What is the best Salome Blu-ray? We now (January 2020) have 5 titles to consider, and the best is the new Salome from the Dutch National Opera with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Daniele Gatti. It’s a fine production with an amazingly young-looking Malin Byström playing Salome, for which she got the 2018 Female Singer of the Year from the International Opera Awards. The music and SQ are outstanding, and the video was made by François Roussillon, the best we have for opera video.
Malin and Daniele push down to second place the dramatically intense Salome from the Royal Opera House with Nadja Michael as Salome directed by David McVicar. This has been our top pick since 2010. But now the PQ is starting to show its age, and we recently reduced the grade to A-.
Neither of our top picks has a strip-tease. If that’s what you want, try the grade B title from the Teatro Comunale di Bologna in which Erika Sunnegårdh (Salome) nails the dance pretty well. Finally, if you like your operas surreal, you might consider the Romeo Castellucci version that was controversial at the Salzburg Festival.
Read MoreSwan Lake ballet. Music by Tchaikovsky. Book by V.P. Begichev and Vasily Geltzer. Choreography by Valery Kovton (1944-2005) after Lev Ivanov, Marius Petipa, and Alexandre Gorski. Performed 2019 by the Ballet Company of the National Opera of Ukraine at the National Opera House in Kiev. Stars Natalia Matsak (Odette/Odile); Denys Nedak (Prince Siegfried); Yaroslav Tkachuck (Rothbart); Ganna Muromtseva, Olga Skripchenko, and Oleksandre Skulkine (Pas de trois); Margarita Alyanakh, Irina Borisova, Ganna Muromtseva, and Svetlana Onipko (The Brides and Big Swans); Elisaveta Goguidze, Katerina Didenko, Inna Chorna, and Katerina Chupina (Little Swans); Oleksandre Skulkine (Venetian Dance); Sergey Litvinenko (The Tutor); Vladislav Ivashchenko (The Knight); and Ludmila Melnik (The Queen). Mykola Dyadura conducts the Orchestra of the National Opera of Ukraine. Stage and costume design by Maria Levitskaya. Directed for TV by Bertrand Normand; produced by François Duplat. Released 2019, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B
Ukraine is a landlocked developing country that is always the innocent bystander getting grievously injured in the age-old struggles between Russia and Western Europe. It’s about the size (in land and population) of Texas and Oklahoma together. Well, there is no ballet company in Texas/Oklahoma remotely able to maintain Swan Lake in repertory, but the Ukrainians do exactly that. Below is
Read MoreMahler Symphony and Zimmerman Trumpet Concerto concert. In 2018 Andris Nelsons conducted the Wiener Philharmoniker and the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks at the Grosses Festspielhaus as part of the Salzburg Festival. Music performed:
Directed for TV by Elizabeth Malzer. Includes subtitles German, English, French, Korean, and Japanese, a feature often omitted by careless publishers of Mahler 2. Released 2019, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: C+
We now (Jan. 2020) have 9 Blu-ray recordings of Mahler 2. But only one of them is graded higher than C+. Everything we have is infected with DVDitis! When we first saw the generous YouTube clip below from C Major with good PQ and many long-range, big-picture shots, we were optimistic that Elizabeth Malzer maybe had produced a video free of the dread disease of DVDitis. Wonk Bryan Balmer volunteered to do a review. Alas, our hopes were dashed again.
