Unitel was founded in Munich 50 years ago in 1966 and went on to become the world's leading producer of classical music programmes for film,

Transcription

1 Avant Première CATALOGUE 2016

2 Unitel was founded in Munich 50 years ago in 1966 and went on to become the world's leading producer of classical music programmes for film, television and video. Based on exclusive relationships with outstanding artists and institutions like Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, the Salzburg Festival and many others, the Unitel catalogue of more than 1500 titles presents some of the greatest achievements in the last half a century of classical music.

3 Front cover: Jonas Kaufmann & Annalisa Stroppa in P. Mascagni s Cavalleria Rusticana / Photo: Andreas J. Hirsch AVANT PREMIÈRE CATALOGUE 2016 This catalogue features the new productions/additions from 2015 to the Unitel catalogue. For the full catalogue please visit Editorial Team: Konrad von Soden, Burkhard Grote Layout: Manuel Messner/luebbeke.com Avant Première CATALOGUE 2016 All information is not contractual and subject to change without prior notice. All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. Date of Print: 1 st of February 2016 Unitel 2016 All Rights reserved Further information on Unitel, Unitel s DVD releases and the international Pay TV plattform Classica, please visit: FOR COPRODUCTION & PRESALES INQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT: Unitel GmbH & Co. KG Gruenwalder Weg 28D Oberhaching / Munich, Germany Tel: Fax: info@unitel.de Ernst Buchrucker Managing Director ernst.buchrucker@unitel.de Tel: Dr. Thomas Hieber Head of Business and Legal Affairs thomas.hieber@unitel.de Tel: Dr. Magdalena Herbst Head of Production magdalena.herbst@unitel.de Tel: WORLD SALES C Major Entertainment GmbH Meerscheidtstr Berlin, Germany Tel.: info@cmajor-entertainment.com Elmar Kruse Managing Director e.kruse@cmajor-entertainment.com Nadja Joost Sales Manager, Director Live Events & Popular Music n.joost@cmajor-entertainment.com Niklas Arens Sales Manager, Director Sales & Marketing n.arens@cmajor-entertainment.com Ira Rost Sales Manager, Assistant to Managing Director i.rost@cmajor-entertainment.com Nishrin Schacherbauer Sales Manager nishrin@cmajor-entertainment.com Unitel GmbH & Co. KG Grünwalder Weg 28d Oberhaching Germany CEO: Jan Mojto 5

