Charles Ives Universe, Incomplete symphony and performance art piece. Directed 2018 (as a world premiere) by Christoph Marthaler at the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum, Germany as part of the 2018 Ruhrtriennale Festival. Titus Engel is music director for the Bochumer Symphoniker, the Rhetoric Project, and the Schlagquartett Köln with the assistance of multiple student percussion groups. Dancers are Joaquin Abella, Tora Augestad, Liliana Benini, Bérengère Bodin, Marc Bodnar, Magne-Håvard Brekke, Bendix Dethlieffsen, Haizam Fathy, Altea Garrido, Ueli Jäggi, Jürg Kienberger, Antonio J. Navarro, Michael Wilhelmi, Thomas Wodianka, Clements August Becker, and Helmut Schmitt.
Read MoreAccentus
The Armed Man - A Mass for Peace
in Concert
Sir Karl Jenkins The Armed Man - A Mass for Peace concert. Performed 2019 at the Mercedes Benz Arena, Berlin. Sir Karl Jenkins (The Armed Man) and Grant Llewellyn (Lament for Syria) conduct the World Orchestra for Peace and the World Choir for Peace (Chorus Master Nicol Matt). Soloist singers are Leah-Marian Jones, Yumeji Matsufuji, Pauline Rathmann, and Amir Aziz. Features cellist Valentino Worlitzsch. Directed for TV and produced by Hefin Owen; executive production by Gareth Williams; music production by Gwawr Owen; film editing by Gareth Owens and Chris Lawrence. Sung in English, French, Arabic, Welsh, German, Latin, and Japanese. Released 2019, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBach Christmas Oratorio
in Concert
Christmas Oratorio. Music is Bach concert of 6 cantatas (BWV 248) to a sacred text. Recorded 2018 at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. Gotthold Schwarz conducts the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and the Thomanerchor Leipzig with soloists Dorothee Mields (soprano), Elvira Bill (alto), Patrick Grahl (tenor for Evangelist part), Markus Schafer (tenor for arias), and Klaus Hager (bass). Sung in German. Released 2019, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: NA
Read MoreBlomstedt Conducts Beethoven Box Set
in Concert
Blomdstedt Conducts Beethoven Box Set released 2019. Herbert Blomstedt conducts the Gewandhausorchester, the MDR Rundfunkchor, the GewandhausChor and the GewandhausKinderchor from 2015-2017. Below are the discs. Each of them has already been reported on this website, and you can get more details by using the links provided:
Beethoven Triple Concerto and Beethoven Symphony No. 5. The Triple Concerto features Isabelle Faust (violin), Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello), and Martin Helmchen (piano).(Grade: N/A)
Beethoven Symphony No. 6 and Symphony No. 7. (Grade: N/A)
Beethoven Symphony No. 9. Features Simona Šaturová (soprano), Mihoko Fujimura (alto), Christian Elsner (tenor), Christian Gehaher (baritone). (Grade:N/A)
Released 2019, three disc set has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Total Grade: N/A
Read MoreRavel Famous Works
in Concert
Riccardo Chailly conducts the Lucerne Festival Orchestra for a night of famous Ravel works. Recorded 2018 at the Lucerne Festival. The following music is performed:
Valses nobles et sentimentales
La Valse
Daphnis et Chloé - Suite No. 1
Daphnis et Chloé - Suite No. 2
Boléro
Directed by Ute Feudel; produced by Paul Smaczny. Released 2019, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreWozzeck
in Opera
Alban Berg Wozzeck opera to libretto by the composer after Woyzeck by Georg Büchner. Directed 2015 by Andreas Homoki at the Opernhaus Zürich. Stars Christian Gerhaher (Wozzeck), Brandon Jovanovich (Drum Major), Mauro Peter (Andres), Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke (Captain), Lars Woldt (Doctor), Gun-Brit Barkmin (Marie), Pavel Daniluk (First Apprentice), Cheyne Davidson (Second Apprentice), Martin Zysset (Madman), Irène Friedli (Margret), and Alessandro Reinhart (Marie’s Child). Fabio Luisi conducts the Philharmonia Zürich and the Chor der Oper Zürich (Chorus Master Jürg Hämmerli). Set and costume design by Michael Levine; costume assistance by Meta Bronski; lighting design by Franck Evin; dramaturgy by Kathrin Brunner. Directed for TV by Michael Beyer; produced by Paul Smaczny. Sung in German. Released 2016, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A+
Read MoreTchaikovsky Violin Concerto and Shostakovich Symphony No. 5
in Concert
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto and Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 concert in 2017 at the Concert Hall of KKL Luzen. Long Yu conducts the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Features violinist Maxim Vengerov. The concert includes the following pieces:
Aaron Avshalamov Hutongs of Peking (A Symphonic Poem about the sounds and voices of Chinese streets.)
