Rossini La donna del lago opera to libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola. Directed 2015 by Paul Curran at the Met with assistant directors Sara Erde, Gregory Keller, and Elise Sandell. Stars Joyce DiDonato (Elena), Juan Diego Flórez (King Giacomo V (James V) disguised as Uberto), John Osborn (Rodrigo), Daniela Barcellona (Malcolm Groeme), Oren Gradus (Douglas), Olga Makarina (Albina, Elena's confidant), Eduardo Valdes (Serano, a servant to Douglas), and Gregory Schmidt (Bertram, servant to the King). Michele Mariotti conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Chorus Master Donald Palumbo). Musical preparaton by Dennis Giauque, Donna Racik, Gregory Buchalter, Joshua Greene, and Liora Maurer. Sets by Kevin Knight; costumes designed by Kevin Knight with Ryan Moller; lighting by Duane Schuler; projection designs by Driscoll Otto with David Bengali; stage band conductor is Gregory Buchalter. Directed for HD TV by Gary Halvorson; music producer was Jay David Saks. Supervising Producers were Mia Bongiovanni and Elena Park; Producers were Louisa Briccetti and Victoria Warivonchik. Released in 2015, has LPCM stereo (48kHz/24-bit) and 5.1 Dolby Digital (48kHz) surround sound. Grade: A
Read MoreBeethoven Piano Sonatas Vol. 1 played by Rudolf Buchbinder in the Mozarteum Großer Saal at the 2014 Salzburg Festival. Here's the program:
Sonata No. 1 in F minor
Sonata No. 10 in G major
Sonata No. 13 in E flat major, “Sonata quasi una fantasia”
Sonata No. 17 in D minor, “The Tempest”
Sonata No. 18 in E flat major
Sonata No. 5 in C minor
Sonata No. 12 in A flat major
Sonata No. 22 in F major
Sonata No. 4 in E flat major
Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, “Moonlight”
Directed for video by Frédéric Delesque. Released 2015, music was recorded with 48kHz/24-bit sound sampling and disc has 4.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: D+
Read MoreBeethoven Piano Sonatas Vol. 2 played by Rudolf Buchbinder in the Mozarteum Großer Saal at the 2014 Salzburg Festival. Here's the program:
Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major
Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major
Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major
Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor
Piano Sonata No. 24 in F sharp major
Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major, "Les Adieux"
Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major
Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major "Hammerklavier"
Piano Sonata No. 6 in F major
Directed for video by Frédéric Delesque. Released 2016, music was recorded with 48kHz/24-bit sound sampling and disc has 4.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: D+
Read MoreBeethoven Piano Sonatas Vol. 3 played by Rudolf Buchbinder in the Mozarteum Großer Saal at the 2014 Salzburg Festival. Here's the program:
Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major
Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major
Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major "Pastorale"
Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor
Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor "Appassionata"
Piano Sonata No. 11 in B flat major
Piano Sonata No. 20 in G major
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor "Pathetique"
Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major
Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major "Waldstein"
Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major
Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major
Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor
Directed for video by Frédéric Delesque. Released 2016, music was recorded with 48kHz/24-bit sound sampling and disc has 4.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. The back art on this package is strangely confused speaking of a "DVD 1" and "DVD 2" rather than a single Blu-ray disc. This is just another example of the slovenliness with which this series of 3 discs of Beethoven sonatas was produced and manufactured by C Major. Grade: D+
