Helene Grimaud - A Russian Night (2008)
Classical | DVD9 | NTSC 16:9 | PCM Stereo, DTS 5.1 | Subtitles: English, Deutsch, Espanol, Chinese | 5.6 GB
Helene Grimaud - piano | Claudio Abbado - conductor
Recorded live at Lucerne Festival in Summer, 22 August 2008
Label: Deutsche Grammophon | DVD Release Date: October 26, 2009

The first-ever concert DVD of pianist Hélène Grimaud in collaboration with conducting legend Claudio Abbado captures an unforgettable night at the Lucerne Festival 2008! The all-Russian program extends from Tchaikovsky's romantic lushness to Rachmaninoff's dramatics to the astringent musical tonic that is uniquely Stravinsky's. Grimaud and Abbado propound poetic and impactful interpretations through the recreative power of sterling musicianship with this unforgettable performance. The Lucerne Festival Orchestra numbers virtuoso instrumentalists from such distinguished entities as the Alban Berg and Hagen Quartets. DVD Extras include a rare Abbado on-camera interview.

A breath-taking ensemble performance of Marius Petipa's popular Don Quixote, loosely based on Cervantes famous novel, from the world-renowned Mariinsky Ballet. The Mariinsky's top principal male, Leonid Sarafanov (the Prince in Decca's Mariinsky Nutcracker, released in 2007) gives another virtuosic yet elegant performance as Basilio in this lively and colorful production. Filmed in High-Definition, this film was recorded during the company's successful visit to Vienna in 2006 and is part of Decca's continuing association with this awesome ballet company, joining Swan Lake and the Nutcracker which were released in 2007.

"Freelon makes each song such a personal statement that they all seem fresh and new…" ~ USA Today

Homefree is a soulful, swinging album that Freelon calls her "home brew." The collection is comprised largely of contemporary interpretations of classic American Songbook tunes as well as a new original (the witty, playful and poignant "Cell Phone Blues" composed by the singer) and spirited arrangements of two anthems (the gospel treasure "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and the national hymn "America the Beautiful") that close the album.

Sergiu Celibidache was one of the podium's great individualists whose idiosyncratic interpretations drive listeners either to scorn or to reverence. This compilation of broadcasts made during his Swedish years provides material for both views, though most listeners should come away awed by "Celi" at his best. The Sibelius Fifth, for example, is a great performance, incredibly intense within a spacious framework of epic grandeur. The Sibelius Second, while on a less exalted level, is painted on a similarly broad canvas with playing of remarkable concentration and power. The Hindemith, too, is outstanding, Celibidache probing depths few other conductors find in the work… –Dan Davis

Patricia Petibon, admired for her command of Baroque style, records her first album of Italian Baroque arias partnered by Andrea Marcon and the Venice Baroque Orchestra. Saluted by the International Record Review for her "rare ability to inject into her performance vocal characterizations which…nullify the need to see these operatic characters in the flesh," Rosso frames Petibon's gift of transformation by purely vocal means. Petibon's keen interpretive intelligence and gleaming tone summon into vivid life a wealth of characters tangled up in the power plays of gods, kings, witches, and devils. Rosso mixes beloved Handel airs like "Lascia ch'io pianga" with newly discovered arias by his contemporaries and predecessors. Sartorio's "Quando voglio" and Porpora's floating "Morte amara" are potential hits.

The Sicilian-born tenor Giuseppe Di Stefano emerged in Switzerland after fleeing there when the Nazis took over Italy. There he made his first recordings after appearing on local radio in opera broadcasts. He made his operatic debut as Des Grieux in Massenet’s Manon at Regio Emilia on 20 April 1946 after which his rise was rapid. He débuted at La Scala in the same role in March 1947 and as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto at the Metropolitan Opera the following year with Leonard Warren in the title role. These were Di Stefano’s golden years, singing roles such as Fenton in Verdi’s Falstaff, Almaviva in Il Barbiere de Siviglia, Nemorino in L’Elisir d’amore and Alfredo in La Traviata. His early 78rpm recordings from this period reveal a voice of great lyric beauty (CD 1 trs1-5) and when the repertoire was right and when he resisted putting pressure on his open-throated forward tone. His outgoing and exuberant, if insouciant, personality did not take restriction to heart. If he could sing a note or a phrase full out he did so and even on these early tracks in the revealing sound of CD one can detect a touch of dryness, even rawness, at the top of the voice although without detracting from the attraction of his pianissimo and mezza voce singing.

Robert J Farr, MusicWeb International