Maria Antouaneta

María de Buenos Aires is a tango operita (little opera) composed by Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) with a libretto by poet Horacio Ferrer. Premiering in 1968, the piece is one of Piazzolla’s most ambitious and innovative works, blending tango, classical music, and surrealist poetry. It represents a major departure from traditional tango, showcasing Piazzolla’s distinctive nuevo tango style—complex, dramatic, and infused with elements of jazz and avant-garde music.

"The role of Leonora is one in which I have much admired Mme Callas.

The first part of Lydia Maria Blank’s LMB Collection is a colourful compilation of harpsichord music from all over Europe with the main focus on Venice, Naples and the South of Europe, from around 1530 to around 1680.

The acuteness of an artistic vision carried by a deep, luminous and full of relief attention to the inscription of detail in the whole.

Having reached the peak of his art, Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed his final mass, Assumpta est Maria, around 1669. Composed around the theme of the Assumption of the Virgin, central to the Catholic religion, this grandiose work blends Italian influences and French style.

Having reached the peak of his art, Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed his final mass, Assumpta est Maria, around 1669. Composed around the theme of the Assumption of the Virgin, central to the Catholic religion, this grandiose work blends Italian influences and French style. Charpentier succeeded in combining devotion and virtuosity, making the Assumpta est Maria Mass one of the masterpieces of Baroque sacred music, still appreciated for its mystical depth and musical brilliance. Gaetan Jarry, accompanied by his ensemble Marguerite Louise, gives a superb performance that brings out all the expressiveness and solemnity of this mass.

Anne-Maria Hölscher spoke to music journalist Stephan Hoffmann about this production (excerpt):
"The language in which I am used to expressing myself is music"

The film starts in the last days of World War II, during the rushed marriage ceremony of Maria Braun, after which her husband is sent to battle the advancing Allies. After Maria later hears that he has been killed, she becomes the mistress of an African-American soldier. When Maria’s husband unexpectedly returns alive, she kills the soldier in a scuffle, but her husband takes the blame. Maria becomes the self-centered assistant and lover of a wealthy industrialist and a model of post-war recovery.

Maria y Hermann Braun se casan mientras caen bombas poco antes de que este sea enviado al frente ruso. Al final de la guerra le declaran desaparecido, posiblemente muerto. Un mundo se derrumba. Alemania está viviendo su año cero. Entre las ruinas, donde reina el trueque y la prostitución, Maria se hace amante de un soldado negro americano, Bill, del que queda embarazada y, en contra de toda lógica, sigue esperando el regreso de su marido…

Sublime pieces inspired by fantasy tales and the world of childhood (the magnificent suites from The Firebird, Jeux d'enfants and Ma mère l'Oye) by Carlo Maria Giulini and the Philharmonia Orchestra, available digitally for the first time in a splendid remastered version: one hour of pure orchestral magic!