New York City Ballet in Paris show of 4 one-act works, each to pieces of French music, choreographed by George Balanchine and performed in 2016 in the Paris Théâtre du Châtelet as part of Les Etés de la Danse (The Summers of Dance Festival). This was shown as a Great Performances broadcast on PBS over two nights in February 2017.
L'Orchestre Prométhée plays under NYCB Resident Conductor Daniel Capps. Produced by François Duplat; directed for TV by Vincent Bataillon. Released 2017, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audo Grade: A
Read MoreFranco Faccio Hamlet opera to libretto by Arrigo Boito (the libretto is in Italian and the real name is Amleto). Directed 2016 by Olivier Tambosi at the Bregenz Festival. Stars Pavel Černoch (Amleto), Claudio Sgura (Claudio), Eduard Tsanga (Polonio), Sébastien Soules (Orazio), Bartosz Urbanowicz (Marcello), Paul Schweinester (Laerte), Iulia Maria Dan (Ofelia), Dshamilja Kaiser (Gertrude), Gianluca Buratto (The Ghost/A Priest), Jonathan Winell (King Gonzaga/A Herald), Sabine Winter (The Queen), Yasushi Hirano (Luciano/First Gravedigger), and Hans-Jorg Ulm (Second Gravedigger). Paolo Carignani conducts the Wiener Symphoniker and the Prague Philharmonic Choir (Chorus Master Lukáš Vasilek). Set design by Frank Philipp Schlößmann; costume design by Gesine Völlm; lighting design by Davy Cunningham; choreography by Ran Arthur Braun; directed for TV by Felix Breisach. Released 2017, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreGloria in excelsis Deo concert of Bach sacred music. In 2013, Masaaki Suzuki conducts the Bach Collegium Japan orchestra and chorus in performing 4 famous Bach choral selections. Soloists were Hana Blažíková (soprano), Robin Blaze (countertenor), Gerd Türk (tenor), and Peter Kooij (bass).
The concert celebrates the conclusion by the Bach Collegium Japan of its marathon project of recording all 55 of the Bach sacred cantatas. Mixed in with the music are comments by various authorities about the cantata project. Here's what's on the disc:
- Opening comments by Masaaki Suzuki
- Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele, BWV 69
- 5 minutes of comments from various members of the orchestra and choir
- Freue dich, erlöste Schar, BWV 30
- 5 minutes of comments from soloist singers involved
- Gloria in excelsis Deo, BWV 191
- 5 minutes of comments from the President of BIS Records, the President of the Bach Collegium, and the President of Kobe Shoin Women's University.
- "Dona nobis pacem" from Mass in B minor, BWV 232
BIS (out of Sweden) is a highly regarded publisher of audiophile-level music. The sound producer was Jens Braun; the sound engineer was Thore Brinkman; the director of photography for the performances was Shoichi Nishikawa; the executive producer was Robert von Bahr. The music was recorded with 96kHz/24-bit sound sampling. It appears there will be no DVD of this. Grade: B-
Read MoreBruckner Symphony No. 6 recorded 2015 by Christian Thielemann (directing from memory) and the Staatskapelle Dresden. Video Director Henning Kasten; Director of Photography Nyika Jancsó. Released 2017, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: D+
Read MorePuccini La Bohème opera to libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. Directed 2016 by Àlex Ollé at the Teatro Regio di Torino. Stars Irina Lungu (Mimì), Giorgio Berrugi (Rodolfo), Kelebogile Besong (Musetta), Massimo Cavalletti (Marcello), Benjamin Cho (Schaunard), Gabriele Sagona (Colline), Matteo Peirone (Benoît/Alcindoro), and Cullen Gandy (Parpignol). Gianandrea Noseda conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Regio di Torino. Set design by Alfons Flores; costume and set designs by Lluc Castells; lighting design by Urs Schonebaum; video direction by Tiziano Mancini. Released 2017, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBach Goldberg Variations concert. Kit Armstrong plays the Goldberg Variations at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam in 2016. Also features earlier polyphonic variations by William Byrd (Hugh Aston's Ground), Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (Six Variations on "Mein junges Leben hat ein End", Six Variations on "Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott"), and John Bull (Thirty Variations on the theme "Walsingham"). Directed for video by Dick Kuijs. Released 2017, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreWagner Lohengrin opera to libretto by the composer. Directed 2016 by Angela Brandt (after the 1983 production by Christine Mielitz) at at the Dresden State Opera or Semperoper. Stars Piotr Beczała (Lohengrin), Anna Netrebko (Elsa von Brabant), Tomasz Konieczny (Friedrich von Telramund), Evelyn Herlitzius (Ortrud), Georg Zeppenfeld (König Heinrich der Vogler), Derek Welton (Der Heerrufer des Königs or the King's Herald), Tom Martinsen (1st Nobleman of Brabant), Simeon Esper ( 2nd Nobleman of Brabant), Matthias Henneberg (3rd Nobleman of Brabant), Tilmann Rönnebeck (4th Nobleman of Brabant) as well as Jana Hohlfeld, Monika Harnisch, Annett Eckert, and Masako Furuta (four Pages). Christian Thielemann conducts the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden, men of the Sinforniechor Dresden, and the Sempreoper Extra Choir (Choirmaster Jörn Andresen). Set and costume designs by Peter Heilein; lighting by Friedewalt Degen; dramaturgy by Matthias Rank. Directed for video by Tiziano Mancini with photography directed by Luca Longarini. All regions. Sound on the 4K version was recorded with 96kHz/24-bit sound sampling with Audio Engineer Peter Hecker and Audio Producer Arend Prohmann. Recording by Metisfilm Classica produced by Magdalena Herbst. Released 2017, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio surround sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreRossini William Tell opera to a libretto by Étienne de Jouy and Hippolyte Bis. Directed 2015 by Damiano Michieletto at the Royal Opera House. Stars Gerald Finley (Guillaume Tell), Malin Byström (Mathilde), John Osborn (Arnold Melchtal), Enkelejda Shkosa (Hedwige), Sofia Fomina (Jemmy), Eric Halfvarson (Melcthal), Nicolas Courjal (Gesler), Alexander Vinogradov (Walter Furst), Michael Colvin (Rodolphe), Samuel Dale Johnson (Leuthold), and Enea Scala (Ruodi). Antonio Pappano conducts the Royal Opera Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (Chorus Director Renato Balsadonna; Co-Concert Master Sergey Levitin). Set design by Paolo Fantin; costume design by Carla Teti; lighting design by Alessandro Carletti. Directed for the screen by Jonathan Haswell. Released 2017, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreCharles Gounod Faust opera to libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. Directed 2016 by Reinhard von der Thannen at the Salzburger Festival. Stars Piotr Beczała (Faust), Ildar Abdrazakov (Méphistophélès), Maria Agresta (Marguerite), Alexey Markov (Valentin), Tara Erraught (Siébel), Paolo Rumetz (Wagner), and Marie-Ange Todorovitch (Marthe). Alejo Pérez conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker and the Philharmonia Chor Vienna (Chorus Master Walter Zeh). Set design by Reinhard von der Thannen; choreography by Giorgio Madia; lighting design by Franck Evin; dramatic advisor was Birgit von der Thannen. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini. Released 2017, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio and 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBallet du Capitole Box Set released 2017. Below are the discs for three ballets choreographed by Kadar Belarbi at the Theatre du Capitole in Toulouse. Each of them has already been reported on this website, and you can get more details by using the links provided:
- Le Corsaire. Adam. 2014. (Grade: C+)
- La Bête et la Belle. Daquin, Haydn, Ligeti, and Maurice Ravel. 2015. (Grade: B)
- La reine morte. Tchaikovsky. 2016. (Grade A-)
Proof that even a small ballet company can compete with the big boys. Tasteful productions give you a refreshing break from the warhorses, and you can see Kadar's work progress over recent years. I bought all these at full price and enjoyed them, so the box price for this is a good value. Three cheers for Belarbi and his troop!
Read MoreWagner Parsifal opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed 2016 by Uwe Eric Laufenberg at the Bayreuth Festival. Stars Ryan McKinny (Amfortas), Karl-Heinz Lehner (Titurel), Georg Zeppenfeld (Gurnemanz), Klaus Florian Vogt (Parsifal), Gerd Grochowski (Klingsor), Elena Pankratova (Kundry), Tansel Akzeybek (First Knight of the Grail), Timo Riihonen (Second Knight of the Grail), Alexandra Steiner (1st Squire), Mareike Morr (2nd Squire), Charles Kim (3rd Squire), Stefan Heibach (4th Squire), Anna Siminska, Katharina Persicke, Mareike Morr, Alexandra Steiner, Bele Kumberger, Ingeborg Gillebo (Flower Maidens), and Wiebke Lehmkuhl (Voice from Heaven). Hartmut Haenchen conducts the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus (Chorus Master Eberhard Friedrich). Stage design by Gisbert Jäkel; costumes by Jessica Karge; lighting by Reinhard Traub, dramaturgy by Richard Lorber, video designs by Gérard Naziri. Directed for video by Michael Beyer. Released 2017, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreOffenbach Les Contes d'Hoffmann opera to a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. Direction by John Schlesinger. Stars Vittorio Grigòlo (Hoffmann), Thomas Hampson (Lindorf/Coppélius/Dapertutto/Miracle), Sofia Fomina (Olympia), Christine Rice (Giulietta), Sonya Yoncheva (Antonia), Kate Lindsey (Nicklausse/Muse), Christophe Mortagne (Spalanzani), Eric Halfvarson (Crespel), Vincent Ordanneau (Andrès/Cochenille/Pittichinaccio/Frantz), Catherine Carby (Spirit of Antonia's Mother), David Junghoon Kim (Nathanaël), Charles Rice (Hermann), Yuriy Yurchuk (Schlémil), Jeremy White (Luther), and Olga Sabadoch (Stella). Evelino Pidò conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (Co-Concert Master Sergey Levitin) and the Royal Opera Chorus (Chorus Director Wiliam Spaulding). Sets by William Dudley; costumes by Maria Björnson; lighting by David Hersey; choreography by Eleanor Fazan; fight direction by William Hobbs; directed for the screen by Johathan Haswell. Released 2017, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreHandel Messiah oratorio to libretto by Charles Jennens. Staged 2009 by Claus Guth at the Theater an der Wien. Stars Susan Gritton (soprano), Cornelia Horak (soprano), Martin Pöllmann (boy soprano), Bejun Mehta (altus), Richard Croft (tenor), Florian Boesch (bass), Paul Lorenger (dancer), and Nadia Kichler (sign language performer). Jean-Christophe Spinosi conducts the Ensemble Matheus and the Arnold Schoenberg Chor (Chorus Master Erwin Ortner). Set and costume design by Christian Schmidt; lighting design by Jürgen Hoffman; dramatic advice by Konrad Kuhn; choreography by Ramses Sigl; directed for video by Hannes Rossacher. Subtitles in English, German, French, and Spanish. Released in 2010, music was recorded with 48kHz/24-bit sound sampling, and the disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: A
Read MoreHandel Messiah oratorio to libretto by Charles Jennens (Foundling Hospital Version, 1753). (The actual title of the recording is Handel's Messiah in Grace Cathedral, but we are indexing it simply as Messiah.) Performed Dec. 18 & 19, 2014 by the American Bach Soloists and the American Bach Choir at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco under the baton of Jeffrey Thomas. Stars Mary Wilson (soprano), Eric Jurenas (countertenor), Kyle Stegall (tenor), Jesse Blumberg (baritone), and John Thiessen (trumpet). Stage direction by Philip Daley; the audio recording was produced by Chris Landen; directed for video by Frank Zamacona; produced by Abigal McKee with Don Scott Carpender as Executive Producer. This title has no subtitles in English or in translation. Released in 2016, the disc has a 5.1 dts-HD sound file that was recorded with 96kHz/24-bit sound sampling as well as surround and stereo files recorded at 48kHz/24-bit. Grade: B-
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