Fellini, Jazz & Co. [Blu-ray]

Exceptional in every way
Even in the context of the long series of annual concerts from the Waldbuhne with the Berlin Philharmonic, this latest edition from 2011 must surely rank as one of the most joyous. This is in no small part due to the absolutely infectious enthusiasm of the conductor, Riccardo Chailly, who not only brings a totally professional comprehension to the scores and their delivery, he also adds that special extra ingredient - pure magic!

The title, 'Fellini, Jazz & Co', is correct in emphasising the film music element of this concert. This is a particularly true description of Nino Rota's film role as he collaborated as the composer of choice for the film director, Fellini. Chailly and the BPO give a fine performance of Rota's suite that he created from the music he previously wrote for Fellini's film, La Strada (1954). Shostakovich's Suite No. 2 for Jazz Orchestra, also known as the Suite for Variety orchestra, is also largely made up of extracts from various films for which he...

Fellini Jazz & CO. Berliner Philharmoniker / Riccardo Chailly
This Bluray is magnificent and worth collecting. This is a must for any library of great works. It includes Shostakovich Suite No.2 / Nino Rota "La Strada Ballet Suite / Ottorino Respighi's Fountain of Rome ~ Pines of Rome ~ Danza / Paul Linke Berliner Luft. It is a remarkable 1080i HD / Region Code Worldwide ?PCM 2. sound / Wide format with 105 minutes of rich music and background.

Latest addition to my Desert Island Discs list
I'm so grateful for EuroArts Blu-rays that perfectly capture exceptional orchestral performances most of us would otherwise never have the chance to experience, much less re-experience. Just how difficult it is to achieve this level of perfection is evident when you watch a Blu-ray like the one of Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos.4-6 [Blu-ray]. No matter how stellar the performance is, when the visual quality and direction are inferior (as they are on that disc), the magic is lost and you might as well be listening to a CD.

EuroArts' sources don't always get it right either. For example, inconsistent camerawork mars Achucarro & Rattle: Nights in The Gardens of Spain [Blu-ray]. It's amazing, though, how often EuroArts is able to capture lightning in a bottle -- providing what I consider a fully immersive experience of a definitive...

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Symphony No. 9 [Blu-ray]

My performance of choice, even before the highly praised Lucerne performance
Abbado has the enviable reputation of being one of the world's finest Mahler conductors. This performance from 2004 is clearly one of great authority and is given with equal authority by Abbado's own creation, the aptly named Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra. This orchestra takes in players of up to 26 years of age drawn from players from the whole of Europe and is the result of annual extensive interviews held by prominent orchestral players in 25 European cities.

The orchestra is widely respected for its technical and musical qualities and has similarities in concept to the Lucerne Festival Orchestra which also recorded the work a little while later. There are, however, significant differences between these two performances and recordings that become apparent right from the start and which are generally maintained throughout.

This slightly earlier performance is markedly more dramatic and forthright with less emphasis on particular soloists and with an inevitably...





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