Never knew

Greece was the root of all Classical music and art, so it's no coincidence that Classical music is rooted in Grecian innovations. In 600 BCE, famed mathematician Pythagoras dissected music as a science and developed the keystone of modern music.

JOSHUA BELL AND FRIENDS SHARE THEIR MUSICAL GIFTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

 

Album Features Collaborations with Gloria Estefan, Alison Krauss, Kristin Chenoweth, Chick Corea, Branford Marsalis, Renee Fleming, Straight No Chaser, Michael Feinstein, Frankie Moreno, Plácido Domingo and others

Album Available October 15, 2013

With Musical Gifts from Joshua Bell and Friends, world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell recreates his family’s tradition of having friends come to his home during the holidays and joining in on songs that celebrate the warmth, beauty and magic of the season. Following the concept of his critically acclaimed album, At Home with Friends, Bell collaborates with a variety of special guests including Gloria Estefan, Alison Krauss, Kristin Chenoweth, trumpeter Chris Botti, jazz greats Chick Corea and Branford Marsalis, opera stars Plácido Domingo and Renée Fleming, Michael Feinstein, Frankie Moreno, a cappella group Straight No Chaser, and classical artists Steven Isserlis and acclaimed classical comedy duo Igudesman-Joo. Co-produced by Steven Epstein and David Lai, Musical Gifts is available from Sony Masterworks on October 15, 2013.

Musical Gifts includes repertoire representing a variety of holiday traditions. The CD also relates to Bell’s Romance of the Violin album, and its follow-up Voice of the Violin. “On both of them, I took popular classical or non-classical songs and adapted them for my instrument,” says Bell. “The idea goes back to the violinists like Jascha Heifetz, who recorded with Bing Crosby, and my hero Fritz Kreisler, who often rearranged other composers’ works so delightfully. I also love the idea of celebrating music in ways different from how it was originally written, bringing in new arrangements and creating new repertoire for my instrument,” Bell adds.

Opening the album is vocal goddess Alison Krauss, singing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” “She’s someone I’ve admired from afar for many years,” says Bell. “The stunning arrangement highlights the intonation and purity of her voice.” 

Bell credits guitarist/violinist Rob Moose, who has performed with Antony and the Johnsons and Bon Iver, for his brilliant arrangement of various tracks on Musical Gifts.  Moose’s arrangement of “Let It Snow” starts out with a gypsy violin piece, then swings with Joshua and Grammy-nominated guitarist Julian Lage trading licks.

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” features pianist and vocalist Frankie Moreno singing a melancholy collaboration arranged by Bell and Moreno. On the endearing Fay Foster holiday song, “I Want an Old-Fashioned Christmas,” Renee Fleming graces this arrangement with her gorgeous soprano.  

Bell has longstanding friendships with Chris Botti and Kristin Chenoweth, who perform on “White Christmas” and “O Holy Night” respectively. “Chris and I went to school together in Bloomington, Indiana when we were 16,” says Bell.  “Kristin and I have performed in concert together and she joined me on my album At Home with Friends.”

“In America, Christmas transcends religion. It’s a time for family celebration, and I wanted Musical Gifts to be a little broader,” notes Bell. “Being that my late father was a former Episcopal priest and my mother is Jewish, I wanted to create a body of work that celebrates both traditions and captures the feeling of the holidays,” Bell adds. The pieces that make up “Nutcracker Medley,” while not Christmas songs per se, are closely associated with the holidays, and here feature another Indiana connection with Straight No Chaser, the a cappella group formed at Indiana University in Bloomington. Notes Bell, “I knew I wanted to do ‘Nutcracker’ in some form or other, and they came on board creating an orchestra with their voices!”

It was Bell’s inspiration to create a new arrangement of “Baal Shem: Simhat Torah (Rejoicing),” a piece composed by Ernest Bloch and performed with cellist Steven Isserlis and pianist Sam Heywood. “It’s a Jewish celebration of the Torah,” explains Bell. This piece was originally written for violin and piano and we added texture by adding in the cello.

Musical Gifts also includes traditional classical songs like “Ave Maria.” “Everyone knows the versions by Bach, Gounod and Schubert, but this version by my favorite French composer Faure was even new to me,” says Bell.  A religious feel was created for this using the cello, violin and organ.

The legendary tenor, Plácido Domingo, has always been greatly supportive of Bell, but his vocal on “O Tannenbaum” marks their first collaboration. “As a violinist, we emulate singers and admire them the most,” reflects Bell.