Read MoreHunter's Bride motion picture version of the Carl Maria von Weber opera Der Freischütz to a libretto by Johann Friedrich Kind. The Weber score is adapted by director Jens Neubert and shot with 35mm film on location in Germany. Stars Franz Grundheber (Prince Ottokar), Benno Schollum (Kuno), Juliane Banse (Agathe), Regula Mühlemann (Ännchen), Michael Volle (Kaspar), Michael König (Max), René Pape (Hermit), Olaf Bär (Kilian), and Thilo Schiemenz (Saxonian Puppetplayer). Also features Anett Löschigk, Pauline Weiss, Johanna Will, Daniela Saegeling, Katrin Adam, Marlene Maucher, Rahel Storch, and Mona Zelt as bridemaids. Daniel Harding conducts the London Symphony Orchestra and Simon Halsey conducts the Berlin Radio Choir (Rundfunkchor Berlin). Photography directed by Harald Gunnar Paalgard; audio produced by Torsten Rasch; sound recorded and mixed by Joel Iwatakia; line production by Kaare Storemyr; film edited by Martin Hoffmann; production designed by Per Hjorth; scientific consulting by Matthias Hermann. Produced by Peter Stüber and Jens Neubert. Recorded in German with subtitles in German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Korean. Has several bonus features including a audio commentary by the director. Even though this was made with 35 mm film, it runs at 30fps. Released 2013, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: A
Read MoreCarl Maria von Weber DerFreischütz opera to libretto by Friedrich Kind. Directed 2015 by Axel Köhler at the Semperoper Dresden. Stars Adrian Eröd (Ottokar), Albert Dohmen (Kuno), Sara Jakubiak (Agathe), Christina Landshamer(Ännchen), GeorgZeppenfeld (Kaspar), Michael König (Max), Andreas Bauer (Hermit), Sebastian Wartig (Kilian), Anna Katharina Schumann (Lame Woman), GabrieleBerke, RahelHaar, Jana Hohlfeld, HeikeLiebmann (Bridesmaids), Falk Joost, Markus Hansel, and Fritz Feilhaber (Hunters). Christian Thielemann conducts the SächsischerStaatsopernchor and Staatskapelle Dresden (Chorus Master JörnHinnerkAndresen). Solo viola by Sebastian Herberg; solo cello by Norbert Anger. Set design by ArneWalther; costume design by KatharinaWeissenborn; lighting design by FabioAntoci; video designs by ArneWalther and KnutGeng; dramatic advice by Werner Hintze; choreography by Katrin Wolfram; fight direction by Klaus Figge. Directed for TV by TizianoMancini. Sung in German; subtitles in German, English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. Released 2015, music was recorded with 48kHz/24-bit sound sampling and disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: D+
Read MoreRimsky-Korsakov The Tsar's Bride opera to a libretto by the composer and Ilya Tyumenev. Directed 2013 by Dmitri Tcherniakov at the Schiller Theater, Berlin. Stars Anatoli Kotscherga (Vasily Sobakin), Olga Peretyatko (Marfa Sobakina), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Grigory Gryaznoy), Tobias Schabel (Grigory Malyuta-Skuratov), Pavel Černoch (Ivan Lykov), Anita Rachvelishvili (Lyubasha), Stephan Rügamer (Dr. Bomelius), Anna Tomowa-Sintow (Domna Saburova), Anna Lapkovskaya (Dunyasha), Carola Höhn (Petrovna), Dmitri Plotnikov (Young Lad), Ana Charim (Serving Girl), and Peter Krumow (Stoker). Daniel Barenboim conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin and Staatsopernchor (Chorus Master Rustam Samedov). Set design by Dmitri Tcherniakov; costume design by Elena Zaytseva; lighting design by Gleb Filshtinsky; dramaturgy by Detlef Giese; video design and production by Raketa Media. Directed for TV by Andy Sommer; produced by François Duplat. Sung in Russian; subtitles in English, French, and German. Released 2015, the music was recorded with 48kHz/16-bit sound sampling and the disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: A+
Read MoreProkofiev The Gambler opera to libretto by the composer (completed 1928) based on the novella The Gambler by Dostoevsky (written 1866). Directed 2008 by Dmitri Tcherniakov at the Berlin Staatsoper unter den Linden. Stars Vladimir Ognovenko (General), Kristine Opolais (Polina, the General's step-daughter and ward), Misha Didyk (Aleksey, tutor of the General's children), Stefania Toczyska (Babulenka, the General's rich old aunt), Stephan Rügamer (Marquis), Viktor Rud (Mr. Astley, a rich Englishman), Silvia De La Muela (Blanche, demi-mondaine), Gian-Luca Pasolini (Prince Nilsky/Hunchbacked Player), Alessandro Paliaga (Baron Wurmerhelm/Old Player), Plamen Kumpikov (Potapych, Babulenka's butler) Gleb Nikolsky (Casino Director), Gregory Bonfatti (1st Coupier), Robert Hebenstreit (2nd Coupier), Alexander Teliga (1st Englishman), Gianfranco Montresor (2nd Englishman), Enas Massalha (Tarted-up Lady), Alisa Zinovjeva (Pale Lady), Elizabeth Laurence (So-so Lady), Constance Heller (Distinguished Lady), Borjana Mateewa (Dubious Lady), Ki Hyun Kim (Hot-tempered Player), Otakar Klein (Nervous Player), and Ilya Kuzmin (Embittered Player) as well as Juri Bogdanov, Dmitri Plotnikov, Jens-Eric Schulze, Andreas Neher, Bernd Grabowski, and Peter Krumow (other Players). Daniel Barenboim conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Staatsopernchor (Chorus Master Eberhard Friedrich). Sets by Dmitri Tcherniakov; costumes by Dmitri Tcherniakov and Elena Zaitseva; lighting by Gleb Filshtinksy; video direction by Karina Fibich. Released 2010, music was recorded with 48kHz/24-bit sound sampling and the disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: A
Read MoreJames Lancelot plays the following selections on the grand organ of the Durham Cathedral:
1. Whitlock "Paean"
2. J. S. Bach "Fantasia and Fugue" in G minor BWV 542
3. Stanley "Andante: Largo" from Trumpet Voluntary (Voluntary in D Op. 6 No.5)
4. F. J. Haydn "Three Pieces for Musical Clocks" Nos. 4, 13 and 25
5. Rheinberger "Sonata No. 7" in F minor Op. 127
6. Stanford "Prelude" Op. 101 No. 5 on St. Columba
7. Stanford "Prelude" Op. 101 No. 5 on Gartan
8. Frank "Piece Heroique"
9. Vierne "Intermezzo" (Symphony No. 3)
10. Dupre "Placare Christe Servulis" Op. 38 No. 16
11. Alain "Deux Dances a Agni Yavishta"
12. Alain "Litanies"
13. Hakim "Mariales"
14. Mulet "Carillon-Sortie"
Priory specializes in church and organ music. This package has a Blu-ray, a DVD, and a CD. Released 2014, recording specs are unclear, and the Blu-ray disc has 5.1 Dolby Digital sound output. Grade: A
Read MoreShakespeare Verdi Opera Box set. Features three operas previously released by Opus Arte:
1. Falstaff (2010, graded A)
2. Macbeth (2012, graded A)
3. Otello (2009, graded B)
Released 2015, each disc has either 5.0 or 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. The Falstaff and Macbeth titles are both excellent. Othello is the weak link in this opera box.
Read MoreThe Maurice Béjart The Ninth Symphony on Schiller's Ode to Joy modern dance was performed 2014 by the Béjart Ballet Lausanne and the Tokyo Ballet on the stage of the NHK Hall in Tokyo. Texts by Friedrich Nietzsche (Prologue) and Friedrich von Schiller (Ode to Joy). Music is Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Percussion by Thierry Hochstätter and jB Meier (Citypercussion). Choreography and staging by Maurice Béjart (1927-2007) remade by Béjart Ballet Lausanne Artistic Director Gil Roman with help of Piotr Nardelli. Soloist dancers are Dan Tsukamoto, Mizuka Ueno, Iori Nittono, Aya Takagi, Kathleen Thielhelm, Masayoshi Onuki, Elisabet Ros, Julien Favreau, Lisa Cano, Fabrice Gallarrague, Pauline Voisard, Felipe Rocha, Oscar Chacon, Keisuke Nasuno, Marsha Rodriguez, Cosima Munoz, Mari Ohashi, Kwinten Guilliams, Aldriana Vargas Lopez, Hector Navarro, and Alanna Archibald. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is performed by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Ritsuyukai Choir conducted by Zubin Mehta with Chorus Master Fukiami Kuriyama. Soloists for the Ninth Symphony are Kristin Lewis (soprano), Mihoko Fujimura (mezzo-soprano), Kei Fukui (tenor), and Alexander Vinogradov (bass). Prologue narration by Gil Roman accompanied by Citypercussion. Original sets and costumes designed by Joëlle Roustan and Roger Bernard; costumes realized by Henri Davila; lighting by Dominique Roman. TV director was Mari Inamasu; Line Producer was Claudia Krüger; Producers were Masumi Kawaguchi, Junya Yagi, Maryam Nikbin, and Isabel Iturriagagoitia Bueno; Executive Producers were Jan Bremme, Bernd Hellthaler, and Lothar Mattner. Spoken language is in French. The Ode to Joy is sung in German. Subtitles in English, German, Korean, and Japanese. Released 2015, music was recorded with 48kHz/24-bit sound sampling, and the disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: A+