4 Avant Première 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) 50 Ferdinand Hérold: La Fille mal gardée (Royal Ballet / Ashton) 52 Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (Royal Ballet / Petipa & Ivanov) 54 CONCERT Czech Philharmonic Dvořák, Martinů & Beethoven (J. Fischer, D. Zinman) 56 Grafenegg Festival Midsummer Night's Gala 56 The Odeonsplatz Concert Spanish Night 56 Hollywood in Vienna A Tribute to James Newton Howard 59 András Schiff & Cappella Andrea Barca (Mozartwoche Salzburg) 59 Les Musiciens du Louvre & Marc Minkowski (Mozartwoche Salzburg) 59 Red Ribbon Celebration Concert Building Bridges for Peace 60 Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg The Inaugural Concert (G. Gimeno) 60 The Carl Nielsen Gala 60 The Prokofiev Marathon (V. Gergiev) 62 BBC Proms Stage and Screen A Tribute to Leonard Bernstein 65 András Schiff The Goldberg Variations 65 West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (D. Barenboim) 65 Berliner Philharmoniker The Sibelius Cycle (S. Rattle) 66 Mozart & Haydn (S. Rattle) 66 HK Gruber & Mahler (H. Hardenberger, A. Nelsons) 68 Bartók, Shostakovich & Ravel (F. P. Zimmermann, M. Jansons) 68 Orchestre de Paris Bach & Mendelssohn (T. Hengelbrock) 71 Escaich, Widmann & Saint-Saëns (P. Järvi) 71 Bartók (E.-P. Salonen) 71 Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky & Stravinsky (Yo-Yo Ma, D. Gatti) 72 Shostakovich & Sibelius (A.-S. Mutter, A. Nelsons) 72 Mariss Jansons The Farewell Concert 72 Bartók & Shostakovich (J. Jansen, A. Nelsons) 74 Breaking News John Adams conducts John Adams 74 Johann Sebastian Bach: Christmas Oratorio (J. W. de Vriend) 74 Staatskapelle Dresden Bruckner & Beethoven (Y. Bronfman, C. Thielemann) 77 Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 (C. Thielemann) 77 Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 (C. Thielemann) 77 Festive Advent Concert from the Frauenkirche Dresden (L. Pisaroni, S. Yoncheva, D. Runnicles) 78 Mozart Piano Concertos Nos. 20, 21 & 27 (R. Buchbinder) 78 Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks Hillborg, Grieg & Sibelius (A. S. Ott, E.-P. Salonen) 81 Webern & Shostakovich (B. Haitink) 81 Beethoven & Nielsen (H. Blomstedt) 81 West-Eastern Divan Orchestra Martha Argerich & Daniel Barenboim Piano Duos at the Teatro Colón 83 Beethoven & Tchaikovsky (D. Barenboim) 83 Concert for Understanding of Civilizations and Human Rights (D. Barenboim) 83 Wiener Philharmoniker Tchaikovsky & Brahms (A.-S. Mutter, R. Muti) 85 Johannes Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (R. Buchbinder, Z. Mehta) 85 CHAMBER MUSIC Juan Diego Flórez & Vincenzo Scalera - The Salzburg Recital 87 Johannes Brahms: The Complete String Quartets (Belcea Quartet) 87 Güher und Süher Pekinel The Istanbul Concert 87 Anne-Sophie Mutter The Club Concert 92 DOCUMENTARY Leonard Bernstein Larger Than Life 89 The Swan of Pesaro Rossini reloaded 89 Living with Beethoven 89 INDEX

5 ULTRA HD OUR GREATEST PRODUCTIONS ARE GETTING EVEN GREATER! THE FUTURE IS NOW: TODAY S MASTERPIECES IN 4K UHD The Unitel catalogue features some of the world s greatest and finest moments of classical music from the last 50 years fundamental works of art shot on 35 mm film that have inspired generations of music lovers all over the world, landmark productions and bestsellers, to this day. With the help of the latest advances in technology, we will now make these unique productions available in true 4K Ultra High Definition, offering a visual experience never before seen on the home screen SD FULL HD HD 4K ULTRA HD Following the principles set up by Dr Leo Kirch and Herbert von Karajan to produce in the best technical quality available, Unitel has started to produce in 4K Ultra High Definition - four times the quality of today s standard Full HD. With more than ten productions from Salzburg Festival, Teatro alla Scala, Bayersiche Staatsoper, Semperoper Dresden, Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro Regio Torino available or in postproduction, Unitel, once again, is taking classical music to the next stage. Unitel GmbH & Co. KG Tel: info@unitel.de Unitel GmbH & Co. KG Tel: info@unitel.de

6 OPERA Adrianne Pieczonka Jonas Kaufmann Tomasz Konieczny Hans-Peter König Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Franz Welser-Möst staged by Claus Guth Orchestra Wiener Philharmoniker Conductor Franz Welser-Möst Chorus Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor Chorus Master Ernst Raffelsberger Stage Director Claus Guth Leonore Adrianne Pieczonka Florestan Jonas Kaufmann Don Pizarro Tomasz Konieczny Rocco Hans-Peter König Marzelline Olga Bezsmertna Jaquino Norbert Ernst Don Fernando 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 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

7 OPERA Carmen GEORGES BIZET 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 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 Kate Aldrich Don José Jonas Kaufmann Micaëla Inva Mula Escamillo Kyle Ketelsen Zuniga Jean Teitgen Moralès Armando Noguera Frasquita Hélène Guilmette Mercédès Marie Karall Produced by Bel Air Media Video Director Andy Sommer 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 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