Bell also wanted to include “the new Victor Borges of classical music,” violinist Aleksey Igudesman and pianist Richard Hyung-ki Joo on Musical Gifts.  “They mix classical music and comedy and have a big following in Europe and in the States,” Bell says. “We had fun creating ‘Christmas Confusion,’ a conflicted holiday song where we mix both Jewish and Christmas traditions.” Cleverly composed and arranged by Igudesman, the tune took on a life of its own, blending “Silent Night” with “Jingle Bells,” “Hava Nagila” and even “The Dreidel Song.” “It’s a parody on the holidays, and something that will definitely make people smile,” continues Bell.

On Musical Gifts, Bell also performs with Chick Corea on “Greensleeves,” Branford Marsalis on a gospel version of “Amazing Grace,” with the Young People’s Chorus of New York City on a standalone version of “Silent Night,” and with Michael Feinstein on the Jimmy Van Heusen/Sammy Cahn Christmas song, “The Secret of Christmas.”

Last but not least, a holiday album wouldn’t be complete without “A Christmas Auld Lang Syne,” delivered by Gloria Estefan.  Accompanied by Cuban-American band Tiempo Libre, the traditional song has a Latin-infused flavor arranged by Jorge Gomez.

Each of the songs on Musical Gifts from Joshua Bell and Friends help to showcase Bell’s vision of the holidays.  “During this time of year we love to celebrate by exchanging gifts and what could be better than the gift of music?” asks Bell.

Sony Masterworks comprises the Masterworks, Sony Classical, OKeh, Portrait, Masterworks Broadway and Flying Buddha imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.SonyMasterworks.com

 

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Khatia Buniatishvili Dedicates her Second Album on Sony Classical To Chopin

 

Khatia Buniatishvili Dedicates her Second Album on Sony Classical To Chopin

Available September 18, 2012

 

“Chopin’s music is like a breath of a young soul, with no time to be indifferent to love”

-Khatia Buniatishvili

Khatia Buniatishvili has been described by The Independent as “the young Georgian firebrand.” At only 24 years old, this Tblisi-born pianist has already achieved an exceptional maturity of interpretation and a distinctive artistic approach that make her playing unmistakable. For her second album on Sony Classical, Khatia now releases Chopin on September 18^th, 2012.

The album encompasses five works superbly showcasing the breadth of her skills as a pianist. Chopin’s Sonata No. 2, op. 35, in formal and pianistic terms, is one of the most consummate works of the post-Beethoven period and above all known for its fascinatingly, strangely scurrying finale, which Robert Schumann compared to the mocking smile of a sphinx. The unprecedentedly lavish Ballade No. 4, op. 54 is extremely demanding, both technically and artistically. Waltz No. 2, op. 64, is suffused with Slavic heavyheartedness, while Mazurka No. 4, op. 17 concludes enigmatically, as if with an open question. This Polish folk dance is also the basis for the finale of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

 

Khatia, who lives in Paris and speaks five languages, made her debut as soloist with orchestra when she was only six years old. Before the age of ten she received her first invitations to play in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Israel and the United States.

Khatia is not only a third prize winner in the 2008 Rubinstein Piano Competition, but also a recipient of the award for the best Chopin interpretation. In 2010, she received the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award and was included in the BBC New Generation Artists series. Since then, Khatia’s career has advanced into a new dimension: she has played with Paavo Järvi and Kent Nagano, among others, and in 2011 opened the Ruhr Piano Festival.

In the current season, Khatia is the “rising star” in Vienna at the Musikverein and Konzerthaus. She is performing recitals in Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam and Paris, as well as at the Wigmore Hall and is a guest at the festivals in Schwetzingen, Lucerne and Verbier. In October, Khatia makes her debut with the Munich Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony.

 

 

From Artist Video Collection

 

 

Track listing:  Khatia Buniatishvili, Piano

*Orchestre de Paris, Paavo Jarvi

 

 

 

Waltz in C-sharp minor, op. 64/2 - 1. Tempo giusto

Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, op. 35 - 2. Grave - Doppio movimento - 3. Scherzo - 4. Marche funèbre: Lento - 5. Finale: Presto

Ballade No.4 in F minor, op.52 - 6. Andante con moto

Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, op. 21* - 7. I. Maestoso - 8. II. Larghetto - 9. III. Allegro vivace

Mazurka in A minor, op.17/4 - 10. Lento ma non troppo

 

U.S. Performance:

Oct. 18, 19, 20 – San Francisco, CA

Davies Symphonie Hall

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2

Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski

Visit her website http://www.khatiabuniatishvili.com and listen to some of the most exhilarating music by a woman whom is being recognized as innovative and an incredible, emotionally driven performer destine for worldwide acclaim.

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Sony Classical Celebrates the 75th Birthday of Philip Glass

 

With The Release of The Essential Philip Glass - Limited Edition 3-CD Set Available January 31, 2012

In celebration of the 75^th Birthday of Philip Glass, Sony Classical proudly releases The Essential Philip Glass. Available on January 31, the limited edition three-CD set, encompasses generous selections from Glass’ three seminal “Portrait Operas” (Einstein On The Beach, Satyagraha and Akhnaten) that established Glass as a serious, innovative classical composer. The set also includes dance scores for Twyla Tharp (In the Upper Room) and Jerome Robbins (Songs from Liquid Days), theater works (The Photographer), plus music for solo piano and collaborations with artists as wide-ranging as Suzanne Vega, Linda Ronstadt, the Kronos Quartet and Yo-Yo Ma.

Born in Baltimore in 1937, Philip Glass studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris and began to develop his signature style while working in experimental theater and as musical director alongside Ravi Shankar for the film Chappaqua. He formed The Philip Glass Ensemble in 1971, whose blend of electronic keyboards, reed instruments and female voices resulted in a unique and energetic sound world. In addition to eight Grammy nominations, Glass’ numerous film scores have earned him three Academy Award nominations, a Golden Globe (The Truman Show), and the National Endowment for the Arts’ Opera Honors Award in 2010.

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FROM THE OPERA HOUSE TO YOUR HOUSE

 

SONY CLASSICAL ADDS TO ITS ACCLAIMED SERIES OF METROPOLITAN OPERA ARCHIVAL BROADCAST RECORDINGS WITH FOUR NEW SETS ON CD FOR THE FIRST TIME HISTORIC BROADCASTS REMASTERED ON CD FROM THE MET ARCHIVES: ERNANI (1962), CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA & PAGLIACCI (1964), L'ELISIR D'AMORE (1966) AND LUISA MILLER (1968)

THE FIRST OFFICIAL RELEASE OF PERFORMANCES BY SUCH ICONIC ARTISTS AS MONTSERRAT CABALLÉ, EILEEN FARRELL, ROBERTA PETERS, LEONTYNE PRICE, CARLO BERGONZI,  FRANCO CORELLI, RICHARD TUCKER, CORNELL MACNEIL, SHERRILL MILNES AND GIORGIO TOZZI

"THE MAGIC OF A BYGONE ERA" — OPERA NEWS

ALL AVAILABLE JANUARY 17, 2012

Sony Classical, in its ongoing partnership with the Metropolitan Opera, adds to its popular series of releases drawn from the illustrious Met archives with four multi-disc sets that represent the first official release on CD of historic Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts dating from 1962 to 1968. On January 17, 2012, Sony Classical issues complete live performances – freshly remastered from the original sources – of Verdi's Ernani (1962); the classic double bill of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci (1964); Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore (1966); and Verdi's Luisa Miller (1968).

The four new CD sets star such Golden Age vocal talent as Montserrat Caballé, Eileen Farrell, Roberta Peters, Leontyne Price, Carlo Bergonzi, Franco Corelli, Richard Tucker, Cornell MacNeil, Sherrill Milnes, and Giorgio Tozzi, conducted by Met stalwarts Thomas Schippers and Nello Santi. Sony Classical series of releases from the Met archives – now totaling 28 titles on CD and DVD – has earned international praise for making vintage live performances available in the best possible sound. Writing on his enthusiastic anticipation of the must-have gems in this series, Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times declared: "The CDs that plumb the Met's archives are the big news. . . I'd better start making room on my shelves."

First official, remastered CD and digital release: These historic performances, originally broadcast via the Metropolitan Opera's Saturday afternoon radio series, have never before been available in authorized versions. Sony Classical continues to present the first commercial releases of this invaluable material, newly remastered from the original sources and with the imprimatur of the Met.

