catalogue 2016

Avant
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CATALOGUE 2016
1966–2016
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Front cover: Jonas Kaufmann & Annalisa Stroppa in P. Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” / Photo: Andreas J. Hirsch
AVA N T P R E M I È R E C ATA L O G U E 2 0 1 6
This catalogue features the new productions/additions from 2015 to the Unitel catalogue.
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Avant
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CATALOGUE 2016
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Avant
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CATALOGUE 2016
OPERA
Beethoven: Fidelio (Salzburg Festival / Wiener Philharmoniker / Welser-Möst / Guth) 10
Bizet: Carmen (Festival Chorégies d’Orange / Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France / Franck / Désiré) 12
Boito: Mefistofele (Staatsoper München / Wellber / Schwab) 14
Gounod: Faust (Teatro Regio Torino / Noseda / Poda) 16
Handel: Theodora (Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris / Les Arts Florissants / Christie / Langridge) 18
Humperdinck: Hänsel & Gretel (Wiener Staatsoper / Thielemann / Noble) 20
Jommelli: Il Vologeso (Oper Stuttgart / Ferro / Wieler & Morabito) 22
Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana (Salzburg Easter Festival / Staatskapelle Dresden / Thielemann / Stölzl) 24
Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro (Salzburg Festival / Wiener Philharmoniker / Ettinger / Bechtolf) 26
Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (Salzburg Easter Festival / Staatskapelle Dresden / Thielemann / Stölzl) 24
Offenbach: La Belle Hélène (Staatsoper Hamburg / Prießnitz / Doucet) 28
Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Bregenz Festival / Wiener Symphoniker / Debus / Herheim) 30
Puccini: Manon Lescaut (Royal Opera House, London / Pappano / Kent) 32
Giacomo Puccini: Turandot (Bregenz Festival / Wiener Symphoniker / Carignani / Marelli) 34
Rossini: La gazzetta (Rossini Opera Festival / Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna / Mazzola / Carniti) 36
Szymanowski: Król Roger (Royal Opera House, London / Pappano / Holten) 38
Verdi: Aida (Teatro alla Scala, Milano / Mehta / Stein) 40
Verdi: Aida (Teatro Regio Torino / Noseda / Friedkin) 42
Verdi: La Traviata (Festspielhaus Baden-Baden / Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble / Heras-Casado / Villazón) 44
Wagner: Tannhäuser (Staatsoper im Schillertheater / Barenboim / Waltz) 46
Weber: Der Freischütz (Semperoper Dresden / Thielemann / Köhler) 48
BALLET
The Royal Ballet: Quadruple Bill (Viscera / Afternoon of a Faun / Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux / Carmen) Ferdinand Hérold: La Fille mal gardée (Royal Ballet / Ashton) Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (Royal Ballet / Petipa & Ivanov) CONCERT
Czech Philharmonic – Dvořák, Martinů & Beethoven (J. Fischer, D. Zinman) Grafenegg Festival – Midsummer Night's Gala The Odeonsplatz Concert – Spanish Night Hollywood in Vienna – A Tribute to James Newton Howard András Schiff & Cappella Andrea Barca (Mozartwoche Salzburg) Les Musiciens du Louvre & Marc Minkowski (Mozartwoche Salzburg) Red Ribbon Celebration Concert – Building Bridges for Peace Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg – The Inaugural Concert (G. Gimeno) The Carl Nielsen Gala The Prokofiev Marathon (V. Gergiev) BBC Proms
Stage and Screen – A Tribute to Leonard Bernstein András Schiff – The Goldberg Variations West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (D. Barenboim) 6
50
52
54
56
56
56
59
59
59
60
60
60
62
65
65
65
Berliner Philharmoniker
The Sibelius Cycle (S. Rattle) Mozart & Haydn (S. Rattle) HK Gruber & Mahler (H. Hardenberger, A. Nelsons) Bartók, Shostakovich & Ravel (F. P. Zimmermann, M. Jansons) Orchestre de Paris
Bach & Mendelssohn (T. Hengelbrock) Escaich, Widmann & Saint-Saëns (P. Järvi) Bartók (E.-P. Salonen) Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky & Stravinsky (Yo-Yo Ma, D. Gatti) Shostakovich & Sibelius (A.-S. Mutter, A. Nelsons) Mariss Jansons – The Farewell Concert Bartók & Shostakovich (J. Jansen, A. Nelsons) Breaking News – John Adams conducts John Adams Johann Sebastian Bach: Christmas Oratorio (J. W. de Vriend) Staatskapelle Dresden
Bruckner & Beethoven (Y. Bronfman, C. Thielemann) Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 (C. Thielemann) Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 (C. Thielemann) Festive Advent Concert from the Frauenkirche Dresden (L. Pisaroni, S. Yoncheva, D. Runnicles) Mozart Piano Concertos Nos. 20, 21 & 27 (R. Buchbinder) Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Hillborg, Grieg & Sibelius (A. S. Ott, E.-P. Salonen) Webern, Mahler & Shostakovich (B. Haitink) Beethoven & Nielsen (H. Blomstedt) West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
Martha Argerich & Daniel Barenboim – Piano Duos at the Teatro Colón Beethoven & Tchaikovsky (D. Barenboim) Concert for Understanding of Civilizations and Human Rights (D. Barenboim) Wiener Philharmoniker
Tchaikovsky & Brahms (A.-S. Mutter, R. Muti) Johannes Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (R. Buchbinder, Z. Mehta) CHAMBER MUSIC
66
66
68
68
71
71
71
72
72
72
74
74
74
77
77
77
78
78
81
81
81
83
83
83
85
85
Juan Diego Flórez & Vincenzo Scalera - The Salzburg Recital Johannes Brahms: The Complete String Quartets (Belcea Quartet) Güher und Süher Pekinel – The Istanbul Concert Anne-Sophie Mutter – The Club Concert 87
87
87
92
DOCUMENTARY
Leonard Bernstein – Larger Than Life The Swan of Pesaro – Rossini reloaded Living with Beethoven 89
89
89
INDEX 90
7
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OPERA
Orchestra Wiener Philharmoniker
Conductor Franz Welser-Möst
Chorus Konzertvereinigung
Wiener Staatsopernchor
Chorus Master Ernst Raffelsberger
Stage Director Claus Guth
Leonore
Florestan
Don Pizarro
Rocco
Marzelline
Jaquino
Don Fernando
Adrianne Pieczonka ∙ Jonas Kaufmann
Tomasz Konieczny ∙ Hans-Peter König
Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Franz Welser-Möst
staged by Claus
Guth
Adrianne Pieczonka
Jonas Kaufmann
Tomasz Konieczny
Hans-Peter König
Olga Bezsmertna
Norbert Ernst
Sebastian Holecek
Video Director Michael Beyer
A production of
ORF and UNITEL CLASSICA
in cooperation with
3sat, Salzburg Festival and Wiener Philharmoniker
Length: 137'
Cat. no. A 040 50049
Ludwig van Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, features as the
highlight of the Salzburg Festival: the stirring work centred
around Leonore, who frees her incarcerated spouse Florestan
from prison, is timelessly relevant with powerful emotional
situations and jarringly human pleas of anguish from Leonore:
“Whoever you are, I want to rescue you. By God! You shall not
be a victim!”
Director Claus Guth, renowned for his profound interpretations
of opera, replaces the spoken dialogue with menacing sounds,
doubling Leonore with a deaf, signing actress. The result is
a splendidly staged, new and deeply touching picture of the
masterpiece, ending in the breakdown of the hugely traumatised
character, Florestan, to the accompaniment of exaltant music.
The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra delivers an intensely
enthralling orchestral sound, supported by the concert
association of the Vienna State Opera Chorus under Franz
Welser-Möst to accompany a star-studded cast including the
two principal characters played by Adrianne Pieczonka and
Jonas Kaufmann. The New York Times reported: “the conductor
Franz Welser-Möst won a huge ovation, along with the excellent
singers, especially the two leads. They are the astonishing tenor
Jonas Kaufmann, who makes a wrenching, haunted Florestan,
and the compelling, bright-voiced soprano Adrianne Pieczonka
as Leonore”.
The hitherto unachieved utopian vision of justice, fraternity and
liberty shines eternal.
Photos: Monika Rittershaus
11
OPERA
Carmen
GEORGES BIZET
Orchestra Orchestre Philharmonique de
Radio France
Conductor Mikko Franck
Chorus Chœurs des Opéras
d'Angers-Nantes,
du Grand Avignon et de Nice
Maîtrise des Bouches-du-Rhône
Chorus Master Emmanuel Trenque
Stage Director Louis Désiré
Carmen
GEORGES BIZET
Carmen
Don José
Micaëla
Escamillo
Zuniga
Moralès
Frasquita
Mercédès
Kate Aldrich
Jonas Kaufmann
Inva Mula
Kyle Ketelsen
Jean Teitgen
Armando Noguera
Hélène Guilmette
Marie Karall
Produced by Bel Air Media
Video Director Andy Sommer
Kate Aldrich Jonas Kaufmann Inva Mula Kyle Ketelsen
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
conducted by Mikko Franck
Les Chorégies d’Orange – Théâtre Antique d’Orange
A co-production of
Bel Air Media, Radio France, Les Chorégies d’Orange,
ZDF/3sat and UNITEL CLASSICA
in cooperation with
France Télévisions and the support of CNC
Length: approx. 170'
Cat. no. A 010 50036
Each year, the ancient Roman Théâtre antique d’Orange serves
as a picturesque setting for operas and concert performances
as part of the Chorégies d’Orange festival, founded in 1869
in Provence. Equipped with almost 7000 seats and a unique
acoustic, this Roman theatre has since 1981 been a UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
The theatre is now offering its breath-taking ambience to
George Bizet’s world-renowned love drama, Carmen. The
principle roles are portrayed by the spectacular Kate Aldrich in
her signature role as the seductive temptress Carmen, and star
tenor Jonas Kaufmann as the troubled and jealous army officer,
Don José. “Aldrich makes Carmen a magic presence by sheer
vivacity of personality”, writes Opera Today on her exceptional
festival debut. The rest of the cast, too, are nothing less than
outstanding – most notably Inva Mula as Micaëla and Kyle
Ketelsen as Escamillo, whose wit and playfulness delight his
audience. In the pit are the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio
France, and their new principal conductor, Mikko Franck.
The directing of Louis Désiré, who also designed the set and
costumes, fits ideally into this picturesque setting and paints a
naturalistic image of society in keeping with Bizet’s intentions.
The staging “preserves the essence of the work, while eschewing
the folkloric ballast that is often applied to Bizet’s operas,” writes
Le Point.
Photos: Philippe Gromelle
13
OPERA
A R R I G O
a R R i g o
B O I T O
Orchestra Bayerisches Staatsorchester
Chorus Chorus and Children's Chorus of
the Bayerische Staatsoper
Conductor Omer Meir Wellber
Stage Director Roland Schwab
B o i t o
Mefistofele
Faust
Margherita
Marta
Wagner
Elena
Pantalis
Nerèo
R ené PaPe · JosePh CalleJa · KRistine oP olais · KaR ine BaB a Janyan
B ay eRisCh es staatsoRCh esteR ConduC t e d By o meR meiR WellB eR
staged By Rolan d sChWa B · BayeRisC he sta atso PeR
René Pape
Joseph Calleja
Kristine Opolais
Heike Grötzinger
Andrea Borghini
Karine Babajanyan
Rachael Wilson
Joshua Owen Mills
Produced by Metis Film
Video Director Tiziano Mancini
shot in
ULTRA HD
(3840 × 2160)
A production of UNITEL CLASSICA
in cooperation with Bayerische Staatsoper
Best-known today as the librettist of Verdi’s final Shakespearean masterpieces,
Otello and Falstaff, the multi-talented Arrigo Boito was also a journalist, a poet
and a fine composer in his own right. Hugely ambitious in scope, and some 20
years in the making, his first (and only completed) opera, Mefistofele, sets out
to encompass nothing less than the whole of Goethe’s vast poetic drama Faust
(part I and II).
Unlike Gounod’s more familiar version, Boito’s opera focuses not just on the
human tragedy of Faust’s callous seduction of the innocent Margherita (Goethe’s
Gretchen) but also on the original poem’s more metaphysical conflict between
Good and Evil. Thus, at the start, we see Mefistofele betting God that he can
tempt the old philosopher Faust into the ways of sin, while, at the end, we witness
the devil’s defeat as the disillusioned and dying Faust finally has a fleeting vision
of happiness and is redeemed.
Making his debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper with Munich’s first ever staging
of Boito’s masterpiece, director Roland Schwab (a protégé of the legendary Ruth
Berghaus) plays devil’s advocate by setting the opera in what looks like a garbagestrewn nightclub that then transforms into a geriatric hospital ward, by way of a
drunken detour to Munich’s own Oktoberfest. Is Hell, then, simply the hell-onearth that passes for the modern world?
Singing “with clear, strong bass lines” (Deutschlandradio Kultur), René Pape plays
Mefistofele as the sardonic leader of a satanic cult. As Faust, his slave, Maltese
tenor Joseph Calleja “hits his high notes with formidable vigour” (Financial
Times). Latvian soprano Kristine Opolais’s Margherita “shines with understated
Grace Kelly elegance” (Opera Today), while as Elena – the fabled Helen of
Troy – Armenian soprano Karine Babajanyan “shines with heroic high notes”
(Süddeutsche Zeitung). Finally, in the pit, Israeli conductor Omer Meir Wellber
“holds all the musical textures together with admirable control” (BR Klassik).
Length: approx. 140'
Cat. no. A 050 50272
Photos: Wilfried Hösl
15
OPERA
CHARLES GOUNOD
CHARLES GOUNOD
Orchestra Orchestra and Chorus
of the Teatro Regio Torino
Conductor Gianandrea Noseda
Stage Director Stefano Poda
Charles Castronovo
Ildar Abdrazakov
Irina Lungu
Vasilij Ladjuk
Doctor Faust
Méphistophélès
Marguerite
Valentin
Siébel
Wagner
Marthe
Produced by Metis Film
Video Director Tiziano Mancini
shot in
conducted by
ULTRA HD
(3840 × 2160)
Gianandrea Noseda
staged by
Stefano Poda
Charles Castronovo
Ildar Abdrazakov
Irina Lungu
Vasilij Ladjuk
Ketevan Kemoklidze
Paolo Maria Orecchia
Samantha Korbey
A production of UNITEL CLASSICA
in co-production with
Fondazione Teatro Regio Torino
By placing a giant black ring centre-stage that casts an ominous
shadow over the singers and dominates the action, director, set
and costume designer Stefano Poda has moved the storyline of
the restless searcher Faust, to an abstract, seemingly futuristic
hall, thereby ensuring that the most fascinating stage moments
are not due only to sophisticated lighting.
Thanks to the excellent and enthusiastic cast, Poda deftly
guides the opera to triumph. Charles Castronovo in the
title role is especially convincing, with his brilliant acting and
mellifluous singing. Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov – a regular in
all major opera houses around the world – stars as the demonic
Méphistophélès. As the innocent young girl Marguerite we see
Moldovan soprano Irina Lungu, who demonstrates her ability
with crystal-clear timbre.
In the orchestra pit, incumbent since 2007, is General Music
Director of the Teatro Regio in Turin, Gianandrea Noseda, who
has ventured to take on this operatic jewel for the first time. He
directs the orchestra of Teatro Regio Torino with finely nuanced
conducting and musical suspense.
Premiered in Paris in 1859, the opera enjoyed instant success.
Today, Charles Gounod’s Faust is one of the most popular works
in the French opera repertoire. Goethe’s tragedy in two parts
serves as the foundation, while Michael Carré’s French version
Faust et Marguerite, provided Gounod with the impetus for his
musical rendition of the text.
