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Listening to these two performance we are reminded how the world of classical recordings has been taken over by orchestras of the second rank–professionally adequate, ambitious, able to fund their own recording programs and often to get released on major labels, but singularly lacking in the sort of corporate virtuosity and ensemble balances at all dynamic levels so tellingly in evidence here. If you like your Nielsen big, bold, and gutsy, then this is the cycle you need to own. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e This doesn’t mean that Gilbert and his players are in any way crude. The opening of the Fifth Symphony emerges with gossamer delicacy, and the solo wind playing is as sensitive as one could wish. But the hostile snare drum entrance carries real menace, while the movement’s adagio second half, beautifully spun out by the strings, features the best percussion cadenza since Horenstein, leading to an absolutely apocalyptic climax. Similarly, Gilbert brings thrilling energy to the start of the second movement. The ensuing quick fugue isn’t as swift as some, but the orchestra’s weight of tone, its attention to detail, makes the music unusually vicious, while the race to the closing bars has seldom sounded more exhilarating.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The Sixth Symphony can come off as sort of a bitter, denatured coda to the previous five. Again, without minimizing the work’s etherial moments and often stark instrumental textures, Gilbert and the orchestral put the meat back on the music’s bony skeleton. The climax of the first movement is really terrifying, the Humoresque vividly grotesque. In the Adagio “Proposta seria,” the strings dig into their parts with painful intensity, leaving a finale in which Gilbert ensures that each variation has its own vivid character. The wacky waltz, even in it’s ghostly early stages, seethes with a latent energy that makes sense of the violent eruptions from the brass and bass drum that rip it apart shortly afterwards.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e One textural note: these performances seem not to be using the latest Critical Edition of the symphonies–you can tell from the fact that the loud timpani triplets are still present towards the end of the finale’s opening section, to cite one example. This is not a wrong decision; the Critical Edition took an excessively dogmatic view in its efforts to present Nielsen’s first thoughts, eliminating revisions based on the practical realities of performance, even if these were accepted–whether tacitly or explicitly–by the composer. Nielsen was never faced with a situation like Bruckner’s, in which a crew of well-meaning but misguided supporters altered and manifestly falsified the basic text. Additions and modification to his scores were limited mostly to small but sometimes telling details, such as the additional timpani part just mentioned.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The excellent live sonics add to the tactile immediacy of the performances. If the foregoing sounds as though this team saved their best for last, well, I would say that they did. One quibble though: the booklet notes, by Jens Cornelius, are surprisingly poor. He seems to think that the snare drummer in the Fifth Symphony is a timpanist, and his language is both pretentious and stilted. Normally I wouldn’t care or mention it, save for the fact that it seems so odd and uncharacteristic. Never mind, it’s the music that matters, and about that there can be no question whatsoever. This is fantastic.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e – David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dacapo Classical","offers":[{"title":"SACD","offer_id":48832114196760,"sku":"747313162567","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2839482.jpg?v=1777574766"},{"product_id":"piano-pieces","title":"Piano Pieces","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe performances are excellent — touching, warm, well-scaled — and she has been finely recorded too.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  During the last two decades of the nineteenth century, the generation of Danish composers born in the 1860s started to make an impact. Among them, Fini Henriques, who had a special gift for beautiful, well-shaped melodies, and his popularity rested firmly on a generous output of single pieces, usually strung together in collections such as those presented here. Billedbogen (The Picture Book) is a collection for children and proved one of his absolute bull’s eyes, whereas Erotik (Eroticism) and Melodiske profiler (Silhouettes) see the composer exploring the world of adult life. Henriques’s best works maintain a high level with their honesty and that brilliant touch which few of his contemporaries could rival.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  -----\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  REVIEW:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Fini Henriques is enjoying some time in the sun. After decades largely of neglect several new recordings have appeared recently devoted to the music of the violinist and composer. This piano disc concentrates on the years 1896 to 1911 and three particular cycles; The Picture Book, Silhouettes and Erotik.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Billedbogen, or The Picture Book (1899) is made up of 20 brief character pieces, patterned after the model of Schumann’s Album for the Young. Most hover around the minute mark but one stretches for a daring 2:40. The work’s original and more expansive subtitle speaks of ‘twenty pictures of childhood life told for young and old by Fini Henriques’ and that sums up the charm and innocent pleasure to be encountered. They are brief childhood cartes de visite summoning up domestic-sized scenes and feelings, some joyful, some scampering, others wistful or hymnal, droll or quietly sad. Henriques was 32 when he wrote the set and a mature enough composer to ensure robust characterisation.