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PG01:59:002018HD

Fidelio (originally titled "Leonore, oder Der Triumph der ehelichen Liebe," which translates to "Leonore, or the Triumph of Marital Love"), Op. 72, is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. This 2018 opera film from the Swiss Theater St. Gallen is based on Jan Schmidt-Garre's highly acclaimed stage production of Beethoven's Fidelio. Otto Tausk conducts the Sinfonieorchester and choir of St. Gallen, as well as many wonderful soloists in a beautifully designed set by Nikolaus Webern. The producers carefully filmed and edited several performances, and by using additional footage of starring soloist Jacquelyn Wagner as Leonore, the captivating stage production is enhanced and transformed into a unique cinematic experience.

G01:54:001996HD

In 1996, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra celebrated its 60th anniversary with a gala led by maestros Zubin Mehta and Daniel Barenboim. This musical event features world-renowned soloists, including veteran violinist Isaac Stern, up-and-coming musicians Maxim Vengerov and Gil Shaham, as well as Pinchas Zukerman, Shlomo Mintz, and Itzhak Perlman. The evening begins with a moving speech about the early days of the orchestra. The evening's program continues with Bach's Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV1043, Brahms's Symphony No. 2, Halvorsen's Violin, Violoncello and Viola Pass, Mozart's Serenade No. 6, K. 239., Vivaldi's Concerto in B minor for four violins and orchestra, and Weber's Oberon overture.

G00:40:002014HD

Franz Welser-Möst conducts The Cleveland Orchestra in this performance of Brahms' Symphony No. 2. Considering that Johannes Brahms had toiled for more than 15 years on his First Symphony, it is hardly surprising that his Second Symphony should be a lighter, brighter work that makes masterful use of the achievements from the First. Expansive and unhurried, it charms the ear with its lyricism and excites it with its passionate tutti outbursts. It has been a favorite among Brahms' orchestral works since its premiere in late 1876. Welser-Möst leads his "devoted and exemplarily precise musicians" (Die Presse) in a rendition that polishes every detail to make the work glow from within. Thanks to his many years at the head of the Cleveland Orchestra, Welser-Möst can mold the most intricate sonorities with the subtlest of means. This performance was recorded at the Musikverein, Vienna, Austria, in 2014.

G00:20:002020HD

Five-strong vocal ensemble amarcord is joined by an extra alto and two soprano voices for this unusual concert at Leipzig’s St. Thomas Church. As amarcordplus, the ensemble presents a program focused on the city of Leipzig, which includes sacred madrigals by Johann Hermann Schein, motets from Heinrich Schütz’s collection Geistliche Chor-Music, as well as two motets by the most famous Thomaskantor: Johann Sebastian Bach. Moreover, various sacred works by lesser-known contemporaries Philipp Heinrich Erlebach and mononymous composer Liebhold are performed, in addition to compositions by other members of the Bach family, including Johann Michael Bach and Johann Christoph Bach. This performance was recorded on May 1, 2020.

G00:15:002007HD

The 2007 Europa-Konzert takes place in Berlin, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Under the theme "The Year 1882", the acclaimed orchestra is lead by conductor Sir Simon Rattle as it interprets Brahms’ “Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra”, his Fourth Symphony and Wagners’ “Prelude to Act I” from Parsifal - the piece that marked the orchestra's first recorded work of September 1913 under the baton of Alfred Hertz. The soloists are Lisa Batiashvili (violin) and Truls Mørk (cello), established as sought-after young virtuosos and appearing regularly with leading orchestras and in recitals throughout the world. The “Kraftwerk und Kabelwerk Oberspree (power and cable factory)”, the remarkable venue of this concert, is one of the most impressive historical industrial building from the late 19th century in Berlin. As its impressive presence is infused with Brahms and Wagner, there is an air of total commitment, only enhanced further by the unusual surroundings. The collaboration of Lisa Batiashvili and Truls Mørk ensures a moving performance of Brahms’s last orchestral work, his Double Concerto. Following this, Rattle and the orchestra continue to demonstrate their outstanding musicianship, delivering Wagner's amazingly fresh and dynamic Fourth Symphony.

05:10
CMIM Voice 2022 – First Round: Xueli Zhou
G00:49:002022HD
Soprano Xueli Zhou (China, 1992) performs ‘Exsultate jubilate – Allegro’ from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s motet Exsultate, jubilate (Exult, rejoice), K. 165; ‘Où va la jeune Hindoue’ from Léo Delibes’s opera Lakmé; and ‘Glitter and Be Gay’ from Leonard Bernstein’s operetta Candide, during the first round of the Voice Edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2022 (CMIM). This performance was recorded at the Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

G00:34:001990HD

Under the baton of Jiri Belohlávek, soloist Ivan Klánský is accompanied by the Prague Chamber Orchestra during his performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20, K 466 at the Waldstein palace in Prague.

G01:52:002004HD

Sigiswald Kuijken conducts baroque ensemble La Petite Bande and the Ex Tempore choir at the St. Nicolas Church in Leipzig in this recording from Bachfest 2004, a leading music festival for the performance of the Bach family's music. This concert opens with J. S. Bach’s Ascension Oratorio “Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen” (BWV 11). Written in 1735, this short work ended up being the composer’s final contribution to the genre. Due to its brevity, the oratorio was accidentally classified as a cantata in the Bach Gesamtausgabe of 1852. Next is “Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu” (Wq 240), an oratorio by Bach’s most famous son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Soloists are Sophie Karthäuser (soprano), Patrizia Hardt (alto), Christoph Einhorn (tenor), Christoph Genz (tenor), Jan van der Crabben (baritone), and Stephan Genz (bass).

G00:37:001993HD

Maestro Bernard Haitink leads the Berliner Philharmoniker in a performance of Igor Stravinsky's Le sacre du printemps (‘The Rite of Spring’). Stravinksy composed the ballet’s score in 1913 for Sergei Diaghilev's itinerant ballet company Ballets Russes. The work’s sensational première at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris caused a riot in the audience in response to the avant-garde nature of the music and choreography. The score, written for one of Stravinsky’s largest orchestras, features harsh dissonances and complex rhythms. Despite its scandalous premiere, the work gained great critical acclaim. Le sacre du printemps is now considered one of the great masterpieces in classical music history, which influenced many 20th-century composers. This performance was recorded at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK, as part of Europakonzert 1993.

G00:35:002024HD

Pianist JJ Jun Li Bui (Canada, 2004) performs the first movement of Carl Vine’s Piano Sonata No. 1; Piece No. 2 in E-flat major from Franz Schubert’s Drei Klavierstücke, Op. Post. D. 946; and Maurice Ravel’s La Valse, during the first round of the Piano Edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2024 (CMIM). This performance was recorded at the Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

G00:24:002021HD

On the occasion of her 80th birthday, Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich explored repertoire for piano and violin in this wonderful concert, recorded at Château de Chantilly, France. The ‘Grande Dame’ of the piano is joined by various renowned artists, including pianists Evgeny Kissin, Theodosia Ntokou, and Cristina Marton-Argerich, and violinist Maxim Vengerov. On the program are Dmitri Shostakovich’s Concertino for two pianos, Op. 94; Frédéric Chopin’s Impromptu No. 3, Op. 51, Polonaise No. 6, Op. 53 “Heroic”, and Waltz No. 6, Op. 64 No. 1; Camille Saint-Saëns’s Polonaise for two pianos, Op. 77; César Franck’s Sonata for violin and piano in A major; and Fritz Kreisler’s Liebesleid and Schön Rosmarin. This performance was recorded on June 12, 2021.

G01:11:002019HD

Conrad van Alphen conducts Sinfonia Rotterdam, the Octopus Symphonic Choir, and four vocal soloists in a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 at De Doelen, Rotterdam, in 2019. Van Alphen founded Sinfonia Rotterdam in 2000. Under his passionate leadership, this orchestra has developed into one of the Netherland's best-known orchestras. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 is widely considered Beethoven’s greatest composition. He completed this symphony in 1824, when he was almost completely deaf. This symphony is unique, since Beethoven included a choir and vocal soloists in the last movement, in which he set parts of Friedrich Schiller's poem “Ode an die Freude” (“Ode to Joy”) to music. The symphony consists of four movements: Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso, Molto vivace, Adagio molto e cantabile, and Finale. The four vocal soloists are Gulnara Shafigullina (soprano), Claire Barnett-Jones (mezzosoprano), Matthew Newlin (tenor), and Frederik Bergman (baritone).

G00:43:002013HD

Les Dissonances is a collective of artists founded by violinist David Grimal in 2004. The conductorless ensemble consists of musicians from the most prestigious European orchestras, international soloists, and young talents. In this performance, Les Dissonances perform Johannes Brahms’ String Sextet No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 18. The work is scored for two violins, two violas, and two cellos. Brahms wrote his only two string sextets at the very beginning of his career. String Sextet No. 1 was written in 1860. Brahms was one of the first to compose for this ensemble, blazing a trail for Antonín Dvořák, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Arnold Schoenberg, and others. This performance was recorded at Opéra de Dijon, France, in 2013.

G00:54:001996HD

Indian conductor Zubin Mehta (1936) became Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) in 1977 and was appointed Music Director for Life in 1981. On July 18, 1996, Mehta led the IPO in its first-ever performance of Richard Strauss’s tone poem Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Op. 28. Renowned as one of the world’s foremost interpreters of the great symphonic repertoire—especially the Romantic works of Anton Bruckner, Gustav Mahler, and Richard Strauss—Mehta had conducted this popular masterpiece many times before. However, this was the first occasion he rehearsed it from the very beginning with the orchestra. This episode of ‘In Rehearsal’ offers an intimate look at the dialogue between Mehta and the musicians as they explore Strauss’s tone poem together.

G00:24:002016HD

Manfred Honeck conducts Yo-Yo Ma and the Berlin Philharmonic in a performance of Schumann's Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129 from the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden 2016.

G00:43:002022HD

Baritone Bryan Murray (USA, 1989) performs Henri Duparc’s Phidylé; ‘In der Fremde’, ‘Intermezzo’, ‘Waldesgespräch’, ‘Die Stille’, and ‘Mondnacht’ from Robert Schumann’s Liederkreis, Op. 39; ‘Requiescat’ from Matthew Emery’s Three Songs; and ‘Chanson Romanesque’, ‘Chanson épique’, and ‘Chanson à boire’ from Maurice Ravel’s Don Quichotte à Dulcinée, during the semi-finals of the Art Song division of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2022 (CMIM). This performance was recorded at the Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

G01:45:002017HD

Critics praise her, and the audience loves her. Kristine Opolais, the prima donna and the star of the New York Metropolitan Opera, performs in her home country Latvia. She gives a splendid concert with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, at the Latvian National Opera, in 2017. The program includes arias from operas that made Kristine an international star. It includes mostly Italian music that will encourage you to dream about love and think about what is truly important. Enjoy the most beautiful arias and instrumental pieces of opera by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Pietro Mascagni, Camille Saint-Saëns, Arrigo Boito, and Alfredo Catalani.

G00:36:002020HD

Acclaimed classical music talent scout Antonio Mormone (1930-2017) lives on as the name-giver of the Premio Internazionale Antonio Mormone (PIAM), awarded to the winner of the Italian music competition of the same name. The first edition of this competition, which was held in various venues in Milan from 2019 to 2021, was dedicated to the piano. As part of this competition, Su Yeon Kim (South Korea, 1994) performs various works by Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1; Mazurka, Op. 2, No. 2 and 4; Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39; and Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 34 No. 1. The recital comes to a close with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Gigue in G major, KV 574. This performance was recorded at Teatro EDI Barrio’s in Milan, in January 2020.

PG01:34:002010HD

A classic French ballet, Coppélia was choreographed in 1870 at the Opera de Paris, drawing inspiration from the evolution of society and the choreographer’s imagination. Featuring 40 dancers, the action takes place in the America of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and Jérôme Robbins and echoes the style and spirit of Broadway musicals and Hollywood fantasies. This modern and fast-paced version was performed by Ballet de l'Opéra national de Bordeaux at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice in 2010.

G00:27:002016HD

In this exquisite 2016 concert from Moscow's Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, the Russian National Orchestra and star-pianist Boris Berezovsky are led by conductor Mikhail Pletnev in a performance of magnificent works by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Winner of the 1990 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Berezovsky interprets the works of Rimsky-Korsakov with a virtuosic power. The programme features The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya, suite for orchestra, as well as The Tale of Tsar Saltan, musical pictures for orchestra. It is produced by the Moscow Philharmonic Society, which Saint Petersburg-born composer Dmitri Shostakovich himself once described as playing a significant role "in the development of musical life [in Russia]. It is a kind of university which is attended by millions of music lovers and thousands of musicians.” The Moscow Philharmonic Society was founded in 1922 by then-Commissar for Culture, Anatoly Lunacharsky, and has over the years come to be Russia's leading concert organizing institution.