8 OPERA a R R i g o B o i t o René PaPe JosePh CalleJa KRistine opolais KaRine BaBaJanyan BayeRisChes staatsorchester ConduCted By omer meir WellBeR staged By Roland schwab BayeRisChe staatsoper ARRIGO Orchestra Bayerisches Staatsorchester Chorus Chorus and Children's Chorus of the Bayerische Staatsoper Conductor Omer Meir Wellber Stage Director Roland Schwab Mefistofele René Pape Faust Joseph Calleja Margherita Kristine Opolais Marta Heike Grötzinger Wagner Andrea Borghini Elena Karine Babajanyan Pantalis Rachael Wilson Nerèo Joshua Owen Mills Produced by Metis Film Video Director Tiziano Mancini shot in ULTRA HD ( ) BOITO 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 Photos: Wilfried Hösl 15

9 CHARLES GOUNOD OPERA CHARLES GOUNOD Charles Castronovo Ildar Abdrazakov Irina Lungu Vasilij Ladjuk conducted by Gianandrea Noseda staged by Stefano Poda Teatro Regio Torino Orchestra Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Regio Torino Conductor Gianandrea Noseda Stage Director Stefano Poda Doctor Faust Charles Castronovo Méphistophélès Ildar Abdrazakov Marguerite Irina Lungu Valentin Vasilij Ladjuk Siébel Ketevan Kemoklidze Wagner Paolo Maria Orecchia Marthe Samantha Korbey Produced by Metis Film Video Director Tiziano Mancini shot in ULTRA HD ( ) A production of UNITEL CLASSICA in co-production with Fondazione Teatro Regio Torino Length: 179' Cat. no. A 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. Photos: Teatro Regio Torino/Ramella & Giannese 17

10 GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL THEODORA Katherine Watson Stéphanie d Oustrac Philippe Jaroussky Kresimir Spicer Les Arts Florissants conducted by William Christie staged by Stephen Langridge Théâtre des Champs-Élysées GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL THEODORA Orchestra Les Arts Florissants Conductor William Christie Stage Director Stephen Langridge Theodora Katherine Watson Irene Stéphanie d'oustrac Didymus Philippe Jaroussky Septimius Kresimir Spicer Valens 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 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 OPERA Length: approx. 180' Cat. no. A 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

11 AdriAn Eröd JAninA baechle daniela sindram ileana tonca OPERA EngElbErt HumpErdinck Hänsel und Gretel conducted by christian thielemann staged by adrian noble ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK HÄNSEL UND GRETEL Orchestra Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper Conductor Christian Thielemann Stage Director Adrian Noble Peter, a broom-maker Adrian Eröd Gertrud Janina Baechle Hänsel Daniela Sindram Gretel Ileana Tonca Sandman and Dew Fairy Annika Gerhards Video Director Agnes Méth A production of ORF and UNITEL CLASSICA in co-production with ZDF/Arte in cooperation with Wiener Staatsoper Length: 113' Cat. no. A 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 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

12 NICCOLÒ JOMMELLI IL VOLOGESO OPERA SEBASTIAN KOHLHEPP SOPHIE MARILLEY ANA DURLOVSKI HELENE SCHNEIDERMAN conducted by GABRIELE FERRO staged by JOSSI WIELER & SERGIO MORABITO NICCOLÒ JOMMELLI IL VOLOGESO Orchestra Staatsorchester Stuttgart Conductor Gabriele Ferro Chorus Staatsopernchor Stuttgart Chorus Master Johannes Knecht Stage Director Jossi Wieler & Sergio Morabito Lucio Vero Sebastian Kohlhepp Vologeso Sophie Marilley Berenice Ana Durlovski Lucilla Helene Schneiderman Flavio Catriona Smith Aniceto 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' Cat. no. A 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

