NNOOVVEEMMBBEERR 22000099 UK release call off 30th October SPECIAL BOX SETS SPECIAL BOX 2057918 2057928 Music [4] Sacred 2057938 Italian Opera [4] 2057948 Opera [4] Baroque 2057958 [4] Abbado Portrait Claudio [4] Essential Beethoven 2057728 2057468 Violetta Urmana, Konzert Europa Abbado BPO / 2072488 Quasthoff, Creation Haydn Dasch / Fisher Thielemann Die Meistersinger / available 9th November 2009 9th November available harmonia mundi CLASSICAL DVD news CLASSIC FM November DVD OF THE MONTH Medici Arts 2057348 Sao Paulo Samba BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE DVD CHOICE Signum Vision SIGDVD006 Touch the Sound: a sound journey / Evelyn Glennie BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE DVD CHOICE Medici Arts 2055488 Mahler Symphony No. 4, Schoenberg Pelleas & Melisande Juliane Banse (soprano); Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra/ Claudio Abbado Coming next month: El Sistema, featuring José Contact Info Antonio Abreu, Gustavo Sales Tel: 020 8709 9500 Dudamel and the Simón Fax: 020 8709 9501 Bolívar Youth Orchestra on [email protected] bluray and DVD. DVDPress Karen Pitchford Tel: 07785 733561 This lyrical and moving [email protected] documentary takes us from Accounts: Kamrul Masud the rubbish dumps and Tel: 020 8709 9515 [email protected] barrios of Caracas to the Opening hours 9.00am - 5.30pm world's finest concert halls. harmonia mundi (U.K.) Limited Registered Office c/o Browne Jacobson LLP, Aldwych House, 81 Aldwych, London WC2B 4HN Registered in England and Wales nº 159786 6 A R L E S / L O S A N G E L E S / L O N D O N / H E I D E L B E R G / B A R C E L O N A / D E N H A A G / A N T W E R P EN 2057728 Barcode: 880242577283 NTSC - 16:9, PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 Region code: 0 Original language: Italian Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian Booklet Notes: French, German, English Running time: 90 mins Audience: all EUROPA KONZERT 2009 VERDI La Forza del Destino Overture; MARTUCCI La canzone dei ricordi; SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9 D944 'Great' Violeta Urmana (soprano); Berliner Philharmoniker / Riccardo Muti Recorded live at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples, May 1st 2009 This year's Europa Konzert took place in Naples, Riccardo Muti's home town.The charismatic conductor and the Berlin Philharmonic together with Violeta Urmana, one of the leading sopranos in the Italian dramatic genre, present the overture of Verdi's magnificent opera La Forza del Destino and La canzone dei ricordi (The Song of Memories) for soprano by Giuseppe Martucci (1820-1869). Martucci's song cycle was originally conceived as a work for voice and piano, but found its final form and highest expression in the arrangement for soprano and orchestra. The Lithuanian-born singer has justly became world famous for her interpretation of roles such as Aida,Amelia, Elisabetta, Gioconda, Leonora, Tosca and Norma.She is currently receiving rave reveiws for her Isolde at Bregenz which she takes to the Met and Berlin later this year. Schubert's 'Great Symphony' completes this fantastic concert at the formidable Teatro San Carlo. harmonia mundi UK- released November 9th 2009 2057468 Barcode: 880242574688 DVD PRICE £14.99 NTSC 16:9, PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 Region code: 0 Original language: German Subtitles: English, French, German Booklet Notes: French, German, English Running time: 108 mins Audience: all HAYDN The Creation Annette Dasch ( soprano); Christoph Strehl (tenor); Thomas Quasthoff (bass-baritone); Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Choir / Adam Fischer (conductor) Live from the Haydnsaal at Schloss Esterhazy Eisenstadt,Austria This performance in the beautiful historic concert hall of Schloss Esterhazy in Eisenstadt (Austria) is a tribute to one of the world's greatest musical genius, Joseph Haydn, on the occasion of his 200th anniversary of death in 1809. Joseph Haydn spent most his life in Eisenstadt at Schloss Esterhazy.The Concert was recorded at the historical venue at Schloss Esterhazy Eisenstadt,Austria in May 2009. The Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, founded in 1987 by internationally renowned conductor Adam Fischer, consists of musicians from the Vienna Phil and the main Budapest-based orchestras. Thomas Quasthoff's Birthday celebration in November 2009 will draw a lot of attention to this latest recording, (Nov 9, 1959) and he garnered rave reviews for his performances in this role, earlier this year with René Jacobs at the Barbican. This live-broadcast of The Creation represents a DVD media highlight of Haydn-year 2009. harmonia mundi UK- released November 9th 2009 2072488 Barcode: 880242724885 2DVDs £19.99 NTSC · 16:9, PCM Stereo· DD 5.1· DTS 5.1 Region Code: 0 Booklet Notes: English, German, French Languages: German Subtitles: English, German, French Running Time: 273 mins FSK: all audiences Richard WAGNER Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Falk Struckmann (Hans Sachs); Ain Anger (Veit Pogner); Adrian Eröd (Sixtus Beckmesser); Johan Botha (Walther von Stolzing); Michael Schade (David); Ricarda Merbeth (Eva); Orchestra & Chorus of the Vienna State Opera / Christian Thielemann (conductor) The 2008 reprise of the evergreen Otto Schenk staging with an overwhelming cast, perfect for all Wagner traditionalists. Conductor Christian Thielemann deserves a great deal of the credit for fashioning a multi-faceted drama that is anything but black-and-white in its musical depiction of the characters. Since his Bayreuth Festival debut in 2000,Thielemann has established himself as one of the world's leading Wagner conductors. Among the vocal surprises of this live recording is Adrian Eröd as Beckmesser. Eröd is on a par with the great Wagner baritone Falk Struckmann as Hans Sachs, who injects earthy humour into his role while building a tender rapport with Ricarda Merbeth's Eva.As Walther von Stolzing, Johan Botha is pure tenor gold. "A feast of singers" Der Standard "Nearly six hours of pure enjoyment" Kurier harmonia mundi UK- released November 9th 2009 2057918 Barcode: 880242579188 4 DVDs £26.99 NTSC · 16:9, PCM Stereo · DD 5.1 · DTS 5.1 Region Code: 0 Booklet Notes: GB, D, F Subtitles: DVD 1 & 2: Lat, GB, D, F, E / DVD 3: GB, D, F / DVD 4: Lat, GB, D, F Running Time: 419 mins in total FSK: all audiences SACRED MUSIC This DVD box combines the most known and beloved works in sacred music of the three greatest composers of all time.Those works were, are and always will be essential to music. DVD 1:VERDI Messa di Requiem Norma Fantini,Anna Smirnova, Lorin Maazel Lorin Maazel's tour with the Symphonica Toscanini,called "In the Footsteps of Toscanini",culminated in two concerts in Venice of Verdi's Requiem, a showpiece of Toscanini's,and St Mark's proved to be an ideal venue for this eloquent and musically impressive confessional work. DVD 2: BEETHOVEN Missa Solemnis Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden Orchestra / Fabio Luisi On this DVD state-of-the-art recording Beethoven's over- whelming music blends wonderfully with the camera shots of the impressive space.The cast of soloists is excellent. It includes Camilla Nylund and René Pape, among the most outstanding singers of the younger generation.A bonus film features the reconstruction of the Frauenkirche. DVD 3: BACH St John Passion Bach Collegium Japan / Masaaki Suzuki The Bach Collegium Japan has been regarded for some years now as a real discovery among baroque ensembles specialising in the performance of sacred music from the Baroque and Masaaki Suzuki, who conducts and plays the harpsichord, is a complete and thorough musician. DVD 4: BACH Mass in B minor Thomanerchor Leipzig; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig / Georg Christoph Biller The artistry of the performers under the assured baton of conductor George Christoph Biller is exemplary and the state-of-the-art filming shows the serene gothic church in full splendour - a fitting backdrop for the work that is generally regarded as the crowning glory of Bach's sacred choral music; a majestic work that showcases Bach's supreme craftsmanship and skill as a choral composer. harmonia mundi UK- released November 9th 2009 2057928 Barcode: 880242579287 4CVDs £26.99 NTSC · 16:9, DVD 1&2: DD 2.0 · DTS 5.1 DVD 3&4: PCM Stereo · DD 5.1 · DTS 5.1 Region Code: 0 Booklet Notes: GB, D, F (GB, D only in DVD 2) Subtitles: I, GB, D, F, E (I, GB, D only in DVD 2) Running Time: 554 mins in total FSK: all audiences ITALIAN OPERAS This box contains four splendid productions of masterpieces of Italian opera: Il barbiere di Siviglia, La Traviata,Tosca and Adriana Lecouvreur. A wonderful Christmas present! DVD1: ROSSINI Il barbiere di Siviglia Vesselina Kasarova, Chorus and Orchestra of the Opernhaus Zürich / Nello Santi Highly acclaimed staging of one of the most popular operas ever written, with an all-star cast including Vesselina Kasarova as Rosina, who shines musically and dramatically, Manuel Lanza as Figaro, Reinaldo Macias as the Count...An audiovisual feast. DVD2:VERDI La Traviata Kristiane Kaiser, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra / Ernst Märzendorfer A fascinating and dazzling production of La Traviata at one of Europe's most important open-air festivals: the Opera Festival St. Margarethen, set in a rustically roman- tic Roman quarry.A summer night at the opera. DVD3: PUCCINI Tosca Maria Guleghina, Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala / Riccardo Muti Puccini's Tosca,one of the best loved operas in the repertoire, in a world-famous staging at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, sung by an international cast of excellent singer-actors, and directed by the great Riccardo Muti,. The lead roles were filled by high-calibre stars, among them Maria Guleghina.A must have ! DVD4: CILEA Adriana Lecouvreur Sergei Larin, Giorgio Giuseppini, Chorus & Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala / Roberto Rizzi Brignoli Under the baton of Roberto Rizzi Brignoli, a new gener- ation of singers gave fresh life to Cilea's most polished work in January 2000.