Saturday, December 15, 2007

The Nutcracker / Baryshnikov, Kirkland, Charmoli

The Nutcracker / Baryshnikov, Kirkland, Charmoli The American Ballet Theater version of the Tchaikovsky classic, a 1977 studio rendition directed by Tony Charmoli, has become a holiday perennial on PBS stations and home video. It's a favorite of parents who want to give their kids the gift of culture--and with good reason. There's a loose fairy tale plot to keep dance neophytes interested, and Boris Aronson's eye-candy production design is a series of lavish dioramas. From an imperial-era Russian Christmas party out of Tolstoy, a young girl named Clara (Gelsey Kirkland) is whisked in dreams to an imaginary world populated by the animated creations of the wizard toy maker Drosselmeier (Alexander Minz), who prances on his stick-thin limbs like a Dickens illustration come to life. The main attraction is, of course, Mikhail Baryshnikov, one of the greatest classical dancers of the century, at his absolute peak of athleticism and precision. An opening slow-motion montage diagrams his fabled smoothness of execution, elegant airborne trajectories that have a feather-light perfection. Music lovers who know only "The Nutcracker Suite" will relish the chance to hear this great score all the way through, conducted with lilt and vigor by Kenneth Schermerhorn. --David Chute

Director: Tony Charmoli

DVD: Classical, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC

Company: Kultur Video (2004-09-28)

ISBN: 0769729258

List Price: $29.99

Amazon Price: $15.77

Used Price: $22.52

Luciano Pavarotti: The Best (Farewell Tour)

Luciano Pavarotti: The Best (Farewell Tour) Anyone discovering this album who had never heard or heard of Luciano Pavarotti would immediately recognize greatness, a one-of-a-kind, one-per-generation (maybe) talent and personality that commands attention, respect, and yes, even love. These 35 selections are an astonishing achievement: Taken, for the most part from the tenor's prime--the 1970s and '80s (although there are four earlier and three from 2003)--what we hear is golden tone, impeccable diction, an innate sense of style and line and where the music should be going, absolutely natural phrasing, an evenness of production from C to (shining) C, and an ability to communicate warmth, passion, and the sheer love of music-making. The first CD is devoted to opera, with a dazzling "La donna e mobile," a smooth-as-silk "Una furtive lagrima," the famous aria from "La fille du regiment" with nine high Cs, "Nessun dorma" and many more. The second CD is mostly songs ("Torna a Surriento," "La danza," "O sole mio," etc.) sung with élan and flawless style, plus a couple of ghastly pop tunes (from 2003); to make up for them, we get a bonus--the three arias from Pavarotti's first EP from Decca, recorded in 1964--"E lucevan le stelle" and two arias from Rigoletto. Bravo, Pavarotti--we miss you already. --Robert Levine

Audio CD:

Company: Decca (2005-09-13)

List Price: $17.98

Amazon Price: $7.80

Used Price: $7.84

Italia

Italia
Grammy winning trumpeter Chris Botti has returned in top form with Italia, his most lushly romantic and expressive album to date. Featuring duets with some of today's biggest international stars including Andrea Bocelli, Paula Cole, and Dean Martin, Botti's rich and articulate musical collection is truly beautiful, enchanting, and understatedly elegant.

Atists:Chris Botti

Audio CD: Company: Sony (2007-09-25)

List Price: $14.98

Amazon Price: $8.91

Used Price: $12.86
<<Italia>>

One Chance

One Chance
Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts has spent most of his life feeling 'insignificant'. Bullied at school for being 'different', he realized growing up that he had one true friend and that was his voice

Atists: Paul Potts
Audio CD: Extra tracks
Company: Sony (2007-09-18)
List Price: $18.98
Amazon Price: $10.96
Used Price: $12.30

The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere

The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere For the first time during his historic career the world's best selling tenor Andrea Bocelli will be releasing a collection of his greatest hits. The CD will feature selections from the Bocelli repertoire and include "Time To Say Goodbye" in duet with Sarah Brightman from the 4 time platinum selling Romanza CD, "The Prayer" in duet with Celine Dion from the 2 time platinum selling Sogno CD, plus Bocelli favorites "Because We Believe" from his most recent platinum recording Amore, "Melodramma" from Cieli Di Toscana and more. The release will also feature 4 new exclusive recordings: A duet with one of the world's most popular pianists Lang Lang and new David Foster compositions.

There will be a nationally televised concert special airing on PBS - Andrea's first full pop concert that was recorded in July with the Tuscan country side as a backdrop. The concert repertoire includes all the songs the will be on the forth coming Greatest Hits CD and features guests Chris Botti, Kenny G, Lang Lang and more. Look for PBS to broadcast this program multiple times during their upcoming December 2007 pledge period reaching over 10 million households.

"Vivere" translates from Italian to English as "To Live">>The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere