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The Riverdance troupe of 70 dancers flaunts its terpsichorean talents on the stage of Radio City Music Hall, performing such rousing favorites as Trading Taps, American Wake, and Riverdance. Featuring previously unstaged material, the much loved Irish folk dancers are at the top of their game, particularly principal dancers Jean Butler, Maria Pages, and Colin Dunne.Tracks:1. Reel Around The Sun2. The Heart's Cry3. Women of Ireland4. Caoineadh Chu Chulainn5. Thunderstorm6. Firedance7. Slip Into Spring - The Harvest8. Cloudsong9. Riverdance10. American Wake11. Life the Wings12. Harbour of the New World13. Trading Taps14. Russian Dervish15. Oscail an Doras16. Heartbeat of the World17. Homecoming18. Home and the Heartland19. Heartland20. Riverdance International

Merle Haggard ranks as one of the definitive icons of country music. A multiple Grammy Award winner and a Country Music Hall of Famer, he was in large part responsible for creating the Bakersfield country sound which was popularized in the 1960s. Incorporating jazzy country swing into his catchy sound that made much use of guitar solos, he created a honky-tonk style that was all his own. While he slipped from the limelight in the 80s and 90s, Merle experienced a comeback in 2000 as a new generation discovered him with the spare, powerful album IF I COULD ONLY FLY.
This release features a live performance at the ultimate honky-tonk joint Billy Bob`s, with Merle playing all the old hits, as well as new material; the song list includes such favorites as Mama Tried,
Workin` Man Blues,
A Place to Fall Apart,
Natural High,
and
Rainbow Stew,
as well as the new
Ol` Country Singer.

Before moving to Morocco and finding fame as an author, Paul Bowles had a successful career as an avant-garde composer. NIGHT WALTZ: THE MUSIC OF PAUL BOWLES, a documentary by first-time filmmaker Owsley Brown, attempts to uncover this lesser-known side of the enigmatic Bowles. Filmed in the years just before his death in 1999, NIGHT WALTZ features interviews with Bowles at his home in Tangier. While physically frail, he discusses at length his experiences as a young composer and his feelings toward his music, which--in contrast to the often lavish brutality of his writing--is full of charm, as the film reflects in every way. Interspersed throughout are a series of visual essays set to Bowles' music, made from footage of noted avant-garde filmmakers Rudy Burckhardt and Nathaniel Dorsky, among others. Using images of New York, Mexico, and Morocco, as well as pure abstraction, they brilliantly complement the music, much of which was written not as concert music, but as incidental music for dance, theater, and film. As Bowles himself notes, his music might have been forgotten had he not become a famous author; NIGHT WALTZ succeeds not only in remembering, but in bringing the music vividly to life.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseFull Frame - 1.33Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 - EnglishAdditional Release Material: Production Interview - 1. Jonathan Sheffer - Artistic Director, Eos Orchestra Bonus Short - 1. 145 W. 21 - Rudy Burckhardt featuring Paul Bowles& Aaron CoplandDVD-ROM Features: Web Resource Guides

Beethoven's CHORAL FANTASY, for piano, choir, and orchestra in c minor op. 80, marks Beethoven's first successful marriage of choral and instrumental music, something he would revisit with glorious results in his Ninth Symphony. Here, Mr. Oppitz, the famous pianist, is joined by the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gianluigi Gelmetti and the Sudfunk Choir, directed by Joseph Beischer. The performance was recorded in the 500 year-old Gothic Amandus church in Bad Urach, Germany. The program also features Mr. Oppitz performing Bach's Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor BWV 903 and Liszt's Variations on Bach's cantata Weigen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen.DVD Features:Region 1Liner notesGlossary of music termsHistorical markers for the piecesPerformer profilesAlternate Audio Tracks:Audio commentaries on all three pieces

Mr. Leinsdorf conducts the Berlin Staatskapelle, which Strauss himself conducted for ten years, for the 1991 Garmich-Partenkirchen Strauss Festival. The Berlin Staatskapelle is one of the oldest orchestras in the world, and Mr. Leinsdorf is one of the world's greatest Strauss interpreter. He conducts them in Don Juan op. 20, Ein Heldenleben op. 40, and Holerlin Hymnen op. 71 with Ms. Hass as the soloist.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseInteractive Features: Scene Access Interactive Menus

Friedrich Gulda plays music by Claude Debussy (1862-1918) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791).

Guiseppe Verdi's Messa da Requiem Romantic Era choral performed by the European Symphony Orchestra with the Neubeuern Choral Society conducted by Enoch zu Guttenberg. Filmed at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Germany. Featured soloists are Pamela Coburn, soprano; Trudeliese Schmidt, mezzo-soprano; Vinson Cole, tenor; and Kurt Rydl, bass.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseFull Frame - 1.33Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - Italian PCM Stereo - ItalianAdditional Release Material: Optional Audio CommentaryText/Photo Galleries: Liner Notes Glossary of Music Terms Historical Markers for the Pieces Performer Profiles

Conductor Michael Helmrath leads the Munich Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra in this performance of four works from composer Richard Strauss. Selecting two pieces from his earlier compositions and two from his creative zenith, Helmrath and company have created a wonderful program that is done justice by its illustrious performers. Featured are the compositions: Concerto for Horn and Orchestra No. 1 (E flat major op. 11), Capriccio: Introduction for String Sextet, Romance for Clarinet and Orchestra (E flat major), and Der Burger als Edelmann, Orchestra Suite Op. 60.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseFull FrameAudio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - EnglishInteractive Features: Scene Access Interactive MenusText/Photo Galleries: Biographies Additional Text - 1. Music Analysis in Subtitles











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