Length: 179'
Cat. no. A 000 50025
Teatro Regio Torino
Photos: Teatro Regio Torino/Ramella & Giannese
17
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL
OPERA
THEODORA
Katherine Watson
Stéphanie d’Oustrac
Philippe Jaroussky
Kresimir Spicer
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL
THEODORA
Orchestra Les Arts Florissants
Conductor William Christie
Stage Director Stephen Langridge
Les Arts Florissants
conducted by William Christie
Theodora
Irene
Didymus
Septimius
Valens
staged by Stephen Langridge
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
Katherine Watson
Stéphanie d'Oustrac
Philippe Jaroussky
Kresimir Spicer
Callum Thorpe
Produced by CLC
Video Director Olivier Simonnet
A co-production of
Arte France, Théâtre des Champs-Èlysées and CLC Productions
with the participation of Radio France and UNITEL CLASSICA
and the support of CNC
Length: approx. 180'
Cat. no. A 010 50040
Handel’s own favourite amongst his English oratorios, Theodora tells of
the tragic fate of two early Christian converts in Roman-ruled Antioch.
Boasting some of the composer’s finest musical inspirations – not least
the last-act duet in which the two doomed lovers embrace martyrdom
with almost erotic fervour – Theodora proved a surprising failure at its
1750 London premiere, receiving only three performances and being
revived just once before its composer’s death. As Handel himself wryly
observed: “The Jews will not come to it because it is a Christian story;
and the ladies will not come because it is a virtuous one.”
That Theodora is now recognized as one of the most sublime and
moving creations of Handel’s final years is largely due to the passionate
advocacy of William Christie, who here directs his peerless periodinstrument ensemble Les Arts Florissants for this new production at
the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, marking the work’s stage debut in
Paris, the city where the US-born harpsichordist-conductor has lived
since 1971.
Directed with “luminous simplicity” (Artistik Rezo) by Stephen
Langridge, son of the tenor Philip Langridge, this powerful and uplifting
production transforms its historical story into a “timeless yet terribly
current” (France TV Info) plea for freedom of conscience and religious
tolerance in contemporary society.
The starry cast is led by young British soprano Katherine Watson,
instilling the title-role with her “vocal bloom, emotional depth and
beguiling phrasing” (New York Times), and leading French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, bringing his “seraphic timbre” (Les Echos) to
the role of Didymus, the Roman centurion who sacrifices himself in a
vain attempt to save her. “The voices of Watson and Jaroussky were
completely at one with the orchestra, growing out of it, melting with it
in perfect harmonic expression” (Bachtrack). Croatian tenor Kresimir
Spicer adds “a beautiful performance” (Le Figaro) as Didymus’s
conflicted friend Septimius.
Photos: Vincent Pontet
19
Eröd
JAninA
baEcHlE
dAnielA
sindram
ileAnA
tonca
OPERA
AdriAn
EngElbErt
HumpErdinck
Hänsel
Gretel
und
ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK
HÄNSELUND GRETEL
Orchestra Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper
Conductor Christian Thielemann
Stage Director Adrian Noble
Peter, a broom-maker
Gertrud
Hänsel
Gretel
Sandman and Dew Fairy
Adrian Eröd
Janina Baechle
Daniela Sindram
Ileana Tonca
Annika Gerhards
Video Director Agnes Méth
conducted by cHristian
tHiElEmann
staged by adrian noblE
A production of ORF and UNITEL CLASSICA
in co-production with ZDF/Arte
in cooperation with Wiener Staatsoper
Length: 113'
Cat. no. A 040 50047
Based on one of the best-loved stories by the Brothers Grimm, and
with a libretto by his sister, Engelbert Humperdinck’s fairy-tale opera
Hänsel und Gretel began life as a private entertainment for his own
family before being presented to the wider world as a “Christmas gift”
in 1893. An instant success – presented in over 50 German theatres
within a year of its Weimar premiere – it soon became one of the mostperformed operas in the world and has remained enduringly popular
with both children and adults ever since. And, like all the best treats, it’s
not just for Christmas!
The secret of its lasting success lies, of course, not just in the delicious
thrills and spills of the familiar story – with its recognizably realistic child
heroes, its grotesquely comical, yet genuinely terrifying witch and its
comfortingly happy-ever-after ending – but also in its magical musical
mix of memorable folksong-inspired melodies and wonderfully rich and
colourful orchestration. The latter brilliantly synthesizes the influences
of both Richard Wagner, whom Humperdinck had assisted on the
Bayreuth premiere of Parsifal, and Richard Strauss, who conducted
Hänsel und Gretel’s Weimar premiere, declaring it “a masterpiece of
the highest quality (…) all of it original, new and authentically German”.
Mahler was another admirer.
In bringing the work back to the Wiener Staatsoper for its first new
production since World War II – inventively directed by Adrian Noble,
former Artistic Director of Britain’s Royal Shakespeare Company –
it’s no surprise that, as one of today’s most admired interpreters of
both Wagner and Strauss, German conductor Christian Thielemann
should particularly relish the musical echoes of those composers’
works in Humperdinck’s score. In Opera magazine’s words, “He
polished all these moments with refinement and subtlety, inspiring
the Staatsopernorchester to play with energy, engagement and
transparence.” Other reviews were equally ecstatic, praising both the
orchestra’s “fabulously resplendent and silky playing” (Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung) and Thielemann’s “concern for an elegantly
flowing musical line (…) and for a lightness and transparency that allow
this noble music to sparkle in manifold ways” – in short, the whole
performance was “musically exceptional (…) a miniature miracle in
sound” (Wiener Zeitung).
Photos: Michael Pöhn
21
OPERA
NICCOLÒ JOMMELLI
IL VOLOGESO
NICCOLÒ JOMMELLI
IL VOLOGESO
Orchestra
Conductor
Chorus
Chorus Master
Stage Director
Lucio Vero
Vologeso
Berenice
Lucilla
Flavio
Aniceto
Staatsorchester Stuttgart
Gabriele Ferro
Staatsopernchor Stuttgart
Johannes Knecht
Jossi Wieler & Sergio Morabito
Sebastian Kohlhepp
Sophie Marilley
Ana Durlovski
Helene Schneiderman
Catriona Smith
Igor Durlovski
Produced by FAVO Film
Video Director Marcus Richardt
A co-production of
FAVO Film, UNITEL CLASSICA
and Staatsoper Stuttgart
in cooperation with SWR and ARTE concert
Length: 183'
SEBASTIAN KOHLHEPP | SOPHIE MARILLEY
ANA DURLOVSKI | HELENE SCHNEIDERMAN
Cat. no. A 050 50237
conducted by GABRIELE FERRO
staged by JOSSI WIELER & SERGIO MORABITO
The successful duo of Jossi Wieler und Sergio Morabito have
rediscovered a Baroque gem in Niccolò Jommelli’s opera Il Vologeso.
Their exciting staging, relocated to the present day, delighted both
the audience and the press: “theatrical subtlety wherever one looked,
highly sensitive characterization throughout” (BR Klassik).
Born in Naples in 1714, Niccolò Jommelli was in his day a superstar
among composers. In the course of his life he set some 80 librettos,
nearly 30 of them during his time as Kapellmeister at the court of
Baden-Württemberg, where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his
father Leopold made Jommelli’s acquaintance on their tour of western
Europe. Today Jommelli is acknowledged as a precursor to the Viennese
Classical school thanks to his relaxed approach to the typically rigid
recitative-aria structure of the Baroque era.
In 1699 the writer and scholar Apostolo Zeno created one of the most
powerful stories for the European opera stage with his libretto Lucio
Vero. During the battle against the Parthians, Lucio Vero, co-regent
of the Roman emperor Marc Aurel, has fallen in love with Berenice,
Queen of Armenia and the fiancée of his rival Vologeso, who is believed
dead. But Vologeso is alive. And the emperor’s daughter Lucilla is not
willing to relinquish her claim on her fiancé Lucio Vero …
For this, the first staged performance of Il Vologeso for more than 200
years, a strong cast has been assembled. Sebastian Kohlhepp as Lucio
Vero, Sophie Marilley as Vologeso, Ana Durlovski as Berenice, Helene
Schneiderman as Lucilla, Catriona Smith as Flavio and Igor Durlovski as
Aniceto all bring the story of Vologeso to life again with their captivating
and beautiful singing.
Gabriele Ferro, conducting the State Orchestra, transforms Jommelli’s
music into great waves of emotion with his differentiated and thrilling
conducting style.
Photos: A.T. Schaefer
23
CAVALLERIA
RUSTICANA
OPERA
PIETRO MASCAGNI
PIETRO MASCAGNI
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
Santuzza
Turiddu
Lucia
Alfio
Lola
Liudmyla Monastyrska
Jonas Kaufmann
Stefania Toczyska
Ambrogio Maestri
Annalisa Stroppa
RUGGERO LEONCAVALLO
RUGGERO
LEONCAVALLO
PAGLIACCI
Nedda
Canio
Tonio
Beppe
Silvio
PAGLIACCI
Maria Agresta
Jonas Kaufmann
Dimitri Platanias
Tansel Akzeybek
Alessio Arduini
Orchestra Staatskapelle Dresden
Conductor Christian Thielemann
Chorus Staatsopernchor Dresden
Salzburger Bachchor
Salzburger Festspiele &
Theater Kinderchor
Chorus Master Jörn H. Andresen
Stage Director Philipp Stölzl
Video Director Brian Large
JONAS KAUFMANN
LIUDMYLA MONASTYRSKA
ANNALISA STROPPA
AMBROGIO MAESTRI
MARIA AGRESTA
A production of UNITEL CLASSICA
in co-production with ORF, 3sat and ZDF
in cooperation with Salzburg Easter Festival
Length: 161'
Cat. no. A 040 50042/3
“Opera as Great Romantic Cinema”, wrote the Salzburger Nachrichten
about the two one-act operas Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci, which
proved real crowd-pullers and ensured record attendances at the Easter
Festival. No wonder, for “Jonas Kaufmann, for whom it was in both cases
his role debut, was on stellar form twice” (Daily Telegraph). “Kaufmann sings
both parts so lyrically, with such italianità, mellow with impeccable highs,
as to be a pure delight.” (Kurier) Equally impressive are Thielemann – “the
uber-conductor” (Telegraph) – and the Dresdeners, who “take time for
sensitive, melodious soul portraits, while delivering consummate drama
at just the right moment. What we hear from the pit is sensational in its
nuances.” (Kurier)
The scene is set by film and opera director Philipp Stölzl, contributing to the
performance’s huge fascination: Stölzl divides the stage into several levels,
staging crowd scenes below, private feelings above – the latter projected
with filmic close-ups – doubling and trebling the action.
Productions like this, insists Kurier, “simply must be described as worldclass”. “Thrilling” concludes the Telegraph.
SÄCHSISCHE
STAATSKAPELLE
DRESDEN
CONDUCTED BY
CHRISTIAN THIELEMANN
STAGED BY
PHILIPP STÖLZL
SALZBURG EASTER FESTIVAL
Photos: Andreas J. Hirsch
25
OPERA
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
LE NOZZE
DI FIGARO
Orchestra Wiener Philharmoniker
Conductor Dan Ettinger
Chorus Konzertvereinigung
Wiener Staatsopernchor
Chorus Master Ernst Raffelsberger
Stage Director Sven-Eric Bechtolf
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
LE NOZZE
DI FIGARO
Il Conte Almaviva
La Contessa Almaviva
Susanna
Figaro
Cherubino
Marcellina
Don Bartolo
Don Basilio
Don Curzio
Luca Pisaroni
Anett Fritsch
Martina Janková
Adam Plachetka
Luca Pisaroni
Anett Fritsch
Martina Janková
Adam Plachetka
Margarita Gritskova
Ann Murray
Carlos Chausson
Paul Schweinester
Franz Supper
Produced by Metis Film
Video Director Tiziano Mancini
shot in
ULTRA HD
Wiener Philharmoniker
(3840 × 2160)
conducted by
When he wrote The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart created an
unforgettable work about love and desire, about the primal force
of uncontrollable passion. Director Sven-Eric Bechtolf presents
this storm of emotions to the Salzburg Festival in the very model
of an English stately home of the 1920s, inspired no doubt by
the setting and furnishings of the fictional Downton Abbey.
In a parallel staging worthy of the cinema, the nobility and their
servants live side by side in a world of their own, ensuring fastpaced action derived precisely from the libretto, the game of
love that never fails to entertain.
The young conductor Dan Ettinger is fascinating for the great
musical sensibility with which he directs an attractive young
cast that is not only altogether convincing vocally but absolutely
ready to grace the screen. And it is those very singers – “the
sweet-voiced, appealing soprano Martina Janková”, “the alluring
soprano Anett Fritsch” and “the charismatic bass-baritone
Luca Pisaroni” (New York Times) – who capture our hearts. It all
sounds so full of life and so finely judged as it is being played out
on stage. At the end, Luca Pisaroni’s vocally impressive Count
approaches his melancholy Countess (Anett Fritsch) with a glass
of champagne and a plea for pardon. “The waves of applause
have already begun, for Bechtolf extends Da Ponte’s ‘corriam
tutti a festeggiar’ almost as an invitation to the audience, which
indeed joins in the festivities with gusto.” (Die Presse)
The concluding work of the Da Ponte trilogy succeeds as a great
evening of opera in the hands of Sven-Eric Bechtolf with the
Vienna Philharmonic. Simply marvellous Mozart music from
Mozart’s birthplace.
A co-production of
UNITEL CLASSICA and Servus TV
in cooperation with
Salzburg Festival and Wiener Philharmoniker
Dan Ettinger
staged by
Length: 192'
Sven-Eric Bechtolf
Cat. no. A 040 50050
Photos: Ruth Walz
27
OPERA
JACQUES OFFENBACH
La Belle
HÉLÈNE
JAC Q U E S O F F E NBAC H
La Belle
Orchestra
Conductor
Stage Director & Choreographer
Set & Costume Designer
Pâris
Ménélas
Hélène
Agamemnon
Oreste
Achille
Ajax premier
Ajax deuxième
Calchas
Bacchis
HÉLÈNE
Jun-Sang Han
Peter Galliard
Jennifer Larmore
Viktor Rud
Philharmoniker Hamburg
Gerrit Prießnitz
Renaud Doucet
André Barbe
Jun-Sang Han
Peter Galliard
Jennifer Larmore
Viktor Rud
Rebecca Jo Loeb
Dovlet Nurgeldiyev
Sergiu Saplacan
Benjamin Popson
Christian Miedl
Anat Edri
Produced by FAVO Film
Video Director Marcus Richardt
A production of
FAVO Film on behalf of NDR
in cooperation with ARTE and UNITEL CLASSICA
Length: 117'
Cat. no. A 050 50232
Philharmoniker Hamburg
Jacques Offenbach’s La Belle Hélène (The Beautiful Helen) has
always been one of its composer’s most successful works. With
characteristic acuity, Offenbach saw the foibles of his age and
turned what he saw into a mordant satire. Not for a moment
did his Second Empire audience think that his characters – the
love-struck Helen, her dotty husband Ménélas, her lascivious
lover Paris, the doltish soldiers Ajax and Achilles, the corrupt
high priest Calchas or the good-for-nothing spendthrift Orestes
– were Greek heroes. It is human beings with all their foibles and
vices who are the butt of a manic parody. Offenbach’s librettists,
Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, were men after his own heart,
firing off one witty barb after another in the form of outrageous
puns, ridiculous rhymes and onomatopoeic nonsense.
Adopting a pro-active stance, director Renaud Doucet and
designer André Barbe treat the piece as a “great show” with
numerous choreographic elements, relocating the action of
Offenbach‘s classical spoof and setting it on a cruise ship in the
1960s, when Flower Power, love and drugs were all the rage.