G01:38:002014HD

Paul McCreesh conducts the Orquesta Gulbenkian and Coro Infantil da Academia de Música de Sana Cecília in a performance of Benjamin Britten’s (1913-1976) War Requiem, Op. 66. Soloists are Tatiana Pavlovskaya (soprano), John Mark Ainsley (tenor) and Hanno Müller-Brachmann (bass). Recorded at the Grande Auditorio Gulbenkian in Lisbon in 2014 and directed by Yan Proefrock. The War Requiem was performed for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral in 1962. Traditional Latin texts are interspersed with extra-liturgical poems by Wilfred Owen. Britten scored the requiem for soprano, tenor and baritone, a chorus and boys' choir, organ and an orchestra and chamber orchestra. The chamber orchestra accompanies the settings of English poetry, while the voices and orchestra are used for the Latin sections.

G00:29:002010HD

This episode presents the Brandenburg Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Musical excerpts played by the Freiburger Barockorchester conducted by Gottfried von der Goltz. Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos rank among the undisputed favorites of all baroque fans. They have become a firm fixture in music education and an integral part of our international musical heritage. So what's their secret? The internationally acclaimed pianist and Bach expert Robert Levin provides an answer.

G00:25:002017HD

Yonghwan Jeong (1991, South Korea) performs Epithalam zu Eduard Reményis Vermählungsfeier (S129) and Grand Duo concertant sur la Romance de 'Le Marin' (S128) during semi-final II (chamber music) of the 11th International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, held in TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht 2017. The competition actively presents, develops and promotes piano talents from around the world. In doing so, it has become one of the prominent gateways to the international professional classical music scene for young musicians. The International Franz Liszt Piano Competition was founded in 1986 in the Netherlands and since has built a reputation as one of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions.

G01:44:002022HD

The Danish National Symphony Orchestra once again opens the gates to magical worlds with an enchanting concert program. Under the baton of German conductor Christian Schumann, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Danish National Concert Choir, and Danish National Junior Choir team up to perform music from the most popular fantasy movies, TV series and video games, including The Lord of The Rings, Game of Thrones, The Hobbit, The Witcher, and League of Legends. Featured soloists in this concert are Norwegian mezzo-soprano Tuva Semmingsen, Canadian-Portuguese soprano Cassandra Lemoine, Danish musician Bjørn Fjæstad, and British actor David Bateson. This performance was recorded at the DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, Denmark, in April 2023.

G00:34:002016HD

For the 2016 edition of the Waldbühne, the Georgian violinist Lisa Batiashvili and the Québécois conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin join the Berliner Philharmoniker for a beautiful concert. They present an all Czech program! We always think of Germany, Austria, and Italy when we name great classical composers, but the Czech Republic also delivered some master composers such as Antonin Dvorák, Bedrich Smetana, Leos Janacek, and Bohuslav Martinu. This concert starts with Smetana’s famous Vltava from Má Vlast. Lisa Batiashvili plays Dvorák’s Violin Concerto in A minor, and the concerts centerpiece is Dvorák’s Symphony No. 6.

G00:41:002018HD

Quarteto Radamés Gnattali performs Heitor Villa-Lobos's String Quartet No. 17 at the Palácio das Laranjeiras in Rio de Janiero, Brasil. The ensemble was founded in 2006 and consists of Carla Rincón and Francisco Roa (violins), Fernando Thebaldi (viola), and Hugo Pilger (cello). The quartet, which specializes in Brazilian music, focuses on educational activities. Their recording of all of Villa-Lobos string quartets is a major achievement and was very well received by international music critics. Except for his Bachianas brasileiras, the performance of many of the Brazilian's compositions is limited to Latin America. Highly regarded as a composer, conductor and educator in his native country, Villa-Lobos has operas, symphonies, concertos, piano repertoire, choral music, and seventeen string quartets to his credit.