13 PIETRO MASCAGNI CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA RUGGERO LEONCAVALLO PAGLIACCI JONAS KAUFMANN LIUDMYLA MONASTYRSKA ANNALISA STROPPA AMBROGIO MAESTRI MARIA AGRESTA PIETRO MASCAGNI CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA Santuzza Liudmyla Monastyrska Turiddu Jonas Kaufmann Lucia Stefania Toczyska Alfio Ambrogio Maestri Lola Annalisa Stroppa RUGGERO LEONCAVALLO PAGLIACCI Nedda Maria Agresta Canio Jonas Kaufmann Tonio Dimitri Platanias Beppe Tansel Akzeybek Silvio 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 A production of UNITEL CLASSICA in co-production with ORF, 3sat and ZDF in cooperation with Salzburg Easter Festival Length: 161' Cat. no. A /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. OPERA SÄCHSISCHE STAATSKAPELLE DRESDEN CONDUCTED BY CHRISTIAN THIELEMANN STAGED BY PHILIPP STÖLZL SALZBURG EASTER FESTIVAL Photos: Andreas J. Hirsch 25

14 OPERA WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART LE NOZZE DI FIGARO Luca Pisaroni Anett Fritsch Martina Janková Adam Plachetka Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Dan Ettinger staged by Sven-Eric Bechtolf 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 Il Conte Almaviva Luca Pisaroni La Contessa Almaviva Anett Fritsch Susanna Martina Janková Figaro Adam Plachetka Cherubino Margarita Gritskova Marcellina Ann Murray Don Bartolo Carlos Chausson Don Basilio Paul Schweinester Don Curzio Franz Supper Produced by Metis Film Video Director Tiziano Mancini shot in ULTRA HD ( ) A co-production of UNITEL CLASSICA and Servus TV in cooperation with Salzburg Festival and Wiener Philharmoniker Length: 192' Cat. no. A 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. Photos: Ruth Walz 27

15 JACQUES OFFENBACH La Belle HÉLÈNE OPERA JACQUES OFFENBACH LaBelle HÉLÈNE Jun-Sang Han Peter Galliard Jennifer Larmore Viktor Rud Philharmoniker Hamburg conducted by Gerrit Prießnitz staged by Renaud Doucet Staatsoper Hamburg Orchestra Philharmoniker Hamburg Conductor Gerrit Prießnitz Stage Director & Choreographer Renaud Doucet Set & Costume Designer André Barbe Pâris Jun-Sang Han Ménélas Peter Galliard Hélène Jennifer Larmore Agamemnon Viktor Rud Oreste Rebecca Jo Loeb Achille Dovlet Nurgeldiyev Ajax premier Sergiu Saplacan Ajax deuxième Benjamin Popson Calchas Christian Miedl Bacchis 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 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). Photos: Klaus Lefebvre 28 29

16 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 Wiener Symphoniker Conductor Johannes Debus Chorus Prague Philharmonic Choir Chorus Master Lukáš Vasilek Stage Director Stefan Herheim Olympia/Giulietta Kerstin Avemo Antonia/Giulietta Mandy Fredrich Muse/Nicklausse/Voice from the grave Rachel Frenkel Hoffmann Daniel Johansson Lindorf/Coppélius/Luther/Miracle/Dapertutto Michael Volle Spalanzani Bengt-Ola Morgny Crespel Ketil Hugaas Andrès/Cochenille/Frantz/Pitichinaccio 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 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

17 GIACOMO PUCCINI MANON LESCAUT OPERA KRISTINE OPOLAIS JONAS KAUFMANN CHRISTOPHER MALTMAN MAURIZIO MURARO ORCHESTRA OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE CONDUCTED BY ANTONIO PAPPANO STAGED 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 Kristine Opolais Il Cavaliere Renato des Grieux Jonas Kaufmann Geronte di Ravoir Maurizio Muraro Edmondo Benjamin Hulett Innkeeper Nigel Cliffe Musician Nadezhda Karyazina Dancing Master Robert Burt Sergeant Kihoon Kim Lamplighter Luis Gomes Naval Captain Jeremy White Video Director Jonathan Haswell A production of Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Length: 131' Cat. no. A 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) Photos: Bill Cooper UNITEL PROUDLY REPRESENTS THE INTERNATIONAL TV DISTRIBUTION OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE LONDON 33