“La Belle Hélène is a firework display for ears and eyes”
(Hamburger Morgenpost), “opulent and amusing” (Bild), and in
the title role Jennifer Larmore convinces with her “fantastic
vocal performance” (Das Opernglas).
conducted by
Gerrit Prießnitz
staged by
Renaud Doucet
Staatsoper Hamburg
Photos: Klaus Lefebvre
28
29
OPERA
JACQUES OFFENBACH
Les Contes
d’Hoffmann
Kerstin Avemo ∙ Mandy Fredrich ∙ Rachel Frenkel ∙ Daniel Johansson ∙ Michael Volle
Wiener Symphoniker ∙ conducted by Johannes Debus
staged by Stefan Herheim
JACQUES OFFENBACH
LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN
(The Tales of Hoffmann – Hoffmanns Erzählungen)
Orchestra
Conductor
Chorus
Chorus Master
Stage Director
Olympia/Giulietta
Antonia/Giulietta
Muse/Nicklausse/Voice from the grave
Hoffmann
Lindorf/Coppélius/Luther/Miracle/Dapertutto
Spalanzani
Crespel
Andrès/Cochenille/Frantz/Pitichinaccio
Wiener Symphoniker
Johannes Debus
Prague Philharmonic Choir
Lukáš Vasilek
Stefan Herheim
Kerstin Avemo
Mandy Fredrich
Rachel Frenkel
Daniel Johansson
Michael Volle
Bengt-Ola Morgny
Ketil Hugaas
Christophe Mortagne
Video Director Felix Breisach
A co-production of ORF, tpc and UNITEL CLASSICA
in cooperation with Bregenz Festival
Length: 174'
Cat. no. A 040 500 51
“The opera visit of the year – Bregenz is showing a Tales of Hoffmann
that makes you forget everything you saw before.” (FAZ)
Sparkling with creativity, Stefan Herheim’s new staging of Jacques
Offenbach’s opera Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Tales of Hoffmann) at
the Bregenz Festival, was received by an enthusiastic audience
with standing ovation and frenetic applause. The international
press agreed wholeheartedly: The New York Times praised the
“thoughtfulness and creativity” of the new production, devised by
the director as a search for one’s own self in a sparkling drag show.
The story of Hoffmann the poet and philosopher, who cannot write
without alcohol and cannot live without love, tells of his past affairs
with various women and his search for love, which can never be
fulfilled.
Conductor Johannes Debus leads the Vienna Symphony through
the evening with verve. A “shining-toned” (NYT) Hoffmann
is embodied by tenor Daniel Johansson in the title role. He is
supported by a fantastic cast: “Rachel Frenkel is positively ideal
as Muse and Niklausse” (Kurier), Kerstin Avemo as Olympia
is “endowed with brilliant, cheekily extemporized coloraturas”
(Neue Zürcher Zeitung), Michael Volle sings the parts of Lindorf,
Coppélius, Dr. Miracle and Dappertutto, “the work’s four villains,
with warmth and intensity” (NYT) and Mandy Fredrich is a “finelyphrased Antonia” (Kurier).
Herheim risks a lot and wins everything, making this production into
a thoroughly accomplished and truly thrilling operatic experience,
which draws us in so strongly “that we hardly dare take breath until
the world of the drunken genius and desperate lover lies utterly in
ruins”, adds the Neue Zürcher Zeitung and the Süddeutsche Zeitung
joined in: “A stroke of genius, a milestone in the history of staging
this work”!
If you need proof, that Bregenz’s Opera Awards for “Festival of the
Year” is justified, don’t look any further.
Photos: Karl Forster
31
GIACOMO PUCCINI
OPERA
MANON LESCAUT
KRISTINE OPOLAIS ∙ JONAS KAUFMANN
CHRISTOPHER MALTMAN ∙ MAURIZIO MURARO
ORCHESTRA OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE
ANTONIO PAPPANO
CONDUCTED BY
JONATHAN KENT
GIACOMO PUCCINI
MANON LESCAUT
Orchestra Orchestra and Chorus
of the Royal Opera House
Conductor Antonio Pappano
Stage Director Jonathan Kent
Manon Lescaut
Il Cavaliere Renato des Grieux
Geronte di Ravoir
Edmondo
Innkeeper
Musician
Dancing Master
Sergeant
Lamplighter
Naval Captain
Kristine Opolais
Jonas Kaufmann
Maurizio Muraro
Benjamin Hulett
Nigel Cliffe
Nadezhda Karyazina
Robert Burt
Kihoon Kim
Luis Gomes
Jeremy White
Video Director Jonathan Haswell
A production of
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Length: 131'
Jonathan Kent’s new production of Manon Lescaut includes a stellar
cast, featuring Kristine Opolais and Jonas Kaufmann in the roles of the
young lovers Manon Lescaut and Renato des Grieux. Kent brings this
19th-century classic to a contemporary setting, non-naturalistic and
theatrical.
Manon is on her way to a convent when she meets the young student
Des Grieux. The pair fall in love and escape to Paris, but when the
elderly Geronte offers Manon a life of wealth and luxury, her head is
turned.
Puccini’s sumptuous, richly-coloured score is characterized by
youthful vitality and filled with glorious melodies. Des Grieux expresses
his passion for Manon in the Act I aria “Vedete? io son fedele”, lively
dances evoke Manon’s luxurious life in Paris in Act II, while in the
impassioned finale to Act III, “Pazza son!”, Des Grieux begs to be
allowed to join the imprisoned Manon on her voyage to America. The
opera culminates in Manon’s heartbreaking Act IV aria “Sola, perduta,
abbandonata”, as she contemplates her impending death.
“From the moment Kaufmann and Opolais embark – with infinite
delicacy – on their emotional journey, it becomes clear that this is a
vocal marriage made in heaven. His warmly burnished sound is balanced
by the exquisitely nuanced purity of hers, and they are supported by a
performance in the pit, under Antonio Pappano, of rare refinement.”
(The Independent)
Cat. no. A 020 50081
Photos: Bill Cooper
STAGED BY
U N I T E L P R O U D LY R E P R E S E N T S T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L T V D I S T R I B U T I O N O F
T H E R O YA L O P E R A H O U S E L O N D O N
33
OPERA
G I A C O M O
P U C C I N I
T U RA N D OT
MLADA KHUDOLEY ∙ RICCARDO MASSI
MICHAIL RYSSOV ∙ Manuel von Senden
WIENER SYMPHONIKER
STAGED BY
CONDUCTED BY
PAOLO CARIGNANI
MARCO ARTURO MARELLI
G I A C O M O
P U C C I N I
TURANDOT
Orchestra Wiener Symphoniker
Conductor Paolo Carignani
Chorus Prague Philharmonic Choir
Bregenz Festival Choir
Chorus Masters Lukáš Vasilek
Benjamin Lack
Stage Director & Set Designer Marco Arturo Marelli
Turandot
Altoum
Timur
The Unknown Prince (Calaf)
Liù
Ping
Pang
Pong
A Mandarin
Mlada Khudoley
Manuel von Senden
Michail Ryssov
Riccardo Massi
Guanqun Yu
Andrè Schuen
Taylan Reinhard
Cosmin Ifrim
Yasushi Hirano
Video Director Felix Breisach
A co-production of
ORF, SWR, SRF, 3sat, tpc and UNITEL CLASSICA
in cooperation with Bregenz Festival
Length: 123'
Cat. no. A 040 50045
“Melodies for millions, impressively staged” – the Bregenz Festival
creates a fabulous open-air event from Giacomo Puccini’s opera
Turandot on the world’s largest lakeside stage, thereby bringing “a bit
of Hollywood to Bregenz” (ZDF heute journal TV news programme).
Great stage shows before the breathtaking backdrop of Lake Constance
are taken for granted at the greatest lakeside arena. Yet “seldom has
such a spectacle as this been seen, even in Bregenz” pronounced the
Stuttgarter Zeitung. To mark its 70th anniversary, the “Festival of the
Year” (Opera Awards) presents a stunning new production of Puccini’s
last opera Turandot, featuring pyrotechnics, stunts, acrobats, dragons
and a 72-metre-long Great Wall of China that rears proudly to a height
of up to 27 metres (90 feet) from the water, dominating the set. But
“opera at its best has always been spectacle with a brain. And nowhere
is that marriage of seriousness and showmanship pursued more openly
than at the Bregenz Festival” according to the The New York Times.
Director and set designer Marco Arturo Marelli impressively presents
the story of the cold-hearted Chinese princess Turandot as a finely
honed parable on pathos, love and cruelty. As the orchestra strikes
up the first bars fortissimo, Marelli succeeds in producing “the most
spectacular stage coup,” according to the Abendzeitung of Munich,
when the Great Wall of China collapses amid a deafening uproar to
reveal an army of terracotta warriors. These soldiers are then witness
to what must be the most famous aria in the entire history of opera,
“Nessun dorma”, which Riccardo Massi “thrillingly belts out” as
Calaf “in the manner of Pavarotti” (Nürnberger Nachrichten). He is
accompanied by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under the musical
direction of Paolo Carignani. Mlada Khudoley is the heartless Princess
Turandot and Operalia prizewinner Guanqun Yu the loving and devoted
slave Liù. Nevertheless, the “magnetism of vocal and orchestral sound”
(Der Tagesspiegel) does not fully exert its pull on us until the battle
of the sexes in which Turandot and Calaf meet and their love finally
triumphs.
Photos: Bregenzer Festspiele/ Karl Forster
35
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
OPERA
LA GAZZETTA
Nicola Alaimo • Hasmik Torosyan • Vito Priante • Raffaella Lupinacci
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
LA GAZZETTA
Orchestra Orchestra e Coro del Teatro
Comunale di Bologna
Conductor Enrique Mazzola
Stage Director Marco Carniti
Don Pomponio Storione
Lisetta
Filippo
Doralice
Anselmo
Alberto
Madama La Rose
Monsù Traversen
Tommasino
Nicola Alaimo
Hasmik Torosyan
Vito Priante
Raffaella Lupinacci
Dario Shikhmiri
Maxim Mironov
Josè Maria Lo Monaco
Andrea Vincenzo Bonsignore
Ernesto Lama
Produced by Metis Film
Video Director Tiziano Mancini
shot in
ULTRA HD
(3840 × 2160)
A production of UNITEL CLASSICA
in co-production with Rossini Opera Festival
Length: 156'
Cat. ofno.
A 000
50033
A production
UNITEL
CLASSICA
in co-production with Rossini Opera Festival
The event that takes place annually in Rossini’s birthplace, praised by press
and public for its witty stagings even of Rossini’s less well known works,
has landed on its feet: with La gazzetta, the Rossini Opera Festival has
triumphed once again!
A real “singfest” enthused Deutschlandfunk, while Online Musik Magazin
wrote of “frenetic applause” – the new production of Gioachino Rossini’s
seldom performed opera La gazzetta, ossia Il matrimonio per concorso
(The Newspaper, or The Marriage Competition) at the 2015 Rossini Opera
Festival in Pesaro proved to be a musical triumph. The Orchestra del Teatro
Comunale di Bologna responded splendidly to the young Italian conductor
Enrique Mazzola: as “one of the most gifted artists of his generation, he is
not only a faithful interpreter of the score, he sends the orchestra of the
Teatro di Bologna – and his audience too – into a veritable Rossini delirium”
(Deutschlandfunk).
The musical comedy based on Carlo Goldoni’s play Il matrimonio per
concorso has lost none of its appeal almost two centuries after its 1816
premiere in the Teatro dei Fiorentini. A newly-rich merchant places
newspaper advertisements to find a suitable husband for his daughter,
which leads to amorous entanglements and in the end to two happy couples.
Director Marco Carniti stages his colourful production in the Paris of the
1950s, in a well-judged distillation of Rossini’s ironic social criticism: “the
direction of Marco Carniti has intelligently focused on the ironic dimension
of a somewhat confused libretto” (Huffington Post). Nicola Alaimo
embodies the nouveau-riche Don Pomponio Storione in every muscle:
“he has confirmed his admirable dramatic qualities, with evidence of an
unsuspected physical agility” (Huffington Post). Pesaro debutante Hasmik
Torosyan stands out as Lisetta (Deutschlandfunk). Tenor Maxim Mironov as
Alberto is another star of the production: “His big aria in Act II proved one
of the musical highlights of the evening.” (Online Musik Magazin)
Length: approx. 155'
Cat. no. A 000 50033
shot in
ULTRA HD
(3840 × 2160)
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna
staged by
conducted by
Enrique Mazzola
Marco Carniti
Photos: Studio Amati Bacciardi
37
Karol SzymanowSKi
OPERA
Król roger
Mariusz Kwiecień ∙ GeorGia JarMan ∙ saiMir PriGu ∙ KiM BeGley
orchestra of the royal oPera house
conducted By antonio PaPPano
KasPer holten
Karol SzymanowSKi
KRól ROGER
(KInG ROGER)
Orchestra Orchestra and Chorus
of the Royal Opera House
Conductor Antonio Pappano
Stage Director Kasper Holten
Roger II
Roxana
Shepherd
Edrisi
Archbishop
Deaconess
Mariusz Kwiecień
Georgia Jarman
Saimir Pirgu
Kim Begley
Alan Ewing
Agnes Zwierko
Video Director Ian Russell
A production of
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Length: 96'
Karol Szymanowski’s masterpiece powerfully presents the dilemmas
of culture versus nature and man versus beast, and movingly depicts
King Roger’s inner struggles as he moves from an impossible life of
repressed desires to the other extreme, giving in to his own demons.
The story revolves around a mysterious Shepherd, who is brought
before King Roger. The Church officials want him punished for his
heretical preaching, but Roger’s queen Roxana pleads with the king
to let the Shepherd speak first. The Shepherd seduces the court with
descriptions of his hedonistic faith. They follow him in a wild Bacchic
dance, Roxana among them. As the long night ends, Roger seeks out
the Shepherd and his followers. He is agonized by the temptation to
follow them, but resists. Alone, he hails the new dawn.
Polish composer Karol Szymanowski began to gather ideas for Król
Roger in 1918. He was in part inspired by Euripides’ The Bacchae. The
music for the opera is opulently scored. The three short acts – commonly called the Byzantine, the Oriental and the Hellenic – brilliantly
incorporate distinct musical styles.
Kasper Holten’s production finds in Roger’s indecision an expression of
the struggle we all face – the struggle between intelligence and instinct
in what is the innate duality of human nature. “A major triumph” writes
The Telegraph.
Cat. no. A 020 50077
Photos: Bill Cooper
staGed By
U N I T E L P R O U D LY R E P R E S E N T S T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L T V D I S T R I B U T I O N O F
T H E R O YA L O P E R A H O U S E L O N D O N
39
OPERA
GIUSEPPE VERDI
A I DA
C A R L O C O L O M B A R A | A N I TA R A C H V E L I S H V I L I | K R I S T I N L E W I S | FA B I O S A R T O R I
C O N D U C T E D B Y Z U B I N M E H TA | S TA G E D B Y P E T E R S T E I N
GIUSEPPE VERDI
AI DA
Orchestra Orchestra and Chorus
of the Teatro alla Scala
Conductor Zubin Mehta
Stage Director Peter Stein
The King
Amneris
Aida
Radamès
Ramfis
Amonasro
A Messenger
The High Priestess
Carlo Colombara
Anita Rachvelishvili
Kristin Lewis
Fabio Sartori
Matti Salminen
George Gagnidze
Azer Rza-Zada
Chiara Isotton
Produced by Metis Film
Video Director Tiziano Mancini
shot in
ULTRA HD
(3840 × 2160)
A production of
Servus TV and UNITEL CLASSICA
in co-production with
Fondazione Teatro alla Scala
Giuseppe Verdi’s masterpiece Aida at La Scala in Milan is an experience in itself.
Consequently, a new production of Aida is an event barely to be surpassed,
especially when performed before a notoriously critical audience of La Scala. With
his unpretentious and lucid new interpretation of the opera, directorial legend
Peter Stein succeeds in delivering a production acclaimed in equal measure by the
press and public: “a perfect coup de theatre” (Giornale della musica).
Indeed, he breathes new life into Giuseppe Verdi’s romantic drama about power,
passion, jealousy and death: the Nubian Princess Aida, who is unfortunate enough
to find herself in prison in Egypt, is secretly in love with the leader of the army,
Radamès. He however has been promised in marriage to the Egyptian king's
daughter Amneris, who also loves him. The secret love affair between Aida and
Radamès is uncovered and fate takes its course ...
