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The Israel Philharmonic, founded in 1936 to save Jewish musicians from the eminent holocaust, celebrates it's anniversary with a concert in Tel Aviv. The orchestra is conducted by Zubin Mehta, who was given the title, "Musical Director for Life" in 1981. The program was recorded at the Frederic R. Mann Auditorium in December 2006.
Eric Clapton leads an all-star blues lineup that includes B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Jeff Beck and Buddy Guy; host Bill Murray.
Andrea Bocelli presents a concert from the hills of Lajatico, the rural village in Tuscany where the singer grew up. A special theater was built on the slopes just for this concert. Bocelli sings his most popular songs and welcomes some musical guests.
Renee Fleming hosts a countdown of Great Performances greatest opera moments in this special marking the 30th anniversary of Great Performances at the Met.
The L.A. Opera presents Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny by composer Kurt Weill and playwright Bertolt Brecht. Considered by many to be one of the greatest operas of the 20th century, the piece, a lyrical satire, blends traditional opera and music hall songs. Set in the fictional "anything goes" city of Mahogonny, the original performance in 1930 Germany was disrupted by a band of Nazi Brown Shirts.
Great Performances returns to Vienna for the 24th consecutive year for the New Year's Celebration. Walter Cronkite hosts, and conductor Georges Prêtre leads the Vienna Philharmonic. Once again Strauss waltzes are featured, but Frenchman Prêtre includes some French-themed pieces. The Vienna State Opera Ballet is also fetured.
In November 2007 several artistic venues around New York City celebrated the explosion of creativity taking place in Berlin, Germany with a 17-day "Berlin in Lights" festival. This concert at Carnegie Hall was one of the featured events. The Berliner Philharmoniker performs Gustav Mahler's "Symphony No. 9," under the direction of acclaimed music director and conductor, Sir Simon Rattle.
Other "Berlin in Lights" events are highlighted, including the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela performing Bartók's "Concerto for Orchestra." This orchestra is a sister orchestra to the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Stephen Sondheim's musical about a man who celebrates his 35th birthday with 10 friends, who happen to be 5 couples. This 2006 Broadway revival won a Tony award as "Best Revival" of the 2006-2007 seaon.
In a historic visit, the New York Philharmonic became the first American artists to perform in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, also known as North Korea. Conductor Lorin Maazel directed the orchestra in their concert at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre in North Korea's capital city of Pyongyang. Reporter Bob Woodruff of ABC News provided behind-the-scenes coverage and a look at this country that is so mysterious to westerners.
James Taylor performs his 2007-2008 tour, One Man Band. Taylor's greatest hit songs are interspersed with personal anecdotes and home movies.
The country singer performs songs from her 15-year career, including songs from her latest CD, Waking Up Laughing. The concert was recorded live at i wireless Center in Moline, Illinois.
Stop-frame model animation, puppets, and digital photography are used to tell Sergei Prokofiev's classic tale in which orchestral instruments personify the characters of the story. The Philharmonia Orchestra of London performs under the direction of Mark Stephenson.
Engelbert Humperdinck's opera based on the fairy tale by The Brothers Grimm.
Charles Gounod's opera based on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." Opera great Plácido Domingo takes the conductor's baton in this version.
Giuseppe Verdi's opera based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name is performed by New York's Metropolitan Opera Company.
Dance, photography and America's parks combine to present this on-location episode of Wolf Trap's acclaimed Face of America artistic adventure series. Performances include aerial dancers at Yosemite National Park and the U.S. Olympic Synchronized Swim Team at Coral Reef National Monument in the Virgin Islands.
Acclaimed South African actor Antony Sher performs his own adaptation of Primo Levi's Survival in Auschwitz. A chemist and member of the Italian resistance movement, Primo Levi spent 11 months in Auschwitz at the end of World War II. Levi's heirs have requested that Antony Sher be the only actor to portray Primo in the one-man play.
Giacomo Puccini's opera based on a French novel by Antoine François Prévost (the Abbé Prévost) telling the story of a pair of young lovers.
Benjamin Britton's opera about a man who proclaims his innocence under accusation.
Oscar nominated documentarian Allen Miller presents a portrait of Valery Gergiev, artistic director and general director of St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theater. Gergiev is also principal conductor of the London Symphony and the Rotterdam Philharmonic and has appeared as principle guest conductor at New York's Metropolital Opera.
Gioacchino Rossini's classic comic opera “The Barber of Seville” stars Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez as Count Almaviva, whose pursuit of the lovely Rosina (Joyce DiDonato) is aided by the wily barber Figaro (Peter Mattei). Standing in his way is her guardian Dr. Bartolo (John Del Carlo), who plans to marry her himself. Don Basilio: John Relyea. Fiorello: Brian Davis. Ambrogio: Rob Besserer.
April 25, 2007, would have been Ella Fitzgerald's 90th birthday. To celebrate, Great Performances has created an all-star tribute to the great jazz singer.
“Il Trittico,” Puccini's collection of three one-act operas. “Il Tabarro” concerns doomed lovers (Maria Guleghina, Salvatore Licitra); “Suor Angelica,” is about the salvation of a nun (Barbara Frittoli); “Gianni Schicchi” is a charismatic scoundrel (Alessandro Corbelli) out to steal a fortune willed to the church.
A follow-up to 2001s survey of African American dance, Free to Dance, Dancing in the Light included full performances that were not in the original series due to time restrictions.
A celebration of the Stax Records company of Memphis Tennessee with commentaries by former performers, executives and others. In it\'s heyday in the 1960s Stax recorded songs for such stars as Otis Redding, Booker T. and the MGs and Richard Pryor.
Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter Lionel Richie performs a concert of his famous hits and newer songs from his latest CD, Coming Home.
Recently discovered sources that were silenced in Soviet Russia now speak freely about the great dancer Rudolph Nureyev. Interviews with friends and colleagues trace his early career and his decision to defect in 1961. Includes archival footage never before seen in the West.
Conducted by Pierre Boulez.
