Search - Sheherazade: An Oriental Night with the Berliner Philharmoniker [DVD Video] on DVD

A great night out in Berlin

T. Fisher | 12/01/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is from a concert by the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Waldbühne ("Forest Stage") in Berlin. The Waldbühne is Berlin's answer to the Hollywood Bowl -- a nice outdoor concert venue that is less formal and more relaxed than an indoor concert hall. At the same time, there are compromises in sound (at least this concert doesn't have helicopters flying overhead -- which was the case at my last visit to the Hollywood Bowl!).

Neeme Jarvi, formerly of the Detroit and New Jersey symphony orchestras and now chief conductor at the Hague's Residentie Orkest, puts on a great concert here, a nice evening with kind of an "Arabian Nights" theme. It features a very lyrical reading of Rimsky's "Scheherezade", in which the BPO's first Koncertmeister Daniel Stabrawa (not Janine Jansen) takes the solo parts.

Janine Jansen comes on for a brief but spectacular Meditation from "Thaïs" by Massenet and a great "Introduction and Rondo capriccioso" by Saint-Saens. Her appearance clocks in at only about a quarter hour, however, so you may want to think twice if you are buying it for her (looking fabulous in her red dress, by the way).

There are also Scandinavian pieces that somehow fit into the European fantasy-Middle-Eastern theme very well -- excerpts from Grieg's "Peer Gynt" and from Nielsen's "Aladdin". The whole thing kicks off with the overture from Mozart's "Abduction from the Seraglio".

The exotic theme fades out for the finale, a short "Berliner Luft" by Lincke, but that is made up for by the fact that the Berliners in the audience go nuts and start whistling and dancing like maniacs. So does Jarvi, for that matter -- dancing, although not whistling. Forget your staid German stereotypes: while well-to-do Berliners cutting loose at a classical concert may not be exactly rowdy, it's still quite entertaining to watch.

A previous reviewer mentioned Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. The comparison is apt -- this is a "pops" style concert. The quality of the audio is very good for being recorded at an outdoor venue, but it is still not the controlled environment of a studio or concert hall, and the sound gets a bit thin at times. That all being said, it is a very pleasant concert.

I was debating whether to give it four or five stars. I might have been too harsh with four, since for its own "light classic" or "pops" genre it really is a great recording and a masterful performance. It's just not Mahler, if you know what I mean. I also have a bias against taking excerpts out of works -- in general, I'd prefer a whole "Peer Gynt" and "Aladdin" to bits and bobs. I'd probably give four and half stars if I could.
"

No title

Juan Humberto Gonzalez Aguilar | Quilpué, Chile | 07/05/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sorry, but I live in Chile. No se escribir en inglés.
El concierto lo consideré muy bueno. La solista Janine Jansen ejecuta con maestría los temas. Los cantantes muy sólidos y la Filarmónica de Berlín como de costumbre, excelente. Finalmente el sonido DTS 5.1 espectacular.
¿Qué más se puede pedir ?"

One of the best Concerts

rvcclub | Laredo, Texas United States | 02/16/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the best Concerts in DVD. All the family enjoys it. It is a must for any Classical music fan."

Great pops concert, worth watching over and over

HB | Fort Mill, SC | 03/24/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Berlin Philharmonic, considered to be one of the five greatest orchestras in the world, plays a pops concert on this DVD. The evening opens up with a Mozart overture played with great charm by the BPO. Next comes a short work by Nielsen that is interesting but hardly inspired. It features some outstanding brass playing.

The first two movements of Sheherazade by Rimsky Korsakov are next followed by three excerpts from Grieg's Peer Gynt. Two of them feature female vocal soloists and both performances are quite wonderful. Next comes Janine Jensen in the Meditation from Thais by Massenet and the famous Introduction and Rondo Capriciosso by Saint-Saens. Her performances are as passionate as you will ever hear. Sheherazde's last two movements follow the three soloists and the concert concludes with three encores.

Although I loved this DVD, I felt the programming was strange. All the soloists were magnificent but only Ms. Jensen spent enough time on stage. It was nice to hear Sheherazade but why was it broken into two parts? Just a few quibbles. I still highly recommend it."