A “stellar cast” (La Stampa) contributes to the production’s success under the
musical direction of Verdi specialist Zubin Mehta. “The entire ensemble is brilliant
in its portrayal of the characters” (Die Presse), especially the American soprano
Kristin Lewis in the title role. Anita Rachvelishvili gives a wholly
credible reading of the jealous Amneris, as does George
Gagnidze as a restrained and resolute Amonasro, with
Fabio Sartori as the warrior Radamès who is the object
of both women’s affections. Carlo Colombara as
a dignified Pharaoh and Matti Salminen as the
High Priest who demands respect round off the
persuasive and eminently well cast ensemble.
“Applaus for an Aida minus sphinx and pyramids
but nevertheless played in a spectacular and
elegant ambience” (Rai Radio 1).
Length: 151'
Cat. no. A 000 500200
Photos: Brescia-Amisano
41
GIUSEPPE VERDI
AIDA
Orchestra Orchestra and Chorus
Teatro Regio Torino
Conductor Gianandrea Noseda
Stage Director William Friedkin
Aida
Amneris
Radamès
Amonasro
Ramfis
The King
A Messenger
A High Priestess
Kristin Lewis
Anita Rachvelishvili
Marco Berti
Marc S. Doss
Giacomo Prestia
In-Sung Sim
Dario Prola
Kate Fruchtermann
Produced by Metis Film
Video Director Tiziano Mancini
shot in
ULTRA HD
(3840 × 2160)
A production of Fondazione Teatro Regio Torino
in cooperation with UNITEL CLASSICA
Length: approx. 150'
Cat. no. A 000 50035
Kristin Lewis
conDucteD By
AnitA rAchveLishviLi
GiAnAnDreA noseDA
MArco Berti
stAGeD By
Originally commissioned to celebrate the completion of the Suez
Canal and the opening of Cairo’s new opera house, Verdi’s Egyptian
epic Aida is here seen in a spectacular new staging specially mounted by
the Teatro Regio Torino to celebrate the re-opening of Turin’s historic
Museo Egizio, home to the world’s largest collection of Egyptian
antiquities outside of the Cairo Museum.
OPERA
Giuseppe Verdi
Conducted by the Teatro Regio’s Music Director, Gianandrea Noseda
– one of the world’s finest Verdians and Musical America’s Conductor
of the Year 2015 –, Turin’s authentically Egyptian staging is directed
in true Hollywood style by the Oscar-winning American film director
William Friedkin, creator of such famous movies as The Exorcist and The
French Connection.
Aida is perhaps best-known for the sonic splendour of its famous
“Triumph” Scene – a rousing military march-past, complete with
onstage “Egyptian trumpets”. But Verdi’s grandest opera is also
amongst his most intimate, focusing as it does upon the private
emotions experienced by the three victims of a tragic love-triangle:
Radamès, Egypt’s victorious general, and the two rival princesses who
adore him, the Pharaoh’s daughter Amneris and her Ethiopian slave
Aida.
Amongst the first-rate cast, critics singled out the American soprano
Kristin Lewis, who exhibits “a remarkable voice, which she uses with
powerful dramatic instinct” (La Stampa), and the Georgian mezzosoprano Anita Rachvelishvili, whose Amneris “dominates the stage
with her dark, rounded, irrestistible voice and extraordinary stage
presence” (La Gazzetta Musicale).
And all were united in praise of Noseda: “he controls everything
– orchestra, singers, chorus, dancers, acrobats – with an allencompassing overview” (La Stampa); “he knows exactly when it’s
time to linger over a timbre, a colour, an expressive chord” (Corriere
della Sera); “he draws from the score colours of a rare beauty, creating
magnificent carpets of sound” (ResMusica); and, in the final scene
in particular, “he resolves the expressive contrasts and the vocalinstrumental dialogue with remarkable dramatic insight and orchestral
refinement” (La Repubblica).
MArK s. Doss
wiLLiAM FrieDKin
teAtro reGio torino
Photos: Teatro Regio Torino/Ramella & Giannese
43
Traviata
G I U S E P P E
La
Traviata
G I U S E P P E
V E R D I
Olga Peretyatko ∙ Atalla Ayan
Simone Piazzola ∙ Christine Daletska
conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado
staged by Rolando Villazón
OPERA
La
Orchestra
Conductor
Chorus
Stage Director
Violetta Valéry
Alfredo Germont
Giorgio Germont
Flora Bervoix
Gastone, Vicomte de Létorières
Baron Douphol
Marquis d’Obigny
Annina
Dr. Grenvil
V E R D I
Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble
Pablo Heras-Casado
Balthasar-Neumann-Chor
Rolando Villazón
Olga Peretyatko
Atalla Ayan
Simone Piazzola
Christine Daletska
Emiliano Gonzalez Toro
Tom Fox
Konstantin Wolff
Deniz Uzun
Walter Fink
A co-production of
UNITEL CLASSICA and SWR/Arte
in cooperation with Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
Length: approx. 140'
Cat. no. A 050 50236
Star tenor and director Rolando Villazón has staged probably Verdi’s
best known masterpiece in colourful, lively and emotion-packed form
at the Festspielhaus in Baden Baden, so he made for “an enthusiastic
reception for the premiere” (Stuttgarter Zeitung)! Villazón’s signature,
both as singer and director, is unmistakable. He made his international
breakthrough as Alfredo Germont and now, 10 years later, the
Mexican-born singer has produced a Traviata full of energy, attention
to detail and even a hint of melancholy.
Villazón chooses an unusual approach by relocating the action of
the great and tragic love affair between Alfredo and the courtesan
Violetta to the colourful and noisy world of the circus (scenery by
Johannes Leiacker). Alfredo and Violetta’s love affair is recalled anew
in flashbacks as Violetta’s distant memories. A trapeze artist portrays
the opposing parallel worlds in Violetta’s life.
“The setting and opulence of the stage captivates the spectator, as
do the stylized costumes designed by Thibault Vancraenenbroeck
for circus artists”, the Stuttgarter Zeitung explains approvingly. Olga
Peretyatko as Violetta delivers “a fantastic portrait of the title role
wavering between adolescent joie de vivre, mature insight and anguish”
(Stuttgarter Zeitung). Her partner is the young Brazilian tenor Atalla
Ayan as the jealous Alfredo, who delivers a “beguiling interpretation
with a dark, warm timbre and rich top notes” (Stuttgarter Zeitung).
Simone Piazzolla as Alfredo’s strict father Giorgio Germont adds fine
vocal lines to provide a strong sense of “Italianità” on stage (Neue
Zürcher Zeitung). Directing the Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble is the
young Spanish conductor Pablo Heras-Casado.
Photos: Andrea Kremper
45
TANNHÄUSER
PETER SEIFFERT PETER MATTEI
PETER SONN RENÉ PAPE
STAATSKAPELLE BERLIN
CONDUCTED BY DANIEL BARENBOIM
OPERA
RICHARD WAGNER
RICHARD WAGNER
TANNHÄUSER
Orchestra
Conductor
Chorus
Chorus Master
Stage Direction & Choreography
Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim
Staatsopernchor Berlin
Martin Wright
Sasha Waltz
Tannhäuser
Wolfram von Eschenbach
Walther von der Vogelweide
Hermann, Landgrave of Thuringia
Biterolf
Heinrich der Schreiber
Reinmar von Zweter
Elisabeth, the Landgrave's niece
Venus
A young shepherd
Peter Seiffert
Peter Mattei
Peter Sonn
René Pape
Tobias Schabel
Jürgen Sacher
Jan Martiník
Ann Peterson
Marina Prudenskaya
Sónia Grané
Video Director Vincent Bataillon
A production of Bel Air Media
in co-production with
Mezzo and UNITEL CLASSICA
in association with France Télévisions
STAGE DIRECTION & CHOREOGRAPHY BY
SASHA WALTZ
Length: 192'
STAATSOPER IM SCHILLERTHEATER
Cat. no. A 050 50163
“A real feast of music! Where to begin, where to end with
praise for this Tannhäuser at the Berlin Staatsoper in the
Schillertheater? It sounds the way one has always dreamt of it
but all too rarely heard it”, reported the Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung with considerable enthusiasm. This was due above all to
Barenboim’s musical magic: “It is with nuance and fine balance
that Richard Wagner’s music now rises from the orchestra pit”
(FAZ), borne aloft by brilliant singers. Peter Seiffert in particular
as Tannhäuser celebrates a true “triumph”, according to the
Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Staged by choreographer Sasha Waltz on a fantastic stage by
Pia Maier Schriever with a circular tunnel of light in the manner
of Hieronymus Bosch, the Berlin Tannhäuser deserves to be
described as “world-class” (Süddeutsche Zeitung).
Photos: Bernd Uhlig
47
OPERA
CARL MARIA VON WEBER
DER FREISCHÜTZ
Michael König ∙ Georg Zeppenfeld ∙ Albert Dohmen ∙ Sara Jakubiak
Staatskapelle Dresden conducted by Christian Thielemann
staged by
C A R L M A R I A VO N W E B E R
DER FREISCHÜTZ
Axel Köhler
Orchestra
Conductor
Chorus
Chorus Master
Stage Director
Max
Kaspar
Kuno, a hereditary forester
Agathe, Kuno's daughter
Ännchen
Fürst Ottokar
Kilian
Hermit
Staatskapelle Dresden
Christian Thielemann
Staatsopernchor Dresden
Jörn H. Andresen
Axel Köhler
Michael König
Georg Zeppenfeld
Albert Dohmen
Sara Jakubiak
Christina Landshamer
Adrian Eröd
Sebastian Wartig
Andreas Bauer
Produced by Metis Film
Video Director Tiziano Mancini
shot in
ULTRA HD
(3840 × 2160)
A co-production of UNITEL CLASSICA
and Semperoper Dresden
Length: 149'
Cat. no. A 050 50235
“Mortal terror from the orchestra pit, Thielemann is in command
of every detail. That makes for utterly gripping listening,” wrote the
Financial Times. It is not often that such a musically exciting Freischütz as
the one which Christian Thielemann recently conducted on the rostrum
of the Sächsische Staatskapelle is heard at Dresden’s Semperoper. At
the head of what Wagner called his “miraculous harp”, Thielemann in his
function as GMD dares to take on Carl Maria von Weber’s most famous
opera, thereby continuing the musical tradition, since Weber was for
many years from 1817 royal kapellmeister and director of the German
Opera at the Dresden court theatre. What a great honour, considering
that Weber, along with Wagner and Strauss are seen as revered icons of
the Dresden Staatskapelle.
Der Freischütz was the most important work in the history of German
opera after Mozart and Beethoven and prior to Wagner. Popular tunes,
choruses of peasants and hunters, countryside vistas and ghostly scenes
– evoked in innovative orchestral colours – create effective contrasts, all
brought together in recurring tonal elements and a uniform ambience.
Furthermore, the richly layered tonal shading of Der Freischütz is a
precursor to Wagner’s operas. It is for instance no coincidence that
Wagner himself described Weber as one of his few predecessors. In
turn, Thielemann is confident: “There would be no Wagner if it were not
for the Wolf’s Den!”
This production’s cast was top-drawer, even in the minor roles, a
veritable singing festival: “Michael König’s sullen Max has a gloriously
free upper register and heroic weight; Sara Jakubiak makes a sweettoned, melancholic Agathe,” enthused The Financial Times. Georg
Zeppenfeld is a perfect addition to the cast: “Georg Zeppenfeld’s
svelte-voiced, nihilistic Kaspar hits the mark” (Die Welt). Adrian Eröd as
Prince Ottokar is quite simply “wonderful”, while Christina Landshamer
sings the soubrette Ännchen “with enchantingly innocent traces
of humanity,” Die Presse reports. “Bass-bombastic” is how Die Welt
describes the Hermit Andreas Bauer.
“A small Dresden miracle,” aptly concludes Die Presse in its review of
this production, while the Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper agrees
that: “this was a bull’s eye for Dresden.”
Photos: Matthias Creutziger
49
BALLET
QUADRUPLE BILL
VISCERA · AFTERNOON OF A FAUN
TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX · CARMEN
MARIANEL A NUÑEZ ∙ CARLOS ACOSTA
SARAH L AMB ∙ STEVEN McRAE
ORCHESTRA OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE
QUADRUPLE BILL
A F T E R N O O N O F A FA U N
Choreography Jerome Robbins
Music by Claude Debussy
Soloists Sarah Lamb
Vadim Muntagirov
T C H A I KO V S K Y PA S D E D E U X
Choreography George Balanchine
Music by Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky
Soloists Iana Salenko
Steven McRae
CARMEN
Choreography Carlos Acosta
Music by Georges Bizet
Soloists Marianela Nuñez
Carlos Acosta
Ballet Company The Royal Ballet
Orchestra The Orchestra of
the Royal Opera House
Video Director Ross McGibbon
A narrative work from acclaimed dancer Carlos Acosta concludes this
mixed Royal Ballet programme, featuring brilliant short ballets by Liam
Scarlett, Jerome Robbins and George Balanchine.
Liam Scarlett’s abstract work, Viscera, created for Miami City Ballet
and premiered to raving reviews, opens the programme. The ballet is
set to contemporary American composer Lowell Liebermann’s First
Piano Concerto. A sensual and haunting pas de deux forms the heart
of the piece, accompanied by Liebermann’s slow second movement. It
is bookended by two rhythmically intense sections for 14 dancers, who
surge across the stage in a dizzying flow of movement.
Debussy’s evocative score is the inspiration for Jerome Robbins’s
Afternoon of a Faun, which depicts two ballet dancers as absorbed by
their own reflections as they are attracted to each other.
George Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux uses a fragment of music
composed for the 1877 production of Swan Lake for an eight-minute
display of ballet bravura and technique.
Bizet’s much loved opera Carmen inspired Carlos Acosta’s ballet
adaptation, which strips the narrative back to place an intense focus on
the doomed heroine and the love triangle around her.
Carlos Acosta unites classical and contemporary styles, including
flamenco, to convey the vibrancy and passion of Carmen. „Panache
and personality in every step” (The Evening Standard)
Length: 118'
Cat. no. A 025 50152 0000
A production of
Royal Opera House Covent Garden
Photos: Andrej Uspenski, Tristram Kenton
VISCERA
Choreography Liam Scarlett
Music by Lowell Liebermann
Soloists Laura Morera
Marianela Nuñez
Ryoichi Hirano
U N I T E L P R O U D LY R E P R E S E N T S T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L T V D I S T R I B U T I O N O F
T H E R O YA L O P E R A H O U S E L O N D O N
51
FERDINAND HÉROLD
BALLET
LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE
PHILIP MOSLEY ∙ NATALIA OSIPOVA ∙ STEVEN M CRAE ∙ CHRISTOPHER SAUNDERS
ORCHESTRA OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE
CONDUCTED BY BARRY WORDSWORTH
FREDERICK ASHTON
FERDINAND HÉROLD
LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE
BALLET IN TWO ACTS
Ballet Company The Royal Ballet
Choreography Frederick Ashton
Orchestra Orchestra of the
Royal Opera House
Conductor Barry Wordsworth
Stage Director Christopher Carr, Grant Coyle
Widow Simone
Lise
Colas
Thomas
Alain
Cockerel
Philip Mosley
Natalia Osipova
Steven McRae
Christopher Saunders
Paul Kay
Michael Stojko
A classic of The Royal Ballet, La Fille mal gardée was an immediate
hit with the British public. Choreographed by Frederick Ashton
in 1960, it is a highly lyrical and technically demanding take on
the simple tale of love prevailing, which underpins this charming
story. This revival is a “company triumph” (The Independent),
with Principals Natalia Osipova and Steven McRae creating
terrific onstage chemistry and delivering outstanding solo
performances – Osipova as a “perky and gamine Lise” with “pindrop precise” phrasing (The Guardian), and McRae an instantly
likeable, playful Colas whose physical articulation is ‘particularly
Ashtonian’ in quality (Daily Telegraph). They are joined by Philip
Mosley as Widow Simone, who brings “music-hall gusto” (The
Independent) to the famous clog dance of Act I.
