer: Kara Karayev, Domenico Scarlatti, John Cage | Choreography by: Hans van Manen | Soloists: Vladimir YuriginKlevke, Stephen Drury, Ivo Pogoreli | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater Three months later Kammerballett opened, for eight dancers of the main troupe, and with seemingly ill-matched piano music. This “chamber ballet” is in line with Compositie, which was created one year before, inspired by Mondriaan’s work.

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KIROV CLASSICS - A MIXED BILL Length: 147' / Cat. No.: A025030240000 Directed by: Thomas Grimm | Choreography by: Mikhail Fokine, Oleg Vinogradov, Marius Petipa | Conductor: Viktor A. Fedotov | Soloists: Altynai Asylmuratova Konstantin Zaklinsky Sergei Vikharev Yelena Yevteeva Eldar Aliev Lyubov Kunakova Farukh Ruzimatov Larissa Lezhnina Yelena Pankova Yulia Makhalina Igor Zelensky | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Kirov Ballet, Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre The history of dance in Russia goes back to 1738 and has brought forth uncounted generations of wonderful dancers. From 1977 on, the ballet was directed by Oleg Vinogradov, a graduate of the important Vaganova school of Leningrad and an active member of the Kirov troupe. His artistic work is characterised by both tradition and innovation, two aspects that have highly influenced today’s Kirov Ballet. This first-ever studio recording of the world-famous Kirov Ballet, made by the award-winning director Thomas Grimm at the Danmarks Radio Århus Dance Studio, showcases highlights from their repertoire, both classic and contemporary, that line up like pearls on a string: „Chopiniana“, a piece by Mikhail Fokine to music by Frédéric Chopin, followed by „Petrushka“, a masterpiece of the 20th-century ballet repertoire created by Stravinsky, the piece „Adagio“, based on Samuel Barber’s „Adagio for Strings“, the famous pas de deux from Adolphe Adam’s classic ballet „Le Corsaire“, the pas de six from the ballet „Markitenka“ and finally the Grand pas from Marius Petipa’s ballet „Paquita“.

LA CATHEDRALE ENGLOUTIE Length: 22' / Cat. No.: A86500110 Composer: Claude Debussy | Directed by: Hans Hulscher | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater Jiři Kylián's ballet is set to a composition by Claude Debussy which was inspired by a fifteenth-century Breton legend. This tells how a cathedral was built on a seashore as a symbol to the Almighty that he would reign over the people. But they led godless lives and, as a result, the cathedral disappeared below the waves. This performance was recorded in studio.

LA RONDE Length: 50' / Cat. No.: A99500569 Directed by: Norman Campbell | Choreography by: Glen Tetley Prima ballerina Karen Kain leads an outstanding cast in this studio recording of Glen Tetley's probing dance drama, based on Schnitzler's play La Ronde, which scandalised the public when it was premiered in 1903. It shows a linked series of sexual encounters exposing the decaying morals of Vienna at the turn of the nineteenth century. Set to Erich Korngold's Sinfonietta, Tetley's translates La Ronde into a stunning series of pas de deux, danced by ten characters, ranging from a prostitute to a count.

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L'ENFANT ET LES SORTILEGES Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A86500108 Composer: Maurice Ravel | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián | Conductor: Lorin Maazel | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Choeur et la Maîtrise de la RTF, Orchestre de l'opéra national de Paris, Nederlands Dans Theater These two ballet recordings, based on the music of the French composer Maurice Ravel and the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, are recommended to every child, youth and adult whose heart and mind are open for a musical and dancing encounter with the world of fairy tales. Both of them are about a small boy and his dealings with the nature surrounding him. Despite there similarities, though, the two works are fundamentally different. It is the difference between the two which makes this combination so appealing. There are vast differences in content, the structure of the plot, the type of composition and the treatment of orchestral instruments, on the one hand. On the other, the means used by the Nederlands Dans Theater and the Royal Ballet School to realize the material make "L’enfant et les sortilèges" and "Peter and the Wolf" two entirely unique works. "L’enfant et les sortilèges" presents a fantastic ballet fairy tale rich in witty inspirations in dance, costume and stage design with the choreography and design of Jiří Kyliáns and the pioneering Parisian opera allusion under Lorin Maazel. This production was awarded several prizes. And rightly so, for nary any other ballet has ever been met with such enthusiasm and amusement while deeply touching its audiences.

L'HISTOIRE DU SOLDAT Length: 51' / Cat. No.: A86500140 Composer: Igor Stravinsky | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián | Conductor: David Porcelijn | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater Jiří Kylián feels a great affinity for Stravinsky, who, like himself, was forced to leave his homeland. He describes the composer's music drama L'Histoire du soldat as a "surrealistic fairy tale for grown-up children". His version of the piece uses the original French version libretto by Charles Ferdinand Ramuz. With scenery and costumes by John MacFarlane, this studio recording features Nacho Duato as the soldier who sells his soul to the Devil for wealth, but is forced to wander the world. The onset of the First World War and the Russian Revolution of 1917 had drastic consequences for Stravinsky in his Swiss exile: his property was confiscated, and he thereby lost the rights to his works and the associated income, leaving him in a situation which isolated him as an artist. L’Histoire du soldat, with its diversity, its structure, the switching between narration, action, mime and dance, and its elements from tango, English Waltz and Ragtime, could not have been categorised under any genre which existed at the time. It was premiered on 28 September 1918 and in this version is brilliantly reinterpreted by the Nederlands Dans Theater.

LONELY TOWN, LONELY STREET Length: 25' / Cat. No.: A90500070 Composer: Bill Withers, Leoš Janáček | Directed by: Thomas Grimm | Choreography by: Robert North | Orchestra/Chorus/ Ballet: Rambert Dance Company Lonely Town, Lonely Street: Robert North’s jazz ballet “Lonely Town, Lonely Street”, in which he himself takes part, is a passionate and energy-laden portrait of a lonely person in the big city. The work takes its title from the popular music of Bill Withers on which it is based, and from the stage design by Andrew Storer, whose set with fire escapes represents a rundown neighbourhood in a North American metropolis. The titles of the compositions alone give an indication of the stage action: “Song for Guy”, “Lonely Town, Lonely Street”, “Another day to run”, “Let me in your life”, “I don’t want you on my mind”, “Who is he and what is he to you”, “Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone” and “You”. Christopher Bruce, one of the leading contemporary British choreographers, has very close ties to the Rambert Dance Company. He trained here, joined the company in 1963 and soon rose to prominence as one of its leading dancers. In 1969 he created the first of many ballets he has devised for the troupe’s repertoire. From 1975 to 1979 he took a hand in directing the ensemble, later returning after a number years of freelance choreography to take up the position of artistic director in 1996.

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MEMORIA Length: 29' / Cat. No.: A90500110 Directed by: Thomas Grimm | Choreography by: Alvin Ailey, Ulysses Dove | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre For the American dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey (1931–1989) dance is an international art which discloses itself to all people because it doesn"t require any spoken language. Everywhere that the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre appeared, the audiences greeted the harmonic beauty, the dynamic movements and the dance-like expression of the soloists with great enthusiasm. Ailey choreographed 79 ballets and developed his own style using modern dance, jazz and classical ballet. His pieces relate amusing and earnest stories of the black inhabitants of North America. His choreographs are an expression of their deep faith as well as their grace, their sorrow and their joy of living. And of course they have a special energy and sensuality because Ailey mainly choreographed his pieces to “black” music by using elements of blues, spirituals, jazz and soul.

ONEGIN Length: 94' / Cat. No.: A99001666 Directed by: Norman Campbell | Soloists: Sabina Allemann Frank Augustyn The production starred the celebrated debut cast from 1984, Sabina Allemann as Tatiana and Frank Augustyn as Eugene Onegin. Directed by Norman Campbell, the film premiered on CBC television on Sunday, November 9, 1986. The following year, Onegin won Silver in the Performance Arts category at the Houston International Film Festival.

PETER AND THE WOLF Length: 30' / Cat. No.: A02503926 Composer: Sergei Prokofiev | Choreography by: Matthew Hart | Conductor: Paul Murphy | Soloists: Anthony Dowel | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: The Royal Ballet School, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Matthew Hart has taken Sergei Prokofiev’s ever-popular piece for solo narrative voice and orchestra and made a delightful children’s ballet, danced in this studio recording by pupils from the prestigious Royal Ballet School, with the great Anthony Dowell as the Storyteller/Grandfather. Hart’s choreography and Ian Spurling’s designs give a contemporary feel to the traditional tale of the boy who saves his animal friends from a wolf. There is a captivating simplicity to their highly entertaining production.

PILOBOLUS ON BROADWAY Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A035077380000 Choreography by: The Pilobolus Company The Pilobolus dance theatre company founded by Moses Pendleton and Jonathan Wolken is renowned for its originality and irreverence. This studio recording shows off the zany Pilobolus style and includes three pieces choreographed by the company themselves: The Empty Suitor, which is danced to a selection of jazz numbers; Walklyndon, with its atmospheric sound effects; and Day Two, set to music specially composed, arranged and produced by Gordon Johnson.

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REVELATIONS Length: 30' / Cat. No.: A02503821 Choreography by: Alvin Ailey | Set and costume design by: Ves Harper | Ballet company: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater | Directed by: Thomas Grimm A dance feature key work from the repertoire of one of the most exciting and innovative dance companies in the world. Alvin Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater company in 1958 and was its chief choreographer until his tragically early death in December 1989. "Revelations" expresses Alvin Ailey's intense feeling for his black roots in the American south. He lived in Texas until he was twelve and had what he called vivid "blood memories" of the Blues, spirituals and gospel music, ragtime and folk songs, and also of the hard life black people lived there during the years of the Depression. It is the signature work of the Ailey's Company repertoire.

SCHEHERAZADE Length: 42' / Cat. No.: A05550195 Composer: Mickey Hart, Arcangelo Corelli, Francis Poulenc, Zakir Hussain | Choreography by: Alonzo King | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Alonzo King Lines Ballet The choreographer Alonzo King, acclaimed as “one of the few, true Ballet Masters of our times” by world-famous William Forsythe, works with his company The Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco. Before founding LINES Ballet in 1982 King has been working for companies around the world, including the Frankfurt Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, the Washington Ballet and the Hong Kong Ballet. With its global perspective on dance the LINES Ballet attracts worldwide attention combining modern dance and classical ballet. Alonzo King gives his dancers the chance to get involved into the creative process of the choreography. Critics often comment on the “new language” or “re-invention of form” arising in King‘s choreographies.

SERGEANT EARLY'S DREAM Length: 46' / Cat. No.: A90500068 Directed by: Thomas Grimm | Choreography by: Christopher Bruce Woven into the musical accompaniment of English, Irish and American folksongs, Christopher Bruce’s dance work “Sergeant Early’s Dream” tells a story of migration to the New World from the Old. The thoughts of the emigrants are filled with sadness as they give up their familiar surroundings, the family home, friends and neighbours and ultimately their roots. Yet they discover that they carry within themselves their own culture, and it is this which gives them a sense of identity and belonging. Consequently the ballet – built around contrasts and marked rhythms – recurrently conjures up fleeting references to a past life: the folklore of the Old World and the harsh lives, the loves and the tragedies of the people they knew there. Christopher Bruce, one of the leading contemporary British choreographers, has very close ties to the Rambert Dance Company. He trained here, joined the company in 1963 and soon rose to prominence as one of its leading dancers. In 1969 he created the first of many ballets he has devised for the troupe’s repertoire. From 1975 to 1979 he took a hand in directing the ensemble, later returning after a number years of freelance choreography to take up the position of artistic director in 1996.

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SILENCE IS THE END OF OUR SONG Length: 41' / Cat. No.: A90500114 Directed by: Thomas Grimm | Choreography by: Christopher Bruce Christopher Bruce's moving ballet is danced to Chilean folk songs, including several by Violetta Para and the poet/songwriter Victor Jara, who was assassinated by the junta that overthrew Allende's government in 1973. Dedicated to the Chilean people, the work shows the tension and sorrow of a country in turmoil. Contrasting light and darkness, it embraces celebration and evokes the courage needed to confront political adversity and the threat of death. This performance was recorded in studio.

SILENT CRIES Length: 13' / Cat. No.: A86500136 Composer: Claude Debussy | Directed by: Hans Hulscher | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián | Conductor: Bernard Haitink | Soloists: Sabine Kupferberg | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater, Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest Jiři Kylián uses Claude Debussy's dreamlike Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un faune for this stylised portrayal of a process of selfdiscovery and acceptance. He created the solo work in collaboration with his wife, the dancer Sabine Kupferberg, who performs in this studio recording.

SLEEPLESS Length: 24' / Cat. No.: A86500311 Composer: Dirk Haubrich | Directed by: Hans Hulscher | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater II Jiří Kylián has already made many masterpieces, one of them the fascinating Sleepless, a creation for six young dancers in which the set plays an important part. It has a wall behind which dancers – or sometimes just parts of their bodies – appear, disappear and return. The set allows unexpected entrances or creates hallucinating images of heads which in a grotesque way do not appear to go with the bodies.

SOLO Length: 12' / Cat. No.: A05050500 Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach | Choreography by: Hans van Manen | Soloists: Sigiswald Kuijke | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater Solo was created barely a year later, in January 1997, but does form the other end of Van Manen’s art of dancing. Made to measure for the junior troupe, it is a sparkling relay of three boys, alternating at breakneck speed, to two parts of Bach’s First Violin Partita. When this work opened, the audience nearly stood on their seats with enthusiasm.

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STACK UP Length: 18' / Cat. No.: A02504070 Music: Earth, Wind and Fire, David Gates, Grover Washington Jr., Fearless Four, Alphonse Mouzon | Choreography by: Talley Beattey | Set design by: Romare Bearden | Costume design by: Carol Vollet Garner | Ballet company: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater | Directed by: Thomas Grimm Set to modern jazz, "The Stack-Up" was researched by Talley Beattey in Harlem. Against a backdrop depicting the highrise blocks of New York City, it tells a cruel story of street life, with a young man led astray by a drug pusher.

STAMPING GROUND Length: 22' / Cat. No.: A86500283 Composer: Carlos Chavez | Directed by: Hans Hulscher | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián An invitation to attend a large gathering of Aboriginal dancers in Australia fuelled Jiři Kylián's abiding interest in their traditions. Film of his experience there, together with footage of the work it inspired him to undertake with the Nederlands Dans Theater, form an introduction to a studio recording of the stunning ballet that resulted: Stamping Ground. This stunningly innovative and athletic piece of choreography is danced to music by Carlos Chavez. This performance is also available with a documentary introduction, Road To The Stamping Ground.

STILL LIFE AT THE PENGUIN CAFÉ Length: 39' / Cat. No.: A02503105 Directed by: Keith Beckett and David Bintley | Choreography by: David Bintley The idiosyncratic music and imaginary world of Simon Jeffes, founder of the Penguin Café Orchestra, prompted David Bintley to create this ballet, set in a café where penguins resemble people and people resemble penguins. Here, an exuberant cabaret is presented by a succession of exotic creatures. The inventive and amusing choreography, enlivened by Hayden Griffin's ingenious sets and costumes, also highlights the plight of the world's endangered species. Recorded in studio.

STRANGE FISH Length: 56' / Cat. No.: A02503106 Choreography by: David Hinton, Clara Van Gool | Soloists: Gabriel Castillo, Kate Champion, Nigel Charnock, Nigel Charnock, Jordi Cortes Molina, Jordi Cortes Molina, David Emanuel, Ross Hounslow, Wendy Houstoun, Jeremy James, Juan Kruz Diaz De Garaio Esnaola, Russell Maliphant, Lloyd Newson, Melanie Pappenheim (Vocals), Diana Payne-Myers, Lauren Potter, Liam Steel, Dale Tanner, Robert Tannion, Douglas Wright As in all DV8's work, the performers in this special screen adaptation of Strange Fish take astounding and humbling physical risks and are audacious in fashioning metaphors of extreme emotion. The tyranny of couples and groups, the pain of not belonging and the terror of being alone are laid bare in a series of powerful visual images, which are both pitiless and profoundly compassionate. Harrowing and disturbing, Strange Fish also contains some acutely funny moments. Adrian Johnston's instrumental music and Jocelyn Pook's vocal score are hauntingly beautiful. Singer Melanie Pappenheim plays an integral part in this stunning performance.

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SVADEBKA Length: 23' / Cat. No.: A86500137 Composer: Tōru Takemitsu | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián | Soloists: Walter Nobb, Leigh Warren In his composition Les Noces (Svadebka), Stravinsky pictures the ceremony of a traditional Russian country wedding. The music, with its fast pace and intricate rhythmic structures, presents the composer's greatest choreographic challenge and Jiři Kylián finds the theme an intriguing one: "Marriage is very strange, but also beautiful. In Russia, especially, it used to be rather mysterious as well, above all for the bride." This performance was recorded in studio.

SWAN LAKE (INTRODUCTION AND BALLET) Length: 116' / Cat. No.: A90000624 Composer: Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Choreography by: Frederick Ashton, Natalia Makarova, Marius Petipa | Conductor: Graham Bond | Soloists: Elizabeth Anderton, Johnny Eliasen, Evelyn Hart, Martin James, Peter Schaufuss | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, English National Ballet Natalia Makarova, one of the most important interpreters of the classical ballet repertoire in the twentieth century, has also had great success as a producer. Her staging of Swan Lake is based on the original choreography by Petipa and Ivanov, with additional choreography by the late Sir Frederick Ashton. Evelyn Hart and Peter Schaufuss dance the main roles in this studio recording. Makarova’s innovative interpretation presents the work as a story of perfect and eternal love. The main focus is on Siegfried’s love for Odette, her love for him, his unfaithfulness, for which she ultimately forgives him, and her self-sacrifice in going to her death with him in order to break the power of an evil curse. The production is succinct and well paced. The stage design by Günther Schneider-Siemssen does not use scenery to communicate changes of place and mood but back projections, which are extremely effective for creating a mysterious, magical atmosphere.

SWANSONG Length: 33' / Cat. No.: A90500072 Directed by: Thomas Grimm | Choreography by: Christopher Bruce Christopher Bruce's ballet uses an inventive choreographic language to enact the horrors of a brutal interrogation. Two uniformed guards (Matz Skoog and Kevin Richmond) conjure up a terrifying music-hall double act, smiling maliciously as they torture their victim (Koen Onzia) who, in moments of respite, expresses his longing for freedom in passages of lyrical beauty. The piece is set to an original electronic score by Philip Chambon. This production was recorded in studio.

SYMPHONY OF PSALMS Length: 27' / Cat. No.: A86500111 Composer: Igor Stravinsky | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián | Soloists: John MacFarlan, Joke Zijlstra, Gerald Tibbs Jiři Kylián's ballet, set to Igor Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, captures the archaic power of the music. The restrained gestures of a group of dancers contrast with the forceful and passionate movements of individuals and pairs who are set apart from them. The setting, designed by William Katz, enhances the suggestion of a ritual dance. This performance was recorded in studio.

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THE MERRY WIDOW Length: 87' / Cat. No.: A99000976 Composer: Franz Lehár | Directed by: Norman Campbell | Choreography by: Ronald Hynd | Conductor: Ermanno Florio Prima ballerina Karen Kain stars as the widow Hanna Glawari in this specially-staged recording of Ronald Hynd's three-act ballet, set to the music of Franz Lehár, adapted by John Lanchbery. This dazzling production captures perfectly the gaiety and elegance of Parisian high society at the turn of the nineteenth century, the setting for Lehár's charming tale of political and amorous intrigue. The other principal roles are danced by John Meehan, Raymond Smith and Yoko Ichino.

THE OLD MAN AND ME Length: 18' / Cat. No.: A05050497 Composer: J. J. Cale, Igor Stravinsky, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Conductor: Vladimir Ashkenazy | Soloists: Gérard Lemaître, Sabine Kupferberg | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: CBC Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Chorus of the Netherlands Opera This work is a special dedication to Nederlands Dans Theater III founded by Jiří Kylián in 1991, for dancers aged forty and over, especially for his Kylián’s wife Sabine Kupferberg who had just reached the age of forty that year. Hans van Manen created Evergreens and Different partners for the troupe. He tailored the third duet, The Old Man and Me, to the comical and expressive talents of Sabine Kupferberg and Gérard Lemaitre, then 44 and 59 years old. As he often did, he used a great variety of musical works connecting them by dance: J.J. Cale’s The Old Man and Me and Stravinsky’s hilarious Circus Polka.

THE PARSONS DANCE COMPANY - PROGRAMME 1 Length: 47' / Cat. No.: A055102610000 Composer: Robert Fripp, David Linton, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Michael Raye, Milton Nascimento, Igor Stravinsky, Gioachino Rossini | Directed by: Thomas Grimm | Choreography by: Daniel Ezralow, David Parsons | Orchestra/Chorus/ Ballet: Parsons Dance Company David Parsons is one of the golden boys of American dance, combining great popular appeal with quality and integrity of ideas and execution. As artistic director, choreographer and dancer, he has transferred to his own troupe, The Parsons Dance Company – eight exceptionally polished and energetic dancers – the charm, virtuosity and physical power that made him a star of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. A witty terseness and probing intelligence mark his choreography, which conceals its difficulty behind a silky casualness. Many of his pieces have been absorbed into the repertoires of leading ballet companies including the Paris Opera Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre, and he continues to develop his work, demonstrating a true commitment to real, satisfying, dancing. Parsons’ work is featured in three studio recordings, which demonstrate the diversity of his influences and his mastery of a wide range of styles. Versatility excites him and, with each piece he creates, he explores a new vocabulary of movement, searches for a fresh emotional colour, often working with a different design team. The music he chooses ranges from Mozart and Rossini to Robert Fripp and specially-commissioned scores. Lighting designs by Howell Binkley enhance all the stagings. David Parsons introduces each of the seven pieces presented in these programmes and it is easy to see why his charm, energy and integrity have won him such a considerable following.

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THE PARSONS DANCE COMPANY - PROGRAMME 2 Length: 28' / Cat. No.: A055103970000 Composer: Robert Fripp, David Linton, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Michael Raye, Milton Nascimento, Igor Stravinsky, Gioachino Rossini | Directed by: Thomas Grimm | Choreography by: Daniel Ezralow, David Parsons | Orchestra/Chorus/ Ballet: Parsons Dance Company David Parsons is one of the golden boys of American dance, combining great popular appeal with quality and integrity of ideas and execution. As artistic director, choreographer and dancer, he has transferred to his own troupe, The Parsons Dance Company – eight exceptionally polished and energetic dancers – the charm, virtuosity and physical power that made him a star of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. A witty terseness and probing intelligence mark his choreography, which conceals its difficulty behind a silky casualness. Many of his pieces have been absorbed into the repertoires of leading ballet companies including the Paris Opera Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre, and he continues to develop his work, demonstrating a true commitment to real, satisfying, dancing. Parsons’ work is featured in three studio recordings, which demonstrate the diversity of his influences and his mastery of a wide range of styles. Versatility excites him and, with each piece he creates, he explores a new vocabulary of movement, searches for a fresh emotional colour, often working with a different design team. The music he chooses ranges from Mozart and Rossini to Robert Fripp and specially-commissioned scores. Lighting designs by Howell Binkley enhance all the stagings. David Parsons introduces each of the seven pieces presented in these programmes and it is easy to see why his charm, energy and integrity have won him such a considerable following.

THE PARSONS DANCE COMPANY - PROGRAMME 3 Length: 42' / Cat. No.: A055103980000 Composer: Robert Fripp, David Linton, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Michael Raye, Milton Nascimento, Igor Stravinsky, Gioachino Rossini | Directed by: Thomas Grimm | Choreography by: Daniel Ezralow, David Parsons | Orchestra/Chorus/ Ballet: Parsons Dance Company David Parsons is one of the golden boys of American dance, combining great popular appeal with quality and integrity of ideas and execution. As artistic director, choreographer and dancer, he has transferred to his own troupe, The Parsons Dance Company – eight exceptionally polished and energetic dancers – the charm, virtuosity and physical power that made him a star of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. A witty terseness and probing intelligence mark his choreography, which conceals its difficulty behind a silky casualness. Many of his pieces have been absorbed into the repertoires of leading ballet companies including the Paris Opera Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre, and he continues to develop his work, demonstrating a true commitment to real, satisfying, dancing. Parsons’ work is featured in three studio recordings, which demonstrate the diversity of his influences and his mastery of a wide range of styles. Versatility excites him and, with each piece he creates, he explores a new vocabulary of movement, searches for a fresh emotional colour, often working with a different design team. The music he chooses ranges from Mozart and Rossini to Robert Fripp and specially-commissioned scores. Lighting designs by Howell Binkley enhance all the stagings. David Parsons introduces each of the seven pieces presented in these programmes and it is easy to see why his charm, energy and integrity have won him such a considerable following.

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY Length: 129' / Cat. No.: A99001226 Composer: Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Choreography by: Oleg Vinogradov | Conductor: Viktor Fedotov | Soloists: Larissa Lezhnina, Yulia Makhalina, Farukh Ruzimatov, Vadim Guliayev | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Kirov Ballet The stylish grandeur of choreographer and artistic director Oleg Vinogradov’s production shows the entire company at its best. The superb tradition in dance continues with Larissa Lezhnina, one of Kirov’s stars at that time, brilliant as Princess Aurora, and Farukh Ruzimatov’s performance in the role of Prince Désiré demonstrates both power and grace. It may be a truism to say Russians interpret Russian music best, but based on this stunning Kirov Ballet performance it’s excitingly and exhilaratingly accurate. From the principal dancers to the last member of the ensemble, the grace and mastery of this world-class company is clearly in evidence.

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THE TALE OF A MANOR Length: 74' / Cat. No.: A06001114 Composer: Jan Sandström | Choreography by: Pär Isberg, Bengt Wennehorst | Conductor: Jonas Dominique | Soloists: Johanna Björnson, Martin Leander, Gerd Andersson, Suzanna Carlsson, Istvan Kisch, Claire Wikholm, Mikael Mengarelli | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Royal Swedish Ballet, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra This studio recording of Pär Isberg’s ballet, created specially for television, is danced by the Royal Swedish Ballet. The work is based on a romantic adventure story by the great nineteenth-century Swedish writer Selma Lagerlöf. An original score has been composed by Jan Sandström and it is performed by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jonas Dominique. With lavish period sets and costumes, designed by Bo-R uben Hedwall, this large cast ballet, starring Johanna Björnson and Martin Leander, tells a gothic tale reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast. At the end of the 1880s, Selma Lagerlöf’s family had to move from Mårbacka, the house where she had lived during her childhood. This event had a profound influence on her life and writing and is one of the sources of inspiration for The Tale of a Manor.

TORSO Length: 17' / Cat. No.: A86500138 Composer: Igor Stravinsky | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián | Soloists: Shane Carroll, Nils Christe, Alida Chase, Gerald Tibbs, Marly Knoben, James Vincent | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Nederlands Dans Theater Czech choreographer Jiři Kylián was moved to create Torso by the plight of the Russian dancers, Valery and Galina Panov, who found asylum in Israel. His own experience of being cut off from his homeland, after the Dubček regime was crushed, has been a lasting influence on his work. This ballet, set to music by Toru Takemitsu, and dedicated to all in exile, expresses a profound feeling of dislocation. Sabine Kupferberg and Leigh Warren feature in this studio recording.

TRANSFIGURED NIGHT Length: 28' / Cat. No.: A86500139 Directed by: Torbjörn Ehrnvall | Choreography by: Jiří Kylián Jiři Kylián's ballet is set to Arnold Schoenberg's passionate string sextet, Verklärte Nacht, a narrative composition about a young woman walking at night with her lover and admitting that she is pregnant by another man. He accepts the situation as part of his love for her. Danced by two couples, Kylián's stylised interpretation of the piece expresses the passion of the music, as well as capturing its delicate ethereal texture. This performance was recorded in studio.

TRIANGLE OF THE SQUINCHES Length: 58' / Cat. No.: A05550194 Composer: Mickey Hart, Arcangelo Corelli, Francis Poulenc, Zakir Hussain | Choreography by: Alonzo King | Orchestra/ Chorus/Ballet: Alonzo King Lines Ballet The choreographer Alonzo King, acclaimed as “one of the few, true Ballet Masters of our times” by world-famous William Forsythe, works with his company The Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco. Before founding LINES Ballet in 1982 King has been working for companies around the world, including the Frankfurt Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, the Washington Ballet and the Hong Kong Ballet. With its global perspective on dance the LINES Ballet attracts worldwide attention combining modern dance and classical ballet. Alonzo King gives his dancers the chance to get involved into the creative process of the choreography. Critics often comment on the “new language” or “re-invention of form” arising in King‘s choreographies.

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TWO PIECES FOR HET Length: 13' / Cat. No.: A05050501 Composer: Erkki-Sven Tüür, Arvo Pärt | Choreography by: Hans van Manen | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Het Nationale Ballet The ballet originally comprised three parts, but without the first ensemble part Van Manen felt it was stronger, so that only the pas de deux remained: Two Pieces for HET. The two dancers explore each other and the room to the stirring music of the Estonian composer Tüürk, as in a nervously alternating courtship display without any fixed role patterns. The movement quiets down in an adagio to the stilled tunes of Pärt’s Psalom, where the partners feel each other in a sensual love-play full of subdued tension.

WILDLIFE Length: 44' / Cat. No.: A025031760000 Composer: Nigel Osborne | Directed by: Colin Nears | Choreography by: Richard Alston Wildlife is the result of an inspired artistic collaboration. Richard Alston's choreography is danced to an exotic score, specially composed by Nigel Osborne, on a set dominated by spectacular moving kites by painter Richard Smith, lit by Peter Mumford who creates dramatic effects of light and shade. Recorded in studio, Wildlife is a strikingly original example of modern dance at its best. An introduction in which Alston, Osborne, Smith and Mumford talk about working together is available.

WINGS OF WAX Length: 25' / Cat. No.: A055505600000 Director: Don Kent, Christian Dumais-Lvowski | DVD Specials: Additional unreleased Ballet performance - Wings of Wax Nederlands Dans Theater, choreography by Jiří Kylián Jiří Kylián is a living legend. He is the creator of more than a hundred works, several of which form part of the repertories of some of the greatest dance centres in the world. Due to the choreographer’s extreme reluctance to engage in a documentary, this film is exceptional. For the first time one can have a real close look at Kylián’s life, his way of thinking and at his most significant creations. The fi lm was shot in Den Haag, Prague, Monte-Carlo and Paris.

WITNESS Length: 53' / Cat. No.: A90500113 Directed by: Thomas Grimm | Choreography by: Alvin Ailey, Ulysses Dove | Orchestra/Chorus/Ballet: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre For the American dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey (1931–1989) dance is an international art which discloses itself to all people because it doesn"t require any spoken language. Everywhere that the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre appeared, the audiences greeted the harmonic beauty, the dynamic movements and the dance-like expression of the soloists with great enthusiasm. Ailey choreographed 79 ballets and developed his own style using modern dance, jazz and classical ballet. His pieces relate amusing and earnest stories of the black inhabitants of North America. His choreographs are an expression of their deep faith as well as their grace, their sorrow and their joy of living. And of course they have a special energy and sensuality because Ailey mainly choreographed his pieces to “black” music by using elements of blues, spirituals, jazz and soul.

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CONCERT

7TH SYMPHONIC CONCERT SÄCHSISCHE STAATSKAPELLE DRESDEN Length: 90' / Cat. No.: A055506880000 From the Semperoper Dresden - Zubin Mehta conducts the Staatskapelle Dresden, Soloist: Thomas Quasthoff (baritone): Anton Webern, Six Peaces for Orchestra, Op. 6 (1928) | Gustav Mahler, Kindertotenlieder | Richard Strauss, Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 |

BACH, SIX SUITES FOR VIOLONCELLO Length: 175' / Cat. No.: A05050440 Soloist: Wen-Sinn Yan The surroundings for this recording couldn’t be any better: the majestic background of the Bavarian Alps, the tiny pilgrimage church called St. Servatius and the highly skilled Swiss cellist with Taiwanese roots, Wen-Sinn Yang. This is the centre stage for Bach’s gorgeous Six Suites for Solo Violoncello (BWV 1007-1012) composed in 1720. Written during Bach’s time in Köthen, the Suites are one of the most important series for this instrument and a big challenge for every cellist. Heaven and earth as well as the well-balanced combination of sacral and secular can be found in Bach’s music. Wen-Sinn Yang’s play can be characterized as technically at the highest level with a lovely, full sound and impeccable intonation. He penetrates completely the philosophical dimensions of the music he plays. Therefore it is possible for him to interpret the Suites in his very unique and accomplished way.

BACH, FOUR ORCHESTRAL SUITES Length: 87' / Cat. No.: A865001820000 Conductor: Ton Koopman | Orchestra: Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra Four delightful performance programmes feature the leading international chamber orchestra which specialises in authentic renditions on fine reproduction period instruments. Bach’s orchestral suites (BWV 1066-9), No. 1 in C, No. 2 in B minor, and Nos. 3 and 4 in D major, were recorded in the magnificent baroque surroundings of the Palace Het Loo, built by William of Orange. A different part of the palace forms an elegant and fitting backdrop to each performance. Baroque specialist Ton Koopman conducts his orchestra from the harpsichord.

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BACH, MATTHÄUSPASSION BWV 244 Length: 183' / Cat. No.: A05010705 Conductor: Enoch zu Guttenberg | Soloists: Margaret Marshall (soprano), Jard van Nes (contralto), Hermann Prey (baritone) | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorgemeinschaft Neubeuern, Tölzer Knabenchor, Bach Collegium München Johann Sebastian Bach’s Passion oratorios are pinnacles of achievement in a long history of musical portrayals of Jesus of Nazareth’s crucifixion. In these works the composer combines all the means at his disposal, drawing on cantata, oratorio and opera. Yet the active history of this Passion music did not really begin until a hundred years after the St. Matthew Passion’s first performance: Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s revival of this work in 1829 led to the rediscovery of Johann Sebastian Bach’s music. This composition has long since come to occupy an assured place, beyond all boundaries of religious belief, as a supreme work of western art. On the present DVD, Enoch zu Guttenberg directs the Neubeuern choral society founded by him an ensemble composed largely of amateurs, mostly inhabitants of the small town of Neubeuern. Under his direction the choir soon attained professional standards, winning an international reputation with press and public as is clear from their numerous prizes and awards. Guttenberg’s assertively individual style unites elements of historical performance techniques with a modern and energetic mode of expression.

BEETHOVEN, STRING QUARTET OP.130 & GROSSE FUGE OP. 133 Length: 8' / Cat. No.: A05503814 Length: 18' / Cat. No.: A05503815 The Raphael Quartet. Soloists: Ronald Hoogeveen (violin), Rami Koch (violin), Zoltan Benyács (viola), Henk Lambooy (violoncello) The acclaimed Dutch string quartet plays two works by Ludwig van Beethoven: The Cavatina movement of String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major Op. 130 and Grosse Fuge from String Quartet in B flat major Op. 133.

BEETHOVEN, SYMPHONY NO. 3 IN E FLAT MAJOR, OP. 55 "EROICA" Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A86500280 Conductor: Frans Brüggen| Orchestra: The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century Frans Brüggen's Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century consists of some forty-five musicians and the structure is based on the 'luxury' orchestras that flourished in Mannheim, Paris and Vienna in the eighteenth century. Specialising in the music of that era, the orchestra uses period instruments or copies of them. Their spectacular rendition of Beethoven's Eroica has won them international acclaim. This live recording comes from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

BEETHOVEN, SYMPHONY NO. 9 IN D MINOR, OP. 125 Length: 73' / Cat. No.: A05014197 Conductor: Kurt Masur | Soloists: Venceslava Hruba-Freiberger (soprano), Doris Soffel (mezzo-soprano), James Wagner (tenor), Gwynne Howell (bass) | Orchestra/Chorus: MDR Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Gewandhauschor und -orchester Leipzig For a long time Beethoven was unsure whether he ought to write a choral symphony or not, before deciding to use Schiller’s ‘Ode to Joy’ for the last movement of his 9th symphony. He could not know that this work would be his last symphony, and that ‘nine’ would always be regarded as a ‘fateful number’ for the symphonic works of others. This work received its first performance in Vienna in 1824, under his own direction (Beethoven was already almost completely deaf by then!). In 1991 Kurt Masur conducted the choir and orchestra of the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, whose direction he took over in 1970. The events of 1989 have left Masur and the Gewandhaus orchestra forever linked in people’s memories. The quartet of soloists in this performance consisted of Venceslava Hruba-Freiberger, Doris Soffel, James Wagner and Gwynne Howell.

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BENJAMIN BRITTEN - "LET'S MAKE AN OPERA!" Length: 83' / Cat. No.: A05012622 Conductor: Simon Halsey | Orchestra/Chorus: City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, Symphony Youth Chorus, Coull Quartet Throughout his compositional work, Benjamin Britten did his bit to support young people with their musical education – one has only to think, for example, of works such as The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra: Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Henry Purcell op. 34, written in 1945. His Entertainment for Young People written in 1949 and entitled Let’s Make an Opera op. 45, is another example of this didactic approach to composition, although its goals lie beyond simply encouraging children and young people to discover the world of opera. Let’s Make an Opera is also a morality tale that condemns the abuse of children, particularly those suffering social deprivation – represented in this instance by Sam, an apprentice chimneysweep. Let’s Make an Opera is divided into three parts, the first two of which are conceived as pure drama and feature little in the way of musical interludes. In Act One, Mrs. Parsworthy tells a story she had once heard from her grandmother to the children in her care at Iken Hall. It is the tale of Sam, a young chimneysweep. The children are so fascinated by the story that they decide to turn it into an opera. Act Two shows them hard at work rehearsing for the performance. And Act Three, which is an independent entity and suitable for performance on its own, narrates the actual tale of The Little Sweep. In this film, the director Petr Weigl has reworked and enriched the two-part prologue to the story through the introduction of additional characters. Britten himself developed a great personal attachment to the work. In his own words, he associated its composition with “an indescribable feeling of happiness.”

BERG, CONCERTO FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA Length: 32' / Cat. No.: A05501243 Conductor: Sir Colin Davis|Orchestra: Bayerischer Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra | Soloists: Gidon Kremer (violin) Recorded live from the Herkulessaal Munich, Sir Colin Davis conducts the Bayerischer Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, with soloist Gidon Kremer, in a performance of Alban Berg‘s elegiac Violin Concerto. Alban Berg completed this concerto for violin and orchestra in 1935, impelled by the news of the death of Manon Gropius, the beautiful eighteen-yearold daughter of Mahler‘s widow by her second marriage, to the architect Walter Gropius. He dedicated it “to the memory of an angel”.

BERLIOZ, LA GRANDE MESSE DES MORTS Length: 104' / Cat. No.: A05013217 Conductor: Sir Colin Davis | Soloists: Keith Lewis (tenor) | Orchestra/Chorus: Symphonieorchester und Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks Berlioz is the greatest musical figure in the French Romantic movement. His Requiem (1837) – La Grande Messe des Morts – was written for the soldiers killed in the Algerian campaign. The Requiem was the only work Berlioz permitted to be published without any revision. His own account of the first performance was as follows: “The effect on people of contrasting sensibility and disposition was overwhelming. The priest wept for a quarter of an hour at the altar after the ceremony and embraced me in tears in the sacristy; the impact of the five orchestras and eight pairs of timpani in the 'Tuba mirum' was indescribable. A female member of the choir had a nervous breakdown. It was a truly awesome experience.” The magnificent cathedral of Regensburg is a perfect setting for this recording of Colin Davis conducting the Bayerischer Rundfunk Symphony Chorus and Orchestra in a splendid, moving performance of Berlioz’s monumental work, with tenor Keith Lewis as soloist. The performance is completed by the pealing of the cathedral bells.

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BERLIOZ, ROMEO ET JULIETTE, OP. 17 Length: 103' / Cat. No.: A05014222 Conductor: Sir Colin Davis | Soloists: Philip Langridge, Peter Meven, Hanna Schwarz | Orchestra/Chorus: Symphonieorchester und Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks This live recording features a concert performance of Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette, a dramatic symphony, with solo and choral voices, in the original French language version. Sir Colin Davis conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony Chorus and Orchestra with soloists Philip Langridge (tenor), Hanna Schwarz (alto) and Peter Meven (bass). Roméo et Juliette is the greatest and most satisfying of all Shakespearean works and inspired Berlioz to one of his best and successful dramatic symphonies. Intended for the concert hall, its musical core is purely orchestral, while the outer movements are choral and vocal, their function being narrative and more theatrical. Yet the whole piece coheres magically and no other work of Berlioz more perfectly demonstrates both his poetic and the individuality of his genius.