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Silhouettes (1911) was published in two books of ten and is somewhat more expansive than the earlier cycle. Whilst Claus Rollum-Larsen makes clear in his excellent booklet notes that it’s a different kind of experience from The Picture Book, adding that it inhabits a ‘different universe’ is perhaps putting things too far. It still strikes a generally Schumannesque stance and it too offers compressed character studies. It’s true, though, that the harmonies can be more advanced, even on rare occasions ambiguous, and the level of technique required surmounting some of the faster movements is considerably in advance of that needed for the 1899 cycle. The model here is more Scenes d’enfants than Album for the Young. One finds insouciant verve, jovial characterisation with the minimum of means, dapper and concise jokes, a funeral march with a flowing B section, sonorous chording, a fine romance, emotions recollected in tranquillity and an apt sense of culminatory calm.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  The earliest of the cycles is the five-movement Erotik (Eroticism) of 1896. Musical eroticism was all the rage—see Grieg and Sjögren a little before Henriques—but thoughts of a smorgasbord of lust and carnality are dashed by Henriques’ very prim and proper dalliances. A charming waltz and a demure romance coupled with some folkloric hues serve instead. The other work is an isolated movement from Aphorisms (1876), a youthful piece called I Love You (Jeg elsker) written when the precious composer was just nine years old.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  The performances by Christina Bjørkøe are excellent — touching, warm, well-scaled — and she has been finely recorded too. Henriques’ pieces make few real demands on the listener but offer good material for a pianist young in spirit.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  – MusicWeb International (Jonathan Woolf)","brand":"Dacapo Classical","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":48832115441944,"sku":"636943615027","price":8.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/3922936_928cb4d1-8ac5-4e93-9791-ba72582b9b57.jpg?v=1777589014"},{"product_id":"kinshasa-symphony","title":"Kinshasa Symphony","description":"Classical Music","brand":"C Major Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"Blu-Ray","offer_id":49181630660888,"sku":"814337010904","price":28.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/1908154.jpg?v=1777420649"},{"product_id":"stravinsky-in-hollywood","title":"Stravinsky in Hollywood","description":"\u003ca class=\"links\" href=\"album.jsp?album_id=1344146\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlso available on Blu-ray\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003eStravinsky in Hollywood, a film by Michael Capalbo, tells the story of an \"old school\" European artist knocking heads with the brash New World. The documentary uses a combination of existing archival footage (some never before seen), interviews with Stravinsky and his assistant Robert Craft, and premieres several big studio film scenes of the 40s with music Stravinsky wrote for them.","brand":"C Major Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"DVD","offer_id":49181957161240,"sku":"814337011635","price":13.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2573715.jpg?v=1777757845"},{"product_id":"verdi-falstaff-4","title":"Verdi: Falstaff","description":"\u003ca class=\"links\" href=\"album.jsp?album_id=974937\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlso available on Blu-ray\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"C Major Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"DVD","offer_id":49181959323928,"sku":"814337012526","price":13.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2248424_4f19b34b-28ad-4a94-9ad1-59fa30332acb.jpg?v=1777745657"},{"product_id":"glenn-gould-the-russian-journey-1","title":"Glenn Gould: The Russian Journey","description":"\u003ca class=\"links\" href=\"album.jsp?album_id=1003788\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlso available on standard DVD\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cb\u003eNote: This Blu-ray Disc is playable only on Blu-ray Disc players, and not compatible with standard DVD players.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  A film by Yosif Feyginberg \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The date is May 2nd, 1957. Stalin died only four years before and perestroika is still a long way off. However, the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould, who is just 24, arrives in Moscow for an exceptional tour: he is the first North American musician to play behind the iron curtain. This is the story that Glenn Gould in Russia tells by revealing documents from the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that had remained classified for years. Witness accounts from musicians such as Ashkenazy and Rostropovitch, parts of the original recordings of Gould’s concerts in Moscow and Leningrad, as well as a recording that had never been released before of his lecture-recital in Leningrad make this an invaluable documentary revealing an aspect of Glenn Gould’s artistry that few people are aware of.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  DETAILS:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Picture format: 1080i High Definition\u003cbr\u003e  Sound format: PCM 2.0 (Historical material: Mono)\u003cbr\u003e  Region code: 0 (worldwide)\u003cbr\u003e  Subtitles: English, German, French, Korean\u003cbr\u003e  Running time: 60 mins\u003cbr\u003e  No. of Discs: 1 (Blu-ray)","brand":"C Major Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"Blu-Ray","offer_id":49181959913752,"sku":"814337011420","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2309758.jpg?v=1777746992"},{"product_id":"stravinsky-in-hollywood-1","title":"Stravinsky in Hollywood","description":"\u003cb\u003eThis Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003ca class=\"links\" href=\"album.jsp?album_id=1344145\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlso available on standard DVD\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Stravinsky in Hollywood, a film by Michael Capalbo, tells the story of an \"old school\" European artist knocking heads with the brash New World. The documentary uses a combination of existing archival footage (some never before seen), interviews with Stravinsky and his assistant Robert Craft, and premieres several big studio film scenes of the 40s with music Stravinsky wrote for them.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"C Major Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"Blu-Ray","offer_id":49181959979288,"sku":"814337011642","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2573716.jpg?v=1777758767"},{"product_id":"paul-anka-bluray-live-in-swi","title":"PAUL ANKA (BLURAY) LIVE IN SWI","description":"Blu-ray pressing. Paul Anka is known as the last great crooner. On this live release, Anka promotes his successful Rock Swings project by performing many of the tracks live alongside his own classics including 'Diana', 'My Way', 'New York New York', 'Put Your Head on My Shoulder' and more.","brand":"C Major Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"Blu-Ray","offer_id":49181963354392,"sku":"707787718974","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2142752_efc05977-490f-45ae-b2ac-df6ffcbcb384.jpg?v=1777582218"},{"product_id":"verdi-il-trovatore-1","title":"Verdi: Il trovatore","description":"\u003cb\u003eNote: This Blu-ray Disc is playable only on Blu-ray Disc players, and not compatible with standard DVD players.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e   \u003ca class=\"links\" href=\"album.jsp?album_id=871493\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlso available on standard DVD\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Giuseppe Verdi\u003cbr\u003e  IL TROVATORE\u003cbr\u003e  (Blu-ray Disc Version) \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Il conte di Luna – Claudio Sgura\u003cbr\u003e  Leonora – Teresa Romano\u003cbr\u003e  Azucena – Mzia Nioradze\u003cbr\u003e  Manrico – Marcelo Álvarez\u003cbr\u003e  Ferrando – Deyan Vatchkov\u003cbr\u003e  Ines – Cristina Giannelli\u003cbr\u003e  Ruiz – Roberto Jachini Virgili\u003cbr\u003e  Un vecchio zingaro – Enrico Rinaldo\u003cbr\u003e  Un messo – Seung Hwa Paek\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Parma Teatro Regio Chorus and Orchestra\u003cbr\u003e  (chorus master: Martino Faggiani)\u003cbr\u003e  Yuri Temirkanov, conductor\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Lorenzo Mariani, stage director\u003cbr\u003e  William Orlandi, set and costume designer\u003cbr\u003e  Christian Pinaud, lighting designer\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Recorded live at the Teatro Regio di Parma, 5 and 9 October 2010 \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Bonus:\u003cbr\u003e  - Introduction to Il Trovatore \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Picture format: 1080i High Definition\u003cbr\u003e  Sound format: PCM Stereo \/ DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1\u003cbr\u003e  Region code: 0 (worldwide)\u003cbr\u003e  Subtitles: Italian, English, German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Japanese\u003cbr\u003e  Running time: 140 mins (opera) + 10 mins (bonus)\u003cbr\u003e  No. of Discs: 1 (BD 50)","brand":"C Major Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"Blu-Ray","offer_id":49182592532760,"sku":"814337012359","price":28.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2142755.jpg?v=1777747000"},{"product_id":"verdi-stiffelio-2","title":"Verdi: Stiffelio","description":"\u003ca class=\"links\" href=\"album.jsp?album_id=871490\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlso available on Blu-ray\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Giuseppe Verdi\u003cbr\u003e  STIFFELIO\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Stiffelio – Roberto Aronica\u003cbr\u003e  Lina – Yu Guanqun\u003cbr\u003e  Stankar – Roberto Frontali\u003cbr\u003e  Raffaele – Gabriele Mangione\u003cbr\u003e  Jorg – George Andguladze\u003cbr\u003e  Federico di Frengel – Cosimo Vassallo\u003cbr\u003e  Dorotea – Lorelay Solis\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Parma Teatro Regio Chorus and Orchestra\u003cbr\u003e  (chorus master: Martino Faggiani)\u003cbr\u003e  Andrea Battistoni, conductor\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Guy Montavon, stage director and lighting designer\u003cbr\u003e  Francesco Clacagnini, set and costume designer\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Recorded live at the Teatro Regio di Parma, 18 and 24 April, 2012 \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Bonus:\u003cbr\u003e  - Introduction to Stiffelio \u003cbr\u003e  Picture format: NTSC 16:9\u003cbr\u003e  Sound format: PCM Stereo \/ DTS 5.1\u003cbr\u003e  Region code: 0 (worldwide)\u003cbr\u003e  Subtitles: Italian, English, German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Japanese\u003cbr\u003e  Running time: 117 mins (opera) + 10 mins (bonus)\u003cbr\u003e  No. of DVDs: 1 (DVD 9)","brand":"C Major Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"DVD","offer_id":49182592598296,"sku":"814337012304","price":13.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2142774.jpg?v=1777855538"},{"product_id":"wagner-der-ring-des-nibelungen-highlights","title":"Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (Highlights)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eRichard Wagner \u003cbr\u003eDER RING DES NIBELUNGEN\u003cbr\u003e(Highlights)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWotan \/ Der Wanderer – Juha Uusitalo\u003cbr\u003eLoge – John Daszak\u003cbr\u003eAlberich – Franz-Josef Kapellmann\u003cbr\u003eFasolt \/ Hunding – Matti Salminen\u003cbr\u003eFafner – Stephen Milling\u003cbr\u003eFricka – Anna Larsson\u003cbr\u003eErda \/ Schwertleite – Christa Mayer\u003cbr\u003eSiegmund – Peter Seiffert\u003cbr\u003eSieglinde – Petra-Maria Schnitzer\u003cbr\u003eBrünnhilde – Jennifer Wilson\u003cbr\u003eSiegfried – Lance Ryan\u003cbr\u003eMime – Gerhard Siegel\u003cbr\u003eWaltraute \/ Erda – Catherine Wyn-Rogers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eValencia Regional Government Choir (Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana) Valencian Community Orchestra (Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana) Zubin Mehta, conductor\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLa Fura del Baus, staging\u003cbr\u003eCarlus Padrissa, stage director\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded live from the Palau de les Arts \"Reina Sofia\", Valencia, Spain, 2007-2009.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSpecial budget-priced DVD\u003cbr\u003e100 minutes of the most stunning visual and musical highlights of this production by La Fura dels Baus, including two new documentaries about Franc Aleu and Carlus Padrissa.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBonus:\u003cbr\u003e- Portraits of Carlus Pardissa and Franc Aleu\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePicture format: NTSC 16:9\u003cbr\u003eSound format: DTS 5.1 (highlights) \/ PCM Stereo (bonus)\u003cbr\u003eRegion code: 0 (worldwide)\u003cbr\u003eSubtitles: German, French, English, Spanish (highlights) \/ English (bonus)\u003cbr\u003eRunning time: 100 mins (highlights) + 30 mins (bonus)\u003cbr\u003eNo. of DVDs: 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eR E V I E W:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt might seem I am about to trash this issue but I am actually very impressed by the Valencia \u003ci\u003eRing \u003c\/i\u003eso do please read on. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe DVD menu and title sequence is accompanied by music, which is to be deplored. Please can we have silence in these places on concert and opera videos. No one wants to hear the same truncated chunks over and over again whilst trying to work through the labyrinth to get DTS5.1 instead of stereo and subtitles in the right language. The sound is only in PCM stereo anyway on this section just to add to the confusion. The transitions between sections are handled by simple fade-outs; disruptive if you know the music well but what else can one do in \u003ci\u003eThe Ring\u003c\/i\u003e? The length of pauses is variable from almost nothing to several seconds. Though the extracts are in dramatic order there is no indication of where you are in the operas nor is there any hint that one has changed opera, just randomly timed fades in and out. The worst example is the end of Act 1 of \u003ci\u003eThe Valkyrie \u003c\/i\u003ewhich stops barely a couple of seconds before a chunk of Act 2. I suspect the tea-boy was in charge of post production. I am relieved to say all is well apart from these technical blots and since the music and production are so entertaining, and the sound and picture is so good, one can forgive Unitel these flaws. Do keep the booklet to hand whilst viewing and don't even bother with this DVD if you don't have another complete recording in your collection because you will get hopelessly lost without a plot summary. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMost opera productions are characterised by their appearance rather than by the performance. It is almost impossible to ignore what you are seeing and it often clashes with what you are hearing. To my knowledge only Bruckner managed to get through The Ring without noticing that there were costumes and scenery involved! The Valencia production is no different. It is dominated by huge video projections throughout and the DVD production often takes advantage of these to add its own layers of image for dramatic effect. Stage lighting is extremely dramatic which enhances the startling images still more. If you like to see people standing and singing against a plain background à la Bayreuth 1960s then you will hate it because this one really grasps the technical challenge and goes with it. The singing is of uniformly high quality and the conducting of Zubin Mehta is fine so long as you do not expect Solti's fierce drive. The orchestra are excellent and even get a scene for themselves in the prelude to Act 3 of \u003ci\u003eSiegfried\u003c\/i\u003e. Since you will only buy this to check if it is to be love or hate so far as you are concerned before either ignoring it forever, or ordering the entire cycle on Blu-ray, these are some of the delights in store. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLoge has a great little motor scooter with which to run rings around the rest of the cast literally as well as figuratively. The costumes are complicated and often look very heavy which makes the little cranes used on and off through the cycle to carry characters around the stage very understandable. Act 1 of \u003ci\u003eThe Valkyrie \u003c\/i\u003ehas a wonderfully effective and very subtle tree which bears careful study. This creation looms over a decidedly stone-age looking Sieglinde and a very tough Siegmund. These two Walsungs look highly dangerous to me and must have posed a serious problem for Hunding. Since we don't see him at all in these extracts we have no idea how he handles them. \u003ci\u003eThe Ride of the Valkyries \u003c\/i\u003elooks fantastic and is well performed against huge and effective video backdrops. Lots of work for the cranes here! The ring of fire which Wotan places around Brunnhilde is a proper inferno as is the fire for Siegfried's forge which looks positively dangerous. Siegfried by the way can sing well but is a patchy actor as seen here. The forge is animated by many stage hands so that Notung appears to be a product of a busy factory rather than one superman. So much for Siegfried facing down Wotan's plans single-handed but since the helpers look like the Nibelung slaves in \u003ci\u003eThe Rhinegold \u003c\/i\u003eit can be seen as logical. I wasn't so taken by Fafner who looks more like an articulated ventilation duct than anything supernatural but some productions even leave him out, such are the challenges of staging this part. Bayreuth once had the entire stage start to writhe, an effect of such impact that all others pall. The prelude to Act 3 of \u003ci\u003eSiegfried\u003c\/i\u003e has a massive back-projection of snow-covered mountains and eventually of the whole Earth from which Erda emerges in a moment of highly consequent majesty. Siegfried travels down the Rhine on a river of plastic drinks bottles which is utterly bizarre but does actually work - just believe me! The closing scene also manages to be consequent and we see Brunnhilde, on a crane, returning the Ring to the Rhine maidens before disappearing into the conflagration. The producers use lots of gymnasts in this and other scenes to great dramatic effect and the end here is close to awe-inspiring. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe 100 minutes of opera on the DVD is joined by 30 minutes of supporting documentary material. After some preliminary tele-visual nonsense one film describes the way the directorial team worked up their ideas to fulfil Wagner's intentions and sometimes his explicit instructions - now there's a novel idea - to do what the composer says. Others take note! The other film is about the important lighting design. Both are worth one's time. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA superb marketing tool for the entire cycle available on DVD and on Blu-ray. This performance and production is a great success overall and this DVD needs watching just once before you go out and buy the whole thing. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e-- Dave Billinge, MusicWeb International\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"C Major Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"DVD","offer_id":49199806251288,"sku":"814337010461","price":5.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Blu-Ray","offer_id":49199806316824,"sku":"814337010454","price":11.24,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/0200978.jpg?v=1777973123"},{"product_id":"verdi-tutto-verdi-the-complete-operas-highlights-1","title":"Verdi: Tutto Verdi - The Complete Operas (Highlights)","description":"\u003ca class=\"links\" href=\"album.jsp?album_id=807940\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlso available on Blu-ray\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  From the innovative and gorgeous \"Tutto Verdi\" project comes a chance to catch all the high points! \"Tutto Verdi\" includes arias from 20 Verdi operas. The selections hail from the best-known and loved productions like Aida, La Traviata and Rigoletto as well as lesser-known beauties, all in HD.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Giuseppe Verdi\u003cbr\u003e  TUTTO VERDI - The Complete Operas\u003cbr\u003e  (Highlights)\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  excerpts from:\u003cbr\u003e  Oberto\u003cbr\u003e  Un Giorno di Regno\u003cbr\u003e  Nabucco\u003cbr\u003e  I Lombardi alla prima crociata\u003cbr\u003e  Ernani\u003cbr\u003e  I due Foscari\u003cbr\u003e  Giovanna d’Arco\u003cbr\u003e  Attila\u003cbr\u003e  Macbeth\u003cbr\u003e  Il Corsaro\u003cbr\u003e  Luisa Miller\u003cbr\u003e  Rigoletto\u003cbr\u003e  Il Trovatore\u003cbr\u003e  La Traviata\u003cbr\u003e  I Vespri Siciliani\u003cbr\u003e  Simon Boccanegra\u003cbr\u003e  Un Ball in Maschera\u003cbr\u003e  La Forza del Destino\u003cbr\u003e  Falstaff\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  with:\u003cbr\u003e  Anna Caterina Antonacci\u003cbr\u003e  Barbara Bargnesi\u003cbr\u003e  Silvia Dalla Benetta\u003cbr\u003e  Daniela Dessì\u003cbr\u003e  Norma Fantini\u003cbr\u003e  Tamar Iveri\u003cbr\u003e  Nino Machaidze\u003cbr\u003e  Susan Neves\u003cbr\u003e  Dimitra Theodossiou\u003cbr\u003e  Sylvie Valayre\u003cbr\u003e  Svetla Vassileva\u003cbr\u003e  Marcelo Alvarez\u003cbr\u003e  Marco Berti\u003cbr\u003e  Francesco Demuro\u003cbr\u003e  Antonio Gandia\u003cbr\u003e  Carlo Guelfi\u003cbr\u003e  Ambrogio Maestri\u003cbr\u003e  Francesco Meli\u003cbr\u003e  Leo Nucci\u003cbr\u003e  Luca Salsi\u003cbr\u003e  Roberto Scandiuzzi\u003cbr\u003e  Vladimir Stoyanov\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Parma Teatro Regio Chorus and Orchestra \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Recorded live from the Teatro Regio di Parma \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Picture format: NTSC 16:9\u003cbr\u003e  Sound format: PCM Stereo \/ DTS 5.1\u003cbr\u003e  Region code: 0 (worldwide)\u003cbr\u003e  Subtitles: Italian, English\u003cbr\u003e  Running time: 94 mins\u003cbr\u003e  No. of DVDs: 1 \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"C Major Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"DVD","offer_id":49239468179736,"sku":"814337012564","price":6.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2058905_62d8d75a-9255-44b3-af82-7cea2f77a5fb.jpg?v=1777747132"},{"product_id":"glass-glassworlds-vol-1","title":"Glass: Glassworlds, Vol. 1","description":"Philip Glass has made an immense and stylistically wide-ranging contribution to piano repertoire. The Orphée Suite, a transcription of excerpts from the first opera in Glass’ Cocteau Trilogy, is one of his most distinctive piano pieces, blending virtuosity and melodic richness. In contrast, the hypnotic How Now is structurally influenced by Indian ragas and gamelan music, whilst Dreaming Awake contains one of the most powerful climaxes in all Glass’ works. Performed by Nicolas Horvath, a Scriabin Competition first prizewinner, this is the first release in the complete Glass solo piano edition which will include many premières.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  -----\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Reviews:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  This disc is important because it demonstrates that Glass’s music works quite nicely alongside other composers of the past and alongside quite traditional approaches to performance generally.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  – American Record Guide\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Somehow, the objectivity of the sound of a piano suits the music of Philip Glass perfectly. Certainly that’s how it seems in Nicolas Horvath’s expert performances.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  – International Piano","brand":"Grand Piano","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49371780186392,"sku":"747313967728","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2849834.jpg?v=1777764195"},{"product_id":"ballet-for-children","title":"Ballet for Children","description":"Joby Talbot \u003cbr\u003e  ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Ballet in 2 Acts\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Alice – Lauren Cuthbertson\u003cbr\u003e  Jack \/ Knave of Hearts – Sergei Polunin\u003cbr\u003e  Lewis Carroll \/ White Rabbit – Edward Watson\u003cbr\u003e  Mother \/ Queen of Hearts – Zenaida Yanowsky\u003cbr\u003e  Father \/ King of Hearts – Christopher Saunders\u003cbr\u003e  Magician \/ Mad Hatter – Steven McRae\u003cbr\u003e  Duchess – Simon Russell Beale\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Royal Ballet\u003cbr\u003e  Royal Opera House Orchestra\u003cbr\u003e  Barry Wordsworth, conductor\u003cbr\u003e  Christopher Wheeldon, choreography\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Bob Crowley, designs\u003cbr\u003e  Nicholas Wright, scenario\u003cbr\u003e  Natasha Katz, lighting design\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Recorded live from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 9 March 2011.