Video Director Ross MacGibbon
A production of
Royal Opera House Covent Garden
Length: 110'
Cat. no. A 020 50075
Photos: Tristram Kenton
CHOREOGRAPHY BY
U N I T E L P R O U D LY R E P R E S E N T S T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L T V D I S T R I B U T I O N O F
T H E R O YA L O P E R A H O U S E L O N D O N
53
P Y O T R I . T C H A I KO V S K Y
BALLET
SWAN LAKE
NATALIA OSIPOVA ∙ MAT THEW GOLDING
ELISABETH McGORIAN ∙ GARY AVIS
ORCHESTRA OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE
BORIS GRUZIN
CONDUCTED BY
MARIUS PETIPA & LEV IVANOV
P Y O T R I . T C H A I KO V S K Y
SWAN LAKE
Ballet Company The Royal Ballet
Choreography Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
Orchestra The Orchestra of the Royal
Opera House
Conductor Boris Gruzin
Stage Director Christopher Carr
Odette
Prince Siegfried
The Princess (Siegfried’s Mother)
Sorcerer Rothbart
The Tutor
Natalia Osipova
Matthew Golding
Elizabeth McGorian
Gary Avis
Alastair Marriott
Video Director Ross McGibbon
A production of
Royal Opera House Covent Garden
From The Royal Ballet comes Anthony Dowell’s glorious
production of Swan Lake, a ballet poorly received at its
premiere in 1877 but which has since established itself as one
of the world’s most beloved works, its bewitching storyline
set to sumptuous music and thrilling choreography. Dowell’s
interpretation, based on the version created by Petipa and
Ivanov for the 1895 St. Petersburg production and described
as a “yardstick for others” (New York Times), is here renewed
through first-class performances from Natalia Osipova, who is
riveting in the illustrious double role of Odette-Odile; Matthew
Golding, who brings “brilliance and prowess” (New York Times)
to the role of Prince Siegfried; and Gary Avis as the evil Von
Rothbart, described as “an electrifying villain” by the Daily
Telegraph. Veteran ballet conductor Boris Gruzin creates a
“plangent and pliant”-sounding score (The Arts Desk), while
Yolanda Sonnabend’s Fabergé-inspired designs add to the magic
of this immensely detailed production.
Length: 133'
Cat. no. A 020 50074
Photos: Alice Pennefather, Dee Conway
CHOREOGR APHY BY
U N I T E L P R O U D LY R E P R E S E N T S T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L T V D I S T R I B U T I O N O F
T H E R O YA L O P E R A H O U S E L O N D O N
55
Photo: Petra Hajská
CONCERTS
CZECH PHILHARMONIC & JULIA FISCHER
CONDUCTED BY DAVID ZINMAN
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK In Nature’s Realm – Concert Overture, Op. 91
BOHUSLAV MARTINŮ Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, H. 293
PAUL HINDEMITH Sonata for Solo Violin in G minor, Op. 11 No. 6, 3rd movement
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, “Pastoral Symphony”
This concert was a quite special occasion for Julia
Fischer, who was presented with the Martinů Medal of
the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation following the concert
in the Rudolfinum in Prague. Julia Fischer had just thrilled
her audience with her interpretation of Martinů’s Violin
Concerto.
“Technically everything was perfect with the utmost
fullness of sound. Thanks to her rich and full sound,
which she deployed with great taste and imagination,
Fischer displayed exceptional talent for the Czech and
Slav repertoire. It was a serious matinee, at which Fischer
brought out virtuoso ornamentation seldom to be heard
in this context.” Such was the admiring press comment.
Fischer’s solo performance was the centrepiece of
a concert that also featured works by Dvořák and
Beethoven, which wonderfully portray the world of
nature.
Length: 99'
A production of Czech Television and UNITEL CLASSICA
in collaboration with Czech Philharmonic
Cat. no. A 985 50006 0000
GRAFENEGG FESTIVAL – MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S GALA
ELISABETH KULMAN, Mezzo-Soprano ∙ PIOTR BECZALA, Tenor ∙ JULIA FISCHER, Violin
TONKÜNSTLER-ORCHESTER
conducted by YUTAKA SADO
“Aural pleasure at the Wolkenturm” is how the Kurier
newspaper described it, referring to the “top-flight
summer night’s gala from Grafenegg”, taking place
in the picturesque open air ambience of Grafenegg,
Lower Austria. Under the artistic overall direction of
pianist Rudolf Buchbinder the Grafenegg Festival has
blossomed into a benchmark event for all the top stars
on the classical music scene.
A potpourri of lovely melodies from the world of opera,
operetta and the concert hall, which brought praise
from the audience and from the Wiener Zeitung: “Piotr
Beczala’s wonderful operetta top notes, Elisabeth
Kulman’s rich mezzo and Julia Fischer’s graceful violin
playing with her refined reading of catchy Spanish tunes”
are the ingredients for an unmatched evening recital in
Grafenegg.
Length: 74'
A co-production of ORF and UNITEL CLASSICA
in cooperation with Grafenegg Festival
Cat. no. A 045 50049 0000
THE ODEONSPLATZ CONCERT "SPANISH NIGHT"
JULIA FISCHER, Violin
SYMPHONIEORCHESTER DES BAYERISCHEN RUNDFUNKS
conducted by PABLO HERAS-CASADO
The ballet music “El sombrero de tres picos” by Spain’s
Manuel de Falla, with its three dances that characterize
three Spanish regions, opened the lively proceedings
in the open air. It was complemented by the Iberian
influences in the other works written by composers
outside Spain, such as Prokofiev’s Second Violin
Length: 83'
Cat. no. A 055 50445 0000
56
Concerto performed by star violinist Julia Fischer, that
shows clear signs of Spanish influence in the rhythm and
melody. The musicians rounded off this Spanish night in
Munich with Claude Debussy’s homage to Spain, “Ibéria”,
and Maurice Ravel’s “Alborada del gracioso”.
A production of BR
in co-production with UNITEL CLASSICA
JULIA FISCHER
CONCERT
Photo: Ludwig Schedl
HOLLYWOOD IN VIENNA
A TRIBUTE TO JAMES NEWTON HOWARD
with DANIELA FALLY, LOUISE DEARMAN, FRANTIŠEK JÁNOŠKA, INSINGIZI & FRIENDS et al.
ORF VIENNA RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA conducted by KEITH LOCKHART
“Hollywood in Vienna” is an annual symphonic gala
concert celebrating classic and current masterpieces of
film music and honouring each year one of today’s leading
film music composer.
In the first part of this edition of the concert, the ORF
Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton
of Keith Lockhart takes you away on a magical mystery
tour, full of eerily-beauty and musical delight. From the
eccentric Addams Family in their Victorian Mansion, to
Length: 96'
Cat. no. A 045 50053 0000
the fabulous world of Alice in Wonderland the programme,
true to its motto “Tales of mystery”, sets out for
mysterious places and wondrous tales.
The second part of the concert is dedicated to James
Newton Howard, multi-award winning composer of film
scores such as Batman Begins, Pretty Woman and The
Hunger Games. The press raved: “Goosebumps, tears and
standing ovations!” (Kurier)
A production of BOFM
in cooperation with Axis/DP, ORF III and UNITEL CLASSICA
MOZARTWOCHE SALZBURG
ANDRÁS SCHIFF & CAPPELLA ANDREA BARCA
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15
FRANZ SCHUBERT Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, D 485
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23 in E flat major, KV 482
The programme opens with Beethoven’s First Piano
note to the last in creating a sound world that flooded
Concerto: “Sensitively supported by the rich and supple
the mind’s eye with images” (Drehpunkt Kultur). The
tone of the strings, Schiff’s pianistic virtuosity explores
climax of the concert is the Mozart Piano Concerto
the length and breadth of Beethoven’s early work”, was
No. 23. “Schiff here demonstrates his skill in pianistic
the admiring verdict of the Salzburg press. Schiff again
interpretation and in conducting, nuanced, passionate, a
succeeds in Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 “from the first
sensitive revelation”, enthused the press.
Length: 109'
Cat. no. A045500450000
A co-production of Stiftung Mozarteum Salzburg
and UNITEL CLASSICA
MOZARTWOCHE SALZBURG
LES MUSICIENS DU LOUVRE & MARC MINKOWSKI
W. A. MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, KV 488 / Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, KV 219
FRANZ SCHUBERT Symphony No. 8 in C major (4th movement), D 944
THIBAULT NOALLY, Violin
FRANCESCO CORTI, Fortepiano
The Salzburg Mozart Week – arranged by the Mozarteum
foundation, the trustees of Mozart’s musical legacy – is
always offering something unique: under the direction
of the principal conductor and artistic director of the
Salzburg Mozart Week, Marc Minkowski, the Musiciens
du Louvre perform on not one but two of Mozart’s
original instruments! Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Violin
Length: 76'
Cat. no. A 045 50046 0000
Concerto and his Piano Concerto in A major are played on
instruments that were once in the composer’s possession.
In Franz Schubert’s Great C major Symphony, the
culmination of this wonderful evening, “Minkowski and
the Musiciens du Louvre are entirely in their element”
(Wiener Zeitung).
A co-production of Stiftung Mozarteum Salzburg
and UNITEL CLASSICA
HOLLYWOOD IN VIENNA
59
Photo: Fritz Novopacky
RED RIBBON CELEBRATION CONCERT
BUILDING BRIDGES FOR PEACE
with ANNA NETREBKO, KRISTINE OPOLAIS, ELENA MAXIMOVA, JUAN DIEGO FLÓREZ,
PIOTR BECZAŁA, THOMAS QUASTHOFF, YUSIF EYVAZOV, GREGORY PORTER
TONKÜNSTLER-ORCHESTER conducted by YUTAKA SADO
Now, in its fourth year, the Red Ribbon Celebration
Concert has become an integral part of the world
famous Vienna Life Ball Weekend, one of the biggest
fund-raising events to further the cause of those living
with HIV or AIDS. Staged in the legendary Burgtheater,
the concert assembles a line-up of stars which reads like
the who is who of classical music. Anna Netrebko, Juan
Diego Flórez, Piotr Beczała, Elena Maximova, Thomas
Length: 57'
Cat. no. A 045 50048 0000
Quasthoff, Yusif Eyvazov and Kristine Opolais as well as
the jazz singer Gregory Porter perform an extraordinary
concert according to the motto “Building Bridges for
Peace”. From Porter’s hit Water under Bridges to a
humorous interpretation of Franz Lehar’s Dein ist mein
ganzes Herz by Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov, the
stars where celebrated with “only bravos” (Salzburger
Nachrichten).
A production of Life Ball in cooperation with Interspot Film
for ORF III and UNITEL CLASSICA
ORCHESTRE PHILHARMONIQUE DU LUXEMBOURG
GUSTAVO GIMENO – THE INAUGURAL CONCERT
GYÖRGY LIGETI Concert Românesc
GUSTAV MAHLER Symphony No. 1 in D major, “Titan”
Live from the Grand Auditorium of Luxembourg’s
stunning new Philharmonie – universally acclaimed by
musicians, critics and audiences alike for its outstanding
acoustics – rising star Gustavo Gimeno presents his
inaugural concert as music director of the grand duchy’s
prestigious Philharmonic Orchestra.
In this concert he directs an artfully balanced AustroHungarian programme of post-Romantic works. “In his
uncommonly transparent readings of complex, subtly
Length: approx. 75'
Cat. no. A 515 50001 0000
orchestrated pieces he achieved a complete success,
exhibiting sovereign control of both subtle details and
surging climaxes.” (ResMusica) Thanks to his conducting
style the “natural talent” (NRC Handelsblad) is now being
compared with such podium giants as his own mentor,
Claudio Abbado: “There stands a real conductor, Chailly
with his right hand and Abbado with his left, calm, cool
and collected” (Het Parool).
A production of UNITEL CLASSICA
THE CARL NIELSEN GALA
CARL NIELSEN Hymnus amoris / Clarinet Concerto / Symphony No. 4, ”The Inextinguishable“
KLARA EK, Soprano ∙ DAVID DANHOLT, ADAM RIIS, Tenor ∙ TORSTEN NIELSEN, Baritone
JOHAN KARLSTRÖM, Bass ∙ OLLI LEPPÄNIEMI, Clarinet
DANISH NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA conducted by JUANJO MENA
Carl Nielsen was unquestionably Denmark’s most
important composer, commanding great respect already
during his lifetime throughout Scandinavia. Now known
to the rest of the world he is counted among the world’s
greatest. The Koncerthuset in Copenhagen marked the
composer’s 150th anniversary with a grand gala under
the musical direction of Juanjo Mena, in the presence of
Queen Margarethe herself.
Length: 90'
Cat. no. A 905 50003 0000
60
The programme features the Clarinet Concerto, Nielsen’s
last and one of his most famous orchestra works, which
soloist Olli Leppäniemi executes with verve and virtuosity,
and also his Fourth Symphony, “The Inextinguishable”.
The concert’s opener is the early cantata Hymnus Amoris
– an expression of love offered to his wife by the young
composer – paying homage to love in all its light and
shade with compelling intensity.
A production of
Danish Broadcasting Corporation
ANNA NETREBKO
THE PROKOFIEV MARATHON
This suite of five concerts at Munich's Philharmonic Hall
performed by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the
Mariinsky Orchestra and several soloists, forms part of
the MPhil 360° Festival. The MPhil 360° Festival is a
new festival which marks the beginning of Valery Gergiev's
collaboration with the Munich Philharmonics.
Core of the program of the festival’s first edition are the five
piano concertos of Prokofiev which enter into a dialogue with
history and modern age. All of Prokofiev’s piano concertos
are complemented by works of the German musical
literature. Such a compilation appeals to the audience
– the press raved: “The interpretations [of the five piano
concertos] were so different, that an extremely enlightening
portrait of Prokofiev came off“, not least “the new maestro
was shining with the Munich Philharmonics” (SZ).
PART I PART II
HERBERT SCHUCH, Piano
MARIINSKY ORCHESTRA
(Cat. no. A055505170000 – Length: approx. 80')
DENIS MATSUEV, Piano
MARIINSKY ORCHESTRA
(Cat. no. A055505180000 – Length: approx. 70')
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major, Op. 10
further programme:
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25, “Classical Symphony”
JOSEPH HAYDN
Symphony No. 82 in C major, “Bear Symphony”
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16
further programme:
CARL MARIA VON WEBER
Overture from Der Freischütz,
“Invitation to the Dance”, Op. 65,
arr. for orchestra byHector Berlioz
PART III PART IV
BEHZOD ABDURAIMOV, Piano
MUNICH PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
(Cat. no. A055505190000 – Length: approx. 60')
ALEXEI VOLODIN, Piano
PELAGEYA KURENNAYA, Soprano
MARIINSKY ORCHESTRA
(Cat. no. A055505200000 – Length: approx. 90')
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26
further programme:
MAX REGER
Four Tone Poems after Arnold Böcklin, Op. 128
PART V
OLLI MUSTONEN, Piano
JÖRG WIDMANN, Clarinet
MUNICH PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
(Cat. no. A055505210000 – Length: approx. 85')
MUNICH PHILHARMONIC
MARIINSKY ORCHESTRA
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Piano Concerto No. 5 in G major, Op. 55
further programme:
JÖRG WIDMANN
“Con Brio”, Concert Overture for Orchestra
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
Clarinet Concerto in A major, KV 622
CONCERT
Photo: Philharmoniker/Andrea Huber
the Prokofiev Marathon
valery GerGiev
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Piano Concerto (for the left hand) No. 4
in B flat major, Op. 53
further programme:
RODION SHCHEDRIN
“Tanja – Katja”, Romance in Folk Style for Woman’s Voice
and String Orchestra
KARL AMADEUS HARTMANN
Simplicius Simplicissimus, Suite
RODION SHCHEDRIN
Concerto for Orchestra No. 1 “Naughty Limericks”
A production of CLC and Medici.tv
in association with UNITEL CLASSICA
Cat. no. A 555 50037 0000
63
CONCERT
STAGE AND SCREEN – A TRIBUTE TO LEONARD BERNSTEIN
LOUISE DEARMAN, LUCY SCHAUFER, SCARLETT STRALLEN, JULIAN OVENDEN, Vocals
JOHN WILSON ORCHESTRA ∙ MAIDA VALE SINGERS
conducted by JOHN WILSON
AT T H E
ROYA L A L B E RT
HALL
John Wilson and his orchestra are an annual Proms
highlight, bringing the glitz and glamour of stage and
screen to the Royal Albert Hall. A starry cast of soloists
including Proms favourite Julian Ovenden (fresh from
Downton Abbey) and the West End’s Louise Dearman
join the John Wilson Orchestra, a clever combination of
symphonic orchestra and big jazz band, and streetwise
Maida Vale Singers for a tribute to the composer Leonard
Bernstein, that includes Bernstein’s biggest hits as well as
a selection of rarities.
“An evening of highlight after highlight. 5 out of 5 stars!”
(Evening Standard)
Length: 107'
A BBC production
in association with John Wilson Orchestra and UNITEL CLASSICA
Cat. no. A 025 50147 0000
ANDRÁS SCHIFF – THE GOLDBERG VARIATIONS
Sir András Schiff brings Bach’s monumental work for
solo keyboard to the Royal Albert Hall and delivers a
spellbinding account of the Goldberg Variations. “Schiff’s
playing was buoyant and dazzling in a performance that
underlined the cogency and integrity of his approach to
this monumental work” stated The Guardian.
Alone at the piano in the vastness of the Royal Albert
Hall was András Schiff, who made no concessions to
the capacity crowd: this was all about Bach’s astonishing
variations. Schiff’s “command and awareness of the
smaller-scale architectures were just as impressive as
his mastery of the whole 30-variation span“ wrote The
Telegraph.
Length: approx. 80'
A BBC production
in association with UNITEL CLASSICA
Cat. no. A 020 50082
WEST-EASTERN DIVAN ORCHESTRA
PLAY & CONDUCT DANIEL BARENBOIM
ARNOLD SCHOENBERG Chamber Symphony No. 1 in E major, Op. 9
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Triple Concerto in C major, Op. 56
PYOTR I. TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
GUY BRAUNSTEIN, Violin · KIAN SOLTANI, Violoncello
The orchestra’s London appearance, as part of the 120thanniversary Proms season, marked a significant date for
Barenboim himself: he was celebrating 65 years (less a
day) since making his debut in his native Buenos Aires.
His programme cleverly contrasts the anti-Romantic
terseness and crystalline beauty of Schoenberg’s
Chamber Symphony – “a taut, rhythmic performance
with a fine sense of dramatic momentum” (Evening
Standard) – with the tempestuous emotionalism of
Tchaikovsky’s opus, where “the orchestra rose to all
Length: approx. 145'
Cat. no. A 025 50146 0000
technical challenges in an interpretation of overwhelming
energy and power” (The Guardian), while Beethoven’s
Triple Concerto could almost serve as a paradigm for
the orchestra’s egalitarian ethos where Barenboim and
his partners “offered urbane poise, ideally suited to this
relaxed, airily melodic work” (The Telegraph).
Visibly shocked by the storm of applause, Barenboim
was coaxed into giving not just one but three encores –
Sibelius’s dreamy Valse triste, Glinka’s thrilling Ruslan and
Ludmila overture and a playful tango by José Carli.
A co-production of BBC and UNITEL CLASSICA
65
Photo: Mark Allan
THE SIBELIUS CYCLE
CONDUCTED BY SIR SIMON RATTLE
Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39 (40')
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43 (47')
Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52 (30')
Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63 (40')
Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 82 (32')
Symphony No. 6 in D minor, Op. 104 (35')
Symphony No. 7 in C major Op. 105 (54')
For the recent major London residency of the Berliner
Philharmoniker at the Barbican Sir Simon Rattle has
chosen music that means most to him, the complete cycle
of Sibelius symphonies in honour of the 150th anniversary
of the composer’s birth: “Sibelius is so concentrated and
exact. With Sibelius you feel that if one drop touches your
skin it would burn right through the bone.“
“High-voltage Sibelius kicks off Rattle’s London
Residency” raved the press consequently over the
opening of the cycle. The Telegraph agreed: “Sibelius’s
symphonies sounded thrillingly new in the hands of
Simon Rattle and the Berlin Phil”, in a way, that “a great
orchestra and conductor can make familiar music seem
the hottest thing in town”.
Length: 243'
A production of BBC , Berliner Philharmoniker and UNITEL CLASSICA
in co-production with ZDF for Arte
Cat. no. A 025 50145 0000
MOZART & HAYDN
CONDUCTED BY SIR SIMON RATTLE
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major, KV 364
JOSEPH HAYDN “Une symphonie imaginaire”, a pasticcio arranged by Simon Rattle
DAISHIN KASHIMOTO, Violin
AMIHAI GROSZ, Viola
At this summer’s Lucerne Festival, Sir Simon Rattle and
the Berliner Philharmoniker presented a new Haydn
symphony that never existed before: Rattle gathered
together ten of the most original and avant-garde-like
instrumental movements by Joseph Haydn to fashion a
“Symphonie imaginaire,” a new Haydn symphony that
never existed before.
Length: 90'
Cat. no. A 955 50009 0000
66
Rattle takes us back to the birth hour of creation, lets the
earth quake, unleashes the stormy sea as well as its lovely
waves, and, above all, shows the allegedly conservative
“Papa Haydn” as an odd bird who astounds his audience in
the final movements of his symphony. In addition to this
astonishing Haydn pasticcio, Rattle conducted Mozart’s
Sinfonia Concertante for violin, viola and orchestra.
A production of Accentus Music
in co-production with ZDF/Arte in association with the Lucerne Festival and UNITEL CLASSICA
SIR SIMON RATTLE
Photo: Monika Rittershaus
HK GRUBER & MAHLER
CONDUCTED BY ANDRIS NELSONS
HK GRUBER Aerial – Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra
GUSTAV MAHLER Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor
HÅKAN HARDENBERGER, Trumpet
Mahler’s Fifth is among the best loved of his symphonies;
not least thanks to the Adagietto, made legendary as the
soundtrack to Visconti’s Death in Venice. Andris Nelsons
on the rostrum of the the Berliner Philharmoniker
made this symphony into “a true celebration of beauty
and the phenomenal Philharmonic string sound” wrote
in Der Tagesspiegel delight. The concert got off to
a racing start, too: the “master trumpeter” (Berliner
Zeitung) Håkan Hardenberger carried the audience with
him in HK Gruber’s trumpet concerto Aerial. After all
his showpiece: the composer wrote this BBC Proms
commission specially for him. “Hardenberger, the
virtuoso supersonic, thrills his audience through and
through.” (Berliner Morgenpost)
Length: 113'
A production of Berlin Phil Media
and UNITEL CLASSICA
Cat. no. A 055 50446 0000
BARTÓK, SHOSTAKOVICH & RAVEL
CONDUCTED BY MARISS JANSONS
BÉLA BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 129
MAURICE RAVEL Daphnis et Chloé
FRANK PETER ZIMMERMANN, Violin
As head of two world-class orchestras, the Royal
Concertgebouw and the Symphonieorchester des
Bayerischen Rundfunks, Mariss Jansons is one of the
leading conductors of his generation. For this special
concert he brings works by Bartók, Shostakovich and Ravel
to the rostrum and together with the Berlin Philharmonic
he succeeds in “rocking the Berlin Philharmonie”
Length: 99'
Cat. no. A 055 50447 0000
68
(Süddeutsche Zeitung). For Shostakovich’s 2nd Violin
Concerto Jansons and the Berliner Philharmoniker are
joined by the German violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann.
Jansons spreads out a finely shaded soundscape for the
violinist, who in his turn returns the compliment with
“musical intelligence and violinistic furore” (Süddeutsche
Zeitung).
A production of Berlin Phil Media
and UNITEL CLASSICA
ANDRIS NELSONS
CONCERT
Photo: AFP - C. Platiau
BACH & MENDELSSOHN
CONDUCTED BY THOMAS HENGELBROCK
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Magnificat in D major, BWV 243
FELIX MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY Psalm 42 “Wie der Hirsch schreit”, Op.42 / Christmas Cantata
“Vom Himmel hoch” / “Christus”, Op. 97 (The Birth of Christ)
ANNA LUCIA RICHTER, Soprano · MARIANNE CREBASSA, Mezzo-soprano · WIEBKE LEHMKUHL, Alto
WERNER GÜRA, Tenor · CHRISTIAN IMMLER, Baritone
Thomas Hengelbrock and the Orchestre de Paris teamed
up to perform one of the most brilliant works of European
church music: Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat.
This opus is a musical setting of the biblical canticle
Magnificat, which is one of the most ancient Christian
hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn, frequently
sung liturgically in Christian church services.
Following this, the musicians draw the attention of
the audience to the content and structural parallels
between Bach and Felix Mendelssohn, who has rendered
outstanding services to the revivification of the interest
in music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The musicians
delight the audience with the Psalm 42 and the Christmas
Cantata, two compositions full of religious fervor.
Length: approx. 95'
A co-production of CLC Productions, Orchestre de Paris and UNITEL CLASSICA
in cooperation with ARTE France and the support of CNC
Cat. no. A 015 50043 0000
ESCAICH, WIDMANN & SAINT-SAËNS
CONDUCTED BY PAAVO JÄRVI
THIERRY ESCAICH Organ Improvisation
JÖRG WIDMANN Viola Concerto (World Premiere)
CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78, “Organ Symphony”
THIERRY ESCAICH, Organ · ANTOINE TAMESTIT, Viola
The spectacular new Rieger organ of the Philharmonie
de Paris is inaugurated with solo, ensemble, and
symphonic works starring Paavo Järvi at the rostrum
of the Orchestre de Paris and Thierry Escaich, Titular
Organist and with that successor of Maurice Duruflé at
Paris Saint-Étienne-du-Mont.
Length: approx. 110'
Cat. no. A 015 50042 0000
The new organ with close to 7000 handmade pipes, 15
meters high and 20 meters wide, with 91 stops on four
manuals and pedal specially designed for the symphonic
repertory, is heard for the first time at this festive
performance.
A co-production of CLC Productions, Orchestre de Paris and UNITEL CLASSICA
with the participation of ARTE France and medici.tv and the support of CNC
BARTÓK CONDUCTED BY ESA-PEKKA SALONEN
BÉLA BARTÓK Dance Suite / Concerto for two Pianos, Percussion and Orchestra / Concerto for Orchestra
KATIA LABÈQUE & MARIELLE LABÈQUE, Piano · CAMILLE BASLÉ & ÉRIC SAMMUT, Percussion
Live from the awe-inspiring new Philharmonie de
Paris, the French capital’s elite orchestra performs a
programme devoted to the endlessly fascinating music of
Béla Bartók. On the podium is Esa-Pekka Salonen, one
of the composer’s truly authoritative interpreters.
This concert was hailed as “revelatory” by the leading
French journal Diapason, “a unique expressive and
Length: approx. 95'
Cat. no. A 015 50041 0000
PHILHARMONIE DE PARIS
sensory voyage (...) with precise phrasing and incredible
flexibility (...) an irresistible feeling for timbre, tightropewalking accents, acoustic spaces, instrumental breathing
(...) rhythmic agility, range of sensitive colours, humour
and irony, brilliance, luminosity, moments of astonishing
sweetness. The Orchestre de Paris soared and surpassed
itself. Salonen is clearly a unique artist.”
A co-production of CLC Productions, Orchestre de Paris, Mezzo
and UNITEL CLASSICA and the support of CNC
71
Photo: Anne Dokter
SHOSTAKOVICH, TCHAIKOVSKY & STRAVINSKY
CONDUCTED BY DANIELE GATTI
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 107
PYOTR I. TCHAIKOVSKY The Nutcracker, Suite
IGOR STRAVINSKY The Firebird, Suite
YO-YO MA, Violoncello
This remarkable concert led by designated Chief
Conductor Daniele Gatti marks the return of master cellist
Yo-Yo Ma (after twenty years) to the Concertgebouw
Orchestra. In this season opening night they perform
Shostakovich’s intense First Cello Concerto, which
bears witness to the strained relationship between the
composer and the Soviet authorities.
Maestro Gatti juxtaposes the concerto with two
successful works from the great Russian dance tradition:
The three-part suite from Tchaikovsky’s ballet The
Nutcracker being enormously popular, partly as a result of
the Disney film Fantasia and Stravinsky’s Firebird, which,
with his phenomenal orchestration, is evoking an exotic
and often brooding atmosphere.
“After twenty years, this is a unique opportunity to work
together with the wonderful RCO again – very special
indeed!” (Yo-Yo Ma)
Length: 99'
A co-production of
RCO and UNITEL CLASSICA
Cat. no. A 865 50023 0000
SHOSTAKOVICH & SIBELIUS
CONDUCTED BY ANDRIS NELSONS
JEAN SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93
ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER, Violin
“Stradivari on eight cylinders” was the headline for the
rich cornucopia of sound that Anne-Sophie Mutter
poured out with the Sibelius Violin Concerto. “Her
Stradivari lets her sing the arches of melody with warm
vibrato and lends real fire to her double-stopping; she
stages great leaps as soaring stairways to heaven or
headlong descents to hell”, reports the Süddeutsche
Length: 103'
Cat. no. A 865 50021 0000
Zeitung with admiration. “It can be played differently,
but not better.” (Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung)
Mutter’s violin concerto is wonderfully complemented
by Shostakovich’s 10th, in which Nelsons truly triumphs:
“World-class, these exponents from Amsterdam” was
the verdict of the Südwest Presse.
A co-production of
RCO and UNITEL CLASSICA
MARISS JANSONS – THE FAREWELL CONCERT
GUSTAV MAHLER “Des Knaben Wunderhorn”
MARTIJN PADDING Ick seg adieu (World premiere)
AARON COPLAND “Old American Songs”
BÉLA BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116
THOMAS HAMPSON, Baritone
For one last time, Mariss Jansons - who will bear the title
of conductor emeritus as of now - descends down the red
carpeted stairs of the Great Hall as Principal Conductor
of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. After his
resignation, this concert turnes out to be his last in this
Length: 92'
Cat. no. A 865 50022 0000
72
capacity. The final performance assisted by Thomas
Hampson is part of the AAA Festival based on the theme
“Origins – Folk Art as Inspiration”, an adventurous series
exploring composers inspired by folk music.
A co-production of
RCO, NHK, Mezzo and UNITEL CLASSICA
YO-YO MA
Photo: Christina Chouchena
BARTÓK & SHOSTAKOVICH
CONDUCTED BY ANDRIS NELSONS
BÉLA BARTÓK Violin Concerto No. 1, Sz. 36
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 60, “Leningrad”
JANINE JANSEN, Violin
In this concert evening the Royal Concertgebouw
Orchestra and Andris Nelsons turn their attention to
the Seventh Symphony of Shostakovich. The work,
which Shostakovich wrote during the Germans’ siege
of Leningrad, is a symbol of resistance against the
Nazi regime and a musical testament to the millions of
Soviet citizens who died during the Great Patriotic War.
Furthermore, star violinist Janine Jansen performs
Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 1, a work which had to
wait fifty years after it was written, in 1958, for its first
performance.
Length: approx. 100'
A co-production of
RCO and UNITEL CLASSICA
Cat. no. A 865 50024 0000
“BREAKING NEWS”
JOHN ADAMS CONDUCTS JOHN ADAMS
JOHN ADAMS Tromba Lontana / Doctor Atomic Symphony / Scheherazade.2 (Premiere)
LEILA JOSEFOWICZ, Violin
Composer–conductor John Adams is known the world
over as a pioneering composer of operas based on current
and recent historical events.