BERLIOZ, SYMPHONY FANTASTIQUE, OP. 14 Length: 59' / Cat. No.: A86500098 Conductor: Bernard Haitink | Orchestra: Concertgebouw Orchestra In this live recording from the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Haitink conducts the Concertgebouw Orchestra in a performance of Berlioz's SYMPHONY fantastique Op. 14. Sub-titled episodes in the Life of an Artist by the composer, this brilliant psychological fantasy in music is thought to have been inspired by his passion for the famous Irish actress Harriet Smithson.

BERLIOZ, TE DEUM, OP. 22 Length: 53' / Cat. No.: A05508029 Conductor: Claudio Abbado | Soloists: Martin Haselböck (organ), José Carreras (tenor) | Orchestra/Chorus: Wiener Philharmoniker, Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor, Prague Philharmonic Chorus, Tölzer Knabenchor, Aurelius Boys Choir. Following his comeback performance at the Vienna State Opera in 1988, this gala concert from the Alte Oper Frankfurt given on September 12, 1992, was one in a series of highly acclaimed performances that marked José Carreras’ return to the concert platform after his battle against leukaemia in 1987/88. Providing the high musical and artistic level of this evening, alongside Carreras are the Vienna Philharmonic - celebrating its 150th anniversary –, the Vienna State Opera Chorus, the Prague Philharmonic Choir and the Tölzer Boys Choir, all under the baton of conductor Claudio Abbado.

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BRAHMS, LIEDER Composer: Johannes Brahms | Directed by: Johannes Schaaf | Soloists: Edith Mathis (soprano), Brigitte Fassbaender (contralto), Peter Schreier (tenor), Barry McDanie (bass), Karl Engel (piano), Heinz Medjimorec (piano) The Romantic Brahms is well observed in his many lieder, with their typically fluent melodies and rippling accompaniments. The pieces performed in these three programmes bear witness to the tremendous care Brahms took over the composition of these charming and simple settings. Liebeslieder Walzer Length: 25' / Cat. No.: A05500725 Volkslieder Length: 20' / Cat. No.: A05500726 Volkskinderlieder Length: 28' / Cat. No.: A05500727

BRUCKNER, SYMPHONY NO. 4 IN E FLAT MAJOR "ROMANTIC" Length: 82' / Cat. No.: A05004618 Conductor: Sergiu Celibidache | Orchestra: Munich Philharmonic Orchestra Maestro Celibidache (1912-96) was one of the most uncompromising figures in the music world, demanding three times as much rehearsal time as other conductors and with an ardent dislike of making recordings because he feared they misrepresented his musical intentions. This concert from the Herkulessaal in Munich captures one of the rare occasions on which he consented to a recording being made. He conducts the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.

BRUCKNER, SYMPHONY NO. 5 IN B FLAT MAJOR Length: 89' / Cat. No.: A05011933 Conductor: Sergiu Celibidache | Orchestra: Munich Philharmonic Orchestra A rare opportunity to see the work of the great conductor Sergiu Celibidache (1912-96). He agreed to set aside his long-held antipathy to recordings of his work to enable the cameras to capture this concert from the Philharmonie in Munich, in which he conducts the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.

CHRISTA LUDWIG - TRIBUTE TO VIENNA (+ INTERVIEW) Length: 93' / Cat. No.: A04001089 Composer: Franz Schubert, Hugo Wolf, Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Leonard Bernstein Soloists: Christa Ludwig (mezzo-soprano), Charles Spencer (piano) Christa Ludwig is acknowledged as one of the twentieth century’s most explorative and complete vocal artists. Her professional singing career spanned five decades and, as a star of the international operatic stage, she made roles as diverse as Rosina, Dorabella, Cherubino, Leonore, Amneris, Eboli, Kundry, Ortrud, Clytemnestra and the Marschallin her own, excelling in soprano, mezzo and coloratura mezzo repertoire. She also established her reputation as a fine lieder singer. The intimate auditorium of the magnificent neo-baroque Volkstheater in Vienna was packed with a discerning and enthusiastic audience when Christa Ludwig gave a master class there.

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DEBUSSY, 12 ETUDES (WITH INTRODUCTION) Length: 72' / Cat. No.: A02006847 Directed by: Georg Wübbolt | Soloist: Mitsuko Uchida

DVOŘÁK FROM PRAGUE Composer: Antonín Dvořák | Directed by: Rodney Greenberg | Conductors: Petr Altrichter, Libor Pešek, Jiří Bělohlávek | Soloists: Igor Ardašev (piano), Mischa Maisky (cello), Ivan Zenaty (violin), Katerina Kachlíková (mezzo-soprano), Štefan Margita (tenor), Peter Mikuláš (bass), Lucia Popp (soprano), Josef Protschka (tenor), Eva Randová (mezzo-soprano), Eva Urbanová (soprano), Pavel Kuhn (chorus master), Ivan Kusnjer (baritone), Lívia Ághová (soprano) | Orchestra/Chorus: Prague Symphony Orchestra, Prague Symphonic Choir, Prague Philharmonic Choir The music of the quintessentially Czech composer Dvořák is, above all, enjoyable and is a perennial favourite in the Romantic repertoire. This series of concerts is performed by the Prague Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and the Prague Philharmonic Choir, with three leading Czech conductors on the podium: Petr Altrichter, Jiří Belohlávek and Libor Pešek. Guest soloists include soprano Lucia Popp, alto Eva Randová, tenor Josef Protschka, bass Mikuláš, pianist Igor Ardašev, violinist Ivan Zenaty and cellist Mischa Maisky. VOLUME VI includes the world’s famous Requiem. Biblical Songs, Op. 99 Length: 15' / Cat. No.: A05510288 Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 Length: 45' / Cat. No.: A05510291 Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 33 Length: 44' / Cat. No.: A05510282 Requiem, Op. 89 Length: 110' / Cat. No.: A05014204 Romance for Violin, Op. 11 Length: 13' / Cat. No.: A05510285 Slavonic Dances, Op. 72 Length: 41' / Cat. No.: A05510284 Stabat Mater Length: 90' / Cat. No.: A05510293 Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70 Length: 41' / Cat. No.: A05510287 Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88 Length: 43' / Cat. No.: A05510283 Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 “From the New World” Length: 46' / Cat. No.: A05510292 Te Deum, Op. 103 Length: 24' / Cat. No.: A05510290 Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53 Length: 37' / Cat. No.: A05510289

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DVOŘÁK, REQUIEM OP. 89 Length: 101' / Cat. No.: A05014211 Conductor: Václav Neumann | Soloists: Ida Kirilová (alto), Josef Protschka (tenor), Luděk Vele (bass) | Orchestra/Chorus: Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Philharmonic Chorus In 1891, when he arrived in England, he was met with a wave of approbation. The Requiem was planned to be the final highlight of the Birmingham Festival, and the organisers did not regret their assessment that Dvorák’s work would have a major impact on the audience. During the performance, Dvořák was himself so carried away by the music of the second “Pie Jesu”, that he had difficulty in piloting the massive choir safely through the a capella passage and had to be rescued by the observant organist! Dvořák had a close affinity with church music from his earliest days. His first music lessons were given to him by the town organist in Zlomitz and later by the cantor in Böhmisch-Kamnitz. At the age of 16 he transferred to the “Prague Organ School”, where he received a thorough grounding in church music. His first job as organist at St. Adalbert’s Church in Prague provided the young composer and his wife with much-needed financial security. During this period, most of his output consisted of church music, and as a practising Catholic he was keen to revive the moribund Bohemian tradition in this field. However, as it turned out, his major religious works in addition to the Requiem - the 149th Psalm, Te Deum and Stabat Mater - were not written for church performance but rather for the concert hall. With his Requiem, there is no doubt that Dvořák created the sort of major choral work that his English friends had been hoping for.

DVOŘÁK, STABAT MATER Length: 87' / Cat. No.: A05014019 Conductor: Václav Neumann | Soloists: Ján Galla (bass), Yvonne Kenny (soprano), Wieslav Ochman (tenor), Eva Randová (mezzo-soprano) | Orchestra/Chorus: Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Philharmonic Chorus Stabat Mater is a thirteenth century Roman Catholic sequence attributed to Jacopone da Todi. Its title is an abbreviation of the first line, Stabat mater dolorosa ("The sorrowful mother was standing"). The hymn, one of the most powerful and immediate of extant medieval poems, meditates on the suffering of Mary, Jesus Christ's mother, during his crucifixion. It has been set to music by many composers, among them - Antonín Dvořák.

DVOŘÁK, THE WOOD DOVE - SYMPHONIC POEM OP.110 Length: 22' / Cat. No.: A98500215 Directed by: Ewald Schorm | Conductor: Václav Neumann This concert, recorded live from the Smetana Hall in Prague features Antonín Dvořák’s symphonic poem The Wood Dove Op. 110. Václav Neumann conducts the Czech Philharmonic.

FUČIK, MARCHES AND WALTZES Length: 46' / Cat. No.: A05510324 Directed by: Ewald Schorm | Conductor: Václav Neumann The internationally-acclaimed Czech maestro Václav Neumann (1920-95) conducts the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in a concert of marches and polkas by Julius Fučik. This live recording comes from the Smetana Hall in Prague.

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GORECKY, SYMPHONY NO. 3 Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02503613 Directed by: Tony Palmer “A towering monument to our world and to the appalling mess we have made of it,” is how director Tony Palmer describes Henryk Górecki's phenomenally successful Symphony No. 3. Taking his cue from Górecki's remarks about the inspiration for this symphony, Palmer overlays a performance by the London Sinfonietta and soprano Dawn Upshaw, conducted by David Zinman, with harrowing footage of man's crimes against his fellow man – from Auschwitz to Somalia, Iraq and Sarajevo. The result is an intensely moving and disturbing film.

GREAT ARIAS Length: 280' / Cat. No.: A025038850000 / 28 episodes Directed by: Mechthild Offermanns | Soloists: Marilyn Horne, Eva Marton, Dame Joan Sutherland, Roberto Alagna, Anna Netrebko, Ann Murray, Kiri Te Kanawa, René Kollo, Brigitte Fassbaender This on-going series of ten-minute programmes introduces some of opera's finest moments, performed and presented by some of the greatest singers of our day, Dame Joan Sutherland, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Eva Marton, Marilyn Home, Anne Sofie von Otter, Roberto Alagna, Philip Langridge, René Kollo and Yuri Marusin among them. Their performances are drawn from recent live recordings of acclaimed productions of key works in the operatic repertoire and include such high-spots as Vissi d'arte from Puccini's Tosca, the Mad Scene from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Elektra's murderous confrontation with her mother in Strauss's Elektra, and Leonora's D'amor sull'ali rosee from the final act of Puccini's Tosca.

HAYDN AT ESTERHAZA Length: 58' / Cat. No.: A815001050000 Conductor: Christopher Hogwood Haydn wrote most of his symphonies while he was in the employ of the Esterházy family, whose palace in Hungary was known as the 'Versailles of the East'. Filmed in the magnificent mirrored great hall of the palace, this programme records a unique attempt to recreate a performance of Haydn's music as close to the original as possible, Christopher Hogwood conducts the Academy of Ancient Music playing the composer's Symphonies No. 23 in G, 28 in A, and 29 in E.

HAYDN, CAECILIENMESSE Length: 73' / Cat. No.: A05004619 Conductor: Rafael Kubelik | Soloists: Lucia Popp (soprano), Doris Soffel (contralto), Horst Laubenthal (tenor) | Orchestra/ Chorus: Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks Arthaus presents the performance of Haydn’s Missa Sanctae Ceaciliae conducted by Rafael Kubelík live from the Basilika Ottobeuren. The work was without doubt one of the highlights of the wonderful Kubelík era. Under his guidance the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks also became one of the world’s foremost Haydn orchestras. When the orchestra discovered the baroque Basilica of Ottobeuren as the perfect venue for sacred music of the classic-romantic repertoire, their concerts enjoyed huge popularity, leaving a lasting impression on those who experienced them at first hand.

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HOMMAGE TO PENDERECKI - PENDERECKI CONDUCTS PENDERECKI Length: 77' / Cat. No.: A025032920000 Conductor: Krzysztof Penderecki In this programme, recorded in High Definition Television at the Alte Oper Frankfurt, Krzysztof Penederecki, Poland’s leading contemporary composer, conducts the Sinfonietta Cracovia in performances of four of his own works: Sinfonietta for Strings (1992), Viola Concerto (1982/83), Capriccio for Oboe and Strings (1964), and Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra (1992).

JANÁČEK, MISSA GLAGOLITICA Length: 50' / Cat. No.: A98500267 Conductor: Václav Neumann | Orchestra/Chorus: The Prague Philharmonic Choir, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra In this recording, Janáček's great choral work, the Glagolitic Mass, is performed by the Czech Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by Václav Neumann, with Jan Hora on the organ. The soloists are Gabriela Benackova (soprano), Drahomira Drobkova (contralto), Josef Kundlak (tenor) and Sergej Kopcak (bass).

JANÁČEK, STRING QUARTET NO.1 "KREUTZER SONATA" Length: 18' / Cat. No.: A98500266 The Panocha Quartet: Jiří Panocha (violin), Pavel Zejfart (violin), Miroslav Sehnoutka (viola), Jaroslav Kulhan (cello) In the last ten years of his life, Leoš Janáček enjoyed a glorious burst of creativity. His inspiration was partly derived from his unconsummated love for a young married woman - Kamilla Stösslová - whom he met in 1917 and to whom he wrote over six hundred letters. The title of Intimate Pages that was given to String Quartet No. 2 refers to these love letters. This recording, featuring the international-acclaimed Czech Panocha Quartet, was made at the University in Prague.

JULIAN BREAM PLAYS RODRIGO'S CONCIERTO DE ARANJUEZ Length: 28' / Cat. No.: A02502642 Conductor: Sir Charles Groves | Orchestra: Chamber Orchestra of Europe This live recording, from St. John's Smith Square in London, features the celebrated classical guitarist Julian Bream playing Rodrigo's haunting Concierto de Aranjuez, with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, conducted by Charles Groves. This piece is a lasting tribute to Spain and to the instrument that has personified and illuminated so beautifully her musical culture.

LISZT, VIA CRUCIS Length: 48' / Cat. No.: A86500281 Conductor: Reinbert de Leeuw This performance by the Dutch Chamber Choir, conducted from the piano by Reinbert de Leeuw, presents a rare opporunity to hear Liszt's moving late work. The recording was made at the Church of St. Peter in Utrecht and is rich in visual imagery, using costumed singers positioned in striking tableaux to enhance the music. Inspired by a series of paintings depicting the Stations of the Cross, Liszt's piety expresses itself in a composition of unadorned simplicity.

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MAHLER, DAS LIED VON DER ERDE Length: 64' / Cat. No.: A05014209 Recorded live from the Philharmonie in Munich, Sir Colin Davis conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra for this performance of Mahler's great song symphony.

MAHLER, SYMPHONY NO.2 IN C-MINOR Length: 97' / Cat. No.: A86000496 Bernard Haitink conducts the NOS Radio Choir and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in C minor (Resurrection), recorded live from the Doelen Concert Hall in Rotterdam. The soloists are Charlotte Margiono (soprano) and Jard van Nes (contralto).

MAHLER, SYMPHONY NO.3 IN D-MINOR Length: 103' / Cat. No.: A86000132 In this live concert recording from the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Haitink conducts the NOS Women's Choir, the North Holland Boys' Choir and the Concertgebouw Orchestra in a performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 3 in D minor, with soloist Carolyn Watkinson (contralto).

MAHLER, SYMPHONY NO.4 IN G-MAJOR Length: 64' / Cat. No.: A86000322 Recorded live from the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Haitink conducts the Concertgebouw Orchestra in a performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 4 in G major. Maria Ewing sings the soprano solo in the work's finale. Soloists: Maria Ewing (soprano), Jaap van Zweden (violin)

MICHAEL NYMAN IN CONCERT Length: 86' / Cat. No.: A05050504 The Michael Nyman Band live at Studio Halle Michael Nyman, who is famous for his Oscar nominated film score for Jane Campion’s film “The Piano”, is without doubt one of the great contemporary composers. Fitting the theme of the HandelYear 2009, Michael Nyman celebrated the German premiere of his newest composition “The Musicologist Scores” in Handel’s hometown Halle. In that piece the composer looks deeply into the subject of Handel’s work. Furthermore, many other of Nyman’s works were performed. All over the world the powerful, energetic playing of The Michael Nyman Band developed under Nyman‘s leadership over a period of three decades - brings his works to sparkling life and has long since become a characteristic feature of his music.

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MOZART, REQUIEM KV 626 Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A05004626 Mozart's last work, the Requiem Mass in D minor K626, receives a strong performance from the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under Mozart specialist Sir Colin Davis in a classic recording made in 1984. Popular legend has it that the Requiem was commissioned by a mysterious stranger, fuelling Mozart's obsession that the piece was his own Mass. However the probable truth is much less dark, that one Count Walsegg, who had a well-known penchant for commissioning works which he attempted to pass off as his own, commissioned it upon the death of his wife. Mozart died in 1791, before completing the piece. It was later completed by one of his students, Franz Süssmayr, at the request of Mozart's wife Constanze. This live recording from the Herkulessaal in Munich features Sir Colin Davis conducting the Bavarian Radio Symphony Chorus and Orchestra with the outstanding Peter Schreier and Edith Mathis as well as ever-popular Welsh bass Gwynne Howell.

MOZART, SERENADE NO.10 IN B-MAJOR, KV 361 Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A86500119 Mozart's Gran Partita - the Serenade No. 10 in B flat K361 - is scored for twelve wind instruments (two oboes, two clarinets, two basset horns, four horns, two bassoons) and a double bass. The seven-part work is performed by woodwind players of the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, specialists in authentic performances of the music of Mozart's era. Soloists: Frans Brügge

MOZART, SINFONIA CONCERTANTE IN ES-MAJOR, K. 364 Length: 59' / Cat. No.: A055077820000 From the Munich Philharmonie comes a live recording of Sir Colin Davis conducting the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante in E flat K364, featuring the internationally-acclaimed soloists Yuri Bashmet (viola) and Vladimir Spivakov (violin). An introduction to the concert performance is available, which shows Sir Colin Davis working with the soloists and the orchestra, documenting the painstaking preparation that goes into achieving the conductor's musical vision.

ARVO PÄRT, ST. JOHN'S PASSION (WITH INTRODUCTION) Length: 75' / Cat. No.: A02006129 Arvo Pärt’s St. John Passion stands foremost among the large number of works which can be assigned to the liturgical period of the Passion, for he takes up the narrative tradition of the Christian liturgy yet dramatises the Passion story to reveal historical and even timeless aspects as well. What most clearly distinguishes his works from other liturgical compositions is the silence, the many pauses. The missing notes are in some ways more important than those which have been composed. ‘Silence is always more perfect than music. One must just learn to hear this.’ (Arvo Pärt). Resounding through Durham Cathedral, Arvo Pärt’s St. John Passion is performed by the world-renowned Hilliard Ensemble, the Western Wind Choir and numerous soloists (including John Potter as Pilate and Michael George as Christ) under the overall direction of Paul Hillier.

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PIERRE BOULEZ CONDUCTS THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Length: 58' / Cat. No.: A055036980000 The rhythmic complexities of Stravinsky's Sacre are notorious but, in the hands of a master of modern music and one of the world's top orchestras, the London Symphony Orchestra, the elemental barbarism of the music is thrilling. Boulez's definitive reading of Stravinsky's masterpiece was recorded live from the Alte Oper Frankfurt, in a performance specially staged for the cameras. The programme includes a short interview with the conductor about this landmark work (available in English, French and German), as well as a performance of Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments.

PROKOFIEV, ROMEO AND JULIET (EXCERPTS) Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A05500733 Sir Georg Solti conducts the Bayerischer Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra in a performance of extracts from Prokofiev’s music for the ballet Romeo and Juliet, recorded live from the Herkulessaal, Munich.

PROKOFIEV, SCYTHIAN SUITE OP.20 Length: 23' / Cat. No.: A86500200 The energy and excitement of performances under the baton of maestro Valéry Gergiev are thrilling. This concert, with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, was recorded live at the city’s Doelen Hall. The programme includes Debussy’s Fragments Symphoniques for D’Annunzio’s mystery play Le Martyre de St Sébastien, Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite, Stravinsky’s Fireworks and his Piano Concerto. The soloist for the concerto is the Georgian virtuoso Alexander Toradze, a singularly imposing figure at the keyboard.

