TThe Winter's Tale ballet. Music by Joby Talbot. Choreography by Christopher Wheeldon. Recorded 2014 at the Royal Opera House. Stars Edward Watson (Leontes, King of Sicilia), Lauren Cuthbertson (Hermione, Queen of Sicilia), Sarah Lamb (Perdita, Princess of Sicilia), Joe Parker (Mamillius, Prince of Sicilia), Zenaida Yanowsky (Paulina, head of Hermione's household), Bennet Gartside (Antigonus, head of Leontes' household), Federico Bonelli (Polixenes, King of Bohemia), Steven McRae (Florizel, Prince of Bohemia), Thomas Whitehead (head of Polixenes' household), Gary Avis (Father Shepherd), Valentino Zucchetti (Clown, son of Father Shepherd) and Beatriz Stiz-Brunell (Young Shepherdess). David Briskin conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (Concert Master Peter Manning). Stage band consists of Eliza Marshall on bansuri flute; Gregory Knowles on dulcimer, Ian Watson on accordion, and Rod Farrer plus Jeremy Wiles playing percussion. Designs by Bob Crowley; lighting design by Natasha Katz; projection design by Daniel Brodie; silk effects design by Basil Twist. Directed for TV by Ross MacGibbon. Released 2015, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A+
Read MoreVerdi Nabucco opera to a libretto by Temistocle Solera. Staged 2013 by Daniele Abbado at the Royal Opera House. Stars Plácido Domingo (Nabucco), Liudmyla Monastyrska (Abigaille), Andrea Caré (Ismaele), Marianna Pizzolato (Fenena), Vitalij Kowaljow (Zaccaria), Robert Lloyd (High Priest), David Butt Philip (Abdallo), and Dušica Bijelić (Anna) . Nicola Luisotti conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus. Directed for video by Rhodri Huw. Released 2015, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio. Grade: NA
Read MoreMahler Symphony No. 1 ("Titan") and Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection"). Paavo Järvi conducts the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, and the NDR Chor. Features Camilla Tilling (soprano) and Lilli Paasikivi (mezzo-soprano). Directed for TV by Michael Ciniselli. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: D+ for Symphony No. 1 / F- for Symphony No. 2
Read MoreMahler Symphony No. 3 and Symphony No. 4. Paavo Järvi conducts the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Limburger Domsingknaben, and the MDR-Rundfunkchor Leipzig. Features Waltraud Meier (mezzo-soprano) and Genia Kühmeier (soprano). Directed for TV by Michael Ciniselli. Released 2015, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: F-
Read MoreMahler Symphony No. 5 and Symphony No. 6. Paavo Järvi conducts the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. Directed for TV by Michael Ciniselli. Released 2015, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: F-
Read MoreMahler Symphony No. 7 and Symphony No. 8. Paavo Järvi conducts the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Limburger Domsingknaben, the Europachorakademie, and the Czech Philharmanic Choir Brno. Features sopranos Erin Wall, Ailish Tynan, and Anna Lucia Richter; mezzo-sopranos Alice Coote and Charlotte Hellekant, tenor Nikolai Schukoff; baritone Michail Nagy, and bass Ain Anger. Directed for TV by Michael Ciniselli. Released 2015, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: F-
Read MoreMahler Symphony No. 9 and Symphony No. 10 ("Adagio"). Paavo Järvi conducts the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. Directed for TV by Michael Ciniselli. Released 2015, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: F-
Read MoreRossini Semiramide opera to a libretto by Gaetano Rossi. Directed 2011 by Nigel Lowery at the Vlaamse Opera. Stars Myrtò Papatanasiu (Semiramide), Ann Hallenberg (Arsace), Josef Wagner (Assur), Robert McPherson (Idreno), Igor Bakan (Oroe), Julianne Gearhart (Azema), Eduardo Santamaria (Mitrane), and Charles Dekeyser (L'Ombra di Nino). Alberto Zedda conducts the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Vlaamse Opera Antwerp/Ghent (Chorus Master Yannis Pouspourikas). Set design and costume design by Nigel Lowery; lighting design by Lothar Baumgarte; directed for video by Matteo Ricchetti. Released 2015, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreSchubert Symphony No. 9 from the opening concert at the 2009 Salzburg Festival. Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
Features the following pieces:
1. Schubert Sechs Deutsche Tänze, piano pieces arranged by Anton Webern for orchestra
2. Josef Strauss Frauenherz – Polka-mazurka
3. Josef Strauss Delirien – Waltz
4. Josef Strauss Pêle-mêle – Fast Polka
5. Franz Schubert Symphony No. 9
Directed for video by Michael Beyer. Released 2015, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBartók Piano Concerto No. 1 concert. This performance was the opening concert at the 2008 Salzburg Festival. Pierre Boulez conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Daniel Barenboim plays piano.