18 OPERA GIACOMO PUCCINI TURANDOT MLADA KHUDOLEY RICCARDO MASSI MICHAIL RYSSOV Manuel von Senden WIENER SYMPHONIKER CONDUCTED BY PAOLO CARIGNANI STAGED BY MARCO ARTURO MARELLI GIACOMO PUCCINI 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 Mlada Khudoley Altoum Manuel von Senden Timur Michail Ryssov The Unknown Prince (Calaf) Riccardo Massi Liù Guanqun Yu Ping Andrè Schuen Pang Taylan Reinhard Pong Cosmin Ifrim A Mandarin 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 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 70 th 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

19 LA GIOACHINO ROSSINI GAZZETTA OPERA 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 Nicola Alaimo Lisetta Hasmik Torosyan Filippo Vito Priante Doralice Raffaella Lupinacci Anselmo Dario Shikhmiri Alberto Maxim Mironov Madama La Rose Josè Maria Lo Monaco Monsù Traversen Andrea Vincenzo Bonsignore Tommasino Ernesto Lama Produced by Metis Film Video Director Tiziano Mancini shot in ULTRA HD ( ) A production of UNITEL CLASSICA in co-production with Rossini Opera Festival Length: 156' A production Cat. of no. UNITEL A 000 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 shot in ULTRA HD ( ) Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna conducted by Enrique Mazzola staged by Marco Carniti Photos: Studio Amati Bacciardi 37

20 Karol SzymanowSKi Król roger OPERA Mariusz Kwiecień GeorGia JarMan saimir PriGu KiM BeGley orchestra of the royal opera house conducted By antonio PaPPano staged By KasPer holten Karol SzymanowSKi KRól ROGER (KI n G ROGER) Orchestra Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House Conductor Antonio Pappano Stage Director Kasper Holten Roger II Mariusz Kwiecień Roxana Georgia Jarman Shepherd Saimir Pirgu Edrisi Kim Begley Archbishop Alan Ewing Deaconess Agnes Zwierko Video Director Ian Russell A production of Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Length: 96' Cat. no. A 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 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. Photos: Bill Cooper UNITEL PROUDLY REPRESENTS THE INTERNATIONAL TV DISTRIBUTION OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE LONDON 39

21 GIUSEPPE VERDI AIDA CARLO COLOMBARA ANITA RACHVELISHVILI KRISTIN LEWIS FABIO SARTORI CONDUCTED BY ZUBIN MEHTA STAGED BY PETER STEIN OPERA GIUSEPPE VERDI AIDA Orchestra Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro alla Scala Conductor Zubin Mehta Stage Director Peter Stein The King Carlo Colombara Amneris Anita Rachvelishvili Aida Kristin Lewis Radamès Fabio Sartori Ramfis Matti Salminen Amonasro George Gagnidze A Messenger Azer Rza-Zada The High Priestess Chiara Isotton Produced by Metis Film Video Director Tiziano Mancini shot in ULTRA HD ( ) 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 Photos: Brescia-Amisano 41

22 Giuseppe Verdi GIUSEPPE VERDI AIDA Orchestra Orchestra and Chorus Teatro Regio Torino Conductor Gianandrea Noseda Stage Director William Friedkin Aida Kristin Lewis Amneris Anita Rachvelishvili Radamès Marco Berti Amonasro Marc S. Doss Ramfis Giacomo Prestia The King In-Sung Sim A Messenger Dario Prola A High Priestess Kate Fruchtermann Produced by Metis Film Video Director Tiziano Mancini shot in ULTRA HD ( ) 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. 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). OPERA A production of Fondazione Teatro Regio Torino in cooperation with UNITEL CLASSICA Length: approx. 150' Cat. no. A 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). Kristin Lewis AnitA rachvelishvili MArco Berti MArK s. Doss conducted By GiAnAnDreA noseda staged By william FrieDKin teatro regio torino Photos: Teatro Regio Torino/Ramella & Giannese 43

