The Berlin Concert

Claudio Abbado (1933-2014) was one of the outstanding personalities in the history of the Berliner Philharmoniker. He made his debut with the orchestra in 1966 and was their chief conductor from 1990 to 2002. In May 2013, their unique partnership ended with Claudio Abbado's last concert with the orchestra – a “triumph”, in the words of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The programme included two of the most important works of musical Romanticism: Hector Berlioz's visionary Symphonie fantastique and Felix Mendelssohn's magical, shimmering music for A Midsummer Night's Dream. Audio and video recordings of this memorable evening are now being released in a hardcover luxury edition. The bonus material includes a historical documentary about Abbado's first year as chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker. In addition to extensive texts, the booklet contains numerous photos, some of which have never been published before.

Vladimir Horowitz possessed freakishly superb technical equipment, plus inspiration and a mercurial imagination that caused him to never play the same work twice in the same way. There has been no greater writer of pianistic works in the history of the instrument. There was never a better ear for piano color, and his performances usually succeeded in giving a work "the stamp of approval" causing his contemporaries to begin programming works he chose to champion. The was, and is, nobody who can imitate Horowitz, for his genius was truly a never ending source of inspiration.

The Dream Roots Collection is a five-disc retrospective of Tangerine Dream's career, including one disc of previously unreleased material. All of the material on the collection has been remixed and reworked by Edgar Froese and his son Jerome, and while these remixes might not be historically accurate, they nevertheless retain the essence of the original versions, making the box an intriguing journey through the group's past. While the set is too extensive for casual listeners, hardcore fans will find the new mixes and rarities fascinating, making the set a worthwhile addition to their collection.

Drummer Joe Dodge left the Dave Brubeck quartet in 1956 to spend more time with his wife and children. He was replaced by Joe Morello. Bassist Norman Bates also left the group the following year for the comforts of home and family. Brubeck chose Eugene Wright to take his place on bass. With Morello and Wright in the fold, the "Classic Quartet" was born. Although Brubeck and Desmond played with several musicians over the years, this group of Brubeck, Desmond, Wright and Morello would become the most famous of Brubeck's bands. The US State Department hired them for this "goodwill" tour of Europe including dates in England, Scotland, Germany, Denmark,Belgium, Holland, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. This long unavailable concert appears here in its entirety for the first time ever - including two previously unissued tracks 'The Duke' and 'One Moment Worth Years'.

As a conductor, Sergiu Celibidache influenced as no other the musical life of Berlin, a metropolis still scarred by the war. The sound documents of this edition, most of which have not been previously released, for the first time paint a comprehensive picture of the conductor during the period between 1945 and 1957. These historic documents, providing new impressions of the legendary conductor, were revealed after intensive research.

200 years ago, on May 26th 1821, today's Berlin Concert Hall was inaugurated as “Königliches Schauspielhaus”. Destroyed as “Preußisches Staatstheater” during World War II, the building, located in eastern Berlin, was rebuilt during GDR times and reopened as “Konzerthaus” in 1984. The premiere of Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz on June 18th 1821 was a highlight of the opening year. The work became his most popular opera and one of the key works of the 19th century. A few days later, the composer (who died at the age of only 40 in 1826), had another piece premiered at the “Königliches Schauspielhaus”: his brilliant “Concert Piece for Piano and Orchestra op.79”. This year the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, with its principal conductor Christoph Eschenbach, will be celebrating these historic events. Weber holds a special place in the life of the great German conductor and pianist, as Der Freischütz was the first opera he saw at the age of ten. Eschenbach is being joined in this program, which combines overtures, arias and the famous concert piece, by two artists who reside at the Konzerthaus Berlin and are also Alpha artists: soprano Anna Prohaska and pianist Martin Helmchen.

After the extremely successful studio album Farscape and the live CD/DVD Rheingold, Schulze and Gerrard released yet another live CD revealing further highlights, entitled Dziękuję Bardzo (Polish for 'Many Thanks'). This 3-CD set not only contains a complete recording of the concert which took place on the 13th of November 2008 in the Bazylika Ojców Salezjanów in Warsaw, but also a complete concert recorded the day before in the Schiller's Theatre in Berlin.
The Warsaw concert in particular was a big emotional moment and a triumphant return for Klaus Schulze: 25 years after his last concerts in Poland (which can be heard on the double CD Dziekuje Poland Live 83) he returned to the place where he can count on his most loyal fans. As always with Klaus Schulze, exclusive new pieces were played at both concerts…

200 years ago, on May 26th 1821, today's Berlin Concert Hall was inaugurated as “Königliches Schauspielhaus”. Destroyed as “Preußisches Staatstheater” during World War II, the building, located in eastern Berlin, was rebuilt during GDR times and reopened as “Konzerthaus” in 1984. The premiere of Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz on June 18th 1821 was a highlight of the opening year. The work became his most popular opera and one of the key works of the 19th century. A few days later, the composer (who died at the age of only 40 in 1826), had another piece premiered at the “Königliches Schauspielhaus”: his brilliant Concert Piece for Piano and Orchestra op.79.