Read MoreSwan Lake ballet. Music by Tchaikovsky. Book by V.P. Begichev and Vasily Geltzer. Choreography by Liam Scarlett (assisted by Kristen McGarrity) after Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa with additional choreography by Frederick Ashton. Directed 2018 by Liam Scarlett at the Royal Opera House. Stars Marianela Nuñez (Odette/Odile); Vadim Muntagirov (Prince Siegfried); Elizabeth McGorian (The Queen); Bennet Gartside (Von Rothbart); Alexander Campbell (Benno); and Akane Takade and Francesca Hayward (Prince Siegfried’s Younger Sisters). Other dancers in Act I are Tierney Heap, Meagan Grace Hinkis, Fumi Kaneko, Mayara Magri, Matthew Ball, James Hay, Fernando Montaño, and Marcelino Sambé (Waltz and Prolonaise); Artists of The Royal Ballet and Students of The Royal Ballet School (Court Ladies, Lieutenants, and Corporals, Ladies in Waiting, Servants, Heralds, Guards). Other dancers in Act II are Isabella Gasparini, Elizabeth Harrod, Meaghan Grace Hinkis, and Romany Pajdak (Cygnets); Clare Calvert and Mayara Magri (Two Swans), and Artists of the Royal Ballet (Swans). Other dancers in Act III are
Read MoreRichard Strauss Salome opera to a libretto from Hedwig Lachmann's German translation of Oscar Wilde's play Salome. Directed 2017 by Ivo van Hove at the Dutch National Opera and Ballet. Stars Lance Ryan (Herodes), Doris Soffel (Herodias), Malin Byström (Salome), Evgeny Nikitin (Jochanaan), Peter Sonn (Narraboth), Hanna Hipp (A Page of Herodias), Dietmar Kerschbaum (First Jew), Marcel Reijans (Second Jew), Mark Omvlee (Third Jew), Marcel Beekman (Fourth Jew), Alexander Vassiliev (Fifth Jew), James Creswell (First Nazarene), Roger Smeets (Second Nazarene), James Platt (First Soldier), Alexander Milev (Second Soldier), Michael Wilmering (Kappadozier), and Jeroen de Vaal (A Slave). Daniele Gatti conducts the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Set and lighting design by Jan Versweyveld; costume design by An D’Huys; video design by Tal Yarden; choreography by Wim Vandekeybus; dramaturgy by Jan Vandenhouwe. Directed for TV by François Roussillon. Sung in German. Released 2019, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Released 2019. Grade: A+
Read MoreWhat is the best Blu-ray of the Nutcracker ballet? Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker is probably the most popular ballet in history as it has become an integral part of the Christmas season, especially in the United States, where it is performed by virtually every ballet school and company in the nation. The classic ballet line was created by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa in 1892. At a Christmas party, young Clara (Masha in Russia) is thrilled by the gift of a nutcracker doll in the form of a toy-soldier. Falling asleep, Clara has a glorious dream of adventure and love with a handsome Prince. There are many variations on this coming-of-age theme. In recent years, choreographers also have started remixing the story in fantastic and even controversial versions aimed at adult art lovers.
In December 2019, we counted 14 high-quality Nutcracker Blu-rays! You can find full reviews with screenshots on all of them on our Alphalist.
Here are our picks for the very best Nutcracker discs for kids (of all ages):
“Mature” Nutcrackers include
Read MoreRichard Strauss Salome opera to a libretto from Hedwig Lachmann's German translation of Oscar Wilde's play Salome. Directed 2018 by Romeo Castellucci at the Großes Festspielhaus as part of the Salzburg Festival. Stars John Daszak (Herodes), Anna Maria Chiuri (Herodias), Asmik Grigorian (Salome), Gábor Bretz (Jochanaan), Julian Prégardien (Narraboth), Christina Bock (A Page of Herodias), Matthäus Schmidlechner (First Jew), Mathias Frey (Second Jew), Kristofer Lundin (Third Jew), Joshua Whitener (Fourth Jew), David Steffens (Fifth Jew), Tilmann Rönnebeck (First Nazarene), Paweł Trojack (Second Nazarene), Thomas Bennett (Kappadozier), Peter Kellner (First Soldier), and Dashon Burton (Second Soldier). Franz Welser-Möst conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker. Sets, costumes, and lighting design by Romeo Castellucci; choreography by Cindy Van Acker; artistic collaboration by Silvia Costa; dramaturgy by Piersandra Di Matteo. Directed for TV by Henning Kasten. Sung in German. Released 2019, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreNutcracker and the Mouse King ballet. Music by Tchaikovsky. Choreographed and directed by Christian Spuck. Performed 2018 by the Ballett Zürich and the Junior Ballett at the Opernhaus Zürich. Stars Dominik Slavkovský (Godfather Drosselmeier), Michelle Willems (Marie [instead of Clara or Masha]), Daniel Mulligan (Fritz), William Moore (The Nutcracker/Prince), Ina Callejas (Clown with accordion), Yen Han (Lady Clown), Matthew Knight (Gent Clown), Giulia Tonelli (Princess Pirlipat) , Gustavo Chalub (Pirlipat’s father, the Human King), Mélissa Ligurgo (Mouse Queen), Cohen Aitchison-Dugas (Mouse King), Filipe Portugal (Granddfather), Galina Mihaylova (Grandmother), Elena Vostrotina (Aunt Snowflake) , Jan Casier (Snowflake Partner), Anna Khamzina (Aunt Flower), Alexander Jones (Flower Partner), and Victorina Kapitonava (Aunt Sugar Fairy). Paul Connelly conducts the Philharmonia Zürich and the Children’s Choir and SoprAlti of the Opernhaus Zürich (Chorus Master Ernst Raffelsberger). Set design by Rufus Didwiszus; costume design by Buki Shiff; lighting design by Martin Gebhardt; dramaturgy by Michael Küster and Claus Spahn. Directed for TV by Michael Beyer; produced by Paul Smaczny. Released 2019, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: A+
