Europakonzert 1993 from London

Sir Peter Hall's remarkably faithful interpretation of Beethoven's opera at Glyndebourne. Elizabeth Söderström plays Leonore, with Elizabeth Gale as Marzelline and Curt Appelgren as Rocco.

The Berliner Philharmoniker dedicate their New Year's Eve concert to famous lovers from the repertoire, embodied with intensity by French tenor Benjamin Bernheim. On the program: Don José (Carmen by Georges Bizet), Lenski (Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky), Werther (in the opera of the same name by Jules Massenet) and Romeo (Charles Gounod's Roméo et Juliette). Conducted by Kirill Petrenko, works by Gabriel Fauré, Emmanuel Chabrier, and George Gershwin round out this festive program.

Repertoire Modest Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain; Antonín Dvořák: Song to the Moon from “Rusalka”, Op. 114; Aram Chatschaturjan: Adagio from “Spartacus”; Richard Strauss: Final Scene from “Capriccio”, Op. 85; Richard Wagner: Overture to “Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen”; E. W. Korngold: Mariettas Lied from “Die tote Stadt”; Richard Strauss: Zueignung, Op. 10 No. 1; Sir Edward Elgar: Salut d’amour; Giacomo Puccini: Donde lieta uscì from “La bohème”; Tu che di gel sei cinta from “Turandot”; Ruggero Leoncavallo: Musette svaria sulla bocca viva from “La bohème”; Mimì Pinson, la biondinetta from “La bohème”; Piotr Tchaikovsky: “Romeo and Juliet” (Fantasy Overture)

The Orchestre National de France, conducted by Cristian Măcelaru, perform Brahms Symphony No. 1 and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with Frank Peter Zimmermann as soloist.

Live from Glyndebourne 1994. The first production to be filmed Live in Glyndebourne´s new opera house May 1994. The Marriage of Figaro is a continuation of the plot of The Barber of Seville several years later, and recounts a single “day of madness” in the palace of the Count Almaviva near Seville, Spain. Rosina is now the Countess; Dr. Bartolo is seeking revenge against Figaro for thwarting his plans to marry Rosina himself; and Count Almaviva has degenerated from the romantic youth of Barber into a scheming, bullying, skirt-chasing baritone. This follows the Count trying to obtain favours from Susanna, Figaro’s bride to be, under the nose of the Countess.

Each year, the annual Europakonzert concert on May 1st. Due to the worldwide covid pandemic, a very comforting programme was selected for this years concert, to encourage and to thank people in Europe and worldwide. Arvo Pärt's Fratres for string orchestra and percussion, György Ligeti's Ramifications for string orchestra, Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 4.

Don José is a guard who begins an affair with the tempestuous Carmen. He is imprisoned and loses his job, then flees with her to the mountains. When the relationship starts to break down José refuses to acknowledge it and will not leave, even when he gets news that his mother is dying. Carmen, meanwhile, has taken up with the bullfighter Escamillo. Bizet's most famous opera is brought to the Glyndebourne Festival Opera by Sir Peter Hall, with Maria Ewing and Barry McCauley heading an international cast.

The Marriage of Figaro is a continuation of the plot of The Barber of Seville several years later, and recounts a single "day of madness" in the palace of the Count Almaviva near Seville, Spain. Rosina is now the Countess; Dr. Bartolo is seeking revenge against Figaro for thwarting his plans to marry Rosina himself; and Count Almaviva has degenerated from the romantic youth of Barber into a scheming, bullying, skirt-chasing baritone. This follows the Count trying to obtain favours from Susanna, Figaro's bride to be, under the nose of the Countess.

The Glyndebourne Opera's 1981 production of the Benjamin Britten opera, based on Shakespeare's play.

John Williams has made cinematic history with his film scores and transported entire generations into his musical worlds. He has composed the soundtracks for cinema blockbusters such as Star Wars, Jurassic Park, E.T. and Harry Potter. In this concert, he conducts some of his most famous film classics. At the same time, this is his debut on the podium of the Berliner Philharmoniker. May the Force be with him ...

Translucence, transparency – warmth’ are the qualities identified by Bernard Haitink as necessary for an ideal sound performance of Beethoven's only opera, and all are present in this fantastic recording of Katharina Thalbach's 2008 production for Opernhaus Zurich. Haitink conducts the Zurich Opera Orchestra in a magnificent performance in which Leonore Overture No. 3 provides an interlude between the two scenes of the second act, following a tradition started by Gustav Mahler. German soprano Melanie Diener, in the role of Leonore, leads a brilliant cast including Alfred Muff as Rocco, Roberto Saccà as Florestan, Sandra Trattnigg as Marzelline and Christoph Strehl as Jaquino. This High Definition recording with true surround sound marks the start of the exciting collaboration between Opus Arte and Opernhaus Zurich.

Some concerts are important simply as occasions: The “Joint Concert Tel Aviv” was a celebration of reconciliation, a performance shared by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra that would have been inconceivable a few years earlier. Zubin Mehta takes a massive band consisting of both orchestras through performances of Ben Haim’s fascinating “Psalm”, Ravel’s “La Valse” and Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony”.

One day in June 2003, thousands of people came to the Waldbühne Park to spend the night with Gershwin, the composer of Porgy and Bess, the super energised Seiji Ozawa conducting the venerable Berliner Philharmoniker and the famous Marcus Roberts jazz trio.

Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle was one of the outstanding events of the past season. As before with the St Matthew Passion, star director Peter Sellars succeeded in creating a staging which made the spiritual and dramatic content of the Passion story even more intensive. The New York Times also praised the “brilliant and energetic” playing of the orchestra, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung the “haunting, almost unsurpassable singing of all those involved.”

Recorded live at The Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Idomeneo, King of Crete, has been away from home during the long years of the Trojan War. Idamante, his son and now regent of the island, waits for his return, heralded by the arrival in Crete of Trojan prisoners. One of these prisoners is Ilia, daugher of the murdered King Priam of Troy. Idamante has fallen in love with Ilia, but is loved by Electra, daughter of the Greek King Agamemmnon, who has taken refuge in Crete. This production marked the operatic debut of Trevor Nunn. It has been much-acclaimed for its dramatic effect, blending Minoan Crete with the ritualistic delicacy of Japanese theatre. This dynamic stylisation is appropriately reclected in John Napier's considered and elegant designs. Bernhard Haitink conducts the London Philharmonic in a forceful account of the music.

The Berlin Philharmonic brings in the New Year with a festive concert featuring performances of music by Gershwin, Bernstein, Porter & Loewe.

Following the success of the Art of Conducting-Great Conductors of the Past, this second edition focuses on a further six of the twentieth century's greatest conductors, complemented by commentary from music personalities who knew the artists firsthand. Rare film clips are also included of Herbert von Karajan, Hermann Scherchen, Andre Cluytens and Vaclav Talich.