New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 15th June 2018
This week's highlights include centenary tributes to Birgit Nilsson and Leonard Bernstein on DVD and Blu-ray, a Knappertsbusch Bruckner 7 from the archives, and La Scala's first production of Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco (with Anna Netrebko in the title-role) in a century and a half.
Stravinsky: The Soldier's Tale
Roman Simovic (violin), Malcolm Sinclair (narrator), LSO Chamber Ensemble
British actor Malcolm Sinclair (whose credits include Foyle’s War, Casino Royale, and Pie in the Sky, as well as the role of Benjamin Britten in Alan Bennett’s The Habit of Art and the narrator on the LSO’s 2012 recording of Der Freischütz) does triple duty as the narrator, Soldier and Devil on this live recording from 2015.
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Recorded live in Cologne on 10th May 1963, this Bruckner Seven was transferred directly from the original tapes and shows the conductor taking a broader overall perspective than on his 1949 account of the work with the Wiener Philharmoniker from the Salzburg Festival (also available on Orfeo).
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
A celebration of the music of Herbert Howells (including his Salve Regina, Like as the Hart, Hymn for St Cecilia and God be in my head) and the composers whom he influenced and inspired, from Patrick Hadley and Vaughan Williams to Nico Muhly and Queen’s alumnus David Bednall (whose Marian Antiphons receive their world premiere recording here).
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Flotow: Martha
Maria Bengtsson, Katharina Magiera, Barnaby Rea; Frankfurter Opern-und Museumsorchester, Sebastian Weigle
Though the tenor aria ‘Ach so fromm’ crops up on numerous recital-discs, Flotow’s 1847 comic opera about a bored aristocrat who disguises herself and her maid as servant-girls for hire at a country fair (and finds true love for them both in the process) has had relatively few complete outings on record – enjoying a bit of light relief after their Wagner series, Weigle and his classy Frankfurt team do it proud.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (DVD)
Peter Hofmann (Tristan), Hildegard Behrens (Isolde), Yvonne Minton (Brangaene); Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Leonard Bernstein
Recorded live from semi-staged performances of each individual act in 1981 (several weeks elapsed between each concert to allow the singers to recoup their forces!), Bernstein’s white-hot Tristan was released on Philips as an audio recording two years later and now appears for the first time on DVD and Blu-ray to mark the centenary of his birth.
Available Format: 3 DVD Videos
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (Blu-ray)
Peter Hofmann (Tristan), Hildegard Behrens (Isolde), Yvonne Minton (Brangaene); Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Leonard Bernstein
Sound format: PCM Stereo
Picture: NTSC, 4:3
Available Format: Blu-ray
Filmed at locations including the farm in Båstad where the great dramatic soprano grew up and the Royal Stockholm Opera (where she made her debut in 1946), this touching and insightful film by Thomas Voigt and Wolfgang Wunderlich includes tributes from Antonio Pappano, Jonas Kaufmann, Christa Ludwig and Nina Stemme (who is often seen as her successor in the great Wagner roles).
Available Format: DVD Video
Region: A/1
Available Format: Blu-ray
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
