"Director: Thomas Olofsson"

• Mozart-La Clemenza Di Tito | DVD | (17/04/2006) from £4.17   |  Saving you £22.08 (758.76%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Premiered to a lukewarm reception in Prague on September 6th 1791 La Clemenza Di Tito has turned into a considerable triumph within a month and was the first Mozart opera to be heard in London in 1806.La Clemenza Di TitoFrom the Drottningholm Court Theatre 1987Opera In Two Acts

• Mozart: Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail | DVD | (31/07/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Set in the exotic seraglio of the Pasha Selim the story revolve around the rescue of Constanze by her lover Belmonte. In this work Mozart breaks new ground in introducing dramatically rounded characters with recognisably human feelings and weaknesses. The work influenced and changed the nature of opera throughout Europe.This charming production from Drottningholm continuing the Arthaus series does full justice to Mozart's score.

• Die Zauberflote - Mozart | DVD | (29/05/2006) from £24.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Mozart: Die Zauberflote (Ostman)

• Cosi Fan Tutte - Mozart | DVD | (02/05/2006) from £18.49   |  Saving you £1.50 (8.11%)   |  RRP £19.99

  From his initial appointing as Drottningholm's Artistic Director Arnold Ostman set about establishing a unique Mozart style attempting to recapture an authentic flavour through detailed historical research and the use of period instruments / he collaborates with German producer Willy Decker on this ever-popular Mozart comedy with an extensively rehearsed cast of young swedish singers.

• Idomeneo - Mozart | DVD | (02/05/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  This revised revival of the acclaimed 1986 Drottningholm production by Michael Hampe conducted by Arnold Ostman was staged during the Mozart Bicentenary year. Combining both tragedy and comedy with drama Idomeneo boasts a series of superbly expressive pieces which Einstein described as one of those works that even a genius of the highest rank like Mozart could write only once in his life.

• Edvard Grieg - What Price Immortality ? | DVD | (28/09/2001) from £25.90   |  Saving you £-5.91 (-29.60%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A 70-minute co-production between various European TV companies Edvard Grieg: What Price Immortality? seeks to reveal the man behind the iconic image of Norway's great national composer. Death in Venice (1971) is immediately called to mind as the narrative unfolds through the memories of an elderly Grieg sitting alone on the deck of a boat, particularly in sequences which suggest a more-than-platonic love for fellow composer Rikard Nordraak. The memory structure likewise suggests the Proust adaptation Time Regained, from the same year, while comparison can also be drawn with Ken Russell's TV composer biopics, particularly the elegiac Song of Summer (1968). Set around performances of two of Grieg's most personal works, the piano Ballade and the String Quartet, director Thomas Olofsson effectively creates a "silent movie" where the storytelling is predominantly visual, eloquently assisted by Derek Jacobi as the voice of the composer. Grieg is played by various actors at different ages, most notably by the distinguished pianist Staffan Scheja, while even without uttering a word Claudia Z makes a charismatic impression as Grieg's wife, Nina. Elegantly composed and lit, this beautiful, resolutely middle-brow film is ultimately far too derivative of previous art films to achieve artistic greatness of its own. On the DVD: the stereo sound and anamorphically enhanced 1.77:1 image are both very good, with the latter showing just occasional grain. Colours and detail levels are excellent. There are no extras, only Spanish subtitles and a choice of English, French and German voiceovers. Trailers for a further five Arthaus DVDs are included. --Gary S Dalkin