Soli Deo Gloria

Bach "Mass in B Minor" DVD

 BACH
Mass in B Minor, BWV 232

Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris
L’Ensemble Orchestral de Paris
Maîtrise Notre-Dame (38-voice chorus)
Ruth Ziesak, soprano
Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano
Daniel Taylor, countertenor
Paul Agnew, tenor
Dietrich Henschel, baritone
John Nelson, conductor

“Close to being an act of worship.”—BBC Music Magazine

“Watching this film is life-enhancing.”—International Record Review

“An all-star cast . . . virtuoso choral singing . . . one of the best ever.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer

A critically acclaimed audio/video production from film director Olivier Simonnet, this 5.1 surround sound DVD captures a live performance of J. S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Bonus features (42 minutes) include an interview with Maestro Nelson, an interview with the Archbishop of Paris,an introduction to the mass by Monseigneur Jehan Revert, plus a background documentary on “Music and Liturgy” at Notre Dame. Subtitles in English/French/German/Spanish.

Beethoven "Missa Solemnis" DVD

BEETHOVEN
Missa Solemnis

Tamara Wilson, soprano
Elizabeth DeShong, alto
Nikolai Schukoff, tenor
Brindley Sherratt, bass
Gulbenkian Choir
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
John Nelson, conductor

Filmed live in the Grand Auditorium of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation,
Lisbon, Portugal, February 2010. Directed by Rhodri Huw.

"A MONUMENTAL VISION
Michael Tanner hails a magnificent Beethoven Missa Solemnis"
"The most impressive I have ever heard ...
It seems unlikely that Beethoven's vision in this work
will ever be more completely captured."
—Michael Tanner, Music DVD Choice, BBC Music Magazine

"If you're after a fine Missa on screen, look no further."
—Bob Cowan, Gramophone

Beethoven wrote that “music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks & invents,” and this DVD of his rarely performed choral masterpiece, Missa Solemnis, beautifully brings to life the composer’s spiritual intent "to awaken and permanently instill religious feelings, not only in the singers, but also in the listeners."

Berlioz "Te Deum" CD

BERLIOZ
Te Deum for solo tenor, chorus, orchestra and pipe organ

Orchestre de Paris
Choeur de l'Orchestre de Paris
Choeur d'enfants de l'Union Européene
Roberto Alagna, tenor
Marie-Claire Alain, organ
    (playing the Cavaillé-Coll organ of the Madeleine)
John Nelson, conductor

"A highly recommendable recording,
which captures something
of the large scale of Berlioz's creation."
—MusicWeb International

John Nelson conducts a thrilling performance of one of Berlioz’s largest works, the dramatic setting of the Te Deum for two choirs, children’s chorus, obbligato organ, tenor soloist and large orchestra. This recording of the complete 1855 score was nominated for the Grand Diapason d'Or Prize.

Górecki "Miserere" CD

GÓRECKI
Miserere

Miserere. Op. 44
Amen, Op. 35
Euntes Ibant et Flebant, Op 32
Wislo Moja, Wislo Szara (“My Vistula, Grey Vistula”), Op. 46
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Chicago Lyric Opera Chorus
John Nelson, conductor

Szeroka Woda (“Broad Waters”), Op. 39
A Ta Nasza Narew
Oj, Kiedy Na Powislu
Oj, Janie, Janie
Polone Róze Rwala
Szeroka Woda
Lira Chamber Chorus
Lucy Ding, conductor

“Solid success . . . serenely beautiful and deeply moving …

Nelson is an expert choral technician, and under his vital direction …

their sound was full of expressive understanding,

resounding magnificently in the high-dome church.”

—John von Rhein,

Chicago Tribune, April 26, 1994

This historic SDG recording brought together the combined talents of the Lyric Opera Chorus and the Chicago Symphony Chorus for the first time for the North American premiere of Górecki's massive a cappella choral work Miserere. The performances and recording took place in Chicago's beautiful St. Mary of the Angel's Church, with the composer in attendance.

Haydn "The Creation" DVD

HAYDN
The Creation (Die Schöpfung)

Lisa Milne, soprano
Werner Güra, tenor
Matthew Rose, bass
Lucy Crowe, soprano
Jonathan Beyer, bass
The Netherlands Radio Choir
The Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic
John Nelson, conductor

Filmed live at the Grote Kerk, Naarden, Netherlands in June 2010. Directed by Rhodri Huw.

"The Dutch orchestra's period-informed playing
features some fine instrumental solos over the work's substantial course,
and the choir responds sensitively to Haydn's rich, imaginative writing."
—George Hall, BBC Music Magazine

The Creation DVD is both a musical and a visual feast. Filmed in the beautiful setting of Grote Kerk, one of the oldest churches in the Netherlands, Haydn's musical portrait of the mystery of Creation comes alive. The acoustics of the venue make the music sound magical, and the results are a magnificent Creation.