PROMETHEUS - POEM OF FIRE Length: 57' / Cat. No.: A055506870000 Composer: Franz Liszt, Luigi Nono, Alexander Skriabin, Ludwig van Beethoven | Directed by: Christopher Swann | Conductor: Claudio Abbado | Soloists: Martha Argerich (piano) | Orchestra/Chorus: Berliner Philharmoniker, Sing-Akademie zu Berlin, Solistenchor Freiburg | According to the ancient Greek legend, Prometheus brought fire and culture to mankind, thus saving the world from being destroyed by Zeus. Through the ages, this story has inspired countless artists, poets and musicians to some of their grandest creations. Christopher Swann's film is based on a 1993 televised concert from Berlin's Philharmonic Hall. The program features music by Beethoven, Liszt, Skriabin and Nono based on the legend of Prometheus. The four compositions could not be more diverse in style and conception, representing highly different approaches: from the Prometheus as bringer of plague and destruction to the punished Prometheus chained to a rock. In this film, Christopher Swann stresses a visual approach to this variety of ideas, using a number of modern film techniques to underscore and illustrate the musical presentation. Performances by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Claudio Abbado are first-rate, although it is the presence of Argerich that will make this DVD an obligatory purchase.

RACHMANINOV, ALL-NIGHT VIGIL Length: 72' / Cat. No.: A02005955 Recorded live from London's Royal Albert Hall, Valery Polyansky conducts the USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir, with soloists Tatiana Zheranzhe (contralto) and Victor Radkevich (tenor), in a performance of Rachmaninov's sublime sacred work. Written before Rachmaninov went into exile, the work is in Russian and scored for unaccompanied choir, since the Orthodox Church does not permit instrumental accompaniment.

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RAVEL, PIANO CONCERTO IN G MAJOR Length: 29' / Cat. No.: A05500728 This live recording, from London's Royal Festival Hall, of a performance of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G features two legendary artists - pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (1920-95) and conductor Sergiu Celibidache (1912-96). They perform with the London Symphony Orchestra. An introduction to the programme includes an interview with Celibidache about Michelangeli's flawless, yet seemingly effortless, technique.

RAVEL, STRING QUARTET IN F-MAJOR Length: 29' / Cat. No.: A05504044 This live recording of the celebrated American LaSalle Quartet comes from the library of the monastery at Polling, near Munich, which boasts an exquisite baroque interior. They play Ravel's String Quartet in F.

RECITAL ANDREJ GAWRILOW Length: 15' / Cat. No.: A055102620000 One of the great concert pianists, Andrei Gavrilov enjoys a distinguished international career and has been awarded many of the music world’s top prizes for his audio releases. This recital was recorded in studio and features Gavrilov playing two works by the great pianist/composer Sergei Rachmaninov: Piece No. 1 in E flat minor from Morceaux de Fantaisie Op. 3, and Piece No. 3 in B minor from Moments Musicaux Op. 16.

SCHOENBERG, COMPLETE WORKS FOR STRINGS Length: 31' / Cat. No.: A86500158 A86500164 String Quartet in D (27') | String Quartet No. 1 in D minor Op. 7 (46') | String Quartet No. 2 in F sharp minor Op. 10 (33') | String Quartet No. 3 Op. 30 (33') | String Quartet No. 4 Op. 37 (36') | String Sextet Op. 4 (Verklärte Nacht) (31') | String Trio Op. 45 (21') In a series of specially-staged performances, The Schoenberg Quartet – Janneke van der Meer (violin), Wim de Jong (violin), Henk Guittart (viola) and Viola de Hoog (cello) – perform Arnold Schoenberg's complete works for strings. The recordings benefit from the creative use of visual techniques, and the intimate camerawork, focus on detail and superb sound quality which studio conditions facilitate. The quartet is joined by Arleen Augér (soprano) for the String Quartet No. 2, and by JanErik van Regteren Altena (viola) and Taco Kooistra (cello) for Verklärte Nacht.A 52-minute companion documentary is available to accompany these performances.In this documentary, made to accompany The Schoenberg Cycle, the Schoenberg Quartet is seen preparing for their performance of the cycle in Los Angeles in 1989. Their tutor is the violist Eugene Lehner, a member of the former Kolisch Quartet, which, in its day, worked extensively with Schoenberg, Berg, Webern and Bartók, premiering many of their works. Ronald, Lawrence and Nuria Nono Schoenberg, as well as staff at The Schoenberg Institute contribute to this fascinating film.

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SCHUBERT, WINTERREISE Length: 80' / Cat. No.: A05050443 Soloists: Christa Ludwig (mezzo-soprano), Charles Spencer (piano) Christa Ludwig is acknowledged as one of the twentieth century’s most explorative and complete vocal artists. Her professional singing career spanned five decades and, as a star of the international operatic stage, she made roles as diverse as Rosina, Dorabella, Cherubino, Leonore, Amneris, Eboli, Kundry, Ortrud, Clytemnestra and the Marschallin her own, excelling in soprano, mezzo and coloratura mezzo repertoire. She also established her reputation as a fine lieder singer. The intimate auditorium of the magnificent neobaroque Volkstheater in Vienna was packed with a discerning and enthusiastic audience when Christa Ludwig gave a master class there. The young singers who took part – Valerij Serkin (tenor), Stella Grigorian (mezzo) and Marcus Pelz (baritone) – were all studying at an advanced level, with their sights set on finding success as professionals on the operatic stage. Christa Ludwig focused the time she spent with each singer on helping them to find the dramatic truth expressed in the aria of their choice and advising on how they could communicate this in their interpretation. With her guidance, their characterisations are seen to take on a new depth in just a short space of time. The master class focuses on Mozart and concludes with a performance extract featuring the young Christa Ludwig as Dorabella in Così fan tutte (1970).

SCHUMANN, MANFRED Length: 89' / Cat. No.: A05050503 Conductor: Andrey Boreyko | Soloists: Johann von Bülow, Stefan Wilkening, Tina Amon Amonsen, Vera Bauer, Dieter Prochnow, Mechthild Bach, Elisabeth Popien, Hans-Jörg Mammel, Markus Flaig, Manfred Bittner, Ekkehard Abele, Tobias Berndt | Orchestra: Düsseldorfer Symphoniker As a young man, Schumann had got to know Byron’s works through his father’s publishing business. There is no question that the composer recognised his own psyche in Manfred’s rugged soul. But he also responded to the challenge of Byron’s artistic concept of Manfred as “mental theatre”. In the Düsseldorf production, the audience “becomes” Manfred, experiencing through the eyes of the eponymous hero a projection of the visually alienated world of the Swiss mountains in which the story is set – visualisation by the Austrian media artist Johannes Deutsch.

SIR GEORG SOLTI CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN Length: 94' / Cat. No.: A025041060000 Soloists: Murray Perahia | Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra The highlight of the celebrations in March 1987 during the fifth anniversary of the opening of the London Barbican Centre was the concert of the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir George Solti. The special event was held to celebrate the creation of a cultural centre and a residential complex which with its numerous theatres, cinemas and galleries is the largest of its kind in Europe and whose new large concert hall has now become the home of the “LSO”. Solti"s programme concept for the evening was to offer variety with a unified theme, an appropriate concept for the place. Solti said “I have selected this Beethoven programme to represent three very different moods – the heavyweight Coriolan overture, the light, Mozartlike first piano concert, and finally the wonderful glorification of dance represented by the seventh symphony.”

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SMETANA, MÁ VLAST Length: 82' / Cat. No.: A05004625 Conductor: Rafael Kubelik | Orchestra: Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks The cycle "Má vlast" (My Country) is the grand oeuvre of the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884). It consists of six symphonic poems, each describing an essential aspect of his home country: "Vyšehrad" describes splendour and fall of Prague's historic fort. "The Moldau" - Smetana's most famous work - accompanies the river through the countryside from the source to the mouth. "Šárka" is the legend of the heroic young woman who takes revenge on all men in anger about the infidelity of her lover. "From Bohemia's Woods and Fields" depicts the beauty of the Czech countryside. "Tábor" is about the revolt of the Hussites, who hide in the fortified town of Tábor. "Blaník" is the mountain, in which the Hussites retreated after their defeat to wait for a new, victorious battle. Finally, the entire nation marches to the sounds of the Hussite hymn.

STOCKHAUSEN, GRUPPEN (WITH INTRODUCTION) Length: 53' / Cat. No.: A02503378 Involving three orchestras playing different but related music simultaneously, Stockhausen’s masterpiece is the ultimate in large-scale musical complexity. State-of-the-art sound technology captures Gruppen’s textural richness in this recording of a rare performance of the work. Lighting and colour are used to striking effect. Sir Simon Rattle, John Carewe and Daniel Harding conduct the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and contribute to an illuminating introduction, which includes film of their preparations and rehearsals.

VLADIMIR FEDOSEYEV CONDUCTS TCHAIKOVSKY Conductor: Vladimir Ivanovich Fedoseyev | Soloists: Antonio Meneses (cello), Alexander Nenadovsky (baritone), Mikhail Pletnev (piano), Lydia Shernikh (soprano), Viktor Tretyakov (violin) | Orchestra: Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra Hailed by the press as “the definitive video production” of Tchaikovsky’s music, this exceptional concert series, recorded live from the Alte Oper Frankfurt, features the leading Russian conductor Vladimir Fedoseyev and the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra. Fedoseyev’s perceptive reading of the works of his fellow countryman, the masterly playing of the orchestra and guest soloists combine to produce performances which are revelatory in their execution and understanding of Tchaikovsky’s music and the Russian heritage. They are joined by international guest soloists who include the brilliant Russian violinist Viktor Tretyakov, Brazilian cellist and Tchaikovsky Competition Gold Medallist Antonio Meneses, acclaimed Russian pianist Mikhail Pletnev, soprano Lydia Shernikh and baritone Alexander Nenadovsky. Symphony No. 1 in G minor Op. 13 “Winter Dreams” Length: 42' / Cat. No.: A05510268 Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32 Length: 22' / Cat. No.: A05510277 Variations on a Rococo Theme for Violoncello and Orchestra, Op. 33 Length: 18' / Cat. No.: A05510274 Symphony No. 2 in C minor Op. 17 “Little Russian” Length: 32' / Cat. No.: A05510269 Excerpts from “Eugene Onegin” Length: 40' / Cat. No.: A05510280 Symphony No. 3 in D minor, Op. 29 “Polish” Length: 44' / Cat. No.: A05510270

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Excerpts from “Swan Lake” Length: 33' / Cat. No.: A05510276 Concert Fantasia for piano and orchestra in G minor, Op. 56 Length: 29' / Cat. No.: A05510267 Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 Length: 40' / Cat. No.: A05510271 Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 Length: 32' / Cat. No.: A05510275 “The Year 1812”. Festival Overture, Op. 49 Length: 22' / Cat. No.: A05510279 Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 Length: 46' / Cat. No.: A05510272 Overture in F major Length: 17' / Cat. No.: A05510278 Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major, Op. 44 Length: 40' / Cat. No.: A05510266 Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 Length: 50' / Cat. No.: A05510273 Serenade for String Orchestra in C major, Op. 48 Length: 50' / Cat. No.: A05507789 Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 Length: 40' / Cat. No.: A05510265

THE BEGIJNHOF ACADEMY PERFORMS BAROQUE MUSIC Length: 54' / Cat. No.: A86500105 The Dutch-based Begijnhof Academy is an ensemble of international musicians and singers who specialise in the performance of baroque music. In this recording, their musical director, Roderick Shaw, conducts performances of Henry Purcell's My Heart is Inditing and Francisco Valls' Missa Scala Aretina.

THE CONSORT OF MUSICKE Length: 50' / Cat. No.: A865001240000 Programme One: Songs by Jacob van Eyck, Luca Marenzio, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, John Ward, Thomas Ravenscroft and John Dowland | Programme Two: Songs by Jacob van Eyck, Cornelis Schuyt, Peter Philips and Robert Jones Two concerts, recorded live from the Holland Festival of Early Music, feature the internationally-acclaimed ensemble conducted by lutenist Anthony Rooley, with soprano Emma Kirkby and guest performer, recorder-player Marion Verbruggen. The repertoire highlights the close musical links that existed between Holland and England around the beginning of the seventeenth century, and the influence of the Italian madrigal composers of the day.

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THE LASALLE QUARTET PLAYS BERG AND WEBERN Length: 48' / Cat. No.: A055040430000 In this live recording from the magnificent baroque library of the monastery at Polling, near Munich, the highly-acclaimed American LaSalle Quartet plays Berg's String Quartet Op. 3, and a rondo and Six Bagatelles Op. 9 by Webern. An illuminating commentary by violinist Walter Levin on the Bagatelles is included in the programme.

TIPPETT, A CHILD OF OUR TIME Length: 76' / Cat. No.: A05013524 Sir Colin Davis conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony Chorus and Orchestra in a performance of Sir Michael Tippett's oratorio. Written during the years before the Second World War, when Tippett's political and social beliefs gained momentum, it is a compassionate outcry against injustice and persecution, and is enhanced by the use of Negro spirituals.

VALERY GERGIEV CONDUCTS THE ROTTERDAM PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Length: 37' / Cat. No.: A865002010000 The energy and excitement of performances under the baton of maestro Valéry Gergiev are thrilling. This concert, with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, was recorded live at the city’s Doelen Hall. The programme includes Debussy’s Fragments Symphoniques for D’Annunzio’s mystery play Le Martyre de St Sébastien, Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite, Stravinsky’s Fireworks and his Piano Concerto. The soloist for the concerto is the Georgian virtuoso Alexander Toradze, a singularly imposing figure at the keyboard.

VERDI, MESSA DA REQUIEM Length: 97' / Cat. No.: A02004524 Conductor: Claudio Abbado | Soloists: Margaret Price (soprano), Jessye Norman (mezzo-soprano), José Carreras (tenor), Ruggeor Raimondi (bass)| Chorus/Orchestra: The Edinburgh Festival Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra The death of Alessandro Manzoni, whom Verdi almost religiously worshipped, in 1873 deeply affected Verdi, who was then already being admired as Italy’s greatest living composer and who was just going through a creative crisis. The Messa da Requiem is without a doubt a deeply personal composition by Verdi which expresses the innermost fears of the composer in being confronted with his own mortality. At the same time it is also a very “public” work through which the poet of the Italian people as well as the whole Italian spirit was meant to be honoured in a musical language which embodied the great tradition of Italian music and Italian culture whose disappearance Verdi felt that he was witnessing. In the documentary and rehearsal Claudio Abbado, internationally acclaimed as one of the finest conductors of the day, is seen working on Giuseppe Verdi´s Requiem. Recorded in the Church of San Marco in Milan.

WALTON, CORONATION MARCH "ORB AND SCEPTRE" Length: 7' / Cat. No.: A02504176 Conductor: André Previn | Soloists: Thomas Allen (Baritone), Kyung-Wha Chung (Violin) | Orchestra/Chorus: Philharmonia Orchestra, Philharmonia Chorus Previn conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra in this gala concert, given to mark the eightieth birthday of one of Britain's best-loved twentieth-century composers, Sir William Walton (1902-83). Recorded live from London's Royal Festival Hall, in Walton's presence, it features three of his most famous works: the Coronation march, Orb and Sceptre, Concerto for Violin in B minor (soloist Kyung-Wha Chung), and Belshazzar's Feast for baritone (Sir Thomas Allen), chorus (the Philharmonia Chorus) and orchestra.

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CARL MARIA VON WEBER, MISSA SANCTA IN E FLAT MAJOR Length: 42' / Cat. No.: A05500800 Conductor: Horst Stein | Soloists: Krisztina Laki (soprano), Marga Schiml (mezzo-soprano), Josef Protschka (tenor), JanHendrik Rootering (bass) |Chorus: Chor der Bamberger Symphoniker | Orchestra: Bamberger Symphoniker This performance of Weber's Missa Sancta No. 1 was recorded live from the baroque monastery at Waldsassen in Bavaria.

ZUZANA RŮŽIČKOVÁ PLAYS OLD ENGLISH CEMBALO MUSIC Length: 30' / Cat. No.: A05510341 In this recording, the virtuoso harpsichordist Zuzana Růžičková plays a selection of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century music, including works by William Byrd, John Bull, William Croft, Richard Farnaby, Thomas Morley and John Mundy.

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SPECIAL A FINNISH OPERA IN THE MAKING Length: 35' / Cat. No.: A13500019 Directed by: Jarmo Jääskelainen Featuring interviews with Aulis Sallinen, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Irene Dische and Okko Kamu, this documentary introduces The Palace and also shows the magnificent setting of the Savonlinna Opera Festival, which takes place each summer in the courtyard of the Olavinlinna castle, the best-preserved medieval fortification in the Nordic countries.

ANDREAS SCHOLL – COUNTERTENOR Length: 87' / Cat. No.: A05050441 Directed by: Uli Aumüller, Hanne Kaisik | Soloists: Andreas Scholl (countertenor) “There are more excellent countertenors today than ever before, but one of them stands out above all others: Andreas Scholl.” The film accompanies the internationally renowned countertenor Andreas Scholl to recitals in Dresden, Schwetzingen and his home town, Kiedrich. In interviews Andreas Scholl sheds light on his personal and artistic development. In bonus parts of the DVD Andreas Scholl sings John Dowland’s “Lute Songs“ and Dietrich Buxtehude’s “Jubilate Domino“. Directly after the recital, Scholl and his co-performers discuss the works and their interpretation of them. “What is the point of a recital, an opera, what is the purpose of music, presented to an audience by performers, communicators? Of course, the purpose of music and art in general, is to enlighten and inspire the human spirit. It is about stimulating – and shaping – both our hearts and our minds.” These and other questions Andreas Scholl wants to fi nd out in this portrait.

BAROCKSTAR – GEORGE FRIDERIC HAENDEL Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A05050459 Composer: George Frideric Handel | Directed by: Ulrich Meyszies | Conductor: Alan Curtis | Soloists: Christopher Hogwood, Sandrine Piau, Christine Schäfe, Howard Arman, Andrea Marcon, Trevor Pinnock, Donald Burrows | Orchestra/Chorus: Academy of Ancient Music , Händelfestspielorchester Halle, Il Complesso Barocco, The English Concert „Barockstar“ tells the story of Handel‘s life as he journeyed through baroque Europe, leaving Germany for Italy and experiencing Florence, Rome and Venice, before arriving in London to begin the career that would bring him a worldwide reputation. The film shows the original locations in Halle, Rome, Venice, Florence and London that Handel himself visited. Stars and specialists in today‘s baroque music scene and descendants of Handel‘s friends and sponsors talk about their encounters with the maestro and his work, including Christopher Hogwood and Alan Curtis, Andrea Marcon, Trevor Pinnock and Howard Arman, Sandrine Piau, Christine Schäfer and Klara Ek, Handel specialist Donald Burrows Prince Ruspoli-Sforza and Princess Claudia Ruspoli. Handel‘s music is performed by The English Concert, the Händelfestspielorchester Halle, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and Il Complesso Barocco.

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CHRISTOPHER HOGWOOD ON HAYDN Length: 51' / Cat. No.: A02503081 Composer: Joseph Haydn | Directed by: Chris Hunt Haydn (1732-1809), the 'Father of the Symphony', spent his most creative years as Kapellmeister at the Esterháza Palace in Hungary. Conductor Christopher Hogwood travels to Esterháza with his orchestra, the Academy of Ancient Music, and leading Haydn authority H. C. Robbins Landon, to explore the composer's life and his music. Musical illustrations recorded at Esterháza raise questions about the authentic style of rendition championed by Hogwood and his musicians.

CONFIDENCE Length: 43' / Cat. No.: A06500146 Directed by: Inger Åby Built in 1753, the Ulriksdal Theatre, also known as Confidencen, is the oldest preserved palace theatre in Sweden. The empty theatre provides a setting for a charming musical harlequinade, set to pieces by Gluck, in which a band of commedia dell'arte actors takes over Ulriksdal and banishes the malevolent spirits and demons who have allowed the theatre to fall into decay.

DANCER Length: 201' / Cat. No.: A025030670000 / 4 episodes Directed by: Derek Bailey | Soloists: Peter Schaufus Peter Schaufuss presents a four-part series which puts the male dancer centre-stage, dispelling the shadow so often cast by his female partner. The programmes focus on the dancer as athletic virtuoso and as partner, and survey his role in the established repertoire, as well as in new work created by modern choreographers. Each film makes extensive use of specially shot dance extracts, featuring some of the world's greatest dancers, companies and choreographers.

