Acting
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The oppressive atmosphere before a storm and the tragic fate of a tormented young woman form the indivisible elements of "Katia Kabanova". The opera's action is set in a small Russian village around 1860 and represents the annihilation and subsequent suicide of Katerina Kabanova, a sensitive young woman married to a weak man and bullied by her mother-in-law, who is searching for liberation through love and ends her life consumed by remorse for her infidelity. The story's common denominator is the Volga river, a witness of the main character's hapless family relations and her frustrated passion, and in whose merciful waters she finally finds peace. The adaptation into the Czech language of Ostrovsky's tragic play "The Storm" allowed Janáček to create one of his most outstanding operas, in which the conciseness and intensity of the musical language are merged with the dramatic force of his libretto. This is the Teatro Madrid Production Recorded in December, 2008.
An indispensable symbol of Christmas. J. J. Ryba's most popular composition performed by A. Poláčková, V. Hajnová, P. Nekoranec, J. Šťáva, the En arché chamber choir, the Česká píseň mixed choir, and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by J. Bělohlávek. The Czech Christmas Mass, also known as the "Hey, Master" Mass, in Latin Missa solemnis Festis Nativitatis D. J. Ch. acomodata in linguam bohemicam musicam – que redacta per Jac. Joa. Ryba, is a Czech-language church composition by this year's jubilee celebrant Jakub Jan Ryba (1765–1815). Although it is structured in the same way as a Latin musical mass with parts of the ordinary (Kyrie, Gloria, etc.), it is a pastoral play applied to traditional liturgy; the story tells of the annunciation of Christ's birth and the arrival of the shepherds at the manger. The Czech Christmas Mass has a purely pastoral character, set in a Czech environment.
Performed by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by J. Bělohlávek. Slavonic Dances are among the most popular works by Antonín Dvořák and Czech Romantic music in general. The first series, originally composed for four-hand piano and later orchestrated for symphony orchestra, is inspired mainly by Czech folk dances. The orchestral version of Slavonic Dances is considered a groundbreaking work, thanks to which Dvořák attracted attention abroad and launched his international career. A television recording of this outstanding performance was made in 2014. The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek.
W.A. Mozart: Piano Concerto No.6, K.238 in B flat major, Piano Concerto No.19, K.459 in F major, Piano Concerto No.20, K.466 in D minor
The seductive diva Emilia Marty has broken hearts for over 300 years and yet she doesn’t look a day past 30. Now that the magical elixir granting her eternal youth is wearing off, can she seduce her way to immortality?
Glyndebourne's celebrated production of Nikolaus Lehnhoff's Tristan und Isolde is a supremely intelligent achievement; gravely beautiful, haunting and meditative, it is deeply reflective rather than visceral, fortified by Roland Aeschlimann's stunningly effective set, a womb-like space through which the protagonists move like gods. Conductor Jiří Bělohlávek mirrors Lehnhoff's approach in his sophisticated plumbing of the score's depths, with every shift in texture carefully laid bare by an inspired London Philharmonic Orchestra. Nina Stemme's Isolde and Robert Gambill's Tristan, both gloriously lyrical, are matched by superb performances from René Pape as the betrayed and vulnerable King Marke and Bo Skovhus as Kurwenal, deeply touching in his helpless devotion to Tristan. This High Definition recording of a production of uncommon intimacy reveals the opera's music and drama in a new light.
Virtuosos André Previn, Zoltán Kocsis and Heidrun Holtmann pay homage to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performing piano concertos from different periods of the composer's life ("No.1, K.37"; "No.4, K.41"; "No.23, K.488"; and "No.24, K.491"). The pianists play in gorgeous baroque venues frequented by Mozart: Mantua's Teatro Scientifico del Bibiena, Prague's Rittersaal of Palais Waldstein and Vienna's Grosse Galerie of Schloss Schönbrunn.
