Andreas Morell

"It must schwing!" was the motto of Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, two German Jewish immigrants who in 1939 set up Blue Note Records, the jazz label that was home to such greats as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins. Blue Note, the most successful movie ever made about jazz, is a testimony to the passion and vision of these two men and certainly swings like the propulsive sounds that made their label so famous.

"It must schwing!" was the motto of Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, two German Jewish immigrants who in 1939 set up Blue Note Records, the jazz label that was home to such greats as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins. Blue Note, the most successful movie ever made about jazz, is a testimony to the passion and vision of these two men and certainly swings like the propulsive sounds that made their label so famous.

Claudio Abbado conducts the Orchestra Mozart with Giuliano Carmignola, principal violinist, live at the Teatro Municipale Valli, Reggio Emilia, April 21, 2007

The richness and intensity of Richard Strauss's masterful one-act opera, in Herbert Wernicke's compelling production, vividly portrays the relentless pursuit and ecstatic realization of vengeance. Featuring Linda Watson, Jane Henschel, Manuela Uhl, Rene Kollo, and Albert Dohmen. The Philharmonia Chor Wien and Münchner Philharmoniker are conducted by Christian Thielemann

Clara Schumann led an almost cinematic life as the daughter of a strict and ambitious father, as an internationally extremely successful pianist, as the wife of a famous composer and as the mother of seven children.

Clara Schumann led an almost cinematic life as the daughter of a strict and ambitious father, as an internationally extremely successful pianist, as the wife of a famous composer and as the mother of seven children.

Carlo Gesualdo - beastly murderer and divine composer - is one of the most striking figures in the history of music. Based on his dramatic honor killing, the film tells the story of revolutionary music and the search for forgiveness.

The London Telegraph described pianist Alice Sarah Ott as the “hottest new talent in classical music”. She now makes her debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker performing Ravel’s vibrant, jazz-influenced Piano Concerto in G major. Another artist making his debut is the Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, who shows the music of his homeland from its most passionate side: with Jean Sibelius’s Tchaikovsky-inspired First Symphony, and music by the internationally too little known Uuno Klami.

Both Florez and Diana Damrau brought their bel canto expertise and superb vocalism to the service of Verdi's music. The Rigoletto, Zeljko Lucic, ran the gamut from tenderness with his Gilda to thundering fury with everyone else. I also liked the production. At first, when Rigoletto was putting on his grease paint during the overture, I was afraid that it might be a typical "Euro-trash" production, with a bit of warmed over I Pagliacci. But the sets and dramatic action really served the music and libretto. I would have to say that I came to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the story and characters as a result of seeing this performance.

Join the Jacques Loussier Trio as they perform classic compositions by such celebrated musicians as Johann Sebastian Bach and Claude Debussy in this release that brings the majesty of a live classical performance home. Recorded live at St. Thomas' Church in Leipzig, Germany in July of 2004, the trio features Loussier on piano, Benoît Dunoyer de Segonzac on bass, and André Arpino on drums. In addition to the works of Bach and Debussy, this performance also offers the trio performing Erik Satie's "Gymnopédie No.1" and Maurice Ravel's "Boléro."

German virtuoso Julia Fischer performs violin and piano concertos by Saint-Saens and Grieg, accompanied by the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie under the baton of Matthias Pintscher.

Massenet's opera centres on its charming but contrary heroine, the vivacious young Manon who longs for luxury and excitement. We first encounter her en route to a convent, where her family are sending her to be educated. Along the way, she falls in love with the young student Des Grieux, and, impetuously, runs off with him. She soon leaves him, however, to become the mistress of a rich nobleman. Thus begins her descent into criminality and depravity, all too soon dragging the besotted Des Grieux with her, until she is imprisoned. Despite its tragic story, the opera is full of French charm and vitality – typified by the ambiguous Manon herself. Her plight is touching because of the subtle play of innocence and calculation in her character. The score contains many sparkling arias and ensembles, moving rapidly from moods of exuberance to tenderness, with perfect dramatic timing. Recorded live at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin, April/May 2007.

This program captures a live performance of the Richard Wagner opera Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, recorded at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany, under the direction of Katharina Wagner. Some of the vocalists featured in the performance include Franz Hawlata, Artur Korn, Michael Volle, and others.

Live performance from Salzburg Festival Opera, August 2007. The story tells of Cellini's love for Teresa, daughter of the Papal Treasurer Balducci. His rival, the Papal Sculptor Fieramosca, overhears Cellini plotting to run away with Teresa during the carnival.

A night in the cold trade of prostitution. Blue goes out on the streets. His "working day" begins at eleven o'clock at night and ends at dawn. Then, when he has converted the money he has quickly earned back into drugs, escaped the cheated dealer and answered his pimp's questions, when he has been left alone once again with the futile hope that "someone will get him out".

The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and the conflict on and off-stage between Fred Graham, the show's director, producer, and star, and his leading lady, his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi. A secondary romance concerns Lois Lane, the actress playing Bianca, and her gambler boyfriend, Bill, who runs afoul of some gangsters. Television broadcast of the 2008 Komische Oper production.

The film approaches one of the greatest choreographers of our time on several levels: John Neumeier. Now, after 51 years, he is ending his time as head of the Hamburg Ballet. A turning point and occasion for a search for traces of origins, influences and possible secrets. In the USA, John Neumeier embarks on a journey into his own past and visits places from his childhood and youth.

Daniel Barenboim is an expert in exploiting the impact of cyclical performances of composers works: This time he focuses his sharp intellect on all six of Anton Bruckners mature symphonies. Der Tagesspiegel described Barenboim's performance of the works with the Staatskapelle Berlin on six nearly consecutive evenings in June 2010 as a superhuman accomplishment and went on to praise how: His Bruckner is conceived and performed very theatrically, like an opera without words. Bruckners famous Romantic Symphony No. 4 forms the prelude to a spectacular DVD series from Accentus Music and Unitel Classica, exploring Bruckners symphonic cosmos.

For him, the accordion is like a box in which you can get an entire orchestra in order to always have it on your own. Dynamic portrait of the gifted and charismatic accordionist Martynas Levickis.

The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra brings together refugee musicians and Ukrainian members of leading European orchestras. One day after the third anniversary of the Russian attack on Ukraine, they perform Beethoven's 9th Symphony - a masterpiece and symbol of freedom and humanity - under the direction of Keri-Lynn Wilson in Warsaw's Teatr Wielki.

During a Christmas Eve party and a young girl, Clara, being given a nutcracker doll by her godfather, Drosselmeyer. Later in the evening when Clara sleeps, she finds herself in the midst of the Nutcracker’s battle against the Mouse King and his army of mice. Coming to Clara’s aid, the Nutcracker is transformed into a Prince and journeys with her to an enchanted island where spectacular celebrations are held in their honor. Pre-recorded at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg in December 2011, Wassili Vainonen’s version of the beloved holiday ballet is for the first time in 3-D in select theaters.

What a prestigious cast for this Brahms evening! Renaud Capuçon and Julia Hagen, two internationally acclaimed artists, first perform the Double Concerto for violin and cello. They are accompanied by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jakub Hrůša. The concert ends in style with Symphony No. 4.

The Konzerthausorchester Berlin, conducted by Joana Mallwitz, opens the 2025–2026 season with Maurice Ravel's hypnotic Boléro. This will be followed by Bryce Dessner's Piano Concerto, inspired and performed by pianist Alice Sara Ott. Also on the programme: Anna Meredith's Nautilus, a work brimming with energy, and Ludwig van Beethoven's First Symphony.

Warm vibrato, traditional throat singing, body percussion, a thirst for experimentation: Abel Selaocoe is breathing new life into the world of classical music. The cellist is performing this summer at the Rheingau Music Festival in a program entitled “African Roots,” featuring his own compositions and a score by Giovanni Sollima.

Daniel Barenboim conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin in concert in Berlin, Vienna, and New York. Also included is a 22 minute documentary on the musical world of Mahler as seen by Barenboim and Pierre Boulez.

With his wild hair, Jean Rondeau is a rock star of the harpsichord. Profile of the young French harpsichord player who is breathing new life into an instrument that is too often ignored.