Not to be confused with the more famous Vienna New Year's Day concerts, this is a recording of the Berlin Philharmonic's New Year's Gala from December 31, 1997. The concert was billed as "Dances of Life, Love and Death," a homage to Carmen. Beginning with six of the most famous selections from Bizet's opera, the all-star cast features mezzo-soprano Anne Sophie Von Otter, baritone Bryn Terfel, and tenor Robert Alagna. Other than being passionately romantic, there is no direct link between Carmen and Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, but a warm-hearted performance by pianist Mikhail Pletnev requires no excuse. Delivered with fiery virtuosity by violinist Gil Shaham, Pablo de Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy then transforms Bizet's melodies into a concentrated instrumental extravaganza. The mood continues with Ravel's Rhapsodie Espagnole and De Falla's Ritual Fire Dance, with the closing Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Brahms maintaining the theme by gypsy association. This is a wonderfully sultry concert for a cold winter's day, conductor Claudio Abbado delivering pure romance, winning uplifting performances from his fabulous gallery of musicians and stellar soloists.
Actors: The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Anne Sofie Von Otter, Claudio Abbado, Bryn Terfel, Roberto Alagna Directors: Hans Hulscher Format: Multiple Formats, Classical, Color, NTSC Language: English, French, Spanish Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.) Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Number of discs: 1 Rated: NR Not Rated Studio: Arthaus DVD Release Date: October 3, 2000 Run Time: 85 minutes |
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