VERDI: ERNANI, December 1, 1962 (two CDs; UPC: 886919099621). Verdi’s Robin Hood-like tale of politics and ill-fated love features Carlo Bergonzi in a truly bravura performance as Ernani, Verdi’s dashing outlaw of Aragon. Leontyne Price is stunning as Elvira, Ernani’s great love and also the object of affections from both Don Carlo – sung by Cornell MacNeil – and de Silva, sung by Giorgio Tozzi. Thomas Schippers conducts the Met Orchestra and Chorus. Writing in The New York Times, critic Alan Rich praised Bergonzi for "the beauty of his voice and the intelligence of his stage presence" in his initial Met run as Ernani, though the critic added that the tenor "was by no means the least of the reasons for considering the entire evening a thrilling experience. This was operatic performance at the flood tide of its glory."

MASCAGNI: CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA & LEONCAVALLO: PAGLIACCI, April 11, 1964 (two CDs; UPC: 886919099928). In Cavalleria Rusticana, the first half of opera’s most famous double feature, Eileen Farrell sings the role of the ill-fated Santuzza in what would be her final Met broadcast. Richard Tucker portrays the faithless Turiddu. Pagliacci features Franco Corelli as Canio, the actor who must make his audience laugh while he himself is consumed by jealous despair and violent heartbreak. This was Corelli’s only Met broadcast performance in one of opera's most famous tenor roles. Nello Santi conducts the Met Orchestra and Chorus in this thrilling performance of opera’s classic verismo double-header.

DONIZETTI: L'ELISIR D'AMORE, March 5, 1966 (two CDs; UPC: 886919099126). The great Carlo Bergonzi brings quintessential Italian style to Donizetti's effervescent comedy as Nemorino, the everyman villager smitten with the beautiful, beguiling Adina. Roberta Peters exudes such charm and vivacity in the role of the flirtatious Adina that it's easy to feel Nemorino’s pain as his advances are rebuffed. The New York Times lauded Peters' stage presence and stunning vocalism in her performances of the role. Frank Guarrera brings just the right amount of swagger to the part of Sergeant Belcore, Nemorino’s rival for Adina’s affections. The great basso buffo Fernando Corena provides fine comic touches as Dr. Dulcamara, a traveling charlatan who provides the magic elixir that wins the day for Nemorino. Thomas Schippers leads the Met Orchestra and Chorus, bringing the marvelous colors of Donizetti's score to life.

VERDI: LUISA MILLER, February 17, 1968 (two CDs; UPC: 886919099423). In its first appearance at the Met in nearly 40 years, Verdi's underrated Luisa Miller comes to life with a dream cast. Soprano Montserrat Caballé portrays the titular heroine, a simple peasant girl in love with Rodolfo, son of a powerful nobleman. In The New York Times, Harold Schonberg enthused that Caballé possessed "one of the most beautiful pianissimos before the public, and she uses it lavishly" to depict the heartbreaking nuances of her character's plight. As Rodolfo, Richard Tucker is both passionate and vulnerable – the ideal romantic hero. Sherrill Milnes as Miller, Luisa’s father, gives a performance of such gravitas and authority it’s easy to see why he is considered one of the greatest-ever Verdi baritones. Ezio Flagello as Wurm and Giorgio Tozzi as Count Walter (Rodolfo’s father) provide just the right amount of menace as the men whose scheming brings the opera to a tragic end. The Times review lauded the conducting of Thomas Schippers as yielding "a fast-moving, energetic performance."

For more information on the Metropolitan Opera, please visit www.metopera.org.

PREVIOUS TITLES IN SONY CLASSICAL'S MET SERIES:

Donizetti: La Fille du Régiment (2 CDs)

88697961912

Conducted by Gennaro Papi; with Lily Pons, Raoul Jobin, Salvatore Baccaloni, Irra Petina

Ambroise Thomas: Mignon (2 CDs)

88697961922

Conducted by Wilfred Pelletier; with Risë Stevens, Ezio Pinza, Mimi Benzell, James Melton

Bizet: Carmen (2 CDs)

88697961892

Conducted by Fritz Reiner; with Risë Stevens, Richard Tucker, Nadine Conner, Paolo Silveri.

Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann (2 CDs)

88697961902

Conducted by Pierre Monteux; with Richard Tucker, Roberta Peters, Lucine Amara, Mildred Miller, Martial Singher

Verdi: Un Ballo in Maschera (2 CDs)

88697910022

Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos; with Zinka Milanov, Roberta Peters, Marian Anderson, Jan Peerce, Robert Merrill

Verdi: Rigoletto (2 CDs)

88697910052

Conducted by Fausto Cleva; with Robert Merrill, Roberta Peters, Richard Tucker, Mignon Dunn, Bonaldo Giaiotti

Verdi: Don Carlo (3 CDs)

88697910042

Conducted by Kurt Adler; with Franco Corelli, Leonie Rysanek, Irene Dalis, Nicolae Herlea, Giorgio Tozzi, Hermann Uhde

Verdi: Il Trovatore (2 CDs)

88697910062

Conducted by Fausto Cleva; with Franco Corelli, Leontyne Price, Mario Sereni, Irene Dalis, Teresa Stratas

Mozart: The Magic Flute (DVD)

88697910139

Conducted by James Levine; with Nathan Gunn, Ying Huang, Matthew Polenzani, Erika Miklosa, Rene Pape

Verdi: Otello (DVD)

88697910129

Conducted by James Levine; with Jon Vickers, Renata Scotto, Cornell MacNeil.

Berg: Lulu (DVD)

88697910099

Conducted by James Levine; with Julia Migenes, Frank Mazura, Evelyn Lear, Kenneth Riegel

Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana; Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (DVD)

88697910089

Conducted by James Levine; with Plácido Domingo, Tatiana Troyanos, Teresa Stratas, Sherrill Milnes

Beethoven: Fidelio, 1960 (2 CDs)

886978530929

Conducted by Karl Böhm; with Birgit Nilsson, Jon Vickers, Hermann Uhde, Oscar Czerwenka, Laurel Hurley, Charles Anthony, Giorgio Tozzi

Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro, 1961 (3 CDs)

886978531025

Conducted by Erich Leinsdorf; with Cesare Siepi, Lucine Amara, Roberta Peters, Mildred Miller, Regina Resnik, Kim Borg, Ezio Flagello

Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, 1972 (3 CDs)

886978530424

Conducted by Thomas Schippers; with Theo Adam, Pilar Lorengar, Shirley Love, James King, Benno Kusche, Loren Driscoll, Ezio Flagello, Donald Gramm

Wagner: Die Walküre, 1968 (3 CDs)

886978530820

Conducted by Berislav Klobucar; with Birgit Nilsson, Leonie Rysanek, Christa Ludwig, Jon Vickers, Thomas Stewart, Karl Riddersbusch

Gounod: Roméo et Juliette, 1947 (two CDs)

886978046529

Conducted by Emil Cooper; with Bidú Sayao, Jussi Björling, Nicola Moscona, Mimi Benzell, John Brownlee

Puccini: Tosca, 1962 (two CDs)

886978046826

Conducted by Kurt Adler; with Leontyne Price, Franco Corelli, Cornell MacNeil, Ezio Flagello

Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia, 1950 (two CDs)

886978046222

Conducted by Alberto Erede; with Lily Pons, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Giuseppe Valdengo, Salvatore Baccaloni, Jerome Hines

Puccini: La Bohème, 1958 (two CDs)

886978046321

Conducted by Thomas Schippers; with Licia Albanese, Laurel Hurley, Carlo Bergonzi, Mario Sereni, Clifford Harvuot, Norman Scott, Ezio Flagello

Puccini: Madama Butterfly, 2009 (Met in HD DVD)

886978066299

Conducted by Patrick Summers; production by Anthony Minghella; with Patricia Racette, Marcello Giordani, Maria Zifchak, Dwayne Croft

Richard Strauss: Salome, 2008 (Met in HD DVD)

886978066398

Conducted by Patrick Summers; production by Jürgen Flimm; with Karita Mattila, Ildikó Komlósi, Juha Uusitalo, Kim Begley, Joseph Kaiser

John Adams: Doctor Atomic, 2008 (Met in HD DVD)

886978066596

Conducted by Alan Gilbert; production by Penny Woolcock; with Gerald Finley, Sasha Cooke, Richard Paul Fink, Thomas Glenn

Verdi: Simon Boccanegra, 2010 (Met in HD DVD)

886978066497

Conducted by James Levine; production by Giancarlo del Monaco; with Adrianne Pieczonka, Marcello Giordani, Plácido Domingo, James Morris

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Review of In Search Of Beethoven & In Search Of Mozart

Article first published as DVD Review: In Search Of Beethoven and In Search Of Mozart on Blogcritics.

This Special Collector's Edition-Three Disk Box Set of the Microcinema Exclusive educational documentary series titled In Search Of Beethoven & In Search Of Mozart is as much brilliant as the composers whose lives are