Adams has distilled a turbulent symphony from his opera
Doctor Atomic, in which Robert Oppenheimer, the
‘father of the atomic bomb’, filled with excitement and
doubt, anticipates the very first atomic bomb test in 1945.
He also draws inspiration from current events in his
instrumental works, as in his new violin concerto
Scheherazade.2, written for Leila Josefowicz. Moved by
TV footage of oppressed and abused women, Adams
juxtaposes the masculine power of the orchestra with a
strong woman, an empowered Scheherazade: “This one hits
back!” Tromba Lontana is a short, gentle fanfare marking
the 150th anniversary of the declaration of independence
with which Texas seceded from Mexico in 1836.
Length: approx. 100'
A co-production of
RCO and UNITEL CLASSICA
Cat. no. A 865 50026 0000
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH: CHRISTMAS ORATORIO
(CANTATAS I – III)
JUDITH VAN WANROIJ, Soprano · ELISABETH KULMAN, Alto
FABIO TRÜMPY, Tenor · YORCK FELIX SPEER, Bass
conducted by JAN WILLEM DE VRIEND
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s annual
Kerstmatinee (Christmas Day matinee) has become a
beloved holiday tradition, yet this concert was the first
matinee the occasion has been dedicated entirely to
Bach’s inspirational Christmas Oratorio. In presenting this
historically informed performance of the first three parts,
Baroque specialist Jan Willem de Vriend adopts suitably
Length: approx. 80'
Cat. no. A 865 50025 0000
74
buoyant tempi and opts for the jubilant opening chorus’s
original and more apt text, “Tönet, ihr Pauken” (Timpani
resound! Trumpets ring out!). The elite orchestra’s
players are joined by a superb 28-voice chamber choir,
Cappella Amsterdam, and international soloists. As the
Evangelist, Swiss tenor Fabio Trümpy “was a fabulously
beautiful story-teller” (Het Parool).
A co-production of
RCO and UNITEL CLASSICA
JANINE JANSEN
CONCERT
Photo: Matthias Creutziger
BRUCKNER & BEETHOVEN
CONDUCTED BY CHRISTIAN THIELEMANN
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
ANTON BRUCKNER Symphony No. 6 in A major
YEFIM BRONFMAN, Piano
Bruckner’s music has played a central role in Thielemann’s
relationship with the Staatskapelle; he launched each
new concert season with a Bruckner symphony - now the
Sixth, this recording of which completes Thielemann’s
cycle of the mature Bruckner symphonies.
For the Sächsische Zeitung this performance marked
“another Bruckner triumph for Dresden” by revealing“
the greatness of the work with a rarely heard transparency
Length: approx. 100'
Cat. no. A 055 50459 0000
and clarity. It could hardly have been better!”
Beethoven’s Piano Concerto featured one of today’s
outstanding keyboard virtuosos, the Soviet-born IsraeliAmerican pianist Yefim Bronfman, in a performance
marking the start of his residency as the Staatskapelle’s
“Capell-Virtuos”. In the words of the Dresdner Neueste
Nachrichten: “He has music ‘in his fingertips’ (…) ‘High
School’ of piano playing.”
A production of UNITEL CLASSICA
in cooperation with Semperoper Dresden
ANTON BRUCKNER: SYMPHONY NO. 9
CONDUCTED BY CHRISTIAN THIELEMANN
Bruckner’s Ninth – presented in the unfinished version
in three movements – calls for no fewer than four
“Wagner tubas” at the beginning and end of the Adagio,
an instrument which Richard Wagner had specially
Length: 66'
Cat. no. A 055 50454 0000
made for his Ring of the Nibelung. As an avowed fan of
Wagner, Bruckner included them in several of his works.
Thielemann now lets them sound at full volume. The press
verdict: “a musical and spiritual event”.
A production of UNITEL CLASSICA
in cooperation with Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
ANTON BRUCKNER: SYMPHONY NO. 4, "ROMANTIC"
CONDUCTED BY CHRISTIAN THIELEMANN
Conductor Christian Thielemann lives up to his name yet
again as a “Bruckner specialist” (Klassik Akzente).
The Fourth Symphony is given in the presumed original
version recovered by Robert Haas. This version differs
considerably from the first, effectively published score,
Length: 75'
Cat. no. A 055 50453 0000
CHRISTIAN THIELEMANN
which Bruckner had only accepted as a stopgap so that
the work could easily be performed.
Thielemann brings out the tone painting very vividly in
Baden-Baden: “These are tone paintings of the finest
quality”, wrote one reviewer enthusiastically.
A production of UNITEL CLASSICA
in cooperation with Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
77
Photo: Frank Höhler
FESTIVE ADVENT CONCERT AT THE FRAUENKIRCHE DRESDEN
LUCA PISARONI, SONYA YONCHEVA, SAMUEL KUMMER
CONDUCTED BY DONALD RUNNICLES
Since the first of these annual events in 2000, when
the magnificent Frauenkirche was still a building site
– destroyed during World War II, it was painstakingly
reconstructed out of the ruins – the Advent Concert has
become a new holiday tradition in Dresden, to be enjoyed
by music lovers throughout the world.
That appeal is reflected in the concert’s lineup of artists.
This time they are headed by renowned Scottish maestro
Donald Runnicles, featured “in the solid, German
repertoire which is his chief glory” (Financial Times).
Length: 58'
Cat. no. A 055 50463 0000
His soloists are rising-star soprano Sonya Yoncheva,
“charismatic” (New York Times) bass-baritone Luca
Pisaroni, and the organist and “sound artist” (Stuttgarter
Zeitung) Samuel Kummer.
Beginning in a blaze of glory with the opening chorus from
Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, the thoughtfully compiled
programme features seasonally appropriate selections
by Handel, Seidel, Weber, Mendelssohn, Humperdinck,
Gounod and Reger. “A thrilling concert, festive, ambitious
and impressively filmed.” (Sächsische Zeitung)
A production of ZDF in co-prodution with UNITEL CLASSICA
in cooperation with Staatskapelle Dresden
and Stiftung Frauenkirche Dresden
MOZART PIANO CONCERTOS NOS. 20, 21 & 27
PLAY & CONDUCT RUDOLF BUCHBINDER
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor /
Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major / Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat major
The Austrian piano virtuoso Rudolf Buchbinder, widely
acclaimed for his technical perfection, is also a known
expert for Mozart. Together with the Staatskapelle
Dresden he plays and conducts three of Mozart’s most
beloved piano concertos. Both No. 20 and No. 21 were
written by Mozart in the fruitful year of 1785 and are
counted among his first major symphonic concertos. No.
27, Mozart’s last piano concerto, is full of references to
Length: approx. 90'
Cat. no. A 055 50451 0000
78
his earlier works, while at the same time paving the way
for the Romantic Era.
The concert was recorded in Dresden in an unique
setting, which matched not only the musical perfection,
but also the first ultra-high definition recording of this
work: right inside the Gläserne Manufaktur, a luxury car
manufactory in the heart of Dresden, a stage was set up
next to the assembly line with glass walls and oak floors.
A production of UNITEL CLASSICA
in co-production with ZDF/Arte
in cooperation with Staatskapelle Dresden
shot in
ULTRA HD
(3840 × 2160)
FESTIVE ADVENT CONCERT AT THE FRAUENKIRCHE DRESDEN
CONCERT
Photo: Astrid Ackermann
HILLBORG, GRIEG & SIBELIUS
CONDUCTED BY ESA-PEKKA SALONEN
ANDERS HILLBORG “Eleven Gates”
EDVARD GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
JEAN SIBELIUS Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 82
ALICE SARA OTT, Piano
This concert by the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen
Rundunks has an entirely Scandinavian theme. Under the
aegis of Finnish-born Esa-Pekka Salonen the orchestra
begins the recital with “Eleven Gates”, a work of soundpainting by the contemporary Swedish composer Anders
Hillborg. Alice Sara Ott provides the focal point of the
evening, with the Piano Concerto by the Norwegian
Edvard Grieg. The orchestra rises to the challenge with
the impressive final work, the great Fifth Symphony by
Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, a performance marking
his 150th birthday “that no one who was present will ever
forget.” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
Length: 90'
A co-production of BR and UNITEL CLASSICA
Cat. no. A 055 50433 0000
WEBERN, MAHLER & SHOSTAKOVICH
CONDUCTED BY BERNARD HAITINK
ANTON WEBERN “Im Sommerwind” Idyll for Orchestra, after a poem by Bruno Wille
GUSTAV MAHLER "Rückert-Lieder"
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 15 in A major, Op. 141
Bernard Haitink begins the musical programme at the
rostrum of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen
Rundfunks with Anton Webern’s early and seldom played
orchestral work “Im Sommerwind”. It is followed by Gustav
Mahler’s five orchestral songs after poems by Friedrich
Rückert and culminates in Dmitri Shostakovich’s 15th
Symphony. The soloist for Mahler’s Lieder is a specialist
in that field, Christian Gerhaher, who has long since
entered the higher echelons of top lieder singers. He
is consummate in his interpretation and enthuses his
audience over and over again: “Gerhaher’s singing cannot
be praised highly enough” (Abendzeitung München).
Length: 91'
A co-production of BR and UNITEL CLASSICA
Cat. no. A 055 50434 0000
BEETHOVEN & NIELSEN
CONDUCTED BY HERBERT BLOMSTEDT
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60
CARL NIELSEN Symphony No. 5, Op. 50
The Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt is a
phenomenon – as he approaches his 88th birthday, he
is one of the oldest conductors in the world. And yet: on
the rostrum he embodies such a vitality and energy, that
he at once enthralls his musicians as well as his audiences.
Length: 73'
Cat. no. A 055 50449 0000
ESA-PEKKA SALONEN & ALICE SARA OTT
Blomstedt directs the orchestra in two symphonies that
could scarcely be less alike: The musicians play Ludwig
van Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony and Symphony No. 5
by the Danish composer Carl Nielsen with concentrated
intensity, honouring Nielsen in his 150th anniversary year.
A co-production of BR and UNITEL CLASSICA
81
CONCERT
Photo: Guido Adler/DG
MARTHA ARGERICH & DANIEL BARENBOIM
PIANO DUOS AT THE TEATRO COLÓN
ROBERT SCHUMANN Six Studies in the Form of Canons for Pedal Piano, Op. 56 (arr. Claude Debussy)
CLAUDE DEBUSSY En blanc et noire, L 134
BÉLA BARTÓK Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, Sz. 110
The return to their native city of Martha Argerich and
Daniel Barenboim – two childhood friends from Buenos
Aires, born just a year apart, who both grew up to become
global superstars – proved an unforgettable evening of
pianistic magic. “Coexistence”, as symbolisation of the
festival motto, was in terms not just of two musical parts
coming together in the hands of two very different yet
equally distinctive artistic personalities – “the mercurial
Martha and Daniel the master-architect” (Buenos Aires
Herald) – but also of two different instruments: while
Argerich was playing a “standard” Steinway, her duo
partner presented his brand-new “Barenboim”, custommade for him and modelled on Liszt’s piano. The result
was an amazing performance “in which two very individual
ways of playing united (…) to turn every interpretation
into something unforgettable” (Página|12).
Length: approx. 70'
A Production of UNITEL CLASSICA
Cat. no. A 835 50006 0000
BEETHOVEN & TCHAIKOVSKY
CONDUCTED BY DANIEL BARENBOIM
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19
PYOTR I. TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
In the course of their Buenos Aires residency Barenboim
and his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra together with
“honorary member of the Divan” Martha Argerich, gave
“a concert that proved to be the hottest ticket in the
festival.” (Página|12). Opening with Beethoven’s Piano
Concerto No. 2, the orchestra confirmed that “it is,
simply, one of the great orchestras in the world today”
(Página|12) , while “Argerich proved again that she has lost
none of her magical tone or perfect articulation” (Buenos
Aires Herald). In Tchaikovsky’s emotionally tempestuous
Symphony No. 4 – in which the composer confronts the
challenge of fate, – Barenboim’s reading “rose to all the
big moments” (Buenos Aires Herald).
As a surprise encore, Argerich and Barenboim played a
two-piano arrangement of the sweetly nostalgic Bailecito
by their compatriot Carlos Guastavino.
Length: approx. 100'
A Production of UNITEL CLASSICA
Cat. no. A 835 50007 0000
“CONCERT FOR UNDERSTANDING
OF CIVILIZATIONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS”
CONDUCTED BY DANIEL BARENBOIM
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, KV 543 / Symphony No. 40 in G minor,
KV 550 / Symphony No. 41 in C major, KV 551
In order to celebrate the declaration of the “Human
Rights” Daniel Barenboim and his West-Eastern Divan
Orchestra perform an all-Mozart programme at the
heart of the United Nations in Geneva in the presence
of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban
Ki-moon. The performance featured Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart’s last three Symphonies, No. 39, No. 40 Great G
minor symphony, and No. 41 (Jupiter).
Length: 97'
Cat. no. A 955 50008 0000
DANIEL BARENBOIM & MARTHA ARGERICH
The imposing setting of the Human Rights Hall at the
Palace of Nations, which houses the Miquel Barceló
dome, provides a stunning backdrop for the music of
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in this concert that aimes at
promoting peace efforts around the world and highlights
the principles contained in the Universal Declaration.
A Mediapro production
in association with UNITEL CLASSICA
83
CONCERT
Photo: Marco Borrelli
TCHAIKOVSKY & BRAHMS
CONDUCTED BY RICCARDO MUTI
PYOTR I. TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35
JOHANNES BRAHMS Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73
ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER, Violin
One thing you can rely on is the Salzburg Festival always
offering compelling couplings of artistic personalities: in
this case star violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and Maestro
Riccardo Muti. Exactly 30 years to the day since
Mutter first performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto
at the Festival, Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece is back on the
Length: 97'
Cat. no. A 045 50050 0000
programme. Mutter’s playing is stupendous, she succeeds
in a way that draws astonishment. In Brahms’s Symphony
No. 2, the veteran conductor Muti “lets the string and
wind groups demonstrate in exemplary manner how it can
sound when all the musicians are in perfect harmony with
one another.” (Salzburger Nachrichten)
A production of ORF and UNITEL CLASSICA
in co-production with BR and NHK
in cooperation with Salzburg Festival and Wiener Philharmoniker
RUDOLF BUCHBINDER & ZUBIN MEHTA
JOHANNES BRAHMS Piano Concertos No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 & No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83
“It is not every day that Brahms sounds as perfect as this,”
enthuses the Kurier newspaper, describing Buchbinder’s
performance with the Wiener Philharmoniker. The
“phenomenal piano virtuoso” (Kurier) plays the First and
Second Piano Concertos of Johannes Brahms in the
Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein. On the rostrum
Length: 96'
Cat. no. A 045 50047 0000
RICCARDO MUTI & ANNE–SOPHIE MUTTER
is maestro Zubin Mehta, no less, who has long been
intensively associated both with the orchestra and with
soloist Rudolf Buchbinder. “What Rudolf Buchbinder,
the Wiener Philharmoniker and conductor Zubin Mehta
delivered at the Musikverein easily deserves the accolade
‘milestone’.” (Kurier)
A co-production of
ORF and UNITEL CLASSICA
85
CHAMBER MUSIC
Photo: Marco Borrelli
CHAMBER MUSIC
JUAN DIEGO FLÓREZ & VINCENZO SCALERA
THE SALZBURG RECITAL
The Salzburg Festival, where the world’s most famous
artists come together, is always good for great concert
experiences – and yet this unique concert is sure to go
down in the annals of the festival.
With a varied programme of popular Italian airs by Tosti
and Leoncavallo, tender French songs by Henri Duparc
and old favourites from Italian bel canto, the “Peruvian
vocal miracle” (Die Presse) was an utter delight at his soldLength: 88'
out lieder recital in the Grosses Festspielhaus. The first
of the three encores brought for many the covert climax
of the evening: Floréz plucked a guitar and accompanied
himself in Consuelo Velázquez’ “Bésame mucho”.
With infinite tenderness, gentle heights, heartfelt
devotion and seemingly never-ending top notes, Floréz
conquered every heart in the house, prompting storms
of enthusiastic applause.
