Mahler Symphony No. 9 concert. Daniel Barenboim conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin. Video direction by Andreas Morell. Also features The Mahler Project documentary. Released 2016, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
This was recorded in 2009 and first came out in DVD in 2011. A review on the Arkivmusic website states, "The video production is evenly divided between orchestra and conductor with a few distant shots of the entire stage." This is exactly how a good DVD of a symphony was made in 2009. It's also the most succinct description of DVDitis that I read. Caution advised as this DVD now receives a new Blu-ray cloak.
Read MoreBeethoven Symphonies 1-9 (or Complete Beethoven Symphonies) box set. Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker in all nine Beethoven symphonies. Other performers featured in Symphony No. 9 are Annette Dasch (Soprano), Eva Vogel (Mezzo-Soprano), Christian Elsner (Tenor), Dimitry Ivashchenko (Bass), and the Rundfunkchor Berlin (Simon Halsey, Chorus Master). Grade: C+ (average for the 9 symphonies, based on specific grades for 6 titles and other general observations)
Read MoreLiszt A Faust Symphony and Wagner A Faust Overture. Chrstian Thielemann conducts the Staatskapelle Dresden and Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden (Chorus Master Pablo Assante). Endrik Wottrich is tenor soloist in A Faust Symphony. Recorded live 2011 at the Semperoper, Dresden. Produced by Günter Atteln at Accentus Music; directed for TV by Tilo Krause. Released 2011, music was recorded with 48kHz/24-bit sound sampling, and disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: D+
Read MoreSibelius Symphonies 1-7 (or Complete Sibelius Symphonies) box set. Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker in all seven Sibelius symphonies. This review applies only to the Blu-ray video and not to the CDs or Blu-ray audio disc included in the box. Grade: C (average for the 7 symphonies).
Read MoreBeethoven Violin Concerto and Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral" concert. Bernard Haitink conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker in 2015 at the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus. Features violinist Isabelle Faust. Has the cheapest and least helpful keepcase booklet ever. Audio producer was Michael Sandner; sound engineer was Hendrik Rahn; video directed by Torben Schmidt Jacobson. Released 2016, music was recorded with 48kHz/24-bit sampling, and disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: C+ for the symphony and B for the concerto
Read MoreDvořák Symphony No. 9 and Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition concert. In 2014 Mariss Jansons conducts the Bavarian Radio Orchestra. Released 2016, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: NA
Read MoreSchumann Symphonies 1-4 or (Complete Schumann Symphonies) box set. In 2013, Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker in all four Schumann symphonies. Released in 2014, all the symphonies, a bonus interview, and audio tracks recorded at 96kHz/24-bit are on a Blu-ray disc with 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Also in the package are two CDs, a download code for other audio files, and a digital concert ticket. Grade: NA
Read MoreBach St. John Passion oratorio. Ritualised (directed) 2014 by Peter Sellers at the Philharmonie in Berlin. Stars tenor Mark Padmore (Evangelist), baritone Christian Gerhaher (Pilatus/Petrus), baritone Roderick Williams (Jesus), soprano Camilla Tilling, mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozena, tenor Topi Lehtipuu (Arias), and bass Thomas Quasthoff. Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Rundfunkchor Berlin (Chorus Master Simon Halsey). Music has runtime of 135 minutes and there is a 52-minute bonus extra with Peter Sellers in conversation with Simon Rattle. Directed for video by Daniel Finkerhagel and Alexander Lück. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Package also has 2 DVDs, an extensive booklet, and a 7-day digital concert voucher. Grade: NA
Read MoreMahler Symphony No. 5 and selected songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn. Andris Nelsons conducts the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Baritone Matthias Goerne sings the following 7 songs (from 12) included in the Wunderhorn collection:
"Rheinlegendchen"
"Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen"
"Das ridische Leben"
"Urlicht"
"Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt"
"Revelge"
"Der Tamboursg'sell"
Released 2016, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreClaudio Abbado conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker for the last time. Recorded live at the Berlin Philharmonie on 18, 19, and 21 May 2013. Two works are featured:
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (excerpts). Soloists are Deborah York (soprano), Stella Doufexis (mezzo-soprano). Chorus is comprised of women of the Chors des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Chorus).
