"Actor: Chicago Symphony Orchestra"

• Mahler - Symphonies Nos. 1 and 8 (Tennstedt) | DVD | (04/09/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Recorded live in Royal Festival Hall London 1991.

• La Damnation De Faust - Berlioz | DVD | (03/01/2006) from £54.99   |  Saving you £-35.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Hector Berlioz's (1803-1869) legende dramatique about a man named Faust who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge. Recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall in 1989. Georg Solti conducts.

• Sibelius - Violin Concerto / De Falla - Nights In The Gardens Of Spain | DVD | (15/05/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Sibelius's solitary concerto is one of the most passionate tests for the violin virtuoso, one to which Maxim Vengerov is more than equal; he captures the work's passion and its occasional quirky patches of the spookily sublime. His performances of the "Sarabande" from the Bach Second Partita, and the "Ballade" from Ysaye's Third Sonata, are admirable encores demonstrating his range and his elegant control. Barenboim's performance of the de Falla Nights is equally virtuoso, bringing out the work's structure as well as its local colour; Domingo's conducting is solid and serviceable. Barenboim ends the concert with three de Falla orchestral showstoppers--the "Farruca" from The Three-Cornered Hat and the "Magic Circle" and "Ritual Fire Dance" from Love the Magician; the Chicago Symphony perform throughout with their usual vigour and fine orchestral colour, but are particularly remarkable in these three encores. On the DVD: The DVD comes with the usual subtitles in standard European languages. --Roz Kaveney

• Nathan Milstein Centennial Tribute (Hendl, Chicago So) | DVD | (31/05/2004) from £9.99   |  Saving you £15.00 (150.15%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Symphonies include:Violin Concerto in E Minor Op. 64 by MendelssohnPrelude from Partita for Solo No. 3 in E major BWV 1006 by BachViolin Concerto in D Major Op. 35 by Tchaikovsky

• Mahler: Symphony No. 5 | DVD | (05/04/2000) from £22.98   |  Saving you £-2.99 (-15.00%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Barenboim's Mahler Five begins with a certain sense of detachment and continues that way, seeming both calculated and calculating by turns. The composer's famous aphorism about the process of symphonic composition being in the nature of "building a world" is quoted in the excellent and detailed booklet notes (no shortage of scholarship here), so it's intriguing to observe how Barenboim chooses to contain the warmth and passion inherent in the work. In building a world, perhaps, one must perforce define its boundaries, yet at the same time it's this very process of containment that draws attention to these qualities. Musically, then, this is undoubtedly an interesting piece of work. In production terms, we're offered a very good argument for the DVD as a vehicle for orchestral performance. What may appear at first glance to be irritatingly skittish camerawork is in fact a perfect demonstration of how careful direction can draw attention to particular areas of the orchestra at exactly the right moment. The sound quality, though aggressively digital, is airy and detailed. --Roger Thomas

• Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Pierre Boulez | DVD | (03/07/2006) from £3.05   |  Saving you £16.20 (905.03%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Brilliant Orchestral Music by Berg Debussy and Stravinsky.Recorded live at the Philharmonie Koln.

• Various Composers - Works (Reiner, Chicago So) | DVD | (12/07/2004) from £9.99   |  Saving you £15.00 (150.15%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Various Composers - Works (Reiner Chicago SO)

• Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Daniel Barenboim | DVD | (29/05/2006) from £7.39   |  Saving you £10.60 (143.44%)   |  RRP £17.99

  A performance from the MusikTriennale Koln - Live at the Philharmonie Cologne 25-27 April 2000.The polished playing and sophisticated sound of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra - one of the finest ensembles in the world - is impressively demonstrated on this DVD featuring some of the most virtuosic works from the Spanish and French repertoires conducted by Daniel Barenboim whose especial fondness for these pieces has him entering the orchestral fray with matching fire and passion.

• Music Triennial 1 | DVD | (02/04/2002) from £26.98   |  Saving you £-6.99 (-35.00%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Musik Triennale Koln 2000. Features conductor Pierre Boulez and soprano Christine Schafer. Alban Berg - From Lulu-Suite Claude Debussy - Le jet d'eau Claude Debussy - 3 Ballades de Villon Igor Stravinsky - The Firebird Suite