Features the following pieces:
1. Maurice Ravel - Valses nobles et sentimentales
2. Béla Bartók - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
3. Igor Stravinsky - The Firebird
Directed for video by Michael Beyer. Released 2015, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreDance! ballet box set. The box includes three titles described in more detail on this site:
1. Chaplin, graded "B+", would please most modern dance fans.
2. Poppea//Poppea in 3D, graded "D+", was an interesting production, but its video quality might be the worst I've seen for a dance title.
3. The Great Mass, graded "C", might be accurately called "The Great Mess."
Read MoreThe Beethoven Symphony No. 3 concert includes:
1. Brahms Tragic Overture
2. Schoenberg Interlude and Song of the Wood Dove from Gurre-Lieder (with alto Mihoko Fujimura)
3. Beethoven Symphony No. 3, the "Sinfonia Eroica" or "Heroic Symphony"
Claudio Abbado conducts the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in opening the summer festival in 2013. Directed for TV by Uti Feudel; produced by Paul Smaczny. Released 2014, music was recorded with 48kHz/24-bit sound sampling, and the disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B-
Read MoreMozart Die Zauberflöte opera to a libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. Directed 2014 by Simon McBurney at the De Nederlandse Opera. Stars Maximilian Schmitt (Tamino), Christina Landshamer (Pamina), Thomas Oliemans (Papageno), Nina Lejderman (Papagena) Brindley Sherratt (Sarastro), Íride Martínez (Königin der Nacht), Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke (Monostatos), Ana Maria Labin, Silvia de la Muela, and Julia Faylenbogen (Three Ladies), Maarten Koningsberger (Speaker), Thomas Dear (First Priest/Second Armed Man), Elmar Gilbertsson (Second Priest/First Armed Man), and solosits of the Knabenchor der Chorakademie Dortmund (Three Spirits). Marc Albrecht conducts the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and the Chorus of the Dutch National Opera (Chrorus Master Nicholas Jenkins). Set design by Michael Levine; costume design by Nicky Gillibrand; lighting design by Jean Kalman; movement by Josie Daxter; dramaturgy by Simon McBurney and Klaus Bertisch. Directed for TV by Misjel Vermeiren. Sung in German. Released 2015, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBruckner Symphony No. 9 concert. Part of the Bruckner Mature Symphonies series by Accentus. Daniel Barenboim conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin at the Philharmonie Berlin in 2010. Directed for TV by Enrique Sánchez Lansch; produced by Paul Smaczny. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreWagner Der Ring des Nibelungen opera cycle performed 2010-2013 at the Teatro alla Scala with Guy Cassiers as stage director and Barenboim conducting. The box includes the four titles described in more detail on this site:
Das Rheingold
Die Walküre
Siegfried
Götterdämmerung
We have not reviewed any of the operas in this Ring. Our goal would be to review them all separately. The main purpose of this report would be to alert you to the opportunity to save by buying the cycle in this box.
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