DANCING Length: 480' / Cat. No.: A025030530000 / 8 episodes Directed by: Orlando Bagwell, Geoff Dunlop, Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer, Mark Obenhaus From the stylised steps of a Japanese kabuki dancer to the frenetic posturings on a disco floor, people around the world use dance to reflect their thoughts and beliefs, their philosophies and desires. Filmed in over a dozen countries on four continents, this series offers a global view of dance in its infinite variety, and is as much about why we dance as how we dance. Each programme focuses on a specific aspect of dance, such as its religious significance, its expression of social values and its role as a medium of cultural fusion.

DOMENICO SCARLATTI Length: 53' / Cat. No.: A02502991 Directed by: Chris Hunt | Conductor: Jennifer Smith The Italian composer and harpsichordist wrote over five hundred compositions for his pupil and patron Maria Barbara of Braganza, daughter of King John V of Portugal, who became Queen of Spain. The celebrated keyboard player George Malcolm talks in interview about this self-effacing man and demonstrates the power and originality of his work at the harpsichord. He also gives a performance of Scarlatti's Salve Regina with the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Jennifer Smith.

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EDVARD GRIEG – WHAT PRICE IMMORTALITY? Length: 71' / Cat. No.: A05013225 Directed by: Thomas Olofsson, Ture Rangström | Soloists: Johanna Olofsson, Staffan Scheja (piano) | Orchestra: AurynQuartett Thomas Olofsson’s 1999 biopic of the composer Edvard Grieg (1843–1907), entitled What Price Immortality?, was greeted with great interest and international acclaim. The film, which was written by Olofsson himself, along with Ture Rangström und Johanna Olofsson, attempts to give a picture of Edvard Grieg, both as a man and a composer, a figure who still receives less attention outside Scandinavia than he deserves.The pianist Staffan Scheja plays the role of Edvard Grieg as both performer and composer, playing works such as the piano ballad in G minor, op. 24. The internationally renowned Auryn Quartet plays the initial string quartet in G minor, op. 27.

FAZIL SAY - ALLA TURCA Length: 73' / Cat. No.: A05050442 Directed by: Gösta Courkamp | Soloists: Fazil Say (piano) Fazil Say’s international reputation continues to grown apace, and he has successfully made the step from child prodigy to highly successful international star. As the French newspaper „Le Figaro“ put it: „He is more than just a brilliant pianist - he is set to become one of the greatest artists of the 21st century“. With his combination of extraordinary strength and absolute technical perfection, Fazil Say is a unique character of a kind seldom found in the world of classical music. His incredible gifts and utter commitment to the music are irresistible - and he successfully unites East and West with his personality and musicality. The film shows Fazil Say making music with Turkish pop icon Sertab Erener and interpreting Bach and Beethoven in Istanbul. It also presents excerpts from his compositions “Black Earth” and “Nazim” - the latter filmed during a performance in the amphitheatre at Aspendos.

FORTEPIANO Length: 36' / Cat. No.: A86500109 Directed by: Jellie Dekker In this documentary, which tells something of the history of one of today's most popular instruments, several acclaimed pianists talk about their choice of piano and discuss the merits of using period keyboards when playing baroque and classical compositions. Lively musical illustrations are included.

GEORGE LONDON – BETWEEN GODS AND DEMONS Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A05050495 Directed by: Marita Stocker George London was one of the most impressive bass-baritones of the postwar era. He sang on the side of Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi and Nicolai Gedda, to name only a few, and captured the audience’s hearts with his distinctive voice and his charismatic stage presence. Way too early he had to stop his singing career due to a vocal chord disease. The film portrays this exceptional artist in all its diversity, shows rare archive footage of his great performances as an opera singer but also as an interpreter of traditional spirituals and operetta. Another important element of the film are interviews with his widow Nora London, with former colleagues, experts and current stars of the opera scene as Neil Shicoff, Catherine Malfitano and Deborah Polaski, who have been taught by George London, supported in their career by the George London Foundation or see themselves as his followers.

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GESUALDO Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A00007255 Directed by: Werner Herzog | Orchestra/Chorus: Il Complesso Barocco , Gesualdo Consort of London The last decade of the twentieth century alone spawned three operas based on the life of the “principe dei musici”: Alfred Schnittke’s Gesualdo was premiered in 1995 at the Vienna State Opera; then the following year came Franz Hummel’s opera of the same name, a commission from the city of Kaiserslautern; and in 1998 Salvatore Sciarrino wrote an opera for the Schwetzingen Festival entitled Luci mie traditrici, after a sixteenth century drama about a prince who murders his wife. So Gesualdo was already the focus of a good deal of interest when the Munich-based director and film producer Werner Herzog also developed an interest in the composer at about this time. Herzog seemed somehow predestined for the job. His preference for eccentric protagonists, amply attested to in films such as Aguirre, Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo starring Klaus Kinski, went hand in hand with a musical streak that has won him a great deal of admiration since the mid 1980s with regular opera productions at the Bayreuth Festival, the Opera Bastille in Paris and La Scala, Milan. Of course, one was never to expect a creative artist of Herzog’s talents to produce a conventional documentary film.

GLUCK: WINDS OF CHANGE Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A06500145 Directed by: Inger Åby Gluck had an insatiable appetite for success and its rewards, and also for food and drink. In 1787, he finally gorged himself to death and died while on a carriage ride with his devoted wife. This fatal outing is the starting point of Inger Åby's stylised dramatisation of Gluck's life, set to some of his most beautiful music and filmed in historic settings around Stockholm, including the Drottningholm Palace, with its magnificent eighteenth-century theatre.

HEINRICH SCHÜTZ - DER VATER DER DEUTSCHEN MUSIK Length: 66' / Cat. No.: A05050490 Directed by: Jörg Kobel | Soloists: David Douglas Bryant Bjarke Moe Prof. Matthias Herrmann Dr. Christina Siegfried HansChristoph Rademann Heinrich Schütz was presumably the first internationally renowned German composer. In the 40 years he spent as court "kapellmeister" in Dresden, he left a strong impression on musical life in Europe. Although he was named "father of our modern, meaning German, music", he was long forgotten after his death in 1672. His works in their clear beauty still seem up-to-date, almost modern. However, only his vocal works - a small part of his extensive oeuvre - are known today. Narrating this documentary are, amongst others, international musical experts from Germany, Venice or Copenhagen - like David Douglas Bryant, Bjarke Moe, Prof. Matthias Herrmann, Dr. Christina Siegfried - as well as conductor Hans-Christoph Rademann, who was the first to record Schütz's complete (known) oeuvre.

HOLST, THE PLANETS, OP.32 Length: 50' / Cat. No.: A03502601 Directed by: Ken Russell | Conductor: Eugene Ormandy | Special Feature: Introduced by Melvyn Bragg | Orchestra: The Philadelphia Orchestra The Planets by Gustav Holst is one of the best-loved pieces of twentieth-century music. Ken Russell has taken a brilliant recording of this work, with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra, and illustrated the music with passages from a mass of documentary material. In true Russell style, his view of The Planets is provocative, entertaining and wonderfully watchable.

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IN REHEARSAL – VALERY GERGIEV Length: 58' / Cat. No.: A86500157 Composer: Sergei Prokofiev | Directed by: Rob van den Berg, Peter Rump | Conductor: Valéry Gergiev | Orchestra: Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra Rehearsal: The Scythian Suite is of particular interest in that Gergiev has a personal affinity with this composition. The Scythians lived in the region of the Caucasus where Gergiev has his roots: Ossetia. The ancient myths associated with these illustrious, blood-thirsty, but highly-cultured tribal nomads are an important part of the heritage of the Ossets. Intimately filmed and informed throughout by Gergiev’s infectious passion for his work, this music-filled documentary captures the fascinating dynamics between the galvanic conductor and his orchestra, as he seeks to convey the spirit of the quintessentially Russian piece to Western musicians. Footage of rehearsals and performance are interwoven with comments from Gergiev and Oleg Prokofiev, the composer’s son; archive film material of Prokofiev; and examples of Scythian treasures in the Hermitage Museum, to create a picture of the composer and his music. The film gives a unique insight into the chemistry which exists between composer, conductor and orchestra, and the means by which a masterly performance is achieved.

IN REHEARSAL: CHRISTOPH VON DOHNÁNYI Length: 59' / Cat. No.: A02503381 Composer: Joseph Haydn | Directed by: Barrie Gavin | Conductor: Christoph von Dohnányi | Soloists: Meyeric Alexander (principal bassoon), Keith Bragg (principal piccolo), Justin Jones (violin), David Thomas (violin) | Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra At the start of the 1997/1998 season, the renowned German maestro Christoph von Dohnányi, Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra, also took up the appointment of Principal Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra, a natural progression form his previous role as Principal Guest Conductor. This highly-acclaimed conductor is known for his scrupulous concern for textural detail, cogent structural logic and his dedicated respect for the scores he works on. Recording the In Rehearsal programme, the cameras were witnessing part of the process of development of a new relationship between an orchestra and its Music Director. Dohnányi is seen working with the Philharmonia on Haydn’s Symphony No. 88 in G for a concert in their 1998 Haydn/Bartók series at London’s Royal Festival Hall. It was to be Dohnányi’s first Haydn performance with the orchestra and so the limited time available for preparation was of vital importance. The musician’s appreciation of his musically precise and exacting approach is evident in the concentrated atmosphere of rehearsals and also in comments they make about working with the maestro.

IN REHEARSAL: JOHN ELIOT GARDINER Length: 55' / Cat. No.: A02503382 Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach | Directed by: Manfred Waffender | Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner | Soloists: Stephan Loges (bass), Sara Mingardo (alto), Ann Monoyios (soprano), Rufus Müller (tenor) | Orchestra/Chorus: The English Baroque Soloists , Monteverdi Choir Through his particular combination of scholarship and inspired musicianship, John Eliot Gardiner has won international acclaim as a key figure in the revival of early music. His concert performances and recordings with the ensembles he has founded – the Monteverdi Choir, the English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestra Révolutionnaire et Romantique – are unmistakable, not just for their zest and technical mastery, but as highly personal readings of music from Monteverdi to Verdi and beyond. This present film of the rehearsal of Bach’s Canata BWV 63 is intercut with comments from the singers and an interview with John Eliot Gardiner which reveals not only the depth of his knowledge of Bach’s music but also his profound love of the composer’s work. He talks incisively about Bach’s music as a whole, the place of the cantatas in the composer’s oeuvre, the particular structure and brilliance of “Christen, ätzet diesen Tag”, and explains something of his reasons for championing authentic rendition.

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IN REHEARSAL: MARISS JANSONS Length: 55' / Cat. No.: A06500216 Composer: Béla Bartók | Directed by: Morten Thomte | Conductor: Mariss Jansons | Orchestra: Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra Béla Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin

IN REHEARSAL: PIERRE BOULEZ Length: 57' / Cat. No.: A04500297 Composer: Alban Berg | Directed by: Felix Breisach | Conductor: Pierre Boulez | Orchestra: Wiener Philharmoniker This DVD offers a unique insght into the rehearsal techniques of one of the leading composers-conductors of the 20th Century. In an extensive interview, Boulez discusses two of the the key questions faced by all conductors. Firstly, to what extent does a conductor bear responsibilty for the overall sound and balance of an orchestra. Secondly, how is it possible to influence the performance of a truly great orchestra - sich as the Vienna Philharmonic. In a seperate interview held in Alban Berg's former apartment in Vienna, the conductor speaks of his master of the "New Viennesse School" whose work he values so highly and the origins of his own personal work "Notations", created in 1945. "I like the type of danger you experience when conducting...you have no time, you must do nothing but concentrate." Pierre Boulez

LA FENICE: A DEATH IN VENICE Length: 51' / Cat. No.: A00500807 Directed by: Simon Chu In January 1996, the Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice, considered by many to be the world’s most beautiful opera house, was destroyed in a mysterious fire. Made during the aftermath of this event, when speculation was rife as to the cause of the blaze, this documentary contrasts the past glories of the theatre with the devastation that remained. But La Fenice – named after the phoenix – was to rise from the ashes and plans for its rebuilding are scrutinised in this film.

LEAVING HOME – ORCHESTRAL MUSIC IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY Length: 364' / Cat. No.: A025035350000 / 7 episodes Composer: Richard Wagner, Arnold Schönberg, Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Alban Berg, Anton Webern | Directed by: Peter West |Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle | Soloists: Gidon Kremer (violin), Felicity Palmer (mezzo-soprano) | Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Written and presented by Sir Simon Rattle, the foremost British conductor of our day, this series forms a fascinating introduction to, and overview of, the music of the twentieth century. Each of the seven programmes feature over thirty minutes of specially-shot music in performance, with Rattle conducting the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Simon Rattle leads viewers on an exhilarating journey through the music of our time, explaining the chief musical developments from Mahler to the present day. Each programme is illustrated with evocative imagery, archive film and photographs and the featured music is set within the broader context of artistic and social change. Why “Leaving Home”? The story of twentieth-century music is one of leave-takings in many ways. As a wealth of talented composers searched for new creative responses to the world around them, many made departures from the solid ‘home’ foundations of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century music – tonal harmony, melody, regular rhythm and metre. Many had to literally leave home, displaced by political uphevals. A remarkable diversity of expression developed – not all of the difficult or discordant variety commonly associated with modern music. The range is wide and this series samples the work of over thirty composers, discovering new and challenging sounds as well as some unexpectedly familiar music. It presents an extraordinary kaleidoscope of orchestral images, full of contrasts and surprises.

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MASTERCLASS CHRISTA LUDWIG Length: 120' / Cat. No.: A045002420000 / 2 episodes Composer: Franz Schubert, Hugo Wolf, Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Leonard Bernstein | Directed by: Claus Viller, Enrique Sánchez Lansch | Soloists: Christa Ludwig (mezzo soprano), Charles Spencer (piano) Born in Berlin on 16 March, 1928, the mezzo soprano Christa Ludwig celebrates her 80th Birthday in 2008. Arthaus Musik is marking this anniversary with a special DVD Birthday Edition: Franz Schubert Winterreise, together with a Lieder recital dating from the last year of her stage career. Both programmes represent something unique in what was one of the world’s longest singing careers. Christa Ludwig was the second female singer, after Lotte Lehmann, to give a concert hall performance of Winterreise. It is a performance we wanted to mark in our birthday edition by releasing for the first time the recording of a private Lieder recital dating from 1994 and featuring Winterreise. That same year Ludwig performed several Lieder recitals as part of a farewell tour. Christa Ludwig sings Lieder by Franz Schubert, Hugo Wolf, Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss and Leonard Bernstein. Her accompanist for both programmes is Charles Spencer. In the third programme we experience Christa Ludwig giving a master class on the stage of Vienna’s Volkstheater in 1999. This is Ludwig the opera singer using her natural charm to motivate young singers. With friendly advice, she turns notes into music and draws surprising performances from a new generation of soloists.

MASTERCLASS: JORGE BOLET Length: 219' / Cat. No.: A025030380000 / 5 episodes The legendary Cuban pianist, one of the last representatives of the grand tradition of Romantic piano playing, died in 1990. This masterclass series, made just a few years before his death, starts with a programme in which he talks about his life and work on the concert platforms of the world, illustrating his reminiscences at the keyboard. In three following programmes, Bolet works with up-and-coming young pianists on the movements of Rachmaninov's formidable Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op. 30. The series concludes with Bolet giving a concert performance of the piece with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bryden Thomson.

MAURO BIGONZETTI – A CHOREOGRAPHER BETWEEN THE WORLDS Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A05050470 Director: Andreas Morell Mauro Bigonzetti is one of the leading choreographers of the Italian ballet which freed itself from the predominance of mainly classical opera companies in the 80's. He created his choreographies mainly for the Aterballetto in Reggio Emilia that helped him to fame and worldwide attention.

MICHAEL NYMAN IN PROGRESS Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A05050505 Composer: Richard Strauss The film is about a very special moment in the famous composer's artistic life. Composing with innovative minimalism for films as memorable as "The Draughtsman's Contract", "The Ogre", "Man on Wire", and most famously for Campion's "The Piano", he has reached an international audience. But now, Michael Nyman is about to become a filmmaker himself. Featuring unprecedented access to the composer and his working life, this film shows one of the great composers of our time in all his diversity and endless energy.

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ON THE EDGE – IMPROVISATION IN MUSIC Length: 236' / Cat. No.: A025033800000 / 4 episodes Directed by: Jeremy Marre The essential role which improvisation plays in music is revealed through the playing and words of a wide selection of performers for whom it is central to their creative process. Musicians in Africa, India, America and Europe were filmed on location, and contributors include jazz drummer Max Roach, rock guitarist Jerry Garcia, baroque specialist Christopher Hogwood, flamenco doyen Mario Maya, blues man Buddy Guy, the great Indian sarangi player Ram Narayan, salsa ace Eddie Palmieri, Nashville session player Buddy Emmons, contemporary composer John Zorn and organist Naji Hakim.

OVERTURE 1912 – DEUTSCHE OPER BERLIN Length: 89' / Cat. No.: A05050484 In 2012 the Deutsche Oper in Berlin had its centennial celebrations. Although today’s building was not opened until 1961, the history of the house on the Bismarckstrasse goes further back: it was built in 1912 and opened as Deutsches Opernhaus upon the initiative of a group of people from Berlin–Charlottenburg as the citizen’s opera in opposition to the Königliche Hofoper, now Staatsoper Unter den Linden. The film illustrates all facets of the different eras of this Berlin opera institution from the beginnings until today through interviews with artists closely connected to the Deutsche Oper Berlin as well as a large variety of archive footage that also includes documentations of rehearsals and performances from the last 100 years.

PARSIFAL – SEARCH FOR THE HOLY GRAIL Length: 88' / Cat. No.: A02006326 Composer: Richard Wagner | Directed by: Tony Palmer | Conductor: Valéry Gergiev | Soloists: Matti Salminen, Violeta Urmana, Plácido Domingo, Feodor Mojhaev, Nikolai Putilin | Orchestra/Chorus: Chorus and Orchestra of the Kirov Opera The Grail – the cup which Jesus Christ used at the Last Supper, and which subsequently collected His blood as He bled on the Cross – is one of the most powerful symbols in the last two thousand years of Western culture. Parsifal, Wagner' threeact opera, is the most famous work to celebrate the Search for the Grail. First performed in 1882, and written especially for the composer’s revolutionary theatre in Bayreuth, Parsifal has towered above twentieth-century culture, in so far as it became a principal source of inspiration for Hitler. Tony Palmer’s film centres round a performance of Parsifal, with the unmistakable Placido Domingo in the title role, and conducted by the distinguished Valery Gergiev. The striking documentary, narrated by Domingo himself, offers a description of the plot and explores theories about Parsifal's origins and considerable sphere of influence. The music was recorded at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg and in the gardens of the Villa Rufolo in Ravello, Italy, which had been a principal source of inspiration for Wagner. This powerful and controversial film provides an invaluable oppurtanity to explore Wagner and his most intense opera.

PIERRE BOULEZ Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A05050491 Directed by: Barrie Gavin A major force in contemporary music, Pierre Boulez is committed to the expansion and recreation of musical language. This documentary looks at his work, in particular the creation of Répons, which was heralded as the Signal of "a new age of instrumental achievement" (Financial Times). Boulez is seen rehearsing at his Paris laboratory for new music (IRCAM). He talks about his experimentation, the difficulties involved in communicating his ideas, and the post-war composers who have influenced him.

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PULLING OUT THE STOPS – A HISTORY OF THE ORGAN Length: 224' / Cat. No.: A015015840000 / 4 episodes Directed by: Nat Lilenstein | Soloists: Marie-Claire Alain, Jehan Alain, Xavier Darasse, Bernard Foccroulle, Hans Heintze, André Isoir, Gustav Leonhardt, Louis Robilliard, René Saorgin, René Saorgi The organ is one of the oldest, most complex and most glorious musical instruments known to men. This four part series outlines the history of this magnificent instrument, ranging from the beauty of the sound to the wealth of music written for it, and encompassing not only the craftsmanship involved in building such a complicated (and often ornate) structure, but also the wonderful settings in which these instruments now reside.

RECITAL CYPRIEN KATSARIS Length: 81' / Cat. No.: A055100610000 Directed by: Enrique Sánchez Lansch | Soloists: Cyprien Katsaris (piano) Piano virtuoso Cyprien Katsaris plays Debussy's Clair de lune from the Suite bergamasque, Ravel's Pavane pour une infante défunte, Saint-Saëns' The Swan (arranged by Godowsky), Brahms' Sonata No. 3 in F minor Op. 5 and his own composition to celebrate European unity, Fantasie sur des hymnes. Each performance is introduced by Katsaris, who illustrates his insights into the music at the keyboard.

REHEARSAL DEBUSSY, LA MER Length: 56' / Cat. No.: A03508267 Directed by: Peter Berggren | Conductor: Esa-Pekka Salonen | Orchestra: Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra With a highly acclaimed performance of Mahler’s 3rd Symphony Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen acquired worldwide fame at the tender age of 25. Within the following years he not only became the musical head of several festivals, but also guest-conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra London and chief-conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Salonen’s appointment as musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the year 1992 is definitely one of the highlights in the career of this amazing musician. Together with the LAP the ambitious Finn realised many great concerts and released some fabulous recordings, mostly with 20th century music repertoire. This program shows Salonen while rehearsing Claude Debussy’s La Mer. There is a special connection between La Mer and the conductor, who is fascinated by the countless sound possibilities of the impressionistic work. He used some performances to experiment with the work’s score, but admits that only due to long lasting and intense collaboration with the Los Angeles Philharmonic he had had the opportunity to really analyse the different elements of La Mer and to elaborate the whole symphonic composition by assembling the single parts again.

REHEARSAL STRAUSS, TILL EULENSPIEGELS LUSTIGE STREICHE Length: 55' / Cat. No.: A12503093 Directed by: Peter Berggren | Conductor: Zubin Mehta |Orchestra: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Richard Strauss’ orchestral works contain a wealth of autobiographical allusions. This is equally true of the whimsical tonepoem Till Eulenspiegel, opus 28, which was completed in 1895. Strauss felt badly treated by the public in his home town of Munich, because his neo-Wagnerian opera Guntram had closed after only a single performance. In fact he had already planned a one-act stage work about the pranks of the legendary rascal Till Eulenspiegel and his ‘victims’, the town of Schilda’s narrow-minded petit bourgeois citizens. The openly programmatic composition with its phenomenal audacity and unique demands on orchestral technique simultaneously shocked and delighted his public. On this DVD, Zubin Metha conducts the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

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ROSSINIS PASTICCIO ODER DIE GEBURT DER KOCHKUNST Length: 86' / Cat. No.: A05007114 Directed by: Pit Riethmüller Rossini (1792-1868) was only thirty-eight when he stopped composing. Was he drained of inspiration, or did he, as hearsay goes, devote the rest of his life to the culinary arts? This light-hearted film, a subtle blend of fact and fiction, sets out in search of an answer. Accompanied by a fea of his music and gathering opinions from a wide range of connoisseurs - from chefs and sausage-makers to Pavarotti, Raimondi and Muti - the programme tracks the maestro through Italy and uncovers a wealth of information.

SOUNDS MAGNIFICENT – THE STORY OF THE SYMPHONY Length: 528' / Cat. No.: A025030160000 / 6 episodes Directed by: Herbert Chappell This series, featuring Sir André Previn and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, tells the story of the symphony. In each programme, Previn introduces a performance of a major symphonic work. He sets the music to be performed in the context of its composer's life and work, explaining the way in which it contributed to the development of the symphonic form. His comments are illustrated by the orchestra, who play a variety of supporting extracts. The music featured in the series is Haydn's Symphony No. 87, Mozart's Symphony No. 39, Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 (extracts) and Symphony No. 7, Berlioz's SYMPHONY fantastique, Brahms' Symphony No. 4, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 (Pathetique), and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5.

THE AIDA FILE Length: 76' / Cat. No.: A05050492 Directed by: John Cox | Conductor: Richard Bonynge, Lorin Maazel | Soloists: Tiziano Severini, Mirella Freni, Joan Sutherland, Maria Chiara, Marilyn Horne This film chronicles the life and times of Verdi and the history of one of his best-loved operas. It includes extensive extracts from the triumphant La Scala production starring Pavarotti, archive film of notable Aida productions from the past, and contributions from some of the great singers who have a special affection for this work – Pavarotti, Carlo Bergonzi, Grace Bumbry and Eva Turner among them.

THE KING'S SINGERS' MADRIGAL HISTORY TOUR Length: 205' / Cat. No.: A055036090000 / 6 episodes Directed by: Peter Butler and Peter Bartlett In this series, the highly-acclaimed King's Singers vocal ensemble travels through Germany, Spain, France, England and Italy to perform a varied selection of madrigals in the settings which first inspired their composition in the Golden Age of the sixteenth century. An introductory programme looks at the origins of the madrigal in Italy and traces its development throughout Europe to become the musical rage of the High Renaissance.

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THE TALLIS SCHOLARS Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02503050 Directed by: Hilary Chadwick Peter Phillips's passion for the unaccompanied sacred choral music of the Renaissance period informed his mission to transform a talented amateur singing group into the polished, professional Tallis Scholars. This film shows off their accomplishments in performances of works by Cornyshe, Taverner, Tallis, Byrd, Desprez and Obrecht, among others. It charts Phillips's personal odyssey and travels with him to Bruges, centre of the richly-coloured music of the fifteenthcentury Low Countries.

VALERY GERGIEV – THE STORY OF STRAVINSKY’S “SACRE” Length: 57' / Cat. No.: A05510086 Composer: Igor Stravinsky | Directed by: Peter Rump | Conductor: Valery Gergiev | Soloists: Pierre Boulez Alexander Toradze This programme records the meeting of two Russian musical giants, as Valéry Gergiev, the most charismatic and dynamic conductor of our day, rehearses, performs and discusses Stravinsky’s masterpiece. Innovative, inspiring and exhilarating, the Sacre du printemps is close to the maestro’s heart. Among a wide range of archive material used in the programme is a rare clip of Igor Stravinsky conducting the Sacre, as well as footage of him talking about his composition.

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MUSIC FILM

GIUSEPPE VERDI: OTELLO Length: 121' / Cat. No.: A05005404 Directed by: Walter Felsenstein | Conductor: Kurt Masur | Soloists: Vladimír Bauer, Hanns Nocker, Christa Noack, Hanna Schmoock, Hans-Otto Rogge, Peter Seufert, Erich Blasberg, Herbert Rössler, Horst-Dieter Kaschel | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin Walter Felsenstein (1901–1975), founder and general director of the Komische Oper in Berlin, was one of the twentieth century’s greatest creative theatre directors, who played a hugely important role in the revival of opera as a theatrical art form. A brilliant artist who directed over 190 productions during the course of his career, he was equally committed to the works, their creators, the ensemble and the audience. For Felsenstein, Verdi’s “Othello” was one of the most significant works in the history of opera. This was why he chose it to shoot the first colour opera film for DEFA in 1969. In his own interpretation, Felsenstein succeeded in creating a work that was not simply a documentation of the stage production, but a work that used cinematic means in order to portray the “unbearable happiness” that “Othello” conveys. Giuseppe Verdi who was enthused by Shakespeare’s plays produced with “Othello” an ingenious late work that the fantastic librettist, Arrigo Boito, had specially adapted for him beforehand. In his penultimate opera, the composer once again demonstrates his entire creative energy and turns the beauty and tragedy of the love between the endearing Desdemona and Othello, the commander who everyone regards mistrustfully because he is black, into music that excites the audience today just as much as it did back then. Felsenstein produces with “Othello” a film that tells a tragic story interwoven with great music and at the same time documents his own dramaturgical work.

JACQUES OFFENBACH: RITTER BLAUBART Length: 150' / Cat. No.: A05005615 Directed by: Walter Felsenstein, Georg Mielke | Conductor: Karl-Fritz Voigtmann | Soloists: Werner Enders, Hanns Nocker, Anny Schlemm, Irmgard Arnold, Rudolf Asmus, Ruth Schob-Lipka, Ingrid Czerny, Manfred Hopp, Helmut Polze, Hans-Otto Rogge, Evelyn Bölicke, Eva-Maria Baum, Christa Noack, Ute Trekel-Burkhardt | Orchestra/Chorus: Chor und Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin After 163 performances, Walter Felsenstein, founder of the Komische Oper in Berlin and one of the twentieth century’s greatest creative theatre directors, decided to make a film version of Ritter Blaubart. This film can now be enjoyed in a carefully restored digital form. Felsenstein’s forceful work on the musical and visual language of the opera film continues to influence other productions creatively. Felsenstein’s Ritter Blaubart is accompanied by the music of French composer Jaques Offenbach and was performed to great critical acclaim in Paris in 1866. Opera reviewer Oscar Bie delightfully remarked: “How the music flourishes in soil like this. How the tragedy laughs, and how seriously the comedy takes itself. […] This is not opera, nor is it comedy, and only on occasions is it parody. No, this is something much more sublime altogether: it is that wonderfully shimmering realm, full of truth about life, which borders grand fates and all-conquering humour.” Felsenstein’s adaptation of this diversifi ed opera affords countless opportunities for audiences to make associations, moments in which they are torn between laughter and abomination, but which all the while reveals an aptitude of theatrical magic one could only admire. The constant switching between comedy and tragedy is a fine balancing act that demands enormous self-discipline and ability from the performers. Felsenstein himself spoke of the “entirely new style of interpretation” the work required. This visionary theatre director, who played a hugely important role in the revival of opera as a theatrical art form, was exactly what this demanding opera needed.

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DOCUMENTARY

AGNES DE MILLE Length: 57' / Cat. No.: A02504178 Directed by: Alan Benson | Soloists: Agnes de Mill American choreographer Agnes de Mille (1909-93) is best-known for her cowboy ballet Rodeo and her choreography for the original Broadway show and film of Oklahoma. A profile, made when this grand old lady of dance was in her seventies, shows her still energetically rehearsing Rodeo with American Ballet Theatre dancers. She talks in interview about her life and influences and her earlier career is illustrated with archive film.

ARVO PÄRT ODER DIE FLUCHT IN DIE FREIWILLIGE ARMUT Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A73000011 Directed by: Dorian Supin The Estonian Arvo Pärt is widely regarded as one of today’s most original creators of music. Largely self-taught, he is remote from the mainstream of the contemporary avant-garde. Much of his music is bound up with sacred texts and has a shimmeringly mystical, devotional quality, underscored by the use of Renaissance harmonizations, medieval melodic techniques and even Gregorian chant. His work was described in the “Financial Times” as “Music of a magical stillness, the work of a very distinctive creative voice, almost impossible to classify, who seems to have appeared without obvious historical progenitors.” Film of rehearsals, recording sessions and concert performances is interwoven with more intimate footage of Pärt with his family. Music featured in the programmes includes Pärt’s „Miserere“, „Cantus“, „Pari Intervallo“ and Eri Klas conducting „Credo“ and „Festina Lente“. Film of rehearsals, recording sessions and concert performances is interwoven with more intimate footage of Pärt with his family. Music featured in the programmes includes Pärt’s „Miserere“, „Cantus“, „Pari Intervallo“ and Eri Klas conducting „Credo“ and „Festina Lente“.

CAMERON MACKINTOSH Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02504049 Directed by: Daniel Wiles The musical was almost dead when producer Cameron Mackintosh turned things around with an astonishing string of hits, including Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and Miss Saigon. This programme surveys his remarkable career to uncover what lies behind his unprecedented success as King of London's West End producers. There are contributions from several of his collaborators, including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg.

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CARL DAVIS ON SILENT FILM Length: 27' / Cat. No.: A02504087 Directed by: Steve Jenkins The composer and conductor Carl Davis is well-known for his work for television and films and, in particular, for the scores he has written to accompany silent films. He has helped breathe new life into classics such as Abel Gance's Napoleon and Chaplin's City Lights. In this film, Davis demonstrates how he creates a full music score for a silent film, working on a sequence from Raymond Bernard's The Chess Player.

CECILIA BARTOLI - BETWEEN PASTA AND REHEARSAL Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A05510260 Directed by: David Thomas The Italian mezzo-soprano has been hailed as the most exciting, accomplished and beautiful Rossini singer to appear in modern times. Shot largely on location in Italy, this film celebrates the talents of both Bartoli and Rossini. She is seen performing Rossini arias at the famous Gran Teatro la Fenice in Venice, in recital in London, and at home in Rome. Throughout the programme, Bartoli exhibits the passion and enthusiasm she brings to all her performances.

CHOIRS AND PLACES WHERE THEY SING Length: 55' / Cat. No.: A02504098 Directed by: Bryan Izzard This programme explores the British Choral tradition - the choirs, the composers and the reasons why the British love to sing together. With the help of many choirs and choral societies - from Westminster Abbey to Watford football ground - the programme traces one thousand years of British Choral music. The guide is Simon Preston, organist and master of the choristers at Westminster Abbey.

CHRISTIAN LINDBERG: A TROMBONE ODYSSEY Length: 59' / Cat. No.: A06500275 Directed by: Peter Berggren Swedish trombonist Christian Lindberg has won new recognition for the trombone as a solo instrument and now commands an international following. His passion for his instrument and his natural exuberance radiate from his playing. At the centre of this lively documentary is a record of the genesis of Anders Hillborg's composition Strange Dances and Singing Water, a trombone concerto written specially for Lindberg.

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CLASSIC WIDOWS Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02503917 Directed by: Ken Russell Classic Widows features four extraordinary women who are championing the music of their late composer-husbands: Susana Walton, globetrotting widow of William Walton; Bertha Stevens, whose husband, a contemporary of Walton's, died in relative obscurity; Xenia Frankel, who was left £50,000 in debt on the death of her husband Benjamin; and Humphrey Searle's widow. The programme features specially chosen selections from all the composers' works, performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Richard Hickox.

DANCE CRAZY IN HOLLYWOOD Length: 57' / Cat. No.: A01502372 Directed by: Robert Kuperberg Hermes Pan began choreographing Hollywood musicals in 1933, when he embarked on a long-running collaboration with Fred Astaire. For over three decades he was the man who made the stars dance - Ginger Rogers, Betty Grable, Rita Hayworth, Cyd Charisse, Shirley MacLaine, Frank Sinatra, Bob Fosse and many others. In this, the last programme he made before his death in 1990, Pan introduces a dance extravaganza which takes viewers back to the days when musicals were all the rage on the silver screen.

DAVID BINTLEY Length: 53' / Cat. No.: A02504157 Directed by: John Selwyn Gilbert | Choreography by: David Bintley This programme follows the gifted British choreographer at work on two of his ballets, and shows the evolution of the pieces through rehearsal sequences. The first, Choros, is an abstract piece set to music by Aubrey Meyer, and the second, Metamorphosis, is based on Kafka's terrifying story of the man who wakes up to find he has turned into a huge beetle. Bintley is also seen preparing to dance the role of Petrushka in the Fokine classic.

DMITRY AND ALEXANDER SITKOVETSKY Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02504018 Directed by: Gerald Fox Dmitry Sitkovetsky is well-known in the West as one of the most exciting and respected violinists of his generation. He also has his own string orchestra, directs a Finnish summer music festival and is a brilliant transcriber and arranger of important classical works. Dmitry's cousin, Alexander (Sasha), is a rock guitarist and an eminent rock/classical composer. This programme, shot on location in Latvia, St. Petersburg, Finland and London, interweaves the stories of the two cousins, charting their lives and careers.

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EIN ABEND BEI FRANCIS Length: 76' / Cat. No.: A05014023 Directed by: Barrie Gavin An enchanting blend of music and documentary, this programme looks at the life, times and work of the French composer Poulenc (1899-1963). The framework for the programme is a reconstruction of a soirée typical of those frequented by fashionable society in the early years of the twentieth century. Poulenc's work is performed by Paul Crossley (piano), Susan Milan (flute), Thomas Mohr (baritone), Ulrike Sonntag (soprano) and the Aulos Wind Quintet, with Anthony Spiri (piano).

ELECTRONIC MUSIC Length: 55' / Cat. No.: A02504137 Directed by: Bryan Izzard In the twentieth century, music entered the age of electronics and the microchip. This programme examines the history of this new music, from Stockhausen to Varèse, from pop singles and signature tunes to serious contemporary composition.

ERMANNO WOLF-FERRARI Length: 45' / Cat. No.: A05510024 Directed by: Pit Riethmüller and Roland Zag The German-Italian composer Wolf-Ferrari (1876-1948) is best remembered for the many light operas he based on the comedies of Goldoni. In this portrait, extracts from his work, including I quattro rusteghi, Il campiello and Il segreto di Susanna, are seen in rehearsal and performance. His music is interspersed with comments from directors, composers and conductors, who, together with his nephew, tell the story of his life.

ERNEST ANSERMET Length: 57' / Cat. No.: A02502637 Directed by: Barrie Gavin This portrait of the great Swiss conductor, Ernest Ansermet (1883-1969), draws on a wealth of archive material and the reminiscences of his colleagues and family. As founder and life-long director of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, he was instrumental in making the French and Russian repertoire of the twentieth century known to music lovers around the some of Ansermet's favourite music, played by the orchestra, under Armin Jordan, including pieces by Stravinsky, Debussy and Chabrier. Archive film of Ansermet at work includes footage of him rehearsing and conducting Haydn's Symphony No. 88 in G, de Falla's Harpsichord Concerto, Ravel's La Valse, Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade and Schumann's Manfred Overture.

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GEHEIMNISVOLLE INSEL - SIEBEN VARIATIONEN ÜBER EIN THEMA VON SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A05014186 Directed by: Barrie Gavin Fleeing Russia in 1917, Rachmaninov (1873-1943) was forced to set aside composing in order to support his family as a pianist. This film looks at his life in exile and at how this separation from his homeland affected his music. Filming centres on Senar, the villa by Lake Lucerne which Rachmaninov built as a conscious recreation of Ivanovka, his wife's beloved estate in Russia. His grandson still lives there and, with his co-operation and that of Sofia Satin, his niece, the family archives have been used to piece together a picture of the composer's life in both Russia and Europe.

GEORG SOLTI Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02504110 Directed by: Alan Benson At the age of seventy-five, fifty years after he was forced to leave Hungary because of its anti-semitic regime, maestro Solti (1912-97) went back to conduct his country's State Symphony Orchestra for the very first time. This film records his emotional return to his homeland. It centres on a searching interview about his early life, accompanies him to landmarks of his youth, such as the Franz Liszt Music Academy where he studied, and shows rehearsals for the triumphant concert he gave.

GLYNDEBOURNE: A CELEBRATION OF FIFTY YEARS Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A02502002 Directed by: Christopher Swann Taking a closer look at Glyndebourne's world-famous opera house set in the heart of the Sussex countryside, this film goes behind the scenes and meets the people who create its unique atmosphere and sense of occasion. The exciting 50th Anniversary season in 1984 was chosen to reflect some of the works which have been particularly significant in the history of the Festival. In this documentary there is film of rehearsals for new productions of Le nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte, the two operas with which Glyndebourne opened in 1934. These are both directed by Sir Peter Hall. There is also film of Hall’s preparations for Monteverdi’s L'Incoronazione di Poppea and Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. John Cox is seen working on Richard Strauss’s Arabella.

HANS WERNER HENZE Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02504083 Composer: Hans Werner Henze | Directed by: Jony Knox Leading German composer Hans Werner Henze's early experiences of Nazism and wartime conscription left him with a passionate belief in music as a means of political resistance and as a healing force. Filmed while on a rare visit to his home town in Westphalia, Henze talks candidly about his youth, the development of his revolutionary aesthetic and his nomadic musical life. He is seen at work on the score for his opera, The Treacherous Sea.

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HEINRICH SCHIFF Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02504054 Directed by: Alan Benson Heinrich Schiff is one of today's top ranking cellists. In an interview recorded at his home in Austria, he talks about his musicianship, his celebrated career as a performer, to his move towards conducting in becoming the director of England's Northern Sinfonia, with whom he is seen rehearsing Beethoven and Bartók. Performance extracts include Schiff playing Bach sonatas and Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 2 in G Op. 126.

HINDEMITH: A PILGRIM'S PROGRESS Length: 40' / Cat. No.: A02503886 Directed by: Tony Palmer Hindemith's symphonic suite, Mathis der Maler, forms the framework for Tony Palmer's highly original film about the German composer, narrated by John Gielgud and Ronald Pickup. The music was inspired by the medieval painter Grünewald, who, like Hindemith (1895-1963), was an opponent of oppression in his day. Palmer uses tableaux vivants from Grünewald's crowning achievement, the Isenheim altarpiece, archive film of Nazi Germany and readings from Bunyan's A Pilgrim's Progress, to make a powerful assault on the senses and the emotions.

ITZHAK PERLMAN Length: 51' / Cat. No.: A02504134 Directed by: Alan Benson One of the world's greatest violinists, Perlman is also known for his wit and good humour. This film was shot on location in New York, where Perlman talks about his career and how he copes with the effects of the childhood polio which left him crippled. He talks in depth about the art of playing the violin and demonstrates his skill, tackling pieces by Paganini and Bach.

