Search - Berliner Philharmoniker: 125 Years - A Jubilee Celebration (Berlin Philharmonic) on DVD

A great set and a must-have for lovers of this orchestra

Kip Montgomery | Jackson Heights, NY USA | 05/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a tremendous collection of fantastic performances. All the performances are noteworthy, but let me tell you that you will not find a finer performance of the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique anywhere, on cd or dvd.



Since a previous reviewer (who thankfully removed his review!) didn't know what he was getting, this is what is contained in the set (from the Euorarts website):



"This authoritative DVD collection, which chronicles the musical history of the Berlin Philharmonic in anticipation of their 125th anniversary in 2007, is now available on EuroArts. It features outstanding live recordings of recent performances and presents the conductors of the greatest significance for the orchestra today: Claudio Abbado, Simon Rattle, Seiji Ozawa, Daniel Barenboim and Mariss Jansons. The five discs in an exclusive digipack with slipcase show highlights of the world's most famous orchestra - recorded live between 2001 and 2004. They come in a luxurious presentation and at an attractive price. The extensive booklet provides insightful essays, an overview of the ensemble's history and photographic material from the orchestra's archive. Since the early nineties EuroArts has invariably joined forces with the Berlin Philharmonic whenever the orchestra's concerts were to be recorded for television and, more recently, for DVD. Central to their work together are three annual events in the orchestra's calendar: the New Year's Eve galas, the famous open-air concerts at the Waldbühne and the European Concerts, which are performed in a different European city each year. Five of these form part of this DVD Anniversary Box: the European Concerts from Istanbul, Palermo and Athens as well as a New Year's Eve Concert and one of the famous Waldbühne concerts."



From me, the contents:



Disc 1:

Mariss Jansons; Emmanuel Pahud, Flute

(recorded in Istanbul)

Haydn, Symphony No. 94

Mozart, Flute Concerto

Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique



Disc 2:

Daniel Barenboim

(New Year's Eve concert, 2001)

works by Bach, Mozart, Verdi, Dvorak, and many others



Disc 3:

Claudio Abbado; Gil Shaham, violin

(recorded in Palermo)

Beethoven, Overture to "Egmont"

Brahms, Violin Concerto

Dvorak, Symphony No. 9 ("From the New World")

Verdi, Overture to "I Vespri Siciliani"



Disc 4:

Seiji Ozawa

(Concert from the Waldbuehne)

Gershwin, An American in Paris, Rhapsody in Blue, Concerto in F, and others



Disc 5:

Simon Rattle; Daniel Barenboim, piano

(recorded in Athens)

Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 1

Brahms, Piano Quartet No. 1 (orchestrated by Schoenberg, lovingly known as "Brahms 5")



This set is an absolute bargain and the performances are extraordinary. Buy this set, and ignore the bad reviewer, who reviews his mistake and not the product."

Great package of top notch conerts from the best

Samir Kassir | United States | 02/19/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am so grateful for the Berliner Philharmoniker for producing this superb collection of its best concerts by the best conductors. This is a great deal compared to the full price in Europe of almost 120 $. I am nejoying every moment of these DVDs which are of high quality and crisp clear sound."