A production of UNITEL CLASSICA
in cooperation with Salzburg Festival
Cat. no. A 045 50051 0000
JOHANNES BRAHMS – THE COMPLETE STRING QUARTETS
String Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 51/1
String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 51/2
String Quartet No. 3 in B flat major, Op. 67
BELCEA QUARTET
Founded in London in 1994, the Belcea Quartet is now
seen as one of the world’s most renowned string quartets.
The quartet’s broadly based repertoire ranges from the
works of the Viennese Classical era to premieres of
contemporary compositions.
Here the Belcea Quartet devotes itself to the three string
Length: 109'
quartets by Johannes Brahms: “The three quartets are
of great beauty and refined sophistication, which never
fails to inspire us”, says Corina Belcea. It is a beauty and
refinement that radiates from the brilliant and nuanced
interpretation to be heard on this studio recording
A production of Heliox Films and UNITEL CLASSICA in co-production with the Belcea Quartet
with the participation of Classicall Television M-Media and the support of CNC
Cat. no. A 955 50006 0000
GÜHER UND SÜHER PEKINEL – THE ISTANBUL CONCERT
KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI Ciaconna for two Pianos
BÉLA BARTÓK Sonata for two Pianos and Percussion, Sz. 110
GEORGE GERSHWIN Three Preludes for two Pianos
LEONARD BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story for two Pianos and Percussions
WITOLD LUTOSŁAWSKI Variations on a Theme by Paganini for two Pianos and Percussion
GÜHER & SÜHER PEKINEL, Piano
∙ RAPHAEL HAEGER & SIMON RÖSSLER, Percussions
Turkish pianist twin-sisters Güher and Süher Pekinel
were first discovered by Herbert von Karajan and have
gained international success since their first appearance
at the Salzburg Festival. They are considered one of the
finest piano duos of our time. This concert focusses on
composers who witnessed World War II and reflect in
their works the basic values of humanism. Considering
Length: approx. 80'
Cat. no. A 205 50001 0000
VINCENZO SCALERA & JUAN DIEGO FLÓREZ
the current tragedies in the world, this recital offers a
different meaning as a kind of invitation to fight against
unjust sufferings. Accompanied by Berlin Philharmonic
Orchestra percussionists they perform milestones of the
repertoire for two pianos. Both the “Symphonic Dances
from West Side Story” and “Ciaconna” were arranged for
the Pekinel sisters under the auspices of the composers.
A production of the Pekinel Sisters
87
DOCUMENTARY
Photos: Unitel
DOCUMENTARIES
“LEONARD BERNSTEIN – LARGER THAN LIFE”
A PORTRAIT BY GEORG WÜBBOLT
Leonard Bernstein was America’s ambassador to the
world of music. He was one of the most influential
musicians of the last century and inspired an entire
generation with his music ensembles and symphony
orchestras. An influential teacher, a brilliant conductor, a
fine composer and an accomplished pianist. A man, who
lived five lives and who exuded passion from every pore.
This portrait by Georg Wübbolt, director of the awardLength: 52'
Cat. no. A 040 50054
winning documentaries on Herbert von Karajan and Sir
Georg Solti, covers the whole spectrum of Bernstein’s
life: From his world famous TV series Young People’s
Concerts to the recording of his Mahler cycle and from
the West Side Story to his Chichester Psalms.
The film includes interviews with Bernstein’s children
as well as with friends and companions such as Stephen
Sondheim, Kent Nagano and Christoph Eschenbach.
A BFMI production in co-production with UNITEL and ZDF/3sat
“LIVING WITH BEETHOVEN – THE NINE SYMPHONIES WITH
THE BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER AND SIR SIMON RATTLE”
A FILM BY DANIEL FINKERNAGEL AND MAGDALENA ZIĘBA-SCHWIND
In October 2015, the Berliner Philharmoniker and its chief
conductor Sir Simon Rattle rehearsed all of Beethoven's
nine symphonies and presented them as a cycle to their
audience. The film by Daniel Finkernagel and Magdalena
Zięba-Schwind documents on the one hand how the
new Beethoven cycle originated, and on the other, why
musicians repeatedly take on this challenge at all: What
Length: 45'
Cat. no. A 055 50523
is the motivation and fascination – for a conductor and
orchestral musicians – behind returning again and again
to these nine symphonies? Why do we hear milestones,
highlights, masterpieces in these symphonies? What is
the relevance of this music? What significance do they
have in our lives and what could be their message?
A production of Berlin Phil Media
in cooperation with BR and RBB
“THE SWAN OF PESARO – ROSSINI RELOADED”
A DOCUMENTARY BY THEO ROOS
Known as “The Swan of Pesaro,” Rossini was the most
popular composer of the first half of the 19th century. His
highly ornate musical style revolutionized the art form,
inaugurating the “Golden Century” of Italian opera. While
his creative life was rather short, his success and influence
was immense – intellectual giants from Richard Wagner
to Arthur Schopenhauer where amongst his admirers.
In this documentary director Theo Roos explores the era
Length: 61'
Cat. no. A 050 18724
LEONARD BERNSTEIN
of Belcanto and its main protagonist Rossini. Together
with star-tenor Juan Diego Flórez, Rossini expert Alberto
Zedda, soprano Joyce DiDonato and many others, he
sheds light on the complex character of a composer
known to the world as musical jester while his admirers
showed deepest respect for the compelling emotions,
the vivid diversity and the profound depths hidden in the
lightness of his music.
A Theo Roos Film production
on behalf of ZDF/3sat
89
AVANT PREMIÈRE CATALOGUE 2016 INDEX
COMPOSERS
A John Adams 74 B Johann Sebastian Bach 65, 68, 71, 72, 74, 78, 92 · Béla Bartók 68, 71, 72, 74, 83, 87 · Ludwig van Beethoven 10, 56,
59, 60, 65, 77, 81, 83 · Alban Berg 60 · Luciano Berio 72 · Leonard Bernstein 65, 87 · Georges Bizet 12, 50, 56 · Arrigo Boito 14 · Johannes
Brahms 85, 87, 92 · Anton Bruckner 77 C Francesco Cilea 60 · Aaron Copland 72 D Claude Debussy 50, 56, 83, 92 · Gaetano Donizetti
87 Henri Duparc 87 · Antonín Dvořák 56 E Thierry Escaich 71 F Manuel de Falla 56 G Charles Gounod 16 · Edvard Grieg 81 · HK
Gruber 68 · Sofia Gubaidulina 77 H George Frideric Handel 18 · Karl Amadeus Hartmann 62 · Joseph Haydn 62, 66 · Ferdinand Hérold 52
Anders Hillborg 81 · Paul Hindemith 56 · James Newton Howard 59 · Engelbert Humperdinck 20, 78 J Niccolò Jommelli 22 L Ruggiero
Leoncavallo 24, 87 · Lowell Liebermann 50 · György Ligeti 60 M Gustav Mahler 60, 68, 72, 81 · Bohuslav Martinů 56 · Pietro Mascagni
24 · Jules Massenet 56 · Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy 71, 78 · Giacomo Meyerbeer 60 · Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 26, 59, 59, 62, 66,
78, 83 N Carl Nielsen 60, 81 O Jacques Offenbach 28, 30 P Martijn Padding 72 · Sergei Prokofiev 62, 56 · Giacomo Puccini 32, 34,
60 R Maurice Ravel 68, 56 · Max Reger 78, 62 · Gioachino Rossini 36, 60, 87, 89 S Camille Saint-Saëns 56, 71 · Pablo de Sarasate 56
Arnold Schoenberg 65 · Dmitri Shostakovich 68, 72,74, 81 · Rodion Shchedrin 62 · Franz Schubert 59, 77 · Robert Schumann 83 · Jean
Sibelius 66, 72, 81 · Igor Stravinsky 72 · Karol Szymanowski 38 T Francesco Paolo Tosti 87 · Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky 50, 54, 65, 72, 83, 85,
92 V Giuseppe Verdi 40, 42, 44, 56 · Antonio Vivaldi 92 W Richard Wagner 46, 77 · Carl Maria von Weber 48, 62, 78 · Anton Webern
81 · Jörg Widmann 62, 71
CONDUCTORS
A John Adams 74 B Daniel Barenboim 46, 65, 83 · Herbert Blomstedt 81 · Rudolf Buchbinder 78 C Paolo Carignani 34 · William
Christie 18 D Jan Willem de Vriend 74 · Johannes Debus 30 E Dan Ettinger 26 F Gabriele Ferro 22 · Mikko Franck 12 G Daniele
Gatti 72 · Valery Gergiev 62 · Gustavo Gimeno 60 · Boris Gruzin 54 H Bernard Haitink 81 · Thomas Hengelbrock 71 · Pablo Heras-Casado
44, 56 J Mariss Jansons 68, 72 · Paavo Järvi 71 L Keith Lockhart 59 M Enrique Mazzola 36 · Zubin Mehta 40, 85 · Juanjo Mena 60
Marc Minkowski 59 · Riccardo Muti 85 N Andris Nelsons 68, 72, 74 · Gianandrea Noseda 16, 42 P Antonio Pappano 32, 38 · Emmanuel
Plasson 50 · Gerrit Prießnitz 28 R Simon Rattle 66 · Donald Runnicles 78 S Yutaka Sado 56, 60 · Esa-Pekka Salonen 71, 81 · András
Schiff 59 T Christian Thielemann 20, 24, 48, 77 W Omer Meir Wellber 14 · Franz Welser-Möst 10 · John Wilson 65 · Barry Wordsworth
52 Y Martin Yates 50 Z David Zinman 56
SINGERS
A Ildar Abdrazakov 16 · Maria Agresta 24 · Tansel Akzeybek 24 · Nicola Alaimo 36 · Kate Aldrich 12 · Alessio Arduini 24 · Kerstin Avemo
30 · Atalla Ayan 44 B Janina Baechle 20 · Daniela Barcellona 89 · Piotr Beczala 56, 60 · Kim Begley 38 · Marco Berti 42 · Olga
Bezsmertna 10 · Andrea Borghini 14 C Joseph Calleja 14 · Charles Castronovo 16 · Nigel Cliff 32 · Carlo Colombara 40 · Marianne
Crebassa 71 D Christine Daletska 44 · David Danholt 60 · Louise Dearman 59, 65 · Joyce DiDonato 89 · Albert Dohmen 48 · Mark S.
Doss 42 · Stéphanie D'Oustrac 18 · Ana Durlovski 22 E Klara Ek 60 · Norbert Ernst 10 · Adrian Eröd 20 · Alan Ewing 38 · Yusif Eyvazov
60 F Daniela Fally 59 · Juan Diego Flórez 60, 87, 89 · Mandy Fredrich 30 · Rachel Frenkel 30 · Anett Fritsch 26 G Peter Galliard 28
Christian Gerhaher 81 · Margarita Gritskova 26 · Heike Groetzinger 14 · Hélène Guilmette 12 · Werner Güra 71 H Thomas Hampson 72
Jun-Sang Han 28 · Anja Harteros 60 · Sebastian Holecek 10 · Benjamin Hulett 32 J Sara Jakubiak 48 · Martina Janková 26 · Giorgia
Jarman 38 · Philippe Jaroussky 18 · Daniel Johansson 30 K Marie Karall 12 · Johan Karlstroem 60 · Jonas Kaufmann 10, 12, 24, 32 · Ketevan
Kemoklidze 16 · Mlada Khudoley 34 · Sebastian Kohlhepp 22 · Tomasz Konieczny 10 · Hans-Peter König 10 · Michael König 48 · Elisabeth
Kulman 56, 74 · Pelageya Kurennaya 62 · Mariusz Kwiecień 38 L Vasilij Ladjuk 16 · Christina Landshamer 48 · Jennifer Larmore 28 · Wiebke
Lehmkuhl 71 · Kristin Lewis 40, 42 · Rebecca Jo Loeb 28 · Irina Lungu 16 · Raffaella Lupinacci 36 M Ambrogio Maestri 24 · Sophie Marilley
22 · Riccardo Massi 34 · Peter Mattei 46 · Elena Maximova 60 · Liudmyla Monastyrska 24 · Inva Mula 12 · Maurizio Muraro 32 N Anna
Netrebko 60 · Torsten Nielsen 60 O Kristine Opolais 14, 32 · Julian Ovenden 65 P René Pape 14, 46 · Olga Peretyatko 44 · Simone
Piazzola 44 · Adrianne Pieczonka 10 · Saimir Pirgu 38 · Luca Pisaroni 26, 78 · Adam Plachetka 26 · Dimitri Platanias 24 · Giacomo Prestia
42 · Vito Priante 36 R Anita Rachvelishvili 40, 42 · Anna Lucia Richter 71 · Adam Riis 60 · Viktor Rud 28 · Michail Ryssov 34 S Matti
Salminen 40 · Fabio Sartori 40 · Tobias Schabel 46 · Lucy Schaufer 65 · Helene Schneiderman 22 · Andrè Schuen 71 · Michaela Schuster
20 · Peter Seiffert 46 · Manuel von Senden 34 · Dario Shikhmiri 36 · Daniela Sindram 20 · Catriona Smith 22 · Peter Sonn 46 · Kresimir
Spicer 18 · Scarlett Strallen 65 · Annalisa Stroppa 24 T Callum Thorpe 18 · Stefania Toczyska 24 · Ileana Tonca 20 · Emiliano Gonzalez Toro
44 · Hasmik Torosyan 36 · Fabio Trümpy 74 V Michael Volle 30 W Judith van Wanroij 74 · Katharine Watson 18 Y Sonya Yoncheva 78
Guanqun Yu 34 Z Georg Zeppenfeld 48
INSTRUMENTALISTS
A Behzod Abduraimov 62 · Martha Argerich 83 B Daniel Barenboim 83 · Guy Braunstein 65 · Yefim Bronfman 77 · Rudolf Buchbinder 78,
85 C Francesco Corti 59 E Thierry Escaich 71 · Mahan Esfahani 92 F Julia Fischer 56 G Amihai Grosz 66 H Håkan Hardenberger
68 J Frantisek Janoska 59 · Janine Jansen 74 · Leila Josefowicz 74 K Daishin Kashimoto 66 · Leonidas Kavakos 66 L Katia Labèque
71 · Marielle Labèque 71 · Olli Leppäniemi 60 M Yo-Yo Ma 72 Denis Matsuev 62 · Olli Mustonen 62 · Anne-Sophie Mutter 72, 85,
92 N Thibault Noally 59 O Lambert Orkis 92 · Alice Sara Ott 81 S Vincenzo Scalera 87 · András Schiff 59, 65 Herbert Schuch 62
Kian Soltani 65 T Antoine Tamestit 71 V Alexei Volodin 62 W Jörg Widmann 62 Z Frank Peter Zimmermann 68
S E A R C H T H E C O M P L E T E U N I T E L C ATA L O G U E W I T H M O R E T H A N 1 .5 0 0 P R O D U C T I O N S O N L I N E AT W W W.U N I T E L . D E
90
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The ClUB
Lambert Orkis ∙ Mahan Esfahani
Mutter‘s Virtuosi
For a change, rather than standing on stage in one of the world’s
renowned grand concert halls, Anne-Sophie Mutter spent
two evenings playing in a tiny graffiti-scrawled nightclub in the
Friedrichshain district of Berlin, jam-packed with hip young people.
Accompanied by pianist Lambert Orkis and her own Virtuosi –
young scholarship holders from her foundation for up-and-coming
talent from all over the world – Anne-Sophie Mutter performed
works ranging from the Baroque to the present day.
Length: 56'
Cat. no. A 055 50458 0000
A production of DEF Media on behalf of ZDF
in co-production with Deutsche Grammophon
Photo: Stefan Höderath/DG
ANNE-SOPHIE
MUTTER
I thought to myself:
OK, if there’s a bunch of people
who’ll never go to the Philharmonie,
I’ll have to go to them.
I’ll ‘stalk’ them, so to speak,
and go to their club.