23 La Traviata La Traviata G I U S E P P E V E R D I OPERA 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 Orchestra Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble Conductor Pablo Heras-Casado Chorus Balthasar-Neumann-Chor Stage Director Rolando Villazón Violetta Valéry Olga Peretyatko Alfredo Germont Atalla Ayan Giorgio Germont Simone Piazzola Flora Bervoix Christine Daletska Gastone, Vicomte de Létorières Emiliano Gonzalez Toro Baron Douphol Tom Fox Marquis d Obigny Konstantin Wolff Annina Deniz Uzun Dr. Grenvil Walter Fink A co-production of UNITEL CLASSICA and SWR/Arte in cooperation with Festspielhaus Baden-Baden Length: approx. 140' Cat. no. A 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

24 RICHARD WAGNER TANNHÄUSER PETER SEIFFERT PETER SONN PETER MATTEI RENÉ PAPE STAATSKAPELLE BERLIN CONDUCTED BY DANIEL BARENBOIM STAGE DIRECTION & CHOREOGRAPHY BY SASHA WALTZ STAATSOPER IM SCHILLERTHEATER RICHARD WAGNER TANNHÄUSER Orchestra Staatskapelle Berlin Conductor Daniel Barenboim Chorus Staatsopernchor Berlin Chorus Master Martin Wright Stage Direction & Choreography Sasha Waltz Tannhäuser Peter Seiffert Wolfram von Eschenbach Peter Mattei Walther von der Vogelweide Peter Sonn Hermann, Landgrave of Thuringia René Pape Biterolf Tobias Schabel Heinrich der Schreiber Jürgen Sacher Reinmar von Zweter Jan Martiník Elisabeth, the Landgrave's niece Ann Peterson Venus Marina Prudenskaya A young shepherd 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 Length: 192' Cat. no. A 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). OPERA Photos: Bernd Uhlig 47

25 CARL MARIA VON WEBER DER FREISCHÜTZ OPERA Michael König Georg Zeppenfeld Albert Dohmen Sara Jakubiak Staatskapelle Dresden conducted by Christian Thielemann staged by Axel Köhler CARL MARIA VON WEBER DER FREISCHÜTZ Orchestra Staatskapelle Dresden Conductor Christian Thielemann Chorus Staatsopernchor Dresden Chorus Master Jörn H. Andresen Stage Director Axel Köhler Max Michael König Kaspar Georg Zeppenfeld Kuno, a hereditary forester Albert Dohmen Agathe, Kuno's daughter Sara Jakubiak Ännchen Christina Landshamer Fürst Ottokar Adrian Eröd Kilian Sebastian Wartig Hermit Andreas Bauer Produced by Metis Film Video Director Tiziano Mancini shot in ULTRA HD ( ) A co-production of UNITEL CLASSICA and Semperoper Dresden Length: 149' Cat. no. A 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

26 QUADRUPLE BILL VISCERA AFTERNOON OF A FAUN TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX CARMEN BALLET MARIANELA NUÑEZ CARLOS ACOSTA SARAH LAMB STEVEN McRAE ORCHESTRA OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE QUADRUPLE BILL VISCERA Choreography Liam Scarlett Music by Lowell Liebermann Soloists Laura Morera Marianela Nuñez Ryoichi Hirano AFTERNOON OF A FAUN Choreography Jerome Robbins Music by Claude Debussy Soloists Sarah Lamb Vadim Muntagirov TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX 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 A production of Royal Opera House Covent Garden Photos: Andrej Uspenski, Tristram Kenton UNITEL PROUDLY REPRESENTS THE INTERNATIONAL TV DISTRIBUTION OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE LONDON 51

27 FERDINAND HÉROLD LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE BALLET PHILIP MOSLEY NATALIA OSIPOVA STEVEN MCRAE CHRISTOPHER SAUNDERS ORCHESTRA OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE CONDUCTED BY BARRY WORDSWORTH CHOREOGRAPHY BY 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 Philip Mosley Lise Natalia Osipova Colas Steven McRae Thomas Christopher Saunders Alain Paul Kay Cockerel 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 Photos: Tristram Kenton UNITEL PROUDLY REPRESENTS THE INTERNATIONAL TV DISTRIBUTION OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE LONDON 53

