"Actor: Maxim Vengerov"

• 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

• Berlin Philharmonic -- New Year's Gala 1996 | DVD | (14/11/2001) from £14.75   |  Saving you £8.23 (69.98%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The New Year's Gala Concert given by the Berlin Philharmonic is one of the fixtures of the German music scene, as much as the Vienna Philharmonic concerts are of the Austrian one. This concert from 1996 is typical of the genre, including a selection of highbrow lollipops, a brilliant internationally renowned soloist (Maxim Vengerov) and a generous helping of waltzes with which to swing in the new year. Claudio Abbado brings his usual unflashy savoir-faire to the job of conducting, and the orchestra responds with some gorgeously silky, perfectly executed, if not always electrifying, playing. Vengerov makes Ravel's Tzigane flash and thunder with gypsy passion and gives an equally fiery performances of Brahms' Hungarian Dances Nos. 7, 17 and 21. If the Swedish Radio Choir aren't quite as thrilling in Brahms' Liebeslieder Waltzes and Gypsy Songs they still do a fine job with a remarkably tight sense of ensemble and excellent phrasing. All in all, this is an attractive (if not earth-shattering) performance from one of the world's finest orchestras. On the DVD: there are no pleasant surprises here. The visual content includes concert shots of the orchestra, choir and soloist in the Philharmonie Hall. There are no subtitles in any language for the choral sections, and the special features comprise two trailers for Cecilia Bartoli's Vivaldi album and a recording of Penderecki's The Seven Gates of Jerusalem. --Warwick Thompson

• Maxim Vengerov : Playing By Heart & Masterclass | DVD | (30/03/2009) from £20.23   |  Saving you £1.49 (6.90%)   |  RRP £21.72

  WEA 5051442870923; WEA ITALIANA - Italia; Classica Orchestrale per violino