Performing Arts - Page 48

Manufacturer: Denon Records Brand: WEA DES Moines Video Model: 4313389

Live In Vienna: A concert with Andre Rieu on the square in front of the imperial Hofburg Palace in the heart of Vienna. This DVD includes superb compositions from the most famous Viennese composers: Johann Strauss, Franz Lehar, Emmerich Kalman, W.A. Mozart, Robert Stolz and many others, set against the background of the most beautiful, stylish scenery imaginable. This DVD includes tracks not shown on the television special.

Manufacturer: Decca Model: 4444396

This Covent Garden production of Bizet’s Carmen, makes a vivid musical and dramatic impression. Director Francesca Zambello creates a properly Spanish atmosphere, filling the stage with a profusion of detailed characters. In Act One’s town square each of the many soldiers, strollers, cigarette factory girls, and children are individuals, so there’s a bustle of continuous, realistic activity. That attention to detail carries over to the rest of the opera, involving viewers in the action. Tanya McCallin’s sets are a perfect foil for the direction: simple, movable panels that serve as lightly sketched backdrops for the town square, a tavern, the smugglers’ mountain hideaway, and the final scene in front of the bull ring. But what makes this Carmen special is the singing and acting of the principals. Carmen is Anna Caterina Antonacci, a soprano known for the intensity she brings to her performances. Without taking anything to excess, her Carmen is a fiery temptress, sexy, insistent on setting her own terms for love and personal freedom. She sings all the set pieces well and, with tenor Jonas Kaufmann as her besotted lover, Don José, makes the final scene a hair-raising experience. If anything, Kaufmann trumps her with a beautifully sung, rounded portrait of the village boy turned soldier ensnared in a world beyond his experience. Kaufmann conveys the complexity of the character and etches his slow descent into obsessive madness. His rendition of the Flower Song is extraordinary for beauty of tone, phrasing and the soft singing essential to make this aria’s full impact. The toreador, Escamilio, is finely sung and acted by Ildebrando D’Arcangelo. He makes his entrance on horseback, sings the Toreador Song with brash arrogance, and projects this haughty, self-absorbed figure to perfection. And Norah Amsellem, as the village girl who loves Don José, uses her attractive soprano to depict her purity and innocence. Smaller roles are well done, with special mention due t...

Manufacturer: KULTUR VIDEO Brand: Kulter

I'm not interested in the relationship of colour or form or anything else. I'm interested only in expressing basic human emotions tragedy, ecstasy, doom and so on...The people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious experience as I had when I painted them. Mark RothkoIn the late 1940s and 50s, Mark Rothko (1903-70) was one of the leading American artists who created wall-scale abstract paintings that filled the viewer's field of vision and became a form of environment. Rothko spoke of wanting the spectator to feel inside the pictorial space, enveloped in his canvases' luminous colour and apparitional surfaces. Together with painters such as Barnett Newman and Clyfford Still, he wanted to express a sense of the sublime, an idea associated with religious awe, vastness and natural magnificence. Filmed on both sides of the Atlantic, this documentary chronicling Rothko's life and charting the development of his work fills the screen with his softly defined, rectangular clouds of colour stacked symmetrically on top of one another: a visual language conceived to evoke elemental emotions with maximum poignancy. There are penetrating contributions from his daughter, Kate, and his son, Christopher, and comments from a wide range of friends, artists, art historians, collectors and curators. The focus is on Rothko's demands for the perfect setting for the showing of his work, an ideal he pursued throughout his creative life, typified by the story of his iconic Seagram murals, nine of which now hang in a dedicated room at London's newly-opened Tate Modern. One of the murals commissioners, architect Philip Johnson, is among those who explain why Rothko refused to allow these works to hang in their intended venue, the exclusive Four Seasons restaurant in New York.

Manufacturer: Warner Home Video Brand: Warner Manufacturing

George Balanchine's The Nutcracker (1993) (DVD)The first feature film to showcase the world's most beloved ballet, this joyous interpretation of the holiday classic tells the story of a young girl whose love for a toy turns it into the handsome prince Macaulay Culkin ("Richie Rich," "Home Alone"), and together they are brought to the Land of Sweets, where an enchanting spectacle awaits them. Directed by Academy Award-winner Emile Ardolino ("Sister Act," "Dirty Dancing") and narrated by Academy Award-winner Kevin Kline ("Dave," "A Fish Called Wanda"). USA Today says this film is "wrought with the grace, gentility, artistry and shimmering glow of nostalgia" while the New York Times calls it quite simply "captivating".]]>

Manufacturer: Warner Home Video Brand: Warner Brothers Model: 4968906

A disillusioned little boy, just old enough to doubt the existence of Santa Claus, has the adventure of a lifetime one fateful Christmas Eve. Clad in his pajamas, he climbs aboard a magic train to the North Pole, driven by a kindly train conductor (voiced by Tom Hanks). Among myriad jaw-dropping moments, the train plummets brakeless through crystalline mountains in a simulated roller coaster ride. Going off the rails, skidding sideways, and snaking violently across a frozen lake, the train arrives at the North Pole (a vast, glowing city of brick buildings). At that moment, the car carrying the kids detaches and they're sent tumbling down never-ending chutes and slides until they land in the middle of Santa's Workshop. With its fascinating tale and impressive technical frolics, The Polar Express 3-D is destined to become both a holiday classic and a new turning point in the art of animated cinema. Destined to become a holiday perennial, The Polar Express also heralded a brave new world of all-digital filmmaking. Critics and audiences were divided between those who hailed it as an instant classic that captures the visual splendor and evocative innocence of Chris Van Allsburg's popular children's book, and those who felt that the innovative use of "performance capture"--to accurately translate live performances into all-digital characters--was an eerie and not-quite-lifelike distraction from the story's epic-scale North Pole adventure. In any case it's a benign, kind-hearted celebration of the yuletide spirit, especially for kids who have almost grown out of their need to believe in Santa Claus. Tom Hanks is the nominal "star" who performs five different computer-generated characters, but it's the visuals that steal this show, as director Robert Zemeckis indulges his tireless pursuit of technological innovation. No matter how you respond to the many wonders on display, it's clear that The Polar Express represents a significant milestone in the digital revolution of cinema. If it also fills you with the joy of Chris...

Manufacturer: Kultur White Star Brand: Kulter

The Rocky Horror Show was born at the Royal Court's tiny Theatre Upstairs on June 16, 1973, and went on to become an international stage smash hit and a major motion picture. Now, Rocky Horror Company and The Royal Court Theatre present this historic program, Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Tribute Show.In 2006, Richard O'Brien, who wrote the book, music and lyrics, rewrote the narration for the show and a cast of performers was put together from previous stars of the show and other amazing performers, including Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Little Nell and Rayner Bourton, on stage for the first time in 33 years, back where it all began. They are joined by one of the best Franks ever, Anthony Head, as well as original Transylvanians from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. This is a must-have DVD for all Rocky Horror fans!STARRING: Richard O'Brien, Anthony Head, Michael BallSINGERS: Patricia Quinn, Adrian Edmondson, Sophie Lawrence, Kraig Thornber, Toyah Wilcox, Amy Field, Anthony Head, Gary Amers, Ben Richards, Joanne Farrell, Stephen Gately, Julian Littman, Michael Ball, Little NellNARRATORS: Richard O'Brien, Tony Slattery, Robin Cousins, Rayner Bourton, Steve Pemberton, Christopher Biggins, Jamie TheakstonMusic & Lyrics Richard O'BrienDirected for the stage by Christopher LuscombeProducer Simon FlindDirector: Robin LoughROCKY HORROR TRIBUTE SHOW SONG LIST:Science Fiction: Usherette (Patricia Quinn)Damn it, Janet: Brad (Adrian Edmondson), Janet (Sophie Lawrence) Over at the Frankenstein Place: Brad (Adrian Edmondson), Janet (Sophie Lawrence), Riff Raff (Kraig Thornber) Time Warp: Riff Raff (Kraig Thornber), Columbia (Amy Field), Magenta (Toyah Wilcox) Sweet Transvestite: Frank, (Anthony Head), Brad (Adrian Edmondson), Magenta (Toyah Wilcox), Columbia, (Amy Field), Riff Raff (KraigThornber) The Sword of Damocles: Rocky (Gary Amers) Hot Patootie Bless My Soul: Eddie (Ben Richards) Touch-a touch-a touch me: Janet (Jo Farrell), Magenta (Toyah Wilcox), Columbia (Amy Field) Once in a While: Brad (Stephen Gately) Eddie's...

Manufacturer: MPI HOME VIDEO Brand: MPI HOME VIDEO

Emmy Award-Winning SpecialDesi and Lucy's daughter, Lucie Arnaz, hosts this emotional and honest glimpse at the extraordinary lives of her world-famous parents, highlighted by never-before-seen color family movies along with insightful interviews from family members, business associates and celebrity friends such as Bob Hope. Winner of the Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Special, LUCY & DESI: A HOME MOVIE is a sensitive and absorbing documentary that details the circumstances which brought the immortal twosome together and ultimately drove them apart. Bonus features include: Interview with Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr., Lost Lucy & Desi television appearances Outtakes and bloopers, Trivia, Still gallery,

Manufacturer: Alliance Brand: COLEMAN/OPERA NATIONAL PARIS

Agnes Letestu, Jose Martinez, Karl Paquette, Richard wilk, Celine Talon, Jean-Marie Didiere, and Beatrice Mattel perform in this 2003 Paris Opera production of the Delvedez/Minkus ballet conducted by David Coleman.

Manufacturer: Sanctuary Records Brand: Who, the

A visual exploration of the great performances and maniacal events that constitute the legend that is The Who. Includes interviews with band members Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Keith Moon and John Entwhistle, plus cameo appearances by Ringo Starr, Keith Richards and comedian Steve Martin.

Manufacturer: PBS Brand: PBS