00:00
Puccini - La Bohème
Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Paris Opera Orchestra and Choir in a performance of Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème. Recorded at the Opéra National de Paris in 2017 and directed by Claus Guth. Among the soloists are Nicole Car, Aida Garifullina Atalla Ayan and Artur Ruciński. La Bohème premiered in 1896 at the Teatro Regio in Italy. The opera's libretto focuses on the relationship between Rodolfo and Mimì. When young poet Rodolfo meets seamstress Mimì, it's love at first sight. But faced by the cruel realities of poverty and ill health, will the flame that burns between them flicker and die? Or will the timeless strength of their youthful passion withstand every trial and tribulation that life can throw at them?
02:04
Summer Night Music - Spirits of Music
Spirits of Music is an unusual musical journey through the centuries, with stops on all continents. Inspired by their creators' various faiths, the works on the program have a strong religious theme and are moving examples of the emotional power and effect of music. Internationally renowned soloists and ensembles such as Bobby McFerrin, Nigel Kennedy, Sibylla Rubens, and the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig perform popular works from the European musical tradition, encompassing J. S. Bach, W. A. Mozart, and Giuseppe Verdi. Many magnificent examples of religious music come from artists such as Kroke, the Kuumba Singers, Mari Boine, The Bulgarian Voices Angelite, Vocal Sampling, and Ensemble Al-Kindi. With the inclusion of world music, the program achieves a highly suspenseful juxtaposition of European and other music.
04:44
Works by Mozart and Sarti
Italian conductor Mattia Rondelli conducts the Orchestra dell’Opera Carlo Felice Genova in a concert program consisting of works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Giuseppe Sarti. Soprano Barbara Massaro is the soloist. On the program are Mozart’s Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, K. 22; ‘Domine Deus’ from Sarti’s Gloria in excelsis (revised by Stefano Squarzina); ‘Sinfonia’, and the aria ‘Sull’altare del Suo sdegno’ from Sarti’s oratorio La sconfitta de’ Cananei (rev. S. Squarzina); Mozart’s Symphony No. 27 in G major, K. 199; the aria ‘Fra le oscure ombre funeste’ from Mozart’s cantata Davide Penitente, K. 469; and Mozart’s Symphony No. 24 in B-flat major, K. 182. This performance was recorded at the basilica of Santi Gervasio e Protasio in Rapallo, Italy, in 2023.
05:48
Chopin - Ballade No. 4, Op. 52
Italian pianist Roberto Prosseda performs Frédéric Chopin's technically challenging Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52. Completed in 1842, this piece is celebrated as a masterpiece within the Romantic piano repertoire, renowned for its intricate structure and profound emotional depth. This performance was recorded at the stunning baroque palace Villa Contarini in Piazzola sul Brenta, Italy, in 2006.
06:00
Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 27, KV 595
Soloist Aleksander Madzar and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra directed by Andre Previn join forces in a performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 27, KV 595, recorded at Vienna's Schönbrunn palace. In 1791, with his life cruelly and rapidly ending, Mozart once again turned to the compositional style which reflected his personality: the concerto for piano and orchestra. His last piano concerto, which turned out to be an uplifting composition, regales its audience with a lyrical children's song, invoking the joys of youth and springtime.
06:38
Gershwin - Greatest Hits
Belgian conductor Jos van Immerseel leads Anima Eterna Brugge in a concert program dedicated to American composer George Gershwin. The program opens with Gershwin’s symphonic suite Catfish Row (arr. Steven D. Bowen) which is based upon music from his famous opera Porgy and Bess (1935). This is followed by the well-known tone poem An American in Paris (1928). After, soprano Claron McFadden joins the orchestra, presenting a selection of Gershwin’s classic jazz songs, including ‘The man I love’ (1924-27), ‘I got rhythm’ (1930), and ‘By Strauss’ (1936). She also performs ‘My man’s gone now’ and ‘Summertime’ from Porgy and Bess. The concert ends with Gershwin’s celebrated Rhapsody in Blue, with Bart Van Caenegem as featured pianist. This performance was recorded at Concertgebouw Brugge, Belgium, on March 3, 2017.
08:15
Piano works by Mendelssohn
The Italian pianist Roberto Prosseda (*1975) is considered one of today’s leading interpreters of Felix Mendelssohn’s piano repertoire. Prosseda’s discovery of unknown Mendelssohn compositions made the headlines throughout Europe and led to several releases on the celebrated Decca label. In the current recital, recorded in 2015 at Teatro alle Vigne in Lodi, Italy, Prosseda performs a selection of Felix Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words (Lieder ohne Worte) (Op. 19 No. 1, Op. 38 No. 2, Op. 38 No. 6, Op. 53 No. 2, Op. 30 No. 6, and Op. 62 No. 2), Variations sérieuses, Op. 54, and Fantasie, Op. 28.