28 PYOTR I. TCHAIKOVSKY SWAN LAKE BALLET NATALIA OSIPOVA MATTHEW GOLDING ELISABETH McGORIAN GARY AVIS ORCHESTRA OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE CONDUCTED BY BORIS GRUZIN CHOREOGRAPHY BY MARIUS PETIPA & LEV IVANOV PYOTR I. TCHAIKOVSKY 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 Natalia Osipova Prince Siegfried Matthew Golding The Princess (Siegfried s Mother) Elizabeth McGorian Sorcerer Rothbart Gary Avis The Tutor Alastair Marriott Video Director Ross McGibbon A production of Royal Opera House Covent Garden Length: 133' Cat. no. A 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. Photos: Alice Pennefather, Dee Conway UNITEL PROUDLY REPRESENTS THE INTERNATIONAL TV DISTRIBUTION OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE LONDON 55

29 CONCERTS Photo: Petra Hajská 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, Length: 99' Cat. no. A 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. A production of Czech Television and UNITEL CLASSICA in collaboration with Czech Philharmonic 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. Length: 74' Cat. no. A 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. A co-production of ORF and UNITEL CLASSICA in cooperation with Grafenegg Festival 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 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 56 JULIA FISCHER

30 Photo: Ludwig Schedl CONCERT 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 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 Concerto: Sensitively supported by the rich and supple tone of the strings, Schiff s pianistic virtuosity explores the length and breadth of Beethoven s early work, was the admiring verdict of the Salzburg press. Schiff again succeeds in Schubert s Symphony No. 5 from the first note to the last in creating a sound world that flooded the mind s eye with images (Drehpunkt Kultur). The climax of the concert is the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23. Schiff here demonstrates his skill in pianistic interpretation and in conducting, nuanced, passionate, a sensitive revelation, enthused the press. Length: 109' Cat. no. A 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 (4 th 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 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

31 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 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 Austro- Hungarian programme of post-romantic works. In his uncommonly transparent readings of complex, subtly Length: approx. 75' Cat. no. A 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 150 th anniversary with a grand gala under the musical direction of Juanjo Mena, in the presence of Queen Margarethe herself. Length: 90' Cat. no. A 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 60 ANNA NETREBKO

32 the Prokofiev Marathon valery GerGiev Photo: Philharmoniker/Andrea Huber THE PROKOFIEV MARATHON CONCERT 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 HERBERT SCHUCH, Piano MARIINSKY ORCHESTRA (Cat. no. A Length: approx. 80') 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 PART II DENIS MATSUEV, Piano MARIINSKY ORCHESTRA (Cat. no. A Length: approx. 70') 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 MUNICH PHILHARMONIC MARIINSKY ORCHESTRA PART III BEHZOD ABDURAIMOV, Piano MUNICH PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA (Cat. no. A Length: approx. 60') 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. A Length: approx. 85') 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 PART IV ALEXEI VOLODIN, Piano PELAGEYA KURENNAYA, Soprano MARIINSKY ORCHESTRA (Cat. no. A Length: approx. 90') 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

33 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 THE ROYAL ALBERT 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 Length: 107' Cat. no. A 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) A BBC production in association with John Wilson Orchestra and UNITEL CLASSICA 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 Length: approx. 80' Cat. no. A 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. A BBC production in association with UNITEL CLASSICA 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 120 th - anniversary 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 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

34 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 150 th 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. Length: 243' Cat. no. A 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. A production of BBC, Berliner Philharmoniker and UNITEL CLASSICA in co-production with ZDF for Arte 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 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 66 SIR SIMON RATTLE

35 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 Length: 113' Cat. no. A 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) A production of Berlin Phil Media and UNITEL CLASSICA 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 (Süddeutsche Zeitung). For Shostakovich s 2 nd 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 68 ANDRIS NELSONS

36 Photo: AFP - C. Platiau CONCERT 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. Length: approx. 95' Cat. no. A 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. A co-production of CLC Productions, Orchestre de Paris and UNITEL CLASSICA in cooperation with ARTE France and the support of CNC 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 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 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 PHILHARMONIE DE PARIS 71

37 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: Length: 99' Cat. no. A 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) A co-production of RCO and UNITEL CLASSICA 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 Zeitung with admiration. It can be played differently, but not better. (Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung) Mutter s violin concerto is wonderfully complemented by Shostakovich s 10 th, 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 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 72 YO-YO MA

38 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 Length: approx. 100' Cat. no. A 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. A co-production of RCO and UNITEL CLASSICA 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 He also draws inspiration from current events in his Length: approx. 100' Cat. no. A 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 150 th anniversary of the declaration of independence with which Texas seceded from Mexico in A co-production of RCO and UNITEL CLASSICA 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 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 74 JANINE JANSEN

39 Photo: Matthias Creutziger CONCERT 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 and clarity. It could hardly have been better! Beethoven s Piano Concerto featured one of today s outstanding keyboard virtuosos, the Soviet-born Israeli- American 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 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 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 CHRISTIAN THIELEMANN 77

40 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 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 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. Length: approx. 90' Cat. no. A A production of UNITEL CLASSICA in co-production with ZDF/Arte in cooperation with Staatskapelle Dresden shot in ULTRA HD ( ) 78 FESTIVE ADVENT CONCERT AT THE FRAUENKIRCHE DRESDEN

41 Photo: Astrid Ackermann CONCERT 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 Length: 90' Cat. no. A 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 150 th birthday that no one who was present will ever forget. (Süddeutsche Zeitung) A co-production of BR and UNITEL CLASSICA WEBERN & SHOSTAKOVICH CONDUCTED BY BERNARD HAITINK ANTON WEBERN Im Sommerwind Idyll for Orchestra, after a poem by Bruno Wille DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 15 in A major, Op. 141 Dutch conductor 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. This idyll for large orchestra composed in 1904 and officially premiered decades after Webern s death is surprisingly tonal and shows another side to the 20 th - century modernist. Length: 91' Cat. no. A It is followed by Dmitri Shostakovich s 15 th Symphony. This orchestral work, written in the summer of 1971, is often considered as a review of the composer s own life: In his last symphony, Shostakovich places allusions to works of himself and quotes masterly music by Rossini, Glinka, Mahler and Wagner. The moved audience reflected on the great riddles and ambiguities that only art offers (tz). A co-production of BR and UNITEL CLASSICA 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 88 th 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 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 150 th anniversary year. A co-production of BR and UNITEL CLASSICA ESA-PEKKA SALONEN & ALICE SARA OTT 81

42 Photo: Guido Adler/DG CONCERT 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 Length: approx. 70' Cat. no. A 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). A Production of UNITEL CLASSICA 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 Length: approx. 100' Cat. no. A 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. A Production of UNITEL CLASSICA 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 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 DANIEL BARENBOIM & MARTHA ARGERICH 83

43 Photo: Marco Borrelli CONCERT 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 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 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 RICCARDO MUTI & ANNE SOPHIE MUTTER 85

44 Photo: Marco Borrelli CHAMBER MUSIC CHAMBER MUSIC JUAN DIEGO FLÓREZ & VINCENZO SCALERA THE SALZBURG RECITAL Length: 88' Cat. no. A 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 soldout 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 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' Cat. no. A 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 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 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 VINCENZO SCALERA & JUAN DIEGO FLÓREZ 87

45 Photos: Unitel DOCUMENTARIES DOCUMENTARY LEONARD BERNSTEIN LARGER THAN LIFE A PORTRAIT BY GEORG WÜBBOLT Length: 52' Cat. no. A 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 awardwinning 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 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 19 th 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 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 LEONARD BERNSTEIN 89

46 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 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 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 THANK YOU!

47 ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER The ClUB Concert Lambert Orkis Mahan Esfahani Mutter s Virtuosi 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. Photo: Stefan Höderath/DG 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 A production of DEF Media on behalf of ZDF in co-production with Deutsche Grammophon