Read MoreRain ballet choreographed by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker. Set to Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich. Performed 2014 at the Paris Opera Ballet. Star dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet are Valentine Colasante, Muriel Zusperreguy, Christelle Granier, Sae Eun Park, Léonore Baulac, Amélie Lamoureux, Laura Bachmann, Vincent Chaillet, Nicolas Paul, and Daniel Stokes. Georges-Elie Octors conducts the Ensemble Ictus and the Synergy Vocals. Set and lighting design by Jan Versweyveld; costumes by Dries Van Noten; produced by Françoise Gazio; directed for TV and screen by Louise Narboni; Director of Dance at POB was Brigitte Lefèvre. Released 2015, music was recorded with 48kHz/24-bit sound sampling and the disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: B+
Read MoreSwan Lake ballet. Music by Tchaikovsky. Recorded 2015 at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. Libretto by Yuri Grigorovich after the scenario by Vladimir Begishev and Vasily Geltser. Choreography by Yuri Grigorovich after Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, and Alexander Gorsky. Stars Svetlana Zakharova (Odette/Odile), Denis Rodkin (Prince Siegfried), Artemy Belyakov (The Evil Genius), Yekaterina Barykina (The Princess Mother), Alexei Loparevich (The Tutor), and Igor Tsvirko (The Fool). Other dancers include: Kristina Kretova and Elizaveta Kruteleva (Friends to the Prince), Alexander Fadeyechev (Master of Ceremonies), Angelina Karpova (Hungrian Bride), Anna Rebetskaya (Russian Bride), Anna Tikhomirova (Spanish Bride), Daria Khokhlova (Neapolitan Bride), and Maria Semenyachenko (Polish Bride). The Three Swans are Angelina Karpova, Olga Marchenkova, and Ana Turazashvili; the Four Swans are Yulia Lunkina, Svetlana Pavlova, Margarita Shrainer, and Anna Voronkova; the Waltz Dancers are Karim Abdullin, Ivan Alexeyev, Dmitry Efremov, Egor Khromushin, Nelli Kobakhidze, Anna Okuneva, Yanina Parienko, and Anna Rebetskaya. Pavel Sorokin conducts the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra. Production design by Simon Virsaladze; lighting by Mikhail Sokolov; filmed by Vincent Bataillon; produced by François Duplat. Released 2015, the music was recorded with 48kHz/16-bit sound sampling, and the disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: D+
Read MoreDonizetti La fille du régiment opera to libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-François-Alfred Bayard. Directed 2007 by Laurent Pelly (assistance in directing and dialogue by Agatha Mélinard) at the Royal Opera House. Stars Natalie Dessay (Marie), Juan Diego Flórez (Tonio), Felicity Palmer (La Marquise de Birkenfeld), Alessandro Corbelli (Sergeant Sulpice Pingot), Donald Maxwell (Hortensius), Dawn French (La Duchesse de Crackentorp), Bryan Secombe (A Corporal), Luke Price (A Valet), and Jean-Pierre Blanchard (A Notary). Bruno Campanella conducts the Orchestra (Peter Manning Concert Master) and Chorus of the Royal Opera House (Renato Balsadonna Chorus Master). Sets by Chantal Thomas; costumes by Laurent Pelly; lighting by Joël Adam; choreography by Laura Scozzi. Directed for TV by Robin Lough; produced by Peter Byram and Hazels Wright. Released 2015, music was recorded at 48kHz/24-bit and disc has 5.1 Dolby Digital sound output. Grade: A+
Read MoreLa fille mal gardée ballet with choreography by Frederick Ashton. Music originally composed by Ferdinand Hérold and arranged by John Lanchbery. Staged 2015 at the Royal Opera House. Stars Natalia Osipova (Lise), Steven McRae (Colas), Philip Mosley (Widow Simone), Christopher Saunders (Thomas), and Paul Kay (Alain). The Cockerel is danced by Michael Stojko; the Hens are Francesca Hayward, Meaghan Grace Hinkis, Gemma Pitchley-Gale, and Leticia Stock; Lisa's Friends are Christina Arestis, Claire Calvert, Olivia Cowley, Fumi Kaneko, Emma Maguire, Kristen McNally, Sian Murphy, and Beatriz Stix-Brunell; the Notary is Gary Avis, and the Notary's Clerk is Michael Stojko; other minor roles are danced by artists and students at the Royal Ballet. Barry Wordsworth conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (Concert Master Vasko Vassilev). Scenario by Jean Dauberval; designs by Osbert Lancaster; lighting by John B. Read; directed for TV by Ross MacGibbon. Released 2015, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A-
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