Some great new arrivals in Arts include recent releases and acquisitions in opera, ballet, classical music, film soundtracks and musicals on CD, DVD and Blu-Ray.  There’s something for everyone to enjoy!

The golden cockerel by Rimsky-Korsakov. Performed by Vladimir Feliauer, Mariinsky Orchestra and Chorus. (Blu-Ray)

New York City Ballet in Paris : Balanchine, New York – Paris. A film by Vincent Bataillon ; choreography by George Balanchine. (DVD)

Recordings of live performances include a dual Blu-Ray + DVD set of The Golden Cockerel, a 2014 production filmed at: Mariinsky II Theatre, St. Petersburg, of an opera in three acts composed by Rimsky-Korsakov, with a libretto by Vladimir Belsky after the tale by Alexander Pushkin.

New York City Ballet in Paris : Balanchine, New York – Paris, is a film by Vincent Batallion of an outstanding production of four ballets performed in Paris by one of the most prestigious dance companies in the world. It revolves around three great French composers who inspired NYCB founder and renowned choreographer, George Balanchine: Charles Gounod, Maurice Ravel and Georges Bizet.

Follow this link to view a preview trailer of New York City Ballet in Paris.

These and other DVDs and audio-visual material, can be requested via the online catalogue and accessed at either AV Stations in the Arts Reading Room, or on AV equipment in the Heritage Collections Reading Room in the Library, during normal opening hours.

Diva : bande originale du film. Composed by Vladimir Cosma. (CD)

Meeting Venus : music from the original soundtrack : highlights from Wagner’s Tannhäuser. (CD)

A recent donation by the ABC Sound Library, Melbourne, includes many rare and wonderful film soundtracks on CD.

These include Vladimir Cosma’s original score for the 1981 classic French romantic thriller, Diva. Highlights include a pastiche of Erik Satie‘s piano compositions, Gnossiennes, and also the famous aria Ebben? Ne andrò lontana from Alfredo Catalani‘s opera La Wally, performed in the film by American soprano, Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez, in a beautiful and haunting rendition. A collector’s item!

Follow this link to view a performance of “Ebben? Ne andrò lontana”, from Act I of Catalani’s opera “La Wally”, performed by Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez in a scene from the film, Diva.

Meeting Venus features music from the original soundtrack of the 1991 film, that starred Glenn Close and Niels Arestrup, in a story that revolved around the mounting of a production of Wagner’s opera, Tannhauser. Included are highlights from the opera with performances by Kiri Te Kanawa, Rene Kollo and many more.

Macbeth by Giuseppe Verdi. Performed by Placido Domingo ; LA Opera Orchestra & Chorus. (Blu-Ray)

2018 Neujahrskonzert = New Year’s concert 2018. Performed by the Vienna Philharmonic, Riccardo Muti, conductor. (Blu-Ray)

Two further live performances on Blu-Ray include the LA Opera’s latest production of Verdi’s Macbeth (2016) featuring Plácido Domingo in the title role and Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk as Lady Macbeth.

The Vienna New Year’s Concert (Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker) is an annual concert of classical music performed by the Vienna Philharmonic on the morning of New Year’s Day in Vienna, Austria. The concert occurs at the Musikverein at 11:15. This recording of the 2018 New Year’s Concert, features Riccardo Muti conducting the Vienna Philharmonic playing many Strauss favourites.

Cabaret : original soundtrack recording. Music by John Kander ; lyrics by Fred Ebb. Performed by Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey. (CD)

Porgy & Bess. Music by George Gershwin ; lyrics by Du Bose Heyward and Ira Gershwin. Performed by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong. (CD)

Cabaret is the soundtrack to the 1972 musical hit directed by Bob Fosse, that starred Liza Minnelli in her Oscar winning role as Sally Bowles, as well as Michael York and Joel Grey, and was set in 1930s Berlin. Based on the 1966 Broadway musical, which was adapted from the novel The Berlin Stories / Goodbye to Berlin (1939) by Christopher Isherwood and the 1951 play I Am a Camera adapted from the same book, it features songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb. These include the opening number Willcommen, as well as Maybe this Time; Money, Money and the joyous title song, Cabaret.

Porgy and Bess is the 1958 studio album by jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, featuring selections from George and Ira Gershwin’s classic folk opera. Released to coincide with the 1959 film version, the recording features all the great songs such as Summertime, I got plenty o’ nuttin’, It ain’t necessarily so, to name just a few.

Enjoy!

All of these CDs and many more are currently available on listening posts in Arts as indicted on the online catalogue.  There are eight listening posts in the Arts Reading Room, where you can listen to a mixed choice of up to 70 CDs from the audiovisual collection. 

• On each Listening Post, just press the View Current Titles box on touch screen panel to access full list of CD titles.  
• Select title for list of disc tracks.  Select track and use on-screen controls to playback.

BYO headphones or use ours.