Horant H. Hohlfeld

Felicity Lott, Anne-Sofie Von Otter, and Kurt Moll star in this production of Richard Strauss' opera, staged in Vienna in 1994. A romantic comedy of errors. Princess von Werdenberg must hide her affair with Octavian from her family; when he disguises himself as a chambermaid to avoid scandalizing the Princess, he is pressed into presenting a gift to Baron Ochs von Lerchenau, who has arrived to propose marriage to Sophie von Faninal. However, Ochs soon finds himself infatuated with the chambermaid, much to Octavian's chagrin, which proves to be only the first of a long series of romantic misunderstandings. This production of Der Rosenkavalier is performed by the Vienna State Orchestra and Chorus, under the direction of Carlos Kleiber.

Rigoletto is a jester in the court of the Duke of Mantua. He has a hunch-back and he's rather unattractive, but he's good at his job of humiliating the courtiers for the amusement of the Duke. The courtiers, of course, are not amused. The Duke is a ladies man who feels his life would be meaningless if he couldn't chase every skirt he sees. In fact, we learn as the opera begins that he's recently been noticing a young lady every Sunday on her way to church, and he's vowed to have his way with her. What nobody realizes is that the girl is the jester's beloved daughter, Gilda, and that Gilda has seen the Duke every Sunday and is smitten with him. Suddenly Count Monterone appears at court, furious that the Duke has seduced his daughter. Rigoletto ridicules Monterone, the Duke laughs, and Monterone casts an awful curse on both of them. Later, the courtiers discover that Rigoletto is secretly living with Gilda...

Carmen is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on a novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée.

Mozart Violin Concertos Nos. 4 & 5 Gidon Kremer(Violin) Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt Violin Concerto No.4 in D major, K 218 1. (0:29) 2. Allegro (8:31) 3. Andante cantabile (6:14) 4. Rondeau, Andante grazioso - Allegro ma non troppo (7:54) (Kadenzen und Eingänge von Robert D. Levin) Violin Concerto No.5 in A major, K 219 1. (0:27) 2. Allegro aperto (9:21) 3. Adagio (10:16) 4. Rondeau, Tempo di Menuetto (9:31) (Kadenzen und Eingänge von Robert D. Levin)

Leonard Bernstein narrated by legendary screen star Lauren Bacall. The movie also relies extensively on Bernstein's own words to provide the counterpoint to the abundant visual material. Highlights include excerpts of Bernstein conducting masterworks by Beethoven and Mahler, as well as of the maestro with the New York Philharmonic in Moscow in 1959 before an audience which included composer Dmitri Shostakovich and the dissident poet Boris Pasternak. It also contains never-before-seen footage, such as outtakes from televised concerts and interviews. Among these special treats: the dashing 28-year-old maestro representing the U.S. at the 1947 Prague Spring Festival – possibly the earliest extant film of Leonard Bernstein.

Either as director and pianist, or when combining the roles, Uchida lives every note, and the contribution from the orchestra is a vital one, not least from characterful woodwinds and with horns, trumpets and timpani adding a distinctive presence. Uchida's pianistic clarity and incision, and her unforced identification with the music, equates to the sort of playing that makes one listen to seemingly familiar music with fresh ears and to appreciate how an artist, even one as individual as Uchida, can search music but not dominate it . . . With crisp, well-balanced sound . . . this is a recommendable release