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Bonus:\u003cbr\u003e  - Cast Gallery\u003cbr\u003e  - Documentary – Being Alice\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic\u003cbr\u003e  Sound format: LPCM 2.0 \/ DTS 5.1\u003cbr\u003e  Region code: 0 (worldwide)\u003cbr\u003e  Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish\u003cbr\u003e  Running time: 120 mins (ballet) + 30 mins (bonus)\u003cbr\u003e  No. of DVDs: 1 (DVD 9)\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  R E V I E W:\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cb\u003eA stimulating production. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  It is a brave company that is prepared to take such a surrealist novel and turn it into a stage show. Where film can provide the visual trickery necessary to give visual magic, theatre machinery is cumbersome and pedantic in comparison. Yet the development of technical resources and video projection can help. With ballet, a large part of the stage must be kept free of obstructions to allow ballet routines to progress unimpeded. \u003cbr\u003e  To then faithfully transfer to a video medium without high level on-line visual trickery may not ideally help the viewer. So how then has Covent Garden fared in bringing about a stimulating production? \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Very well, in fact. The prologue where Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) is taking photographs of the family group works excellently. It is set in a realistic deanery garden. Bob Crowley’s backdrop painting in faded Victorian hues is in keeping. In this opening scene we are introduced to the personalities that later appear as stereotypes in the fantasy world Alice uncovers. The only odd thing in a private deanery garden is having a nurse wheel a perambulator across the stage as if in a busy street. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Some of the settings contain more subtlety than might at first sight be noticed. Monotone backdrops, the Cheshire Cat and a paper boat are styled on the engravings found in Carroll’s first edition book. As the ballet progresses the settings become more flamboyant and graphically modern. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Particularly stunning is the Playing Cards scene. Choreography and costumes strike just the right note. A clever routine with a segmented Cheshire Cat allows believable animation. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  As one might expect, the dancing is up to the exacting standards of the corps with a Covent Garden reputation. The problem of having Alice change size was well contrived and Lauren Cuthbertson’s acting is excellent. The character of the White Rabbit is extremely officious throughout I noticed, yet pales before the bombastic pomp of the Queen of Hearts (Zenaida Yanowsky). \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The orchestra plays well under the secure direction of Barry Wordsworth, a conductor not seen enough of nowadays. Talbot’s music has facets of talent and although classical harmony is mainly maintained, it is heavy, strongly percussive and is often reminiscent of the fight scene of West Side Story. One could hardly call the music melodious which is a pity as it misses out in appealing to the younger generation for whom the story is intended. I find the scoring unnecessarily heavy and is an ill fit with the elegance of classical ballet choreography. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The DVD is divided into play chapters, and contains a gallery photographs of the key dancers. It has the bonus of a well compiled and informative BBC documentary ‘Being Alice’. In it we see the planning, realisation and execution of the staging through the eyes of the principal dancer, Lauren Cuthbertson. Subtitles are provided in English, French, German and Spanish. In-depth background production notes with synopsis by David Nice are written in English, French and German. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  -- Raymond J Walker, MusicWeb International\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  ---------------------- \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky\u003cbr\u003e  THE NUTCRACKER\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \"One of the very best seasonal treats for children and adults alike, the Royal Ballet’s Nutcracker is a handsome, magical, thoroughly traditional rendering of ETA Hoffmann’s immortal if deeply strange story.\" -- Sunday Express\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  This all-time ballet favourite, in which young Clara is swept into a fantasy adventure when one of her Christmas presents comes to life, is at its most enchanting in Peter Wright’s glorious production – as fresh as ever in its 25th year. Tchaikovsky’s ravishing score, period designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman (including an ingenious magical Christmas tree), an exquisite Sugar Plum Fairy (Miyako Yoshida) and chivalrous Prince (Steven McRae), the mysterious Drosselmeyer (Gary Avis) and vibrant dancing by The Royal Ballet make for a captivating performance. Filmed in High Definition and recorded in true surround sound.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The Sugar Plum Fairy – Miyako Yoshida\u003cbr\u003e  Nephew \/ Nutcracker – Ricardo Cervera \/ Steven McRae\u003cbr\u003e  The Prince – Steven McRae\u003cbr\u003e  Drosselmeyer – Gary Avis\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The Royal Ballet\u003cbr\u003e  The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House\u003cbr\u003e  Koen Kessels, conductor\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Peter Wright, choreographer and director\u003cbr\u003e  (after Lev Ivanov)\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, November and December 2009.