Customer Reviews

The Berlin Gala ~ A Salute to Carmen

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Anybody who loves Rachmaninoff's Paganini Rhapsody MUST listen to Mikhail Pletnev play it! He has proved that he is not only an outstanding conductor but also an exceptional, intricate pianist. By far, this is my favourite recording of Paganini Rhapsody.

This kind of "gala" concert is not normally my taste but my word, what a line-up. I actually have the DVD of the concert and it is superb in every respect. The selection from Carmen is outstanding with Bryn Terfel particularly so. Gil Shaham is a superb if not entirely perfect soloist in the Carmen Fantasy. There are several moments of untrue intonation in this very diffcult showpiece but the violinist's panache and charm are simply irresistable.

The purely orchestral items are wonderfully done with Maestro Abbado on his best form as is the BPO. However for me, the highlight is the Rhapsody by Rachmaninov. I'm not a huge fan of up close hand shots of piano players in concert, but this occasion is mesmerising. Pletnev is simply incredible. I have never heard and seen such articulacy and virtuosity before. It is a superb performance from all parties and all at the service of the composer and the work.

The last section after the famous 18th variation has got to be seen to be believed. The colour and imagination in the playing is really amazing with Pletnev virtually standing up to negotiate the double glissando to the final bars of the piece.

This is close to perfection in a very difficult and musically treacherous work. The recording is also very well balanced and the camara work is also expertly done. Enjoy the audio CD if you want to but for the full experience go for the DVD.

I heard Gil Shaham's rendition of Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy and knew I had to have the CD. Much to my delight, after listening to the CD only once, I can honestly say that if I'd heard any piece from the Berlin Gala I would have had the same impulse. The collection possesses magnificience and power! The energy is phenomenal. Definitely not a CD you want to play if you want to doze off. All of the pieces are very accessible to the classical neophyte, giving it instant appeal. Do yourself a favor and have this one overnighted!

CD received was damaged in cover, and it made a weird noise while playing. Very disappointed because I had high expectation to enjoy the music when I received it.

This Cd is basically a ufnd-raising moment from PBS--ice enough, glossy, nothing really wrong. But the spirit of Carmen the gypsy is nowhere in sight, and between Abbado's careful conducting and von Otter's very chilly Scandanavian singing, I found little to enjoy.

My English is bad, but if I can say that buying on Amazon, was something that left me 100% satisfied, the purchase I made was to mexico and my brother came in a very short time.
What was used to buy, but when I arrive, the article was almost new.
Thanks
pd. I will continue to use Amazon to buy

I bought this DVD mainly because of Michael Pletnev's incredible performance of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini and all I have is a $90.00 Sony Stereo system, yet both piano and orchestra sound just like they are right in my living room.Pletnevs playing is dazzling and it continually delights with its poetic sensibility and flair.Abbado is with him in every bar, orchestral detail persuasively delineated, and the warm Berlin acoustic ensures a blossoming of string tone at the famous 18th variation.Both pianist and conductor relish the Dies irae each time it appears, and the closing pages reach a high pitch of excitement. This then can give you an accurate idea of what audiences must have felt when they first watched young Vladimir Horowitz play the Rachmaninoff 3rd Piano Concerto; transcendental pianism of the highest caliber, bordering on the supernatural.There are also state of the art acoustics and Abbado with the Berlin Philharmonic couldnt be better. Violinist Gil Shaham performs the Carmen Fantasy of Pablo Saraste with flamboyant panache, rich timbre, languorous ardour, and a dazzling display of fireworks at the close.All of which evokes memories of Heifitz.The Ravel Rhapsodie Espagnole as well as the De Falla shows the orchestras prowess in the many sparkling colored effects this music contains, with the percussion section marvelously captured as well as the string glissandi. The Spanish condiment is not missing, and both performances are highly entertaining.The Brahms Hungarian Dance #5 in G minor, is played with great panache and brilliance, the playing has warmth and sparkle and the natural way in which the music unfolds brings a refreshing feeling of rythmic freedom, with Abbados rubato being wholly spontaneous. The Carmen selections feature Anne Sophie von Otter as Carmen, giving a rich voiced and reliable singing where time and again her phrasing is most imaginative and memorable.Roberto Alagna as Don Jose, defiant of authority from the very beginning, and though his tenor is of heroic scale, he shades it down beautifully for the Flower Song using a perfectly controlled head-voice for the pianissimo at the end.Bryn Terfel is a powerful and handsome Escamillo. To me this DVD is a desert island must have, filled with immortal performances that have been superbly recorded.