"LEONARD BERNSTEIN" - Volume I
C MAJOR DVD COLLECTIUON (5 disks)
BUY NOW FROM ARKIVMUSIC

MICHELANGELO - Love and Death. The True Story of a Visionary Artist
A film by David Bickerstaff produced by Phil Grabsky
SEVENTH ART DVD SEV 199 TT: 91 min.
BUY NOW FROM ARKIVMUSIC

PUCCINI: La Bohème
Irina Lungu (Mimi). Georgio Berrugi (Rudolfo). Kelebogile Besong (Musetta). Massimo Cavalletti (Marcello). Benjamin Cho (Schaunard). Gabriele Sagona (Colline). Matteo Peirone (Benoit/Alcindoro). Cullen Gandy (Parpignol). Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro Regio Torino / ianandrea Noseda, cond.
C MAJOR DVD TT: 112 min.
BUY NOW FROM ARKIVMUSIC

This boxed Leonard Bernstein set includes a number of his recordings as identified below. It also includes a documentary Larger Than Life that includes interviews, rehearsal excerpts and commentaries by severlal of today's best-known conductors. Dick 5 actually is focuses on Tanglewood including a wide range of performers recorded on the occasiuon of the 75th anniuversary of the Festival July 14, 2012. Here is a list of contents: This multiple-disk set is available at near-budget price.

SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39. Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 43. Symphony No. 5 in E flat, Op. 82. Symphony No.7 in C, Op. 105 (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra). DEBUSSY: Images. Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun. La Mer (Orchestra Dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia). BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 16 in F, Op. 135. HAYDH: Mass in Time of War (Judith Blegen, soprano. Brigitte Fassbender, contralto. Claes H. Ahnsjó, tenor. Hans Sotin, bass. Bavarian Radio Chorus and Orchestra) .
TANGLEWOOD 75TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT: COPLAND: Fanfare for the Common Man. BERNSTEIN: Three Dances from On the Town (Boston Pops Orchestra / Keith Lockhart\). The Great American Songbook (selections)( (Boston Pops Otrcherstra / James Taylor / John Willianms). HAYDN: Excerpts from Piano Concerto in D (Emanuel Ax, piano / Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra / Stefan Asbury). TCHAIKOVSKY: Andante Cantabile (Yo-Yo Ma, cello) / Tanglewood Music Cebnter Orchestra). SARASATE: Carmen Fantasy (Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin. Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra / Andris Nelsons, cond.). RAVEL: La valse (Boston Symphony Orchestra / Andris Nelsons) .BEETHOVEN: Choral Fantasy(Peter Serkin, piano. Tanglewiood Festival Chorus / Boston Symphony Orchestra / David Zinman).
'THE HISTORY OF TANGLEWOOD" - John Williams on Tanglewood.

Seventh Art Productions has another fascinating issue in their Exhibition on Screen series. This is devoted to the life of the legendary Michelangelo. This beautifully filmed documentary displays many of his magnificent sculptures and paintings filmed in great chapels, museums, drawing rooms and the Vatican. . This is an important DVD

La Bohème had its premiere at Teatro Regio di Torino in February 1896. Now this venue presents an updated modernized version of Puccini's masterpiece, directed by Alex Ollé. Alfons Flores' designs feature a huge "attic" with multiple small windows that on occasion change color. I found it distracting. Singing is unexceptional, particularly tenor Giorgio Berrugi as Rodolfo—no tenor fireworks here. Video qualiy is fine, as is audio, but this is a forgttable Bohème. There are numerous videos os this opera that are superior to this ill-fated effort—check our DVD VIDEO INDEX.

R.E.B. (January 2018)

(NEXT DVD VIDEO REVIEW)