IVO POGORELICH Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02504179 Directed by: Don Featherstone | Soloists: Ivo Progorelić, Aliza Kezeradz The piano virtuoso stepped into the limelight when he was dropped from the finals of the 1980 Warsaw Chopin Competition amid a controversy about his unsuitable dress and unconventional interpretation. Pogorelich has remained in demand on the concert platform and fuelled his reputation as an enfant terrible by marrying his teacher, Alice Kezeradse twenty years his senior. This programme shows them together, working on Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit and talking in interview.

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JAMES GALWAY - FLAUTIST AT FIFTY Length: 61' / Cat. No.: A02006825 Directed by: Derek Bailey From 1975-85, flautist James Galway was continually in the public eye. He widened the audience for classical music and, to the purists' horror, added unashamedly popular music to his repertoire. Since then, he has tired of hell-raising and the publicity circus and is more eager than ever to perfect and to communicate his art. Galway talks with disarming frankness about his life and his music and is seen teaching, rehearsing and performing.

JIŘÍ KYLIÁN ODER NICHT IM SCHWANENSEE ERTRINKEN Length: 61' / Cat. No.: A05014189 Directed by: Hans Hulscher The acclaimed Czech choreographer Jiří Kylián worked with the Nederlands Dans Theater for over twenty years and, under his direction the company established an international reputation. This intimate portrait charts his career, shows him at work, illustrates the development of his choreography with extensive extracts from his ballets, and includes archive film and contributions from colleagues. Kylián also talks about the evolution of his work.

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, THE CANTOR OF ST THOMAS'S Length: 90' / Cat. No.: A02005063 Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach | Directed by: Colin Nears | Conductor: Sir Roger Norrington “Too operatic and too long!” – one opinion of Bach's music, on his appointment to his last, longest and most famous post as Cantor of Leipzig's Thomasschule. Brian Cox portrays Bach (1685-1750) in a film based on the records of his employers, the City Council – the story of his fight to defend position, status and, above all else, his music. Performances, in authentic style, are directed by Sir Roger Norrington. The music content of the film includes excerpts from: The Art of Fugue, the St. Matthew Passion, Fugue in C Minor for Organ, Cantatas No. 131, 71 and 123, Passacaglia in C Minor for Organ, Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord in E Minor, Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, Invention for Harpsichord No. 5 in E Flat, Sonata No. 1, the St. John Passion, The Wedding Cantata, Mass in B Minor and The Musical Offering.

JOHN NEUMEIER AT WORK Length: 78' / Cat. No.: A05014013 Directed by: André S. Labarthe The American dancer and choreographer John Neumeier is renowned for his work with the Hamburg Ballet. He was filmed with the company over a busy six-month period, which encompassed rehearsals for Artus Sage, the creation of The Magnificat, and performances in Hamburg, Paris and Avignon of works including his acclaimed St Matthew Passion. Throughout the programme Neumeier talks about his methods and his creative influences.

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JOHN OGDON Length: 55' / Cat. No.: A02503888 Directed by: Tony Knox In 1962, the British pianist won the Tchaikovsky Competition along with Ashkenazy and embarked on a successful international career. Ten years later he was struck by a crippling mental illness from which he took many years to recover. This programme was made with Ogdon shortly before his tragic death in 1989, as his musical genius was beginning to reassert itself. It focuses on his overriding love for music and concludes with him improvising a new work at the piano.

KAREN KAIN Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A05510050 Directed by: Norman Campbell This dance portrait celebrates the illustrious career of Canada's prima ballerina, Karen Kain. Specially-filmed dance extracts from MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, Petit's Proust, Bruhn's Swan Lake and Feld's solo, Echo, showcase her superb technique, and she recalls her life in dance and her favourite roles. There are also contributions from fellow dancers, choreographers and critics, including Rudolf Nureyev and Reid Anderson.

KARL AMADEUS HARTMANN Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A05014001 Directed by: Klaus Voswinckel This profile of the German composer Karl Amadeus Hartmann (1905-63) combines documentary and Performance footage. It looks at his championship of new music with the Musica Viva concerts he organised in Munich after 1945, and includes extensive excerpts from his opera Des Simplicius Simplicissimus Jugend, as well as his Symphonies No. 6 and No. 8.

KARL MÜNCHINGER Length: 85' / Cat. No.: A05014227 Directed by: André S. Labarthe | Conductor: Karl Münchinger In the aftermath of the Second World War, conductor Karl Münchinger (1915-90) set up the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. Under his guidance, the orchestra became world famous for its consummately modern rendition of baroque music, attracting a new interest in eighteenth-century composers. In this profile, made five years before his death, Münchinger talks about his methods and style and is Seen rehearsing and performing music by Mozart, Pergolesi and Bach.

KAROLE ARMITAGE Length: 53' / Cat. No.: A02504135 Directed by: David Hinton Acclaimed as one of the most exciting and accomplished dancers and choreographers of her generation, Karole Armitage presents this programme surveying her career. It features lengthy excerpts from her works plus location footage from Rhode Island, where she is seen rehearsing her ballet Romance for an American television recording. The programme also includes rare black and white archive material showing Balanchine and Merce Cunningham in rehearsal.

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KIRI TE KANAWA - A CONCERT SPECIAL Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02504055 Directed by: Nigel Wattis At a spectacular open-air concert in New Zealand, Dame Kiri sang music ranging from Puccini to Gershwin to an audience of over seventy-five thousand. A year later she performed a programme of Handel and Mozart for an invited audience at the Wren chapel of the Royal Naval College in London. Highlights of these two quite different, but equally memorable, occasions are brought together in this concert special, which showcases the unique beauty and versatility of Dame Kiri's voice. This delightfully varied programme of music includes the famous soprano aria ‘Tu che di gel’ from Puccini’s Turandot; ‘O mio babbino caro’ from the same composer’s Gianni Schicci; Mozart’s ‘Exsultate Jubilate’; a traditional Maori song; and ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ from the musical My Fair Lady.

LALO SCHIFRIN Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A02502645 Directed by: Rodney Greenberg The pianist, conductor and composer Lalo Schifrin is perhaps best-known for the award-winning film and television scores he has penned, such as Mission Impossible, Cool Hand Luke, Bullit and The Fox. This documentary includes clips from these screen classics and features extensive extracts from a concert Schifrin gave in Cannes, with the Lyon National Orchestra and guests, including Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown and Grady Tate (The Dizzy Gillespie Trio) and soprano Julia Migenes.

MAKING OF CARAVAGGIO Length: 29' / Cat. No.: A05550702 Caravaggio (1571-1610), born Michelangelo Merisi, has entered history due to his paintings of dramatic intensity. One of his foremost artistic twists was the extreme contrast between brightness and darkness, light and shadow. Mauro Bigonzetti is one of the leading choreographers of the Italian ballet: "When I think of Caravaggio, I think of the artist and the human being at the same time. These are the two sides of the human existence that interest me in particular. The relations of these two worlds are the inspiration for this work: the inner world on the one hand - and how it evolves artistically on the other." Music by Claudio Monteverdi/Bruno Moretti.

O FORTUNA Length: 88' / Cat. No.: A05014055 Directed by: Tony Palmer No other piece of twentieth-century music has enjoyed such popular acclaim as Orff's Carmina Burana. But, apart from this composition, his work – operas, ballets, cantatas – is largely ignored. Why? Tony Palmer's search for the real Carl Orff (1895-1982) looks at the whole range of his music, his educational work and his difficult relationship with the Nazi Party. Interviews with the three wives who survived him and his only child are included. An extraordinary, dark story emerges – of betrayal, disappointment, lies and personal tragedy.

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PATRICK DUPOND Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A01502338 Directed by: André S. Labarthe This portrait documents a star's effort to be, and to stay, the best. The cameras follow Patrick Dupond to Tokyo, Paris and Milan and show him training, rehearsing, performing and talking about his career. He is seen dancing Coppelia with the National Ballet of Marseille, working on Daniel Ezralow's Soon and Alwin Nikolais's Arc en ciel, performing in the Salome choreographed for him by Maurice Béjart, and rehearsing Giselle with Carta Fracci.

PETER DICKINSON Length: 53' / Cat. No.: A02503884 Directed by: Mark Holloway A series of major concertos written in the 1980s - one for organ, one for piano and one for violin - established British composer Peter Dickinson as an important and individual musical voice. This programme looks at his career and influences, particularly American music, from Cage to Joplin. The second half of the programme consists of a complete performance of his composition London Rags, performed by London Brass, for whom it was composed.

PUCCINI Length: 113' / Cat. No.: A02005064 Composer: Giacomo Puccini | Directed by: Tony Palmer Tony Palmer's feature, scripted by Charles Wood, dramatises the story which hit the Italian headlines in 1908, when Puccini was fifty. Robert Stephens plays Puccini, Virginia McKenna his wife, Elvira, and Judith Howarth the servant girl who, wrongly accused by Elvira of having an affair with her husband, killed herself. The scandal devastated Puccini's career and shattered his private life. Ten years later he wrote Turandot. Music and documentary film are skillfully combined with the drama to draw connections between this sublime masterpiece and Puccini's experiences.

RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS - A SYMPHONIC PORTRAIT Length: 58' / Cat. No.: A02504156 Directed by: Ken Russell Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was a quintessentially English, strongly individual and very personal composer. Ken Russell's delightful and original tribute to this great man of twentieth-century music uses extracts from his nine symphonies to sketch the story of his life. Vivid memories of Vaughan Williams are recounted by his widow, Ursula, and others who knew him.

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RECITAL CECILIA BARTOLI Length: 56' / Cat. No.: A02504062 Directed by: David Thomas Recorded at London's Savoy Hotel, this recital by the acclaimed Italian mezzo-soprano includes well-known Arie Antiche by Pergolesi, Caldara, Paisiello and Vivaldi, a selection of arias from the ever-popular Mozart operas Così fan tutte and Le nozze di Figaro, as well as the lesser-known La clemenza di Tito. The highlight of the performance is the selection of songs and arias by Rossini. Miss Bartoli is accompanied by Georg Fischer.

SIOBHAN DAVIES Length: 51' / Cat. No.: A02504183 Directed by: David Hinton | Choreography by: Siobhan Davies Siobhan Davies is one of Britain's most notable contemporary choreographers. This film follows her through the process of creating a piece for the highly individual dancers of the Second Stride company. The result is Silent Partners, an intensely dramatic and passionate work, which is seen both in rehearsal and in performance.

SONGS OF EXPERIENCE - SIR MICHAEL TIPPETT AT 85 Length: 63' / Cat. No.: A02006812 Directed by: Mischa Scorer This profile of Sir Michael Tippett (1905-98), one of Britain's foremost twentieth-century composers, was made with him during the rehearsals and first performances of his opera New Year. He talks about many of the important events in his life and about the sources of his inspiration, above all, his longing for peace and beauty in a world torn by violence and oppression. Tippett describes his approach to composition and is seen rehearsing his Triple Concerto for a planned recording.

STEPHEN SONDHEIM Length: 55' / Cat. No.: A02504155 Directed by: Alan Benson With shows including A Little Night Music, Company and Sweeney Todd, Sondheim established himself as the foremost music dramatist of his generation. In this programme, he describes the key processes involved in song writing, and works with students from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London on the interpretation of some of his most memorable songs.

SYLVIE GUILLEM Length: 54' / Cat. No.: A02504111 Directed by: Nigel Wattis Sylvie Guillem is a dance superstar whose breathtaking technique ranks her beside the likes of Nureyev and Baryshnikov. She rarely agrees to interviews but co-operated fully with director Nigel Wattis for this profile. The programme centres on film of Guillem rehearsing and performing a range of pieces, both contemporary and classical, which display her astonishing virtuosity. She talks incisively about working with some of the world's top choreographers.

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THE PENGUIN CAFE ORCHESTRA Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02503890 Directed by: Andrew Harries Under its leader and composer Simon Jeffes, this ensemble has been making its own idiosyncratic brand of music since the mid-1970s, drawing on classical and avant-garde sources, as well as pop, folk and ethnic forms, with instruments ranging from the piano, cello, violin and drums, to the ukelele, electric guitar and penny whistle. A studio recording of performances by the PCO is punctuated with interviews in which they discuss their original and eclectic style.

THE SECRET LIFE OF ALBAN BERG Length: 50' / Cat. No.: A02503039 Director: Kriss Rusmanis Alban Berg (1885-1935) lived in the mainstream of well-to-do Austrian society. His marriage to the beautiful Hélène was thought to be made in heaven. But how can this doyen of Viennese respectability be reconciled with the composer who wrote the dark operas Wozzeck and Lulu? In this multi-layered fi lm, director Krišs Rusmanis explores the private world behind the composer’s public image and reveals the double life Berg led, despite his moving protestationsof fidelity and devotion to his wife. While condemning the moral hypocrisy of society in Lulu, he concealed the existence of his illegitimate daughter, Albine, continued more than one clandestine love affair and frequented the sleazy haunts that flourished in Vienna. This multi-layered film explores Berg‘s double life. Soprano Kristine Ciesinki, who features in specially-staged extractsfrom Lulu and Wozzeck, travels to Vienna, Prague, the USA and Germany to track downimportant archive documents and people who can recall the composer‘s presence in their lives.

THOMAS ALLEN Length: 55' / Cat. No.: A02503870 Directed by: Daniel Wiles Internationally acclaimed, the leading lyrical baritone is noted for his skill not only as a singer, but also for his acting. In this programme, Allen takes a masterclass with trainees from the National Opera Studio, looking at scenes from Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and Britten's Billy Budd. He also talks in interview about his career and his approach to opera.

TURM DER TRÄUME - DIE MUSIK DES CHARLES KOECHLIN Length: 69' / Cat. No.: A05014195 Directed by: Barrie Gavin The music of Charles Koechlin (1867-1950) is as various and surprising as the passions which fired him: travel, medieval music, Bach, Socialism, film stars, stereoscopic photography and Rudyard Kipling, to name but a few. This film, a mixture of fact and fantasy, shows the figure of the composer wandering through an imaginary house in which each room reveals a new facet of his many loves.

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VERA LYNN Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02504060 Directed by: Desmond Wilcox At the height of her popularity during World War Two, the singer Dame Vera Lynn captured the heart of the British nation with ballads such as The White Cliffs of Dover and We'll Meet Again. As the Forces' sweetheart, she symbolised the fortitude with which Britain survived the Blitz. She has been called upon to recreate the spirit of resilience and patriotic pride ever since. This portrait celebrates Dame Vera – her music and her times.

VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY ON RACHMANINOV Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02504188 Directed by: Tony Cash and Hilary Chadwick In this programme the celebrated pianist and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy, a champion of his compatriot Rachmaninov (1873-1943), urges a fuller appreciation of the composer's music. Filmed at Ivanovka, the country house south of Moscow where Rachmaninov wrote many of his works, the programme makes extensive use of archive footage and stills. It draws on his writings and features several sound recordings of him playing his own compositions. Ashkenazy also plays and conducts music by Rachmaninov.

VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY Length: 54' / Cat. No.: A02504128 Directed by: Chris Hunt Vladimir Ashkenazy is one of the world's most accomplished and charismatic musicians, renowned as both a pianist and a conductor. He left Russia in 1963 to escape the restrictions imposed on individual expression pre-perestroika, and, in this film he talks revealingly about his life, work and motivations. Specially-recorded musical illustrations include passages of Chopin, Beethoven, Rachmaninov and Brahms.

VOM WESEN DER MUSIK Length: 135' / Cat. No.: A055100250000 / 3 episodes Directed by: Jeremy Marre Every society throughout the world - and throughout history - has had a place for music. It has been used in sacred rituals and worship, for celebration and entertainment, for healing, and for protest. This three-part series considers how and why music has developed such an important role. Jeremy Marre filmed phenomena as diverse as the spirit cults of Madagascar, the trance rituals of Bali, the throat-songs of the Inuit Eskimos, flamenco in Cordoba, Wagner in Bayreuth, a therapy group in Ireland, duetting birds in Panama, samba in Brazil and an exorcism in old Cairo for this exploration of the nature of music.

WILLARD WHITE Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02504053 Singer Sir Willard White not only has a superb bass/baritone voice, but his acting talent has landed him leading roles in the theatre as well as on the operatic stage. Jamaican by birth, he now lives in England, but this programme takes him back to his homeland to tell the remarkable story of his success. He demonstrates his operatic skills in special recordings of some of his most celebrated roles, and is seen in rehearsals for an English National Opera production of Pelleas and Melisande.

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WILLIAM FORSYTHE Length: 56' / Cat. No.: A05510303 As director of the Frankfurt Ballet, American choreographer William Forsythe leaped to prominence, shaping an international troupe of dancers into the brilliant instrument of his choreographic and theatrical imagination. This programme shows Forsythe working with the company on Impressing the Tsar, and introducing dancers of the New York City Ballet to his rigorous methods, as he prepares Behind the China Dogs.

PORTRAIT

BARRY TUCKWELL: MASTER OF THE HORN Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02503049 Directed by: Don Featherstone The celebrated French horn player, Barry Tuckwell, traces how one of the earliest primitive instruments developed the form and sound it has today and became an important part of the symphony orchestra. Accompanied by the English Chamber Orchestra, he is seen performing works by Telemann, Schumann, Beethoven, Britten and Mozart.

BERNARD HAITINK - A CONDUCTOR'S LIFE Length: 64' / Cat. No.: A86500113 Directed by: Hans Hulscher Bernard Haitink, a leading figure in international concert halls and opera houses, is one of the most sought-after Mahler and Bruckner conductors of our time. This biographical documentary follows him as he prepares for and conducts concerts, operas, sound and television recordings. Music highlights include extracts from works by Bruckner, Mahler, Mozart, Schubert and Wagner. Archive material illustrates his long and illustrious career and maestro Haitink talks at length about his life, his music and conducting.

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CLAUDIO ARRAU Length: 55' / Cat. No.: A02503088 Directed by: Alan Benson This profile of the great Chilean pianist, who died in 1991 at the age of eighty-eight, was made in 1984. Throughout his long career his interpretations remained unparalleled in their depth of feeling, virtuosity and fidelity to the text. In the film he talks about his life and work and performs pieces by Beethoven ('Appassionata' Sonata No. 23 Op. 57 in F minor), Chopin (Ballade No. 3 in A flat), Debussy (L'Isle joyeuse), Liszt (Petrarch Sonnet No. 104) and Schubert (Klavierstück in E flat minor, D946), describing his feelings for these composers.

DOMENICO SCARLATTI - HIS MUSIC AND HIS WORLD Length: 62' / Cat. No.: A05004895 Composer: Domenico Scarlatti | Directed by: Ann Turner Scarlatti (1685-1757) is one of the greatest composers of keyboard music ever to have lived. This film presents performances of his brilliant, expressive and original sonatas in the context of his travels across Europe in the service of the Vatican and the courts of Portugal and Spain. From Bernini's impressive façades in Rome, through the peasant areas of the Iberian peninsula and the Spanish royal palaces, it traces the influences and ideas that inspired the composer. Harpsichordist Rafael Puyana performs on an instrument dating from 1740.

ELISABETH SCHWARZKOPF Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02503018 Directed by: Alan Benson One of the greatest sopranos of the post-war decades, Schwarzkopf won acclaim on the operatic stage and as a lieder singer. Her career was moulded by Walter Legge, an innovative British recording executive who became her husband. He guided her towards her best repertoire - Mozart and Richard Strauss. In this film, which includes rare archive footage of Schwarzkopf in performance, she talks about her life and work and is seen conducting a masterclass on Hugo Wolf songs.

ELLIOTT CARTER Length: 54' / Cat. No.: A02503087 Directed by: Alan Benson America's most eminent contemporary composer experiments constantly and creates music that is challenging to both performer and audience. Filmed at his home in New York, this programme explores the development of Carter's style. He talks in-depth about his music, his influences and his life. Musical illustrations include orchestral works played by the London Sinfonietta, conducted by David Atherton, piano pieces played by Charles Rosen, and Chamber music performed by the Arditti String Quartet.

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EVELYN GLENNIE IN RIO Length: 48' / Cat. No.: A02502996 Directed by: Chris Hunt Evelyn Glennie is a unique phenomenon. She is profoundly deaf and yet is recognised as one of the world's top percussionists. This programme follows her to Rio de Janeiro in search of new percussion techniques. She learns the samba rhythms and participates in the famous Rio Carnival. Back in the UK, she incorporates the experiences of her trip into her repertoire as she plays two Brazilian pieces, one with the London Symphony Orchestra.

