Carley’s Staff Picks!

In recent months I have been fueled by Beethoven. Piano sonatas, string quartets, symphonies, concertos, everything. So, my first staff pick is the excellent documentary In Search of Beethoven. There are too many prominent ensembles, conductors and pianists featured in the film to count. The documentary truly takes the viewer on a journey. It catalogs his works and gives us some insight into Beethoven’s remarkable personality and his empathy for humanity.

In Search of Beethoven: A film by Phil Grabsky  ~  DVD 202

Chamber music. There’s so much of it! I think Mendelssohn is a good place to start. His piano trios are remarkable (the man DID write “Songs without Words”).

Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D minor was written in 1839, the year before Schumann experienced his most prolific year of songwriting. I love that Schumann viewed Mendelssohn as the Mozart of the 19th century, saying that he was the “most of illuminating of musicians”. High praise.

The Piano Trios of Felix Mendelssohn  ~  CD 9069

2013 is the bicentennial of Verdi and Wagner! Orchestras and Opera companies all over the world are celebrating with seasons dedicated to performing great works, from the most famous to the lesser-known. The AUSO began the celebration in March with the overture from  Die Meistersinger von Nurmberg and they will be joined by the AU Chorus in a couple of weeks to keep the party going with Verdi’s Four Sacre Pezzi.

Simon Boccanegra  ~  CD 8802

Birgit Nilsson Sings Wagner Arias with Hans Hotter and Leopold Ludwig  ~  CD 8173

This one’s for Robert:

Meredith Monk: Turtle Dreams  ~  CD 9697

Robert’s Staff Picks!

 

My staff picks are all over the place this week.

DVD 327 - The Audition:  This is a great DVD for those who enjoy opera or are training to be opera singers.  The documentary offers a look at the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions, where each year thousands of hopefuls face their fears and compete for a cash prize, the chance to sing on the Met stage–and the opportunity to launch a major operatic career.

CD 9808- Intuitivo:  The music on this CD was composed by AU’s own Fernando Benadon.  Professor Benadon describes this CD as “A collage of free improvisations.  My goal was to shape the players’ raw individual ideas into a spontaneously ‘coherent’ whole, all the while preserving and highlighting their unique subtleties of time and timbre.”

DVD 166 – Def Leppard/Hysteria – I really enjoy listening to Def Leppard when I’m not listening to classical music.  This is a really great track-by-track review of Def Leppard’s Hysteria album.

CD 5138 – Elvis at Sun (Studios) -  I’m pretty sure this has been on my staff picks before, but I can’t get enough Elvis. Take this CD home and listen to it over the weekend!

I also encourage everyone to check out Medici TV so you can watch Dr. Atomic!!! Use our databases!!!

 

 

Stuff to Watch

Are you tired of fireworks? Want to watch something else? Why not check out one of our new DVD’s for the holiday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Annie Get Your Gun ~ DVD 214

Dancing Dreams ~ DVD 237

Nine ~ DVD 238

Bye Bye Birdie ~ DVD 239

That’s Entertainment III ~ DVD 240

South Pacific ~ DVD 241

Sunday in the Park with George ~ DVD 242

Sweeney Todd ~ DVD 243

Once Upon a Mattress  ~ DVD 244

The Music Man ~ DVD 245

Oklahoma! ~ DVD 246

On the Town ~ DVD 247

Oliver ~ DVD 248

West Side Story ~ DVD 249

Patti Smith: Dream of Life ~ DVD 250

The Producers ~ DVD 251

The King and I ~ DVD 252

Thoroughly Modern Millie ~ DVD 253

Jesus Christ Superstar ~ DVD 254

Gypsy ~ DVD 255

Hello Dolly! ~ DVD 256

RENT ~ DVD 257

A Few More Music Theater DVD’s + Some Glen Gould

Into the Woods ~ DVD 215

Kiss Me Kate ~ DVD 223

High School Musical 2 ~ DVD 227

High School Musical 3 ~ DVD 228

Gold Diggers of 1933 ~ DVD 230

Dames ~ DVD 232

Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould ~ DVD 236

Check check check, check it out yo!!

Musical Theater:

Once – New Broadway Cast Recording – CD 9679

Classical:

Paul Lansky – Imaginary Islands – Shapeshifters, With the Grain, Imaginary Islands, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Justin Brown – CD 9678

Anne Akiko Meyers – Air – The Bach Album, English Chamber Orchestra – CD 9677

Allen Shawn – Piano Music, Volume III – CD 9675

George Walker – Great American Orchestral Works vol. 3 - CD 9674

Decreasing Radius – Rick Stout – CD 9673

Do You Dream in Color? – Laurie Rubin, Marija Stroke, Noam Sivan – CD 9672

Holiday Music:

O Tannenbaum – 10 favorite Christmas Carols, featuring The Londonderry Choir – CD 9671

DVD:

Choreography by Balanchine – DVD 204

In Search of Beethoven – a film by Phil Grabsky – DVD 202

In search of Mozart – a film Phil Grabsky – DVD 201

Beats Rhymes & Life – The travels of A Tribe Called Quest – DVD 200

Lester Horton Technique – The Warm Up – DVD 203

Watch free music movies on SnagFilms

Website, SnagFilms, which allows you to stream documentaries for free, has recently added dozens of music documentaries. The streams are high-quality, and their slick interface is easy to navigate.

Their offerings run the gamut from acknowledged classics like Buena Vista Social Club and Heavy Metal Parking Lot, to archival television footage of Miles Davis Frank Sinatra, and Leonard Bernstein, to concert films like Toots and the Maytals – Live at Santa Monica Pier, and straight documentaries like loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies, Captain Beefheart – Under Review, and Ballou (about SE D.C.’s Ballou High School Marching Band).