Read MoreGhosts ballet, based on the play Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen. Music composed by Nils Petter Molvær. Created and directed 2017 by Marit Moum Aune at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet in Oslo. Choreography by Cina Espejord. Stars Andreas Heise (Oswald/Captain Alving, Oswald’s Father), Kristoffer Ask Haglund (Oswald as a Child), Camilla Spidsøe (Mrs. Alving, Oswald’s Mother), Sonia Vinograd (Young Mrs. Alving), Ole Willy Falkhaugen (Pastor Manders), Philip Currell (Young Pastor Manders), Grete Sofie Borud Nybakken (Regine, a Maid), Erle Østraat (Regine as a Child), Yoshifumi Inao (Carpenter Engstrand), Nils Petter Molvær (Musician), as well as other dancers from The Norwegian National Ballet (Artistic Director Ingrid Lorentzen) and The Norwegian National Ballet School. Set design by Even Børsum; costume design by Ingrid Nylander; lighting design by Kristin Bredal; video projections by Odd Reinhart Nicolaysen; voice over by Håkon Ramstad. Directed for TV by Tommy Pascal; produced by Xavier Dubois. Released 2019, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A
Because the vocabulary of dance is mostly limited to body movements and facial expressions, it’s daunting to make a ballet from works of literature based on abstract creative elements like writing style, written dialogue, time shifting, changes of voice, and political or philosophical ideas. But it can be done, as we have seen with HDVDs like Woolf Works, 1984, and Hedda Gabler (another Ibsen ballet from the Norwegian National Ballet). Ibsen’s Ghosts presented even greater difficulties than usual because there are only 5 characters (all adults) in the play and almost everything they say has to do with things that happened in the past. The solution was to invent 5 new characters.
Read MoreSchönberg Moses und Aron opera to libretto by the composer. Directed 2015 by Romeo Castellucci at the Paris Opera House (Bastille). Stars Thomas Johannes Mayer (Moses), John Graham-Hall (Aron), Julie Davis (Ein junges Mädchen or Young Girl), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (Eine Kranke or An Invalid Woman), Nicky Spence (Ein Junger Mann or A Young Man), Michael Pflumm (der nackte Jüngling or The Naked Youth), Chae Wook Lim (Ein Mann or A Man), Christopher Purves (Ein anderer Mann/Ephraimit or Another Man/Ephraimit), Ralf Lukas (Ein Priester or A Priest), Julie Davies, Maren Favela, Valentina Kutzarova, and Elena Suvorova (Vier Nackte Jungfrauen or Four Naked Virgins), Shin Jae Kim, Olivier Ayault, Jian-Hong Zhao (Drei Älteste or Three Elders), as well as Béatrice Malleret, Isabelle Wnorowska-Pluchart, Marie-Cécile Chevassus, John Bernard, Chae Wook Lim, and Julien Joguet (Sechs Solostimmen or Six Solo Voices). Philippe Jordan conducts (1) the Orchestre et Chœurs de l'Opéra national de Paris and (2) Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine or Chœurs d'enfants de l'Opéra national de Paris (Chorus Master José Luis Basso and Deputy Chorus Master Alessandro di Stefano). Sets, costumes, and lighting by Romeo Castellucci; choreography by Cindy Van Acker; artistic collaboration by Silvia Costa; dramaturgy by Piersandra Di Matteo and Christian Longchamp. Directed for TV by François-René Martin; produced by François Duplat and Laurent Métivier. Sung in German. Video recorded in 2.20 format in order to meet the Director’s visual wishes while avoiding problems with sub-title readability. Words projected onto a scrim on the opera stage were in French. Released 2017, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A with ‽ warning
Read MoreThe Art of Ohad Naharin Vol. 2 is a performance in 2018 of Sadeh21, a 75-minute piece choreographed by Ohad Naharin in 2011. Recorded music from 10 modern composers. The venue was the same Chaillot-Théâtre national de la Danse in Paris where the early Art of Ohad Naharin (Vol. 1) was shot. Dancers from Batsheva-The Young Ensemble are
Read MoreThe Art of Ohad Naharin dance double bill. Choreography by Ohad Naharin. Performed 2014 and 2017 by the Batsheva Dance Company on the same stage at the Chaillot-Théâtre national de la Danse in Paris. Grade: A. Disc includes:
1. Naharin’s Virus from 2001 and revived 2014. Restaged and directed by Luc Jacobs. Dancers: William Barry, Omri Drumlevich, Bret Easterling, Iyar Elezra, Rani Ledzelter, Eri Nakamura, Rachael Osborne, Shamel Pitts, Oscar Ramos, Nitzan Ressler, Ian Robinson, Or Meir Schraiber, Maayan Sheinfeld, Bobbi Jene Smith, Zina (Natalia) Zinchenko, and Adi Zlatin. Original music by Karni Postel with additional music from Samuel Barber (Adagio performed by Kronos Quartet), Carlos D`Allessio (Les bulles), P. Stokes & P. Parsons (I want performed by Breakbeat Massive), and traditional Arab folk music by Al Majad group.