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Bonus:\u003cbr\u003e  - Cast gallery\u003cbr\u003e  - Rehearsing at White Lodge\u003cbr\u003e  - Peter Wright tells the story of The Nutcracker\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic\u003cbr\u003e  Sound format: LPCM Stereo 2.0 \/ DTS 5.0\u003cbr\u003e  Region code: 0 (worldwide)\u003cbr\u003e  Menu language: English\u003cbr\u003e  Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish\u003cbr\u003e  Running time: 127 mins\u003cbr\u003e  No. of DVDs: 1 \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  ---------------------- \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Peter and the Wolf, Prokofiev’s musical fairy tale, has been delighting children since 1936. Nearly 60 years later, in 1995, the young choreographer Matthew Hart created a witty choreographed version for the Royal Ballet School with designs by Ian Spurling. Described as ‘an utterly delightful ballet and a perfect showcase for the younger students,’ by the Royal Ballet’s Director, Monica Mason, it was staged again and recorded for this DVD.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \"...Matthew Hart’s Peter and the Wolf is one of the most beguiling children’s ballets around.” -  \u003ci\u003eThe Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Matthew Hart, choreographer\u003cbr\u003e  The Wolf – Sergei Polunin\u003cbr\u003e  Grandfather – Will Kemp\u003cbr\u003e  Peter – Kilian Smith\u003cbr\u003e  Duck – Charlotte Edmonds\u003cbr\u003e  Bird – Laurine Muccioli\u003cbr\u003e  Cat – Chisato Katsura\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The Royal Ballet School\u003cbr\u003e  Royal Ballet Sinfonia\u003cbr\u003e  Paul Murphy, conductor\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, 16 and 18 December 2010.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Bonus:\u003cbr\u003e  - Cast gallery\u003cbr\u003e  - Documentary feature on rehearsing Peter and the Wolf\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic \u003cbr\u003e  Sound format: LPCM 2.0 \/ DTS 5.0 \u003cbr\u003e  Region code: 0 (worldwide) \u003cbr\u003e  Menu language: English \u003cbr\u003e  Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish \u003cbr\u003e  Running time: 38 mins \u003cbr\u003e  No. of DVDs: 1\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  This enchanting DVD captures 2011’s Christmas performance from the students of the Royal Ballet Lower School. All of the cast seem to be of primary school age, with the adult dancers Sergei Polunin and Will Kemp brought in as the Wolf and Narrator. Matthew Hart’s realisation of Prokofiev’s score as a ballet had first been seen in 1995 and it works very well indeed. Hart says in a short extra film that one of his aims had been to get as many dancers as possible onto the stage. He provide roles not only for the principal characters but for the corps as the physical elements of the story: dancers embody the hunters, the grass of the meadow, the waves of the pond, the trees of the forest and the wall next to Peter’s house. The choreography is simple without being simplistic and Hart tells the story very well. The principals are all extraordinarily proficient for their age, particularly the three girls playing the bird, duck and cat, who have the flexible movement of their creatures down to a T. Kilian Smith’s Peter is brave and likeable, while Polunin’s wolf embodies the sinister characteristics of a pantomime villain with that extra bit of danger. Will Kemp doubles as on-stage narrator and as Grandfather. The bright primary colours of both set and costumes work very well, and the only piece of staging is a bulky frame which is used for the tree, covered in graffiti about the story. The orchestra plays very well and the 5.1 surround sound brings the story to life. The only thing I missed, compared to an audio only recording, is the sense of intimacy with the narrator, something necessarily lost in a production such as this one, but if you don’t mind that then you’ll enjoy this very much. If you know some children who enjoy dancing, or if you want to get some children interested in dance for the first time, then this is especially for you.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  -- Simon Thompson, MusicWeb International\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  ---------------------- \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Frederick Ashton (the other major choreographer of the second half of the 20th century) created his ballet Tales of Beatrix Potter for the camera in 1971 (still available on DVD). In 1992, Anthony Dowell created a stage version for the Royal Ballet, revived in 2007 and filmed during the subsequent performances. David Nice’s essay in the accompanying booklet tells us much about the score, “composed” by John Lanchberry using Victorian waltzes and ballads and excerpts from various 19th-century ballets (Minkus, Glazunov), as well as his own version of La fille mal gardée , to all of which Ashton choreographed a number of gems, at the same time parodying the 19th-century classics in solos and pas de deux. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  It is difficult to comment extensively on the individual dancers, as the animal masks by Rostislav Dobujinsky entirely cover the dancers’ faces. But through movement, gesture, and even posture the individual roles are neatly characterized, from the footwork of Gemma Sykes’s Jemima Puddle-Duck to the exuberance of Zachary Faruque’s Jeremy Fisher or Steven McRae’s Squirrel Nutkin. Jonathan Howells has a difficult task, succeeding the choreographer himself as Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, but is almost as eloquent, although expanding Ashton’s few little movements into a full-length solo calls for too much repetition of the steps and attitudes. The adaptation was no simple task, as the film shows us Beatrix Potter herself in between the dance episodes, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle strolling through the English countryside before starting her solo; but Dowell has eliminated that aspect and gives us a pure dance spectacle that is a delight from start to finish. And it must be exhausting for the dancers who must perform in real time. The Royal Ballet Sinfonia under Paul Murphy offers a sparkling rendition of the composite score that equals Lanchberry’s version for the film or even the LP that was released in the 1970s. For those unfamiliar with the children’s classic, a brief synopsis will fill you in, but this is, in any event, an instant classic for the young at heart. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  FANFARE: Joel Kasow \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Mrs Tittlemouse: Victoria Hewitt\u003cbr\u003e  Johnny Town-Mouse: Ricardo Cervera\u003cbr\u003e  Mrs Tiggy-Winkle: Jonathan Howells\u003cbr\u003e  Jemima Puddle-Duck: Gemma Sykes\u003cbr\u003e  The Fox: Gary Avis\u003cbr\u003e  Pigling Bland: Bennet Gartside\u003cbr\u003e  Pig-Wig: Laura Morera\u003cbr\u003e  Aunt Pettitoes: David Pickering\u003cbr\u003e  Mr Jeremy Fisher: Zachary Faruque\u003cbr\u003e  Tom Thumb: Giacomo Ciriaci\u003cbr\u003e  Hunca Munca: Iohna Loots\u003cbr\u003e  Peter Rabbit: Joshua Tuifua\u003cbr\u003e  Squirrel Nutkin: Steven McRae\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  REGIONS: All\u003cbr\u003e  PICTURE FORMAT: 16:9\u003cbr\u003e  SOUND: 2.0 LPCM STEREO \/ 5.1 DTS SURROUND\u003cbr\u003e  SUBTITLES: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian","brand":"Opus Arte","offers":[{"title":"DVD","offer_id":49414532661528,"sku":"809478010968","price":45.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2067879.jpg?v=1777684499"},{"product_id":"scenes-from-the-kalevala","title":"SCENES FROM THE KALEVALA","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Kalevala is a compilation of mostly original folk poetry, arranged into fifty extensive runos (‘poems’) by the Finnish physician and folklorist Elias Lönnrot. Beginning with the creation of the world, it develops into a series of separate episodes which nevertheless form a rich whole, introducing epic characters such as Väinämöinen, Lemminkäinen and Kullervo. The collection first appeared in 1835, with a final, extended version being published in 1849, and was soon hailed as Finland’s ‘national epos’ – a sensitive matter given that the country had been subjected to Russian rule since 1809. It came to play a major part in Finland’s national awakening and had a massive influence on Finnish art in the late 19th century, but its role in the national consciousness remains important even today. The present album, from the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Dima Slobodeniouk, brings together Kalevala-related works spanning the period between 1897 and 1943. No such collection could overlook Sibelius, who composed several works inspired by the epos. Included here is a rarity – the first recording of the 1897 version of Lemminkäinen in Tuonela, from the Lemminkäinen Suite. Finnish composers from later generations all had to find a way out from under Sibelius’s shadow – especially so when composing works based on the Kalevala. The portraits of Kullervo which bookend the disc, by Leevi Madetoja and Tauno Pylkkänen, are both compact works in contrast to Sibelius’s large-scale ‘choral symphony’ on the same theme, and when Uuno Klami used bold and primitive colors in his five-movement Kalevala Suite, he was looking towards Stravinsky rather than his countryman.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BIS","offers":[{"title":"SACD","offer_id":49415110328600,"sku":"7318599923710","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/4012965-2761067_88b5aba7-ab9e-49a0-8bdb-d36aa0ee043e.jpg?v=1777777115"},{"product_id":"memento-mori","title":"MEMENTO MORI","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe phrase \u003cem\u003ememento mori\u003c\/em\u003e has its origins in classical antiquity, but the injunction to remember one’s own mortality has been a feature of different cultures and religions throughout the ages. Just as death is universal, so is our need to adjust to this fact, and to consider our lives with it in mind. The arts are, and have been, an important means in helping us do so, which is why the laments gathered on this album speak to us all. The Austrian ensemble klingzeug has gathered examples from across 500 years – from the \"Planh\" (\u003cem\u003eplaint\u003c\/em\u003e) by Raimbaut de Vaqueiras, a Provençal troubadour of the early 13th century, to Locatelli’s \u003cem\u003eSinfonia funebre\u003c\/em\u003e. Two of the most famous of all musical laments have also found their way onto the disc, albeit not in the form we normally hear them; transferred to a violin, Dido’s Lament from Purcell's \u003cem\u003eDido and Aeneas\u003c\/em\u003e has become a song without words, while Dowland’s \"Lachrimae\" is heard in one of the many arrangements made of it, here by the German composer Johann Schop.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BIS","offers":[{"title":"SACD","offer_id":49415112753432,"sku":"7318599925660","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/4005530-2745436.jpg?v=1777773972"},{"product_id":"works-for-the-harp","title":"WORKS FOR THE HARP","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt was when Delphine Constantin-Reznik took up the post as harpist in the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra that she first came across the name Anton Pratté, well-known in his lifetime as a harpist and composer. Her research into the music and activities of this forgotten master has now resulted in the very first recording of any of his numerous compositions for the harp. Anton Edvard Pratté was born \u003cspan class=\"details\"\u003ein Bohemia into a family that ran a touring puppet theatre. He came to Sweden as an adolescent, and soon made a name for himself, performing music of his own as well as by others.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePratté gave concerts across Sweden, as well as in Norway and Finland, and in the 1840s even went on an extensive tour of Europe, performing in Berlin (where members of the Prussian royal family were in the audience), Vienna and Prague. But much of his life was spent in the area around Norrköping where he taught the daughters of wealthy landowners and for a while conducted the local orchestra society – the forerunner of the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra heard in the Grand Concert which opens the present disc. This is followed by two works for solo harp, both making use of traditional tunes from Sweden and Norway respectively.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BIS","offers":[{"title":"SACD","offer_id":49415112327448,"sku":"7318599925707","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/4005531-2744449.jpg?v=1777736577"},{"product_id":"berlioz-strauss","title":"BERLIOZ \u0026 STRAUSS","description":"• Historic concert recordings of the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra from 1955 and 1961, led by its first and chief conductor for 24 years, Carl A. 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