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
Shostakovich Symphony No. 5
Directed for TV by Michael Beyer. Released 2019, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreOperas from Opernhaus Zürich
in Opera
Operas from Opernhaus Zürich box set. You can get more details for each title by using the links provided:
Bellini I Capuleti e i Montecchi. 2016. (Grade: NA).
Berg Wozzeck. 2016. (Grade: A+).
Massenet Werther. 2018. (Grade: NA).
Lehár Das Land des Lächelns. 2018. (Grade: NA).
Das Land des Lächelns
in Opera
Lehár Das Land des Lächelns operetta to libretto by Ludwig Herzer. Directed 2017 by Andreas Homoki at the Opernhaus Zürich. Stars Piotr Beczala (Prince Sou-Chong), Julia Kleiter (Lisa), Rebeca Olvera (Mi), Spencer Long (Count Gustav von Pottenstein), Cheyne Davidson (Tschang), and Martin Zysset (Chief Eunuch). Fabio Luisi conducts the Philharmonia Zürich and the Chor der Oper Zürich (Chorus Master Ernst Raffelsberger). Set and lighting design by Klaus Grüberg; costume design by Silke Willrett; dramaturgy by Kathrin Brunner. Directed for TV by Michael Beyer; produced by Paul Smaczny. Sung in German. Released 2018, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBallets by Christian Spuck Box Set
in Ballet
Ballets by Christian Spuck box set. Performed at the Opernhaus Zürich. You can get more details for each title by using the links provided:
Verdi Messa da Requiem. 2017. (Grade: A).
Tchaikovsky Nutcracker and Mouse King. 2019. (Grade: A+).
Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet. 2020. (Grade: B-).
Mozart Symphony No. 40 and Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6
in Concert
St. Thomas Choir Leipzig Box Set
in Concert
St. Thomas Choir Leipzig box set with 3 titles featuring The St. Thomas Boys Choir. Below are the discs. The first two titles have been covered on this site, and you can get more details by using the links provided. The third title is a documentary that we do not cover.
Bach St. Matthew Passion. 2012. (Grade NA)
Bach Mass in B minor. 2014. (Grade NA)
Die Thomaner: A Year in the Life of the St. Thomas Boys Choir Leipzig documentary.
Claudio Abbado: The Last Years Box Set
in Concert
Claudio Abbado: The Last Years box set with 6 titles featuring Claudio Abbado conducting the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and the Orchestra Mozart as they perform works from Mahler, Bruckner, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and Shoenberg. Each of the titles have been covered on this site before. You can learn more about an individual title by clicking on the links below:
Mahler Symphony No. 9. 2011. Grade: D+
Bruckner Symphony No. 5. 2012. Grade: NA
Mozart Requiem Mass. 2013. Grade: NA
Mozart Symphony No. 35 (“Haffner”). 2015. Grade: B-
Le nozze di Figaro
in Opera
Mozart Le nozze di Figaro opera to libretto by Lorenza da Ponte. Directed 2015 by Jürgen Flimm (with Gudrun Hartmann) at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden im Schiller Theater. Stars Ildebrando D’Arcangelo (Count Almaviva), Dorothea Röschmann (Countess Almaviva), Anna Prohaska (Susanna), Lauri Vasar (Figaro), Mariane Crebassa (Cherubino), Katharina Kammerloher (Marcellina), Florian Hoffmann (Basilio), Peter Maus (Don Curzio), Otto Katzameier (Bartolo), Olaf Bär (Antonio), and Sónia Grané (Barbarina). Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin and Staatsopernchor (Chorus Master Frank Flade). Sets by Magdelena Gut; costumes by Ursala Kudrna; choreography by Catharina Lühr; lighting by Olaf Freese; dramaturgy by Detlef Giese. Directed for TV by Hannes Rossacher; produced by Paul Smaczny. Released 2017, has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreThe Mumbai Concerts
in Concert
The Mumbai Concerts. In 2018 Zubin Mehta conducts the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at the National Center for Performing Arts in Mumbai, India. Features violinist Pinchas Zukerman, cellist Amanda Forsyth, and pianist Denis Matsuev. This disc presents two concerts that were performed on back-to-back nights.
The first night's program:
Antonín Dvořák Carnival Overture
Ludwig van Beethoven Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
Maurice Ravel La Valse & Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2
The second night's program:
Johann Strauss Overture from Die Fledermaus
Johannes Brahms Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102
Peter Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1
Directed by Michael Beyer; produced by Paul Smaczny. Released 2018, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA