Blu Ray Offenbach

Bregenzs Tales of Hoffmann is different from everything you saw before. The New York Times praised the thoughtfulness and creativity of Stefan Herheims new production, devised by the director as a search for ones own self in a sparkling drag show. A shining-toned (NYT) Hoffmann is embodied by tenor Daniel Johansson in the title role. He is supported by a fantastic cast: Rachel Frenkel is positively ideal as Muse and Niklausse (Kurier), Kerstin Avemo as Olympia is endowed with brilliant, cheekily extemporized coloraturas (Neue Zürcher Zeitung), Michael Volle sings the parts of Lindorf, Coppelius, Dr. Miracle and Dappertutto, the works four villains, with warmth and intensity (NYT) and Mandy Fredrich is a finelyphrased Antonia (Kurier).

Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna is once again this year the beautiful backdrop for a classical music concert in a class of its own. Every year, the famous summer night concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra takes place there. This year, the orchestra is conducted by Valery Gergiev, who has been working with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for many years. For the first time this year, the German world star Jonas Kaufmann will be the star guest at the Summer Night Concert. The programme is still secret, but as every year it will be a particularly beautiful mixture of classical hits and special works by Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Jacques Offenbach, Jules Massenet, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Emmerich Kálmán, Maurice Jarre, Aram Khachaturian and Giacomo Puccini.

"Live in Brazil" Everyone knows the Samba is the National Dance of Brazil - but that changed in 2012 when André Rieu played his first ever concert series in Brazil's hustling and bustling commercial capital of Sao Paulo. "it's a record. A sold-out concert thirty times in one city. We are really proud of that. So many memories of people waltzing, the laughter, the tears of the Brazilians. We will never forget all that." And it's one of Andre many talents that he always finds the right mix between classics and hidden gems of his genre like "Nessun Dorma", his signature tune "The Beautiful Blue Danube" or "Ballad For Adeline" while tapping into the rich tradition of local repertoire. For "Live In Brazil" that ranges from "Manha de Carnaval" to the 2012 global smash "Ai Seu Te Pego" keeping the audience off their seats and dancing in the aisles for long stretches of the 90 minutes of the show..

The ‘spectacular opening’ (Salzburger Nachrichten) of the Grafenegg Festival 2018 presented at the Midsummer Night's Gala lots of famous opera aria and orchestral hits from Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, Bellini, Offenbach, Elgar and more. The Tonkunstler Orchestra under Yutaka Sado was joined by the ‘terrific singer’ (Kurier) Pretty Yende, her ‘congenial partner’ (Kurier) Joseph Calleja and the wonderful cellist Harriet Krijgh. ‘A feast for the ears’ (Kurier).

Sony Classical is proud to release the Summer Night Concert 2016 with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Seymon Bychkov and featuring guest pianists, Katia and Marielle Labéque. This annual open-air event has been held since 2008 on the park grounds of the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria, and airs nationwide on PBS in August. Recorded live on May 26, 2016, the program focuses entirely on French composers covering the period between Romanticism and Neoclassicism with pieces by Georges Bizet, Hector Berlioz, Francis Poulenc and Maurice Ravel.