2017 Europakonzert. Mariss Jansons conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker this year in its traditional "Europakonzert" on May 1 celebrating the founding of the orchestra on May Day. Normally, this event occurs in a different European city in a beautiful venue of historical significance. Performed 2017 at Paphos, Cyprus. The concert was held outdoors in front of the main Byzantine castle at Paphos, Cyprus. Features clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer. Directed for TV by Henning Kasten. Here's the program:
Weber, Overture to Oberon
Weber, Clarinet Concerto No. 1 (Andreas Ottensamer)
Koncz, Hungarian Fantasy on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber
Dvořák, Symphony No. 8
Brahms, Hungarian Dance No. 5
Released 2017, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound, with "high resolution" audio, i.e. 96kHz/24-bit sound sampling. 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 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 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-
Read MoreHandel Messiah oratorio to libretto by Charles Jennens. At Easter 2016 Rubén Dubrovsky conducts the Bach Consort Wien and the Salzburger Bachchor (Chorus Master Alois Glassner) at the Basilica Stift Klosterneuburg in Austria. Stars Hanna Herfurtner (soprano), Gaia Petrone (alto), Michael Schade (tenor), and Christian Immler (bass). Subtitles in German and English only. Produced by Martin Pichl. Directed for TV by Volker Werner (Bildregie). Released in 2017, disc has 5.1 dts-HD sound output. This is published by Naxos as its own label. Grade: C+
Read MoreBeethoven Symphony No. 6 and Symphony No. 7 concert. Herbert Blomstedt conducts the Gewandhausorchester in 2015 and 2016. Directed for TV by Ute Feudel; produced by Paul Smaczny. Released 2017, disc has 5.1 Dolby Digital and dts sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBeethoven Triple Concerto and Beethoven Symphony No. 5 concert. Herbert Blomstedt conducts the Gewandhausorchester in 2017. The Triple Concerto features Isabelle Faust (violin), Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello), and Martin Helmchen (piano). Directed for TV by Ute Feudel; produced by Paul Smaczny. Released 2017, disc has 5.1 Dolby Digital and dts sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreHandel Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno oratorio to a libretto from Benedetto Pamphili. Directed 2016 by Krzysztof Warlikowski with assistant Marielle Kahn at at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. Stars Sabine Devieilhe (Bellezza), Franco Fagioli (Piacere), Sara Mingardo (Disinganno), Michael Spyres (Tempo), with the participation of Christine Angot. Extras are Mama Bouras, Margot Briosne Frejaville, Sherine Colin, Johanna Costa, Léa De Carvalho Massabo, Amani Djelassi, Thaïs Drujon D’astros, Hélène Fouque, Rui Jin, Colette Levron, Elena Parniere, Pablo Pillaud-Vivien, Nangué Sabaly, Marina Saïd, and Marie Signoret-O. Emmanuelle Haïm conducts Le Concert d’Astrée. Continuo: Felix Knecht and Oleguer Aymami (Cellos); Nicola Dal Maso (Double Bass); Laura Monica Pustilnik and Rémi Cassaigne (Lutes); Benoît Hartoin and Philippe Grisvard (Harpsichords); and Benoît Hartoin (Organ). Stage and costume designs by Malgorzata Szczesniak and Barbara Creutz; dramaturge by Christian Longchamp; lighting by Felice Ross; choreography by Claude Bardouil; video designs by Denis Guéguin and Fabien Laubry; musical assistance was by David Bates; language coaching by Rita de Letteriis. Directed for TV by Stéphane Metge. Produced by Françoise Gazio. Sung in Italian. Released 2017, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: NA
Read MoreBeethovenSymphony No. 9 concert. Othermusic in the program: Beethoven Coriolan Overture, aChristian Jost Fanfare (for 9 brass commissioned by the Graffenegg Festival), and the Jost An die Hoffnung (for voice and orchestra, also commissioned by the Graffenegg Festival). Yutaka Sado conducts, at the 2016 Graffenegg Festival, the Tonkunster Orchestra, 24 alumni of the European Union Youth Orchestra, and the Weiner Singverein (Chorus Master Johannes Prinz). Soloists are Camilla Nylund (soprano), Elena Zhidkova (mezzo-soprano), Klaus Florian Vogt (tenor), and René Pape (baritone). Video by Karina Fiibich. Released in 2017, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBeethoven Symphonies 6-7 concert. Herbert Blomstedt conducts the Gewandhausorchester. Performed at the Gewandhaus zu Leipzig May 2016 (Symphony 6) and May 2015 (Symphony 7). Ute Feudel was TV director. Produced by Paul Smaczny. Released 2017, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio. Grade: NA
Read MoreBrahms Symphonies 1-4.In 2016, Thomas Hengelbrock conducts the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester at the Laeiszhalle Hamburg. Video director was Beatrice Conrad. Released 2017, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreThis is a report on recent HDVDs envolving the mangling of Mozart music in one case of malsponsorship of public domain art and in another case of reverse product placement advertisement. Volkswagen and Rubolph Buchbinder are the culprits in the malsponsorship mangle. Red Bull is the culprit in the reverse product placement. First I'll introduce the two HDVDs:
1. Mozart Piano Concertos played 2014 by Rudolf Buchbinder in Dresden. Buchbinder also conducts the Staatskapelle Dresden in:
- Piano Concerto No. 20
- Piano Concerto No. 21 "Elvira Madigan"
- Piano Concerto No. 27
There is a bonus extra about the making of this recording in 4K. This is a 2K product---it appears there could be a 4K version later. Directed for video by Michael Beyer. Released 2016, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: F
2. Mozart Die Entführung aus dem Serail opera to libretto by Johann Gottlieb Stephanie (from Christoph Friedrich Bretzner). Directed 2013 by Adrian Marthaler at the Salzburg Airport Hangar-7 entertainment complex (as part of the Salzburg Festival) Stars Desirée Rancatore (Konstanze), Tobias Moretti (Bassa Selim, spoken role), Javier Camarena (Belmonte), Rebecca Nelsen (Blonde), Thomas Ebenstein (Pedrillo), and Kurt Rydl (Osmin). Hans Graf conducts the Camerata Salzburg and Salzburger Bachchor (Chorus Master Alois Glaßner). Costumes by Lena Hoschek; dramatury by Ronny Dietrich; directed for TV by Felix Breisach. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: F
Read MoreBrahms Ein Deutsches Requiem concert. Franz Welser-Möst, on August 22-23, 2016, conducts the Cleveland Orchestra and the Vienna Singverein. Welser-Möst is back at his home-town church in Austria, the Stiftsbasilika Monastery in St. Florian. (The picture above was made with a still camera for disc PR; for much more on this beautiful church see our review of a Bruckner Symphony No. 4 concert by the Cleveland Orchestra and Welser-Möst at the same Stiftsbasilika.) Soloists are Hanna-Elisabeth Müller (soprano) and Simon Keenlyside (baritone). Directed for TV by Brian Large. (This title complements the three Blu-ray set “Johannes Brahms Cycle”, which was released in late 2015, and which we have not yet reviewed.) Released 2016, disc has 5.1 dts-Master Audio sound. The video was made in 1080p rather than 1080i. Grade: A
This title is an absolute winner! It may be the best symphony recording ever made by a Western recording company. (The only better recordings would be those state-of-the-art demo discs made by NHK in Japan.) Before I fill your plate with too much text, I'll serve some screenshots appetizers.
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