The founding of the Berliner Philharmoniker on the first of May in 1882, is annually celebrated with a concert in a European city of cultural significance. For this newly released EUROPAKONZERT Blu-ray Disc all recordings were lovingly restored and converted to High Definition video. The Berliner Philharmoniker are joined for Mozart’s Motet and Mass on this recording by Christine Schäfer, whose unique timbre and performing style has more than once been likened to those of other vocal greats such as Irmgard Seefried and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. This round of exceptional musicians is completed by Emanuel Ax, winner the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, as the soloist for the works of Chopin and Schumann.

This DVD presents Seiji Ozawa conducting two great choral masterpieces, beloved by audiences around the world. Orff's Carmina Burana, boisterous and lyrical, sets medieval songs in a celebration of life's pleasures. Beethoven's monumental Ninth Symphony, concludes with the uplifting 'Ode to Joy', a timeless plea for universal brotherhood.

Since Sergiu Celibidache s appointment as their chief conductor in 1979, the Munich Philharmonic developed into one of the finest orchestras in the world. Their performances of Bruckner, in particular, were in a class of their own and where orchestra and conductor truly excelled. It is in the symphonies of Anton Bruckner that the grandeur of the music unfolds organically, its power innocent of all brutality, its monumentality issuing from stillness and austerity. Says Celibidache, "Every performance of a Bruckner symphony is a first performance, every rehearsal is a thousandfold NO designed to achieve a single YES."

Karajan's mid-1970s Tchaikovsky interpretations are regarded as his finest in a career of performing the Russian composer's last three symphonies. Unitel's films from this period - released here for the first time on DVD - documented the maestro with his great Berlin orchestra on 35mm colour film and in stereo. “Others have gotten more sadness out of Tchaikovsky… but not more virility and controlled intense beauty than Karajan in the Unitel film.” - New York Times

Herbert von Karajan conducted Brahms's choral masterpiece frequently throughout his long career, but only once on film and with both of these outstanding soloists. This unique document from the 1978 Salzburg Easter Festival was acclaimed by Diapason as "a magical interpretation, prodigiously realized … with a sublime fusion of timbres, a cohesion and, ultimately, a simplicity that are truly unequalled."

Karajan surmounted this pinnacle of the choral-symphonic repertoire - which Beethoven himself called "the greatest work I have composed" - no fewer than four times in the recording studio, but only once live and on film: in this unique document from the 1979 Salzburg Easter Festival. The atmosphere of Salzburg's Festspielhaus and festival audience adds a special frisson to this conductor's classic interpretation of the Missa solemnis.

Acknowledged to be the finest Karajan recording of this overwhelming sacred masterpiece - "electrifying … with the Italian chorus and orchestra singing and playing their hearts out … a historic document" (Gramophone). This 1967 performance features four of the 20th century's greatest Verdi singers - Price, Cossotto and Ghiaurov were at the peak of their careers, while the young Pavarotti was still comparatively unknown (though not for long).

Glenn Gould remains an enigmatic, fascinating figure more than two decades after his death. This new film, directed by Gould's friend Bruno Monsaingeon, who has already written four books and made a 23-part TV series about him, is something very special. Taken from Gould's own words, the pianist himself seems to act as narrator in a retrospective on his life and art. A great deal of archival footage of both interviews and performances exemplify the pianist's genius and eccentricities.

On March 11th, 2020, hours before the United States came to a grinding halt due to the pandemic,The Brothers gathered at Madison Square Garden to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Allman Brothers Band. The concert would prove to be the last public outing for many attendees-as well as the musicians onstage-for over a year. This only added to the mysticism of the event that closed the book on half a century of musical tradition. Featuring performances by original ABB drummer Jaimoe alongside extended
Allman family members Duane Trucks, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Oteil Burbridge, and Marc Quinones, The Brothers also sees special appearances by original pre-ABB project Second Coming keyboardist Reese Wynans as well as Chuck Leavell, who played with the band from 1972 to 1976.

In the imposing Arena di Verona, soprano Sonya Yoncheva and tenor Vittorio Grigolo present with dramatic and passionate synergy an evening of the most beautiful operatic love arias and duets in opera history. Passion that burns, consumes and sometimes kills is the central theme of this concert including arias from Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod as well as from Puccini´s Tosca, La bohème, Madama Butterfly and Verdi´s La traviata, all conducted by Plácido Domingo. Sonya Yoncheva has the full and vibrant timbre of a true lyrical soprano while Vittorio Grigolo, like Cavaradossi and Rodolfo, plays the cards of ardor and passion, with sweet and affectionate colors. An overall successful evening.

The Shadows long and influential career has spanned 6 decades, with hit singles or albums in every one of them. Hank Marvin s guitar playing has been an inspiration to hordes of guitarists down the years, including the likes of Brian May, Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend. Over a decade since their last tour, Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch and Brian Bennett reunited as The Shadows for The Final Tour, which kicked off in spring 2004. A sell out everywhere, the band played to over 90,000 people in the UK. This concert was recorded at Cardiff s International Arena on June 5. The tracklisting includes an astonishing 23 UK top ten hits, of which no less than 8 were No.1 s, together with other favourite Shadows tracks.

Filmed at Tokyo s famous Budokan Hall in April 2004, this Blu-ray captures Dream Theater on the tour in support of their 2003 album Train Of Thought . Most of the tracks from that album are included along with songs from right across their career. Dream Theater s musical virtuosity is renowned and their live performances are legendary and this show from Japan is undoubtedly one of their finest. Filmed in high definition and now released on Blu-ray for the first time this is undoubtedly Dream Theater at their very best. / Bonus Features: Riding The Train Of Thought Documentary / John Petrucci Guitar World / Jordan Rudess Keyboard World / Mike Portnoy Drum Solo / Dream Theater Chronicles 2004 Tour Opening Video / Instrumedley Multiangle Bonus / Line-up: James LaBrie (vocals, percussion); John Myung (bass, stick); John Petrucci (guitar, vocals); Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals); Jordan Rudess (keyboards) / TRACK LISTING: 1) As I Am 2) This Dying Soul 3) Beyond This Life 4) Hollow Years 5) War Inside My Head 6) The Test That Stumped Them All 7) Endless Sacrifice 8) Instrumedley 9) Trial Of Tears 10) New Millennium 11) Keyboard Solo 12) Only A Matter Of Time 13) Goodnight Kiss 14) Solitary Shell 15) Stream Of Consciousness 16) Disappear 17) Pull Me Under 18) In The Name Of God

A Verdi Requiem with a dream line-up of soloists and the forces of La Scala, Milan, directed by one of the greatest maestros of our time. Preceding acclaimed performances at the Lucerne and Salzburg Festivals, Barenboim and his magnificent partners recorded this masterpiece around a live performance at La Scala, Milan, in 2012. This marks the first audio recording by Barenboim in his role as La Scala’s Music Director.

Surely Bach’s French Suites, which he composed during his years at Cöthen (1717–1723), are among the finest inducements to practise that any teacher has ever made to a pupil. In this case Bach wrote them for his young wife, Anna Magdalena. The over-riding impression left by these suites is one of endearing tunefulness. Clavier-Übung II is a later collection of didactic keyboard pieces. It comprises two greatly contrasted works: the Italian Concerto and the Overture in the French Style. These performances admirably demonstrate the thoughtful and persuasive approach that András Schiff adopts when performing Bach. Recorded live at the Bachfest 2010, Protestant Reformed Church of Leipzig, 11 June 2010.

The performance captures one special night on November 21, 2020 when Steve Lukather, Joseph Williams and David Paich appeared with the new line-up of TOTO for a global event originating from Los Angeles, CA. Joining Lukather, Williams and Paich for this next chapter in their indelible history are new band members bassist John Pierce (Huey Lewis and The News), drummer Robert “Sput” Searight (Ghost-Note / Snarky Puppy), and keyboardist / background vocalist Steve Maggiora (Robert Jon & The Wreck). Keyboardist Dominique “Xavier” Taplin (Prince, Ghost-Note) and multi-instrumentalist / vocalist Warren Ham (Ringo Starr) segued over continuing their tenure in the ensemble. This marks the fifteenth incarnation of the TOTO line-up in consideration of band members or sidemen who joined or exited.