Read MoreGiselle ballet. Modern musical composition and sound design by Vincenzo Lamagna after themes from Adolphe Adam. Directed and choreographed by Akram Khan. Performed 2017 at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. Stars are Tamara Rojo (Giselle); James Streeter (Albrecht); Jeffrey Cirio (Hilarion); Stina Quagebeur (Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis); Begoña Cao (Bathilde); Fabian Reimair (Landlord); as well as Jung ah Choi, Anjuli Hudson, Maria José Sales, and Adela Ramírez (Giselle’s Friends). Ensemble dancers playing Outcasts: Precious Adams, Aitor Arrieta, William Beagley, Francisco Bosch, Georgia Bould, Barry Drummond, Shevelle Dynott, Giorgio Garrett, Jennie Harrington, Amber Hunt, Rina Kanehara, Daniel Kraus, Sarah Kundi, Van Le Ngoc, Laurent Liotardo, Adriana Lizardi, Guilherme Menezes, Ken Saruhashi, Emily Suzuki, Francesca Velicu, Vonnie Vowles, Angela Wood, Erik Woolhouse, and Jia Zhang. Ensemble dancers playing Court Couples: Matthew Astley, Claire Bennett, Julia Conway, and William Simmons. Ensemble dancers playing Wilis: Precious Adams
Read MoreManon ballet. Music consists of excerpts from the works Jules Massenet arranged and orchestrated by Martin Yates, based on an earlier compilation by Leighton Lucas with the collaboration of Hilda Gaunt. Choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan. Revival staging by Julie Lincoln and Christopher Saunders performed 2018 at the Royal Opera House. Stars Sarah Lamb (Manon), Vadim Muntagirov (Des Grieux), Ryoichi Hirano (Lescaut), Gary Avis (Monsieur G.M.), Itziar Mendizabal (Lescaut’s Mistress), Kristen McNally (Madame), Thomas Whitehead (The Gaoler), James Hay (Beggar Chief), Fumi Kaneko, Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Olivia Cowley, Mayara Magri (Courtesans), Matthew Ball, William Brackwell, Marcelino Sambé (Three Young Gentlemen), Nichol Edmonds, Benjamin Ella, Lukas Bjørneboe Brændsrød, Alastair Marriott, David Yudes (Clients), Jonathan Howells (Old Gentleman), and a multitude of extras played by Artists of the Royal Ballet. Martin Yates conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (Concert Master Vasko Vassilev). Designs by Nicholas Georgiadis; revival lighting design by John B. Read after William Bundy. Directed for TV by Ross MacGibbon. Released 2019, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A+
The story of Manon (whose last name was Lescaut) is opera and ballet’s saddest story of the pretty young girl getting started on her way as a courtesan.
Read MoreThe Cleveland Orchestra Centennial Celebration concert performed September 29, 2018 at Severance Hall. Franz Welser-Möst conducts the Cleveland Orchestra. Features pianist Lang Lang. The concert includes the following pieces:
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24
Richard Strauss “Symphonic Fantasy” from Die Frau ohne Schatten
Johann Strauss, Jr. Wiener Blut
Ravel La Valse
Directed for video by Michael Beyer. Herbert G. Kloiber was Executive Producer for Clasart Classic/belvedere records. Released 2019, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: D
Herbert G. Kloiber was a highly successful Austrian media mogul in the field of popular movies and TV programs, especially in German language markets. He has a personal interest in the fine arts and is a friend of fellow Austrian Franz Welser-Möst. Working with Bryan Large, Kloiber brought us a wonderful Bruckner Symphony No. 4 (published by Arthaus) and a gorgeous Ein Deutsches Requiem, both with the Cleveland Orchestra and Welser-Möst. These two titles are on the very short list of excellent videos of symphony music made in Western countries. (Most of the good symphony videos in Blu-ray come from NHK in Japan.)
Kloiber also produced several recordings of Brahms major works
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