"Actor: Kurt Ollmann"

• Bernstein - the Making of Westside Story (Te Kanawa) | DVD | (11/07/2005) from £14.29   |  Saving you £2.70 (18.89%)   |  RRP £16.99

  27 years after its Broadway premiere Leonard Bernstein went into a New York studio for Deutsche Grammophon to conduct his most famous work for the first time. In selecting his cast he decided to go for sound with the sumptuous operatic voices of Kiri Te Kanawa Jose Carreras and Tatiana Troyanos. This spellbinding film winner of the Prix Italia and the British Academy's Flaherty Award documents the stresses and strains exhilaration and eventual triumph in the making of a landmark recording.

• Bernstein, Leonard - Candide (Bernstein, Lso, Hadley, Gedda) | DVD | (11/09/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  The historic concert that preceded Bernstein's only recording of Candide. Videotaped at the Barbican Centre, London, 13 December 1989.

• Leonard Bernstein conducts West Side Story -- The Making of the Recording | DVD | (04/02/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Filmed in 1984 for the BBC, the feature-length documentary Leonard Bernstein conducts West Side Story follows the composer through one week as he records the first-ever complete album of his musical theatre masterpiece. (The previous Broadway cast and original soundtrack albums had both been cut down to single LP length.) Virtually the entire documentary takes place in a New York recording studio with a pick-up orchestra, session singers and headliners Kiri Te Kanawa (Maria), José Carreras (Tony), Tatiana Troyanos (Anita) and Kurt Ollmann (Riff). The 89-minute programme alternates rehearsal footage with complete final takes of the main numbers--including "Tonight", "America", and "Maria"--with a limited amount of comment from the principal players. Te Kanawa explains how much the music means to her, Troyanos notes how she grew-up in the very streets depicted on stage and Carreras provides a rare moment of tension when a session ends unsatisfactorily. Bernstein himself is by turns commanding, charming, enthusiastic or weary. For anyone wanting an extensive insight into what happens as a major album is recorded this is fascinating, though others who just want to enjoy the wonderful music will be better served by the resultant two-CD set. On the DVD: Though filmed for British television, Deutsche Grammophon have chosen to release a single region-free (Region 0) DVD for the entire world. Unfortunately this means the disc is in NTSC format rather than PAL, and requires an NTSC-compatible television for playback. It also means that while the sound has been effectively remastered for PCM stereo the picture shows all the signs of a bad NTSC copy--weak, washed-out colours and poor definition with a serious lack of detail. Most videos are far better. The DVD has subtitles in German, French, Spanish and Chinese. There are no extras, though the booklet adapts an interesting article by producer Humphrey Burton which originally appeared in Gramophone magazine in 1985.--Gary S Dalkin

• Die Schopfung (The Creation) (Full Sub Ac3 Dol) | DVD | (14/09/2009) from £11.08   |  Saving you £10.17 (103.56%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Tracklisting1. Opening Credits / Haydn: Die Schpfung / Bernstein2. 1a. Einleitung. Die Vorstellung des Chaos (Largo) 3. 1b. Rezitativ mit Chor: Im Anfange schuf Gott Himmel und Erde4. 2. Arie mit Chor: Nun schwanden vor dem heiligen Strahle 5. 3. Rezitativ: Und Gott machte das Firmament 6. 4. Chor mit Sopransolo: Mit Staunen sieht das Wunderwerk7. 5. Rezitativ: Und Gott sprach: Es sammle sich das Wasser 8. 6. Arie: Rollend in schumenden Wellen 9. 7. Rezitativ: Und Gott sprach: Es bringe die Erde Gras hervor10. 8. Arie: Nun beut die Flur das frische Grn 11. 9. Rezitativ: Und die Himmlischen Heerscharen 12. 10. Chor: Stimmt an die Saiten 13. 11. Rezitativ: Und Gott sprach: Es sei'n Lichter an der Feste des Himmels14. 12. Rezitativ: Im vollen Glanze steiget jetzt 15. 13. Chor mit Soli: Die Himmel erzhlen die Ehre Gottes 16. 14. Rezitativ: Und Gott sprach: Es bringe das Wasser 17. 15. Arie: Auf starkem Fittiche schwinget sich der Adler stolz18. 16. Rezitativ: Und Gott schuf groe Walfische 19. 17. Rezitativ: Und die Engel rhrten ihr' unsterblichenHarfen20. 18. Terzett: In holder Anmut stehn 21. 19. Chor mit Soli: Der Herr ist gro in seiner Macht 22. 20. Rezitativ: Und Gott sprach: Es bringe die Erde hervor lebende Geschpfe23. 21. Rezitativ: Gleich ffnet sich der Erde Scho (Raphael)24. 22. Arie: Nun scheint in vollem Glanze der Himmel (Raphael)25. 23. Rezitativ: Und Gott schuf den Menschen (Uriel) 26. 24. Arie: Mit Wrd' und Hoheit angetan 27. 25. Rezitativ: Und Gott sah jedes Ding 28. 26. Chor: Vollendet ist das groe Werk 29. 27. Terzett: Zu dir, o Herr, blickt alles auf 30. 28. Chor: Vollendet ist das groe Werk 31. 29. Orchestereinleitung und Rezitativ: Aus Rosenwolken bricht32. 30. Duett mit Chor: Von deiner Gt', o Herr und Gott - Der Sterne hellster, o wie schn33. 31. Rezitativ: Nun ist die erste Pflicht erfllt Surround Sound34. 32. Duett: Holde Gattin, dir zur Seite - Der tauende Morgen35. 33. Rezitativ: O glcklich Paar 36. 34. Schluchor mit Soli: Singt dem Herren all Stimmen