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
Released 2016, the main feature for us is the Blu-ray video of the entire concert. The concert can also be played as a Blu-ray audio music recording. All Blu-ray music was recorded with 48kHz/24-bit sound sampling, and the disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound output (literature from publisher incorrectly states that sound is 5.0). In addition to the Blu-ray disc, there is a CD of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and a separate CD of the Symphonie fantastique. There is also a bonus documentary video. All this is included in an extravagant box set with a 56-page booklet of program notes and an article with numerous photographs honoring Claudio Abbado. Purchase of the box includes a 7-day ticket for the Berliner Philharmoniker’s video streaming service (“Digital Concert Hall”), and a download code for 48kHz/24 audio files of the performance (which the Berlin folks call "high resolution" files). Video Directors are listed as Daniel Finkernagal and Alexander Lück. No DVD version of this title is available. Could this be a sign that the age of DVD is about over?
Grade: B- for the Mendelssohn and B for the Belioz
Read MoreMahler: Origins and Legacy documentary and concert package, part of the "Keeping Score" series. Michael Tilson Thomas directs the San Francisco Symphony. Produced by Michael Bronson; directed for TV by Gary Halvorson. This is a two-disc set. Released in 2011, music was recorded at 48 kHz/24-bit, and discs have 5.1 surround or 7.1 Dolby TrueHD surround sound. Grade: A for the documentary Origins and Legacy and D for Symphony No. 1
Read MoreMahler Symphony No. 5. Claudio Abbado conducts the Lucerne Festival Orchestra at the KKL Luzern in 2004. Produced by Paul Smaczny; directed for TV by Michael Beyer. Released 2011, music was recorded with 48kHz/24-bit sound sampling, and disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: D
Read MoreJonas Kaufmann - An Evening With Puccini concert performed in June, 2015 at the Teatro alla Scala. Jochen Rieder conducts the Filarmonica della Scala. Features the following pieces:
Curtis, E:
"Non ti scordar di me"
Puccini:
'Ecco la casa . . .Torna ai felici di' (from Le Villi)
Le Villi - Prelude: 'La tregenda'
'Orgia, chimera dall'occhio vitreo' (from Edgar)
Edgar: Prelude to Act III
'Donna non vidi mai' (from Manon Lescaut)
Manon Lescaut: Intermezzo Act III
'Ah! Non v'avvicinate . . . No! pazzo son' (from Manon Lescaut)
Tosca: Prelude to Act Three
'E lucevan le stelle' (from Tosca)
Madama Butterfly: Prelude to Act Three
'Una parola sola! . . . Or son sei mesi' (from La Fanciulla del West)
Suor Angelica : Intermezzo
'Nessun dorma' (from Turandot)
'Recondita armonia' (from Tosca)
'Ch'ella mi creda libero e lontano' (from La Fanciulla del West)
Refice:
"Ombra di nube"
Directed for TV by Brian Large. Released 2016, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBeethoven Symphonies 1-9. This is a box set of all 9 Beethoven symphonies with Iván Fischer conducting the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Netherlands Radio Choir. Recorded live at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on 11 May 2013 (1, 2, & 5), 31 May 2013 (3 & 4), 9-10 January 2014 (6 & 7), and 20-21 February 2014 (8 & 9). Symphony No. 9 features Myrto Papatanasiu (soprano), Bernarda Fink (mezzo-soprano), Burkhard Fritz (tenor), and Gerald Finley (bass). Title is available also in DVD, but recordings of single symphonies are not offered. Sound is 96 kHz, 24 bit in LPCM 2.0, and DTS-HD MA 5.0. (It is clearly noted in the booklet and on the cases that both sound formats are 96/24.) TV Director is Dick Kuijs for all. Released 2015. Grade: B- as an average for the whole box.
Read MoreBruckner Symphony No. 9 in D Minor (Edition: Alfred Orel). On May 24, 2015, Christian Thielemann conducts the Dresden Staatskapelle at the Festspielshaus Baden-Baden. Video direction by Agnes Méth. Released 2016 by C Major, music was recorded with 48kHz/24-bit sound sampling, and the disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio output. Grade: B-
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