Israel Philharmonic 75 Years

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra 75 Years Anniversary Concert. Zubin Mehta conducts the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. The program:

Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso op. 28 Julian Rachlin, violin
Bach Partita No. 2 in D minor, Julian Rachlin, violin
Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1, Evgeny Kissin, piano
Chausson Poème for violin and orchestra, op. 25 Vadim Repin, violin
Beethoven Symphony No. 8

Also included is a documentary, Coming Home, about the history of the the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Directed for TV by János Darvas; audio producer was Friedemann Engelbrecht. Released 2012, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

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Here's news about high-definition video disc ("HDVD") recordings of opera, ballet, classical music, plays, fine-art documentaries, and paintings. In the journal below are independent (and hard-to-find critical) reports on hundreds of HDVDs. Pick the best titles for your excelsisphere.

Feb 25. We have just completed one of our most ambitious reviews: Einstein on the Beach opera, the surreal 4 and 1/2 hour cult legend. Kudos, encomiums, and accolades to Opus Arte for giving us this authoritative and weirdly fascinating recording, which we grade A+. Absorbing and learning Einstein is uniquely challenging. We try to help out by providing aids not included in the keepcase materials: an accurate libretto and a list of segments in the opera with correct Opus Arte time stamps. Good luck!

We have some other good grades with an A for the recent Met The Pearl Fishers (Les pêcheurs de perles) and a B- for an earlier The Pearl Fishers from Naples. Also, we recently gave an A- for the new Don Quixote from the Vienna State Ballet.