HAKAN HARDENBERGER - A PROFILE Length: 56' / Cat. No.: A02503007 Directed by: Ken Howard The Swedish classical trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger rose rapidly to the pinnacle of his profession. His virtuosity and his passion for expanding the repertoire of his instrument have made eminent composers eager to write music for him, including Birtwistle and Ligeti. In this film he is seen working with Hans Werner Henze on a new composition, rehearsing and performing classic and contemporary works, and talking about his music.

JOHN CAGE: I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY AND I AM SAYING IT Length: 55' / Cat. No.: A03505271 Directed by: Allan Miller Cage (1912-92) emerged from the post-war American avant-garde to become one of the most controversial and influential of contemporary composers. This programme was made with him two years before he died. He introduces his philosophy that all sounds, even silence, can be used as the source for music and discusses his arrival at the use of chance operations in composing. His collaboration with artist Robert Rauschenberg and choreographer Merce Cunningham is explored, and other contributors include Yoko Ono and Laurie Anderson, who have both drawn inspiration from him.

JOHN ELIOT GARDINER Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02503054 Directed by: Tony Knox Sir John Eliot Gardiner is one of the world's most highly-regarded conductors of operatic and orchestral music. He first made his name in the field of Early Music, then, in 1990, he founded the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, a period instrument orchestra dedicated to playing classical and Romantic music. This programme focuses on Gardiner's work with this orchestra, which brings a new and exciting perspective to some of the best-loved symphonic music.

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MARIA JOAO PIRES Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A01501781 Directed by: Werner Zeindler The Portuguese pianist’s return to the concert platform in the mid-1980s, after a break due to ill health, was a triumph. This programme shows her pursuing her professional career with renewed vigour and talking with great frankness and intensity about her life and work. Performances of works by Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Beethoven, Poulenc and Chopin are featured.

MARK MORRIS Length: 53' / Cat. No.: A02503064 Directed by: Nigel Wattis Morris is a brilliantly creative choreographer whose musicality and almost classical regard for form have led him to be hailed as the successor to the late George Balanchine, the doyen of twentieth-century dance. This programme was made when he was the resident choreographer at La Monnaie in Brussels. It focuses on his highly-acclaimed ballet L'allegro, il penseroso ed il moderato. He is also seen creating a new work in rehearsal, with dancers including Mikhail Baryshnikov.

ME FACC'UN TENORINO! (I'M GOING TO BE A LITTLE TENOR) Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02502994 Directed by: Nigel Wattis Pavarotti has sold more records, performed for more people and commanded higher fees than any other tenor. This rare television interview was given at his summer home in Pesaro in northern Italy. In a frank and characteristically humorous exchange, he talks about his life, his career and his remarkable talent. The programme features lavish excerpts of Pavarotti in performance and there are contributions from his parents and his first singing teacher.

MICHALA PETRI Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02503055 Directed by: Theo Richmond and Kim Evans The Danish virtuoso Michala Petri has won world-wide acclaim playing an instrument which very rarely finds the spotlight on a concert platform - the recorder. Filmed at home in Denmark and with the English Chamber Orchestra in London, she plays music ranging from contemporary pieces, composed specially tor her, to baroque music, including works by Bach and Vivaldi. This profile also explores the long history of the recorder and its astonishing revival in recent years.

MSTISLAV ROSTROPOVICH Length: 57' / Cat. No.: A02503065 Composer: Britten/Penderecki | Directed by: Don Featherstone | Conductor: Mstislav Rostropovich Cellist Mstislav Rostropovich is indisputably a supreme master of his instrument. After leaving Russia in the mid-1970s, he established a distinguished double career as a performer and a conductor in the West. Filmed at Aldeburgh, when he was Festival director there, Rostropovich is seen rehearsing the Pears Britten Orchestra, performing works by Britten and Penderecki, and talking about his eventful life and his music.

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MUSIC OF KAROL SZYMANOWSKI Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A82000629 Directed by: Peter Maniura This semi-dramatised film delves into the vivid and exotic imagination of the Polish composer Szymanowski (1882-1937). Though dogged by ill health and misfortune, his whole life was a search to find his own creative voice and to develop and contribute to an authentic Polish musical culture. Szymanowski's music is performed by the Warsaw National Philharmonic, conducted by Kazimierz Kord. Among those interviewed is the late Witold Lutoslawski.

OLIVIER MESSIAEN Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A05004896 Directed by: Alan Benson French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) is a key figure in the evolution of twentieth-century classical music. In this definitive profile, made when he was nearly eighty, Messiaen talks about his life, his music and the mainsprings of his work – a deep love of nature and a fervent Christian faith. He is seen improvising on the organ at the St. Trinité church in Paris, and the programme includes specially-recorded extracts from several of his major works.

PORTRAIT ALFRED SCHNITTKE - WORDS RETURN TO MUSIC Length: 61' / Cat. No.: A02006653 Directed by: Donald Sturrock Schnittke (1934-98) is now established as one of Russia's most important twentieth-century composers. This programme features the first major television interview he gave in Moscow for broadcast in the West, when he and his colleagues were able to talk freely in the wake of Gorbachev's reforms. The film reflects the “unreal reality” he describes by using speciallyshot black and white sequences and original performance extracts to create an impressionistic tapestry of biography, music and ideas. Works featured include Violin Sonata No. 2, Symphony No. 1, Prayer of a Young Man, Three Scenes, Epilogue from Peer Gynt and the Faust Cantata.

PORTRAIT ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER Length: 57' / Cat. No.: A02503239 Directed by: Alan Benson This portrait of the protégé of the late Herbert von Karajan – who, when she was only thirteen years old, proclaimed her “the greatest youthful musical talent since the young Menuhin” – shows her in performance, and talking in interview at her home in Kitzbühel about her life and her ideas on music. She is seen in concert at London's Barbican Centre playing Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Op. 35, as well as sonatas by Ravel, Franck, Tartini, Sarasate and Beethoven.

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PORTRAIT BRYN TERFEL Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02503611 Directed by: Nigel Wattis Bryn Terfel is one of the world’s most sought-after bass-baritones. It is the burly Welshman’s ability to express and colour words in a way that moves even the coldest of hearts that has established his ascendancy in the most illustrious vocal company. This profile charts his rise to fame and focuses on his development of various roles in Mozart's Don Giovanni. He is seen preparing the role of the Don himself with Sir Georg Solti.

PORTRAIT EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA - GIFT OF DREAMS Length: 54' / Cat. No.: A13500040 Directed by: Aarno Cronvall In recent years, one of Finland’s leading contemporary composers has found international fame. His Angel of Light CD has become a world-wide best-seller and, in the words of The Financial Times, “popular taste has suddenly caught up with Rautavaara’s mystical Romanticism. The time is right for his style.” Now in his seventies, he is at the height of his musical powers. This impressionistic film explores the charismatic composer’s life and music, glimpsing the richness of his creative imagination.

PORTRAIT IANNIS XENAKIS - SOMETHING RICH AND STRANGE Length: 59' / Cat. No.: A02006656 Directed by: Mark Kidel The life story of Xenakis (1922-2001) is that of a genius who triumphed over adversity to become, not only a leading composer, but also an architect of renown. His music is rooted in a sub-soil of mathematics, architecture, science and the drama of his personal history. Filmed on the Greek island where he grew up and in his Paris studio, Xenakis is seen talking about his life and his music, which, not only speaks for itself in specially-recorded performances, but is linked to the other sources of his creativity by an inventive use of images.

PORTRAIT JORDI SAVALL Length: 50' / Cat. No.: A01502124 Directed by: Didier Baussy-Oulianoff Jordi Savall, the internationally-acclaimed Catalan musician, is a pre-eminent exponent of medieval, Renaissance and baroque music interpretation, and is widely credited with the rebirth of the viola da gamba. His schedule of performances is intense, but he still finds time to teach and to continue his musical research. All these aspects of his work are illuminated in this documentary, which includes a rich variety of performance and rehearsal extracts, exemplifying the musical eclecticism of this exceptional practitioner.

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PORTRAIT KIRI TE KANAWA Length: 89' / Cat. No.: A02006655 Directed by: Nigel Wattis | Conductor: Stephen Barlow, John Hopkins | Soloists: Sir Georg Solti, Jeffrey Tate | Orchestra/Chorus: Royal Opera House Orchestra, Wiener Philharmoniker, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Producer and TV director Nigel Wattis directed the film biography, reproduced on this DVD, of incomparable soprano Kiri Te Kanawa. Melvyn Bragg, as narrator, leads us through the singer’s life, and talks to her about her life and career, while other artist personalities such as George Solti, Dame Joan Sutherland, Richard Bonynge, Jeffrey Tate, Stephen Barlow and John Hopkins add their personal impressions. This portrait, dedicated to Kiri Te Kanawa’s teacher of many years, Vera Rozas, was filmed in 1991, and accompanies the soprano through a whole year. It follows her on trips to New Zealand and the San Francisco Opera, where she was preparing her role in Strauss’ Capriccio. The film includes recordings of her in excerpts from arias by Handel, Mozart, Charpentier, Puccini and Cilèa, as well as in the final scene of Capriccio, and in songs by Richard Strauss.

PORTRAIT MONTSERRAT CABALLE Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02503609 Directed by: Chris Hunt Montserrat Caballé is undoubtedly one of the supreme operatic sopranos of the post-war era and her association with the late Freddie Mercury and Queen brought her a huge new audience. This film portrait celebrates her long, distinguished and uniquely varied career. It centres on a major interview with Caballé and features numerous performance extracts. There are also contributions from some of opera's biggest names, including Dame Joan Sutherland, Placido Domingo and José Carreras.

PORTRAIT SABINE KUPFERBERG - WOMAN OF A THOUSAND Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A05508367 Directed by: Reiner E. Moritz Sabine Kupferberg is a remarkable dancer. At an age when most dancers hang up their shoes, leading dance-makers, including van Manen, Forsythe and Ek, continue to create exciting new pieces for her and her colleagues at Nederlands Dans Theater 3. This company for the over-forties was founded by her partner, the internationally-acclaimed choreographer Jiří Kylián. Her collaboration with Kylián comes into focus in this dance-filled profile which showcases her distinctive talent in a wealth of performance extracts.

PORTRAIT SIR GEORG SOLTI - THE MAKING OF A MAESTRO Length: 90' / Cat. No.: A02006657 Directed by: Peter Maniura | Soloists: Sir Georg Solti The Making of a Maestro is a documentary that looks at the influential conductor Sir Georg Solti (1912–1997). Few other figures in the 20th century can claim to have stamped their authority on their field with such gusto as Solti, who will long be remembered – thanks to both his exceptional recordings, and the numerous interviews in which he comes across as both informative and entertaining. Producer Peter Maniura paints a portrait of Solti at various different stages of his international career. The famous conductor was to pass away just weeks before the first broadcasting of this documentary on English television in 1997. Solti was in his 85th year.

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PORTRAIT YURI BASHMET Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02503287 Directed by: Hilary Chadwick The internationally-acclaimed Ukrainian viola virtuoso, whose dark good looks have earned him the nickname of 'the Paganini of our age', is seen giving the Russian premiere of Schnittke's Monologue and performing with the legendary pianist Sviatoslav Richter in the Pushkin Museum. In his Moscow flat, he discusses social and musical issues with other Russian artists and improvises on the viola. It transpires that The Beatles were the catalyst to his musical success!

PROKOFIEV – THE PRODIGAL SON Length: 92' / Cat. No.: A75000011 Directed by: Andrei Nekrasov This revealing and evocative docu-drama about Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was commissioned especially for television from the highly regarded Russian film-maker Andrei Nekrasov. He uses a cast of fine Russian actors, together with archive film clips and Prokofiev's own writings, to tell the story of the composer's life and career in his homeland and in the West. Voice-over narration describes events and sets them in context. The Kirov Opera Orchestra, conducted by Valéry Gergiev, plays Prokofiev's music.

RICHARD STRAUSS – ROMANTICISM AND RESIGNATION Length: 58' / Cat. No.: A05503653 Directed by: Pit Riethmüller and Roland Zag At the end of his life, Richard Strauss (1864-1949) occupied an ambiguous role in the Third Reich - a successful public figure, but one whose cultural ideals clashed with those enforced by Hitler's regime. This film explores the compromises of his old age, telling the story of the doyen of the late-Romantic style as he became increasingly embittered with his political masters. It includes rare footage from his family's archive and extracts from a film about him made in 1949.

SHIRLEY VERRETT Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A02006005 Directed by: Herbert Chappell The cameras followed Shirley Verrett during the course of a year to capture a glimpse into the life of one of opera's great stars. She is seen rehearsing with Domingo, performing at top opera houses in roles she has made her own – Iphigénie, Tosca, Dalila, Carmen – and talking on subjects ranging from her religious upbringing and experiences of being black, to her health, diet, style and family. She performs blues and gospel numbers specially for the programme.

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SIMON RATTLE Length: 54' / Cat. No.: A025030170000 Directed by: Alan Benson Sir Simon Rattle, one of the most exciting British conductors ever to emerge on to the international music scene, leads a Workshop with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He focuses on the musical and orchestral subtleties of the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E flat Op. 55 (Eroica) and the finale of Messiaen's massive Turangalîlasymphonie, which he describes as one of the most exciting and enthralling works of the twentieth century.

SYLVIE GUILLEM AT WORK Length: 53' / Cat. No.: A02503063 Directed by: André S. Labarthe This portrait shows the prima ballerina in her daily round of classes, rehearsals and performances, revealing her dedication to perfection. Sylvie Guillem's preparation for Nureyev's Raymonda, her first performances in Rudi van Dantzig's Four Last Songs and William Forsythe's In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, and her appearance at a gala, dancing Bejart's La Luna, are all recorded for posterity in this film.

THE NEW WORLD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Length: 55' / Cat. No.: A03507916 Directed by: Ken Howard The New World Symphony, the USA's first permanent national training orchestra, was the inspiration of the celebrated American conductor, Michael Tilson Thomas. It enables the country's finest musical graduates to be part of a musical community that lives and works together before they find full-time professional positions. This film joined Tilson Thomas and the orchestra as they prepared for their second concert season.

THE SECRET LIFE OF ALBAN BERG Length: 50' / Cat. No.: A02503039 Conductor: Sir Colin Davis | Soloists: Gideon Kremer (Violin) Alban Berg (1885-1935) lived in the mainstream of well-to-do Austrian society. His marriage to the beautiful Hélène was thought to be made in heaven. But how can this doyen of Viennese respectability be reconciled with the composer who wrote the dark operas Wozzeck and Lulu? This multi-layered film explores Berg's double life. Soprano Kristine Ciesinki, who features in specially-staged extracts from Lulu and Wozzeck, travels to Vienna, Prague, the USA and Germany to track down important archive documents and people who can recall the composer's presence in their lives.

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THE STRANGE AFFLICTION OF ANTON BRUCKNER Length: 55' / Cat. No.: A02502509 Directed by: Ken Russell Master of the music biopic, Ken Russell explores the psyche of Anton Bruckner (1824-96) and the extraordinary music he wrote, by focusing on his recovery from numeromania, an obsession with numbers. The onset of this mental illness began when the Austrian composer, on the brink of committing suicide by throwing himself off a bridge, instead began to count what he saw in the panorama below him. Subsequently, he entered a lunatic asylum and was cured in three months.

THE WORLD OF ANDRE PREVIN Length: 88' / Cat. No.: A02006561 Directed by: Tony Palmer | Soloists: André Previn André George Previn’s simultaneous world careers as a director, composer and pianist are extremely thrilling and interesting, and they cannot be told in just a few words. The names of his teachers and the artists and orchestras with which he worked belong to the select few of their field in the classic scene. Previn was born in 1929 in Berlin and emigrated to the United States in 1938 where his family settled in Hollywood. He was awarded the Oscar a total of four times. Along with his work as a director he has also composed orchestra and chamber music as well as two stage entertainments. He however doesn’t consider himself as belonging to the musical avant-garde.

TOWARDS NEW SHORES: MODEST MUSSORGSKY Length: 79' / Cat. No.: A02006064 Directed by: Peter Maniura Night on a Bare Mountain and Pictures at an Exhibition are firm favourites in the classical repertoire but, like many of Mussorgsky's famous works, they are rarely performed as he wrote them. This programme, filmed on location in Russia, examines why his genius has been so obscured. It focuses on the detective work undertaken by the Singer Yevgeny Nesterenko, and the British conductor, David Lloyd-Jones, to uncover the details of the life and work of Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881).

TWO BALLERINAS AT THE ROYAL BALLET Length: 52' / Cat. No.: A02503166 Directed by: Rosie Alison and Daniel Wiles This programme focuses on two of The Royal Ballet's outstanding ballerinas and affords an insight into the methods of the company itself and the sacrifices necessary to achieve success in the dance world today. Partnered by Irek Mukhamedov and Zoltan Solymosi, Durante and Bussell are seen performing a wide range of work, from nineteenth-century classics such as Giselle and Swan Lake, to modern works. Many key figures in British ballet make contributions.

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VALERY GERGIEV - CATCHING UP WITH MUSIC Length: 60' / Cat. No.: A05507254 Directed by: Rob van den Berg Dynamic and inspiring, Russian conductor Valéry Gergiev's dedication to his work and his passion for music are unbounded. In recent years he has revitalised the Kirov Opera and the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, created the Mikkeli International Festival in Finland, conducted virtually all of the major international orchestras and become the Principal Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic. This documentary covers the wide spectrum of Gergiev's musical activities, shows him in rehearsal and performance and includes an in-depth interview.

BIOGRAPHY

GESUALDO THE PRINCE Length: 64' / Cat. No. A02005061 Directed by: Colin Nears The story of Carlo Gesualdo (1560-1613) is one of the most famous and most blood-curdling in musical history: it tells of a crime of passion involving a great composer who was also a prince. This dramatised film takes the form of a mystery Gesualdo's terrible secret surfaces slowly until the events that shattered his life and set a dark tone to his music are revealed. Peter Eyre is Gesualdo and the Schütz Consort, directed by Sir Roger Norrington, plays his music.

GOD ROT TUNBRIDGE WELLS! Length: 121' / Cat. No. A02006833 Composer: George Frideric Handel | Directed by: Tony Palmer | Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras | Produced by: RM Arts/Ladbroke Films/Channel Four/ZDF Tony Palmer's feature on Handel's life, scripted by John Osborne, is both extremely amusing and profoundly moving. It centres on the last week of his life, when, outraged by a poor performance of his Messiah in Tunbridge Wells, the decrepit composer took to his bed. Shot on location in Germany, England, Ireland and Italy, the film stars Trevor Howard and features Handel's music as an integral part of the drama, performed by The English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras.

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LA LUGUBRE GONDOLA Length: 53' / Cat. No. A86500285 Directed by: Hans Hulscher The Hungarian piano virtuoso Liszt (1811-86) led an illustrious life between Paris, his base as a performer, Weimar, where he was court musical director, composer and champion of new music, and Rome, where he took minor holy orders, entitling him to be called Abbé. Focusing on the end of his life and his last compositions, in particular La Lugubre Gondola, this film shows that he was not just one of the last great Romantics, but that his final compositions range harmonically far into the future.

ME, HECTOR LOUIS BERLIOZ Length: 88' / Cat. No. A05014193 Directed by: Tony Palmer Tony Palmer's film contains a startling kaleidoscope of images reflecting precisely what Berlioz (1803-69) had written in his music: war, destruction, death, sometimes blending seamlessly with great natural beauty, sometimes juxtaposed with erotica. The pictures are underscored by the composer's powerful and evocative music – mainly from his life's work, The Trojans. This opera's failure to convince the musical establishment of its greatness caused Berlioz to die a broken man. The programme, which takes as its source the composer's letters and memoirs, details his vain attempts to gain recognition for this epic work. Corin Redgrave portrays Berlioz. The soloists are Ludmilla Schemtschuk, Giorgio Lamberti, Agnes Habereder and Anne Sofie Von Otter, and the ensemble, chorus and orchestra of the Zürich Opera House are conducted by Ralf Weikert.

THE SECRET LIFE OF SIR ARNOLD BAX Length: 52' / Cat. No. A02504016 Directed by: Ken Russell The English composer Sir Arnold Bax (1883-1953) wrote intensely picturesque and romantic music. Ken Russell's film takes up Bax's story in the late 1940s, when the composer had just written the score for Lean's film of Oliver Twist. It dramatises an imaginary affair with a cinema usherette-cum-fan-dancer – a composite of the many flirtations Bax indulged in – and concerns the artist's struggle to maintain his ideals, loyalty and vision. Russell himself plays Bax and his portrait of a sad old man whose music has fallen out of favour is true and moving. The cast also includes Glenda Jackson.

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