Soli Deo Gloria

Beethoven "Missa Solemnis" DVD

NEW DVD

Beethoven Missa Solemnis DVD

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

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

"The Missa Solemnis, which Beethoven
considered the crown of his music,
may be the greatest piece
most listeners never hear."
—Jan Swafford, composer and author

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."

Haydn "The Creation" DVD

NEW DVD

Haydn The Creation DVD

HAYDN
The Creation (Die Schöpfung)
John Nelson, conductor
Lisa Milne, soprano
Werner Güra, tenor
Matthew Rose, bass
Lucy Crowe, soprano
Jonathan Beyer, bass
The Netherlands Radio Choir
The Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic

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

“I don’t think there is any composer
who had more of a sense of humor than Haydn.
He was just naturally given to fun, to joy, to humor
… and you find it all in this music.”
—John Nelson

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.

Bach "Mass in B Minor" DVD

“Bach in Notre-Dame de Paris” DVD
Johann Sebastian 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

2006 EMI Virgin Classics – 2 hours 33 minutes

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.

REVIEWS & EXCERPTS

Berlioz "Te Deum" CD

Hector 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

2001 EMI Virgin Classics

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.

REVIEWS & EXCERPTS

Górecki "Miserere" CD

Henryk Górecki
Miserere

John Nelson with Henry Górecki

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

1994 Electra/Nonesuch

The first of SDG’s sponsored recordings brought together the combined talents of the Lyric Opera Chorus and the Chicago Symphony Chorus for a performance of Górecki's a cappella choral work Miserere. The opening chorus intones Domine, Deus Noster (”Lord Our God”),first with passion, then agitation, then reverence and quietly ends with a plea for Miserere nobis (“have mercy on us”). The performances and recording took place in Chicago's beautiful St. Mary of the Angel's church. The CD also features several Górecki folk song settings performed by the Lira Chamber Chorus. The recording has sold over 100,000 copies worldwide.

REVIEWS & EXCERPTS