Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 and Symphony No. 2 concert. Performed 2022 at the Concert Hall of KKL Luzern as part of the Lucerne Festival. Riccardo Chailly conducts the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Features pianist Mao Fujita. The full program is as follows:
Directed for TV by Ute Feudel; produced by Paul Smaczny; Director of Photography was Nyika Jancsó. Released 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A for the piano concerto and B for the symphony.
Fujtia, about 24 at the time, is excruciatingly polite and self-effacing. He opened this show before a festival audience with a lot of empty seats. When he first appeared I wondered: can he really do this? But when he plays, he has both brilliant skill and a magnetic personality: half imp of the perverse and half kid in a kandy store. You become convinced that what you are seeing is the greatest thing that ever happened to him. The audience slurped him up and rewarded him with an instant standing ovation. Probably none of this would come across from a CD—hurry for Blu-ray!
In the symphony performance it was fun to see my two favorite brass players sitting side by side (Reinhold Friedrich on trumpet and Jörgen van Rijen on trombone) among other familiar faces. Something else you can’t get from a CD.
But this performance of the symphony suffers from dvditis, that evil tendency to chop the video up into (1) too many short clips with too many closeups of the musicians and the conductor and (2) not enough long-range shots of sections and the whole orchestra.
The industry is still too bogged down with old DVD habits. But the time is coming when Blu-ray will finally take over the market and DVD will be recognized as obsolete. Then the industry will have to shoot all the orchestral classical canon over again for viewing with high-def TVs. So for dvditis I reduce the grade on the concerto from A+ to A and the grade on the symphony from A+ to B.
I decided not to include a bunch of screen shots with this story as I found a couple of videos that do this well enough. One of them even offers free screening of the entire title (at least for a while).
Read MoreGrigory Sokolov at Esterházy Palace concert. Sokolov plays three Haydn sonatas, 5 Schubert Impromptus, and encores. Released 2022, this title includes 2 CD sound-only recordings plus a Blu-ray disc. The Blu-ray disc has a video of the concert (lasts 2 hours) directed by Nadia Zhdanova. The full concert is as follows:
Haydn Piano Sonata No. 32
Haydn Piano Sonata No. 47
Haydn Piano Sonata No. 49
Schubert Impromptus 1-4 from D. 935
Schubert Impromptu 4 from D. 899 (encore)
Rameau Le rappel des oiseaux (encore)
Schubert Hungarian Melody (encore)
Chopin Prelude No. 15 “Raindrop” (encore)
Griboyedov Waltz in E minor (encore)
Debussy Des pas sur le neige (encore)
The blu-ray disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A+
Sokolov is a Russian who is mostly interested in solo live piano recitals, which he performs usually on tour . . .
Read MoreBACH: The Art of Life (Deluxe Edition) piano solo recital by Daniil Trifonov recorded October 2021 before a live audience at the Berlin Philharmonie. The major work presented was The Art of the Fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach. Other shorter pieces were:
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring by Johann Sebastian Bach (arr. Myra Hess)
Sonata No. 5 in A Major by Johann Christian Bach
Polonaise No. 8 in E Minor by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
Rondo in C minor by Carl Philippe Emanuel Bach
Directed for TV by Andreas Morell. Sound recorded with 24-bit/96 kHz files. Audio output in PCM Stereo, 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio, and Dolby Atmos. Video recorded in 1080i High Definition. Released 2022 in a “Deluxe Edition” with two audio CDs, audio on a Blu-ray disc, and a Blu-ray video of the entire live recital by Trifonov at the Philharmonie. Grade: A+ with the 💓 designation.
Trifonov’s BACH: The Art of Life project with DG has come out in a confusing array of editions and formats with different content. It was hard for me to tell for sure from advertisements for this title whether the Blu-ray disc in fact has a HD video of Trifonov playing this music. It does.
