Alfred Brendel - Claudio Abbado DVD

Advantages: Fascinating insight into a very private conductor
Disadvantages: One always wants more concert clips in DVDs like this...

...***Updated/improved with more information*** Summary: This is a "must buy" for anyone who is a fan of conductor Claudio Abbado. If you are a keen classical music lover it also gives a fascinating insight into the artistic genius of this very special maestro. With revealing comments not only from Abbado himself, but some of his colleagues and a generous selection of concert/rehearsal clips, the DVD provides a tantalising glimpse into Abbado's complex philosophy towards music and conducting, in particular how it has deepened since his severe illness a few years ago. Background: Claudio Abbado is probably the world's finest living classical music conductor. He was born in Milan, Italy in 1933 and studied in Milan and then in Vienna with renowned conducting teacher Hans Swarowsky (who was also the teacher of fine conductor Zubin Mehta... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Spitting Image, lots of laughs, great intro to classical music
Disadvantages: Deflates a little in the middle, wanted more

...Introduction: Sometimes the strangest and most unexpected of combinations can work brilliantly together, so I was really intrigued to see that renowned Italian maestro Claudio Abbado had insisted that his DVD of Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" should use Spitting Image puppets! Somehow it seemed a rather improbable line-up: On one side as a supreme representative of "high culture", we have Claudio with his intense music-making and lofty interpretative ideas, conducting acclaimed recordings and concerts of Mahler, Mozart and Verdi to pick just a few highlighted composers from his long and illustrious career. At the other end of the cultural spectrum we have the Spitting Image team who are best known for their 80's TV series featuring bitingly satirical latex puppet portrayals of anyone famous (and infamous) from the Queen Mum... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Funny, entertaining, catchy songs
Disadvantages: quite expensive to buy.

...**** Warning Spoilers ahead!**** Trey Parker stars as Alfred Packer in this all singing all dancing true life account of Alfred packer. The story starts with Alfred Packer, he wants to go back to his home town of Breckonridge but when the leader of the party, Lucky Larry gets struck by lighting Alfred gets burdened with the job of leading a group of diggers to Breckonridge to find gold. The party is made up of Alfred and five others, Shannon Wilson Bell (Ian Hardin) who always looks on the bright side of life, Israel Swan (Jon Hegel) a religious but somewhat insane character, Frank Miller (Jason McHugh) a butcher who hates to sing, James Humphrey (Matt Stone) a chronic liar and lastly, George Noon (Dian Bachar) a sex starved teenager. The excursion starts out fine, the men have high moral... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful