Claudio Abbado and the Berliner Philharmoniker The Last Concert

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CD (Hybrid-SACD)
CD & Blu-ray
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Claudio Abbado (1933–2014) was one of the outstanding personalities in the history of the Berliner Philharmoniker. In May 2013, their unique partnership ended with Abbado’s last concert with the orchestra. The programme included two of the most important works of musical Romanticism: Hector Berlioz’s visionary Symphonie fantastique and Felix Mendelssohn’s magical, shimmering music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. To mark the second anniversary of Claudio Abbado’s death on 20 January 2016, audio and video recordings of this memorable evening have been released in a hardcover luxury edition. With comprehensive articles, bonus videos and previously unpublished photographs, it documents Abbado’s work with the orchestra whose chief conductor he was from 1990 to 2002.

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The recordings impressively convey the special atmosphere of the evening: the great affection the orchestra and the audience had for Claudio Abbado – and of course the enthusiasm for the musical performances. Renowned not least for his clever concert programming, Abbado combined two works here that deal with the theme of dreams in music in very different ways: Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream conveys the multifaceted magical atmosphere of Shakespeare’s original, while Berlioz uses modern means to tell his delirious tale of fateful love and drug-induced hallucinations. Abbado’s performance brings out the full splendour of these scores. It is – as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote – a “wonder, the freedom and youthful-like spirit with which the soon to be octogenarian expends himself, which he radiates and which he presents to his audience from the conductor’s stand.”

The edition contains the recordings on CD and in high resolution audio on a Blu-ray disc which also features a video of the concert. The bonus material includes a historical documentary about Abbado’s first year as chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker. In addition, the concert is now available in a new, lower-priced version on 2 CDs/SACDs which can be played on any CD or SACD player. For vinyl fans, the recordings are also being released in a limited collector’s edition on 3 LPs. Both editions include a hardcover booklet with many illustrations and extensive accompanying texts.

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ICMA Award
Content

Berliner Philharmoniker
Claudio Abbado Conductor

Deborah York Soprano
Stella Doufexis Mezzo-Soprano
Damen des Chors des Bayerischen Rundfunks

Felix Mendelssohn:
A Midsummer Night's Dream

Hector Berlioz:
Symphonie fantastique

Recorded at the Berlin Philharmonie, May 2013

Concert video
HD recording of the entire concert

Bonus videos
· Documentary: “Abbado in Berlin – The First Year”
· Members of the Berliner Philharmoniker remember Claudio Abbado

Pre-listening

Available versions

  • CD (Hybrid-SACD)

    Claudio Abbado’s last concert with the Berliner Philharmoniker

    2 CD (Hybrid-SACD)

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    Playable on any CD/SACD player

    CD / SACD 1
    Mendelssohn: Ein Sommernachtstraum

    CD / SACD 2
    Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

    Total running time
    96 mins

    Audio format
    CD Stereo
    SACD Stereo
    (higher resolution, requires SACD player)
    SACD Surround
    (requires SACD player and surround system)

    Booklet
    60 pages

    Packaging
    Hardcover digibook

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    US$ 29.00
    Excl. shipping
  • CD & Blu-ray

    Claudio Abbado’s last concert with the Berliner Philharmoniker

    2 CD + 1 Blu-ray + download / hardcover linen edition

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    CD 1
    Felix Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

    CD 2
    Hector Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

    1 Pure Audio Blu-ray Disc
    All recordings in Pure Audio 24-bit / 48 kHz
    
(2.0 PCM Stereo · 5.0 DTS-HD MA)
    Running time: 96 mins

    All recordings in High Definition Video
    (Full HD 16:9 / PCM Stereo · 5.0 Surround DTS-HD)

    Running time: 107 mins

    Bonus videos
    · Documentary: “Abbado in Berlin – The First Year”
    · Members of the Berliner Philharmoniker remember Claudio Abbado
    Running time: 75 mins

    
Region code: ABC (worldwide)

    Accompanying booklet
    
56 pages / German, English

    Download Code
    
For high resolution audio files of
    
the entire album (24-bit / 48 kHz)

    Digital Concert Hall
    7-Day Ticket for the Berliner Philharmoniker’s
    video streaming service

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    US$ 49.00
    Excl. shipping
  • Download

    Claudio Abbados last concert with the Berliner Philharmoniker

    24-bit Download

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    Provided Formats:
    Stereo 24/48 [FLAC / WAV]
    5.0 Surround 24/48 [FLAC / WAV]

    Digital Booklet
    
56 pages / German, English

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    US$ 29.00
    Excl. shipping

Video trailer

Photos

SACD edition