Please note there is no DVD video of this. I think this may be the first time a classical music video has been issued by a major western publishing company in Blu-ray HD video only. This is in itself a huge milestone . . .
Read MoreSchubert’s Winterreise song cycle ballet. Music is Hans Zender’s 1993 Winterreise for tenor and small orchestra, which is an interpretation of the Schubert song cycle for solo voice and piano. Choreographed and performed 2021 by Christian Spuck at the Ballett Zürich. Mauro Peter sings tenor. Benjamin Schneider conducts forces from the Philharmonia Zürich. Set by Rufus Didwiszus; costumes by Emma Ryott; lighting by Martin Gebhardt; dramaturgy by Christian Spuck and Michael Küster. Directed for TV by Michael Beyer; produced by Paul Smaczny. Sung in German. Subtitles in German and English. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A
Here we enjoy the product of 5 geniuses: (1) Wilhelm Müller, who wrote the Winterreise poetry, (2) Schubert, who published the original song cycle in 1828, (3) Hans Zender, who composed his interpretation of the music in 1993, (4) Christian Spuck, who put all this on the ballet stage in 2019, and (5) Mauro Peter, seen below, who sings the entire cycle for Zender’s composition by memory standing in the pit or wandering about the stage . . .
Read MoreBruckner 11: The Complete Symphonies box set has the following works recorded by the Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Christian Thielemann: Here is a list of the 11 works:
No. 0 in D minor “Nullte”
No. 1 in C minor
No. 2 in C minor
No. 3 in D minor “Wagner”
No. 4 in Eb major “Romantic”
No. 5 in Bb major
No. 6 in A major
No. 7 in E major
No. 8 in C minor
No. 9 in D minor
No. 00 in F minor “Study Symphony”
The gimmick here is that two incomplete works have been added to the 9 works usually considered to be the complete symphonies. All of this was issued earlier in 5 single Blu-ray discs. Now you can get all 5 in a single box for a savings. Never before was so much confusion created in the recording industry. See our Alphalist if you are interested in buying a particular symphony—we have 5 earlier titles listed there as they came out earlier . . .
Read MoreHome Music Berlin concert series. When the Covid-19 lockdown hit Berlin in 2020, video director Jan Schmidt-Garre and pianist Francesco Piemontesi dreamed up a live-streaming concert series for top-drawer but out-of-work Berlin musicians. Eventually 19 instrumentalists and singers performed 14 concerts at the Schinkel Pavillon in Berlin for a live-streaming audience. The best recordings from the project are assembled here and there is also a documentary about the project. This yields almost 7 hours of music and documentary info on 2 Blu-ray discs to be played in home theaters. See the back art above for the names of all the musicians and the pieces performed. Songs are rendered in various languages. There are sub-titles, but don’t expect too much in that regard. Released 2023, discs have 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
We have generally been disappointed by the fine-art documentary titles that have come out in Blu-ray. This title, however, promises to be more of a concert than a documentary. So we take a chance . . .
Read MoreBeethoven Missa solemnis concert. Performed 2021 at the Salzburg Festival. Riccardo Muti conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker and the Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor (Chorus Master Ernst Raffelsberger). Soloists are Rosa Feola (soprano), Alisa Kolosova (contralto), Dmitry Korchak (tenor), and Ildar Abdrazakov (bass). Directed for TV by Michael Beyer. Sung in German. Released 2022, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
I associate Michael Beyer strongly with the dread disease of DVDitis. The trailer below does not have even 1 clear whole-orchestra shot. This strongly suggests that this disc will be another colossal disappointment for discerning fans of classical music in Blu-ray format . . .
Read MoreJohn Williams Violin Concerto No. 2. In 2021, the composer conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, the summer home of the orchestra. Guest artist is violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. Here’s the program, all composed by Williams:
Violin Concerto No. 2
Across the Stars (Love Theme) from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
Theme from The Long Goodbye
Han Solo and the Princess from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Marion’s Theme from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
We don’t cover titles that are primarily movie music. But Williams, perhaps the most successful movie music mogul of all time, is also highly respected as a classical composer. And getting Mutter on board for Violin Concerto No. 2 is the clincher. Released 2022. Grade: NA
Read MoreJohann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concertos 1-6. Václav Luks conducts Collegium 1704 in 2021, using historical instruments, at the Hall of Mirrors at Köthen Castle. Directed for TV by Ute Feudel; produced by Paul Smaczny. Released 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBach St. John Passion oratorio. Perfored 2021 at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford. Stars Nick Pritchard (Evangelist), William Thomas (Christus), Alex Ashworth (Pilatus), Julia Doyle (soprano), Alexander Chance (countertenor), and Peter Davoren (tenor). Sir Eliot Gardiner conducts the English Baroque Soloists and The Monteverdi Choir. Released 2022, disc has Dolby Atmos sound. Package also has 2 audio-only CDs of the same performance. Grade: NA
Read MoreFlórez in Florence recital. Performed 2020 at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Juan Diego Flórez performs excerpts from various operas. Features Antonio Garés as second tenor. Carlo Rizzi conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini; video production by Metis; recording and sound editing by MASClassica Audio Recording, Claudio Speranzini, and Antonio Martino. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreWagner Wesendonck Lieder and Bruckner Symphony No. 4 ("Romantic"). In 2020, Christian Thielemann conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker at the Großes Festspielhaus as part of the Salzburg Festival. Features vocalist Elīna Garanča. Sung in German. Directed for TV by Michael Beyer. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Both Wagner and Bruckner wrote big music. To add variety, this program includes 5 substantial songs by Wagner (relatively light) that are considered to be studies for Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde opera . . .
Read MoreBildbeschreibung (Description of a Picture) concert for 2 voices, chamber orchestra, special instruments, and electronics. This is the Polish premiere performed on September 27, 2018 of music composed by the Polish Agata Zubel to lyrics by the German playwright Heiner Müller. Titus Engel conducts the Klangforum Wien chamber orchestra at the ATM studio in Warsaw as part of the Warsaw Autumn Festival. "She" sung by soprano Agata Zubel; "He" sung by bariton Frank Wörner. Special instrumental solos (all electrified) are: Vera Fischer on bass flute; Eva Furrer on contrabass flute; Olivier Vivarès on contrabass clarinet; Gerald Preinfalk on tubax saxophone; Andres Nyqvist on double-bell trumpet; Florian Müller on sound-sampling keyboard; Bendikt Leitner on cello; and Alexander Gabryś on doublebass. All special instrumentalist soloists also contribute voiced text. Lyrics in German. Directed for TV by Jacek Dybowtki. Disc also has a bonus extra about Agata Zubel called called Words like Sounds. Subtitles in Polish, German, and English. Released 2022 by Anaklasis Recodings, a division of PWM Edition. Disc has 5.1 sound. Grade: A+ with ‽ and 💓 designations . . .
Read MoreHaydn Die Schöpfung (The Creation) oratorio. Performed 2020 at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Stars Hanna-Elisabeth Müller (Gabriel/Eva), Marximillian Schmitt (Uriel), Michael Volle (Raphael/Adam), and Vela Pilipenko. Zubin Mehta conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Margio Musicale Fiorentio (Chorus Master Lorenzo Fratini). Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini; video production by Metis. Sung in German. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreVerdi Messa da Requiem concert. Recorded 2020 at the Parco Ducale di Parma. Roberto Abbado conducts the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini and the Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma (Chorus Master Martino Faggiani). Soloists are Eleonora Buratto (soprano), Anita Rachvelishvili (mezzo), Giorgio Berrugi (tenor), and Roberto Tagliavini (bass). Directed for TV by Marco Scalfi; recording, editing and post-production by Elfride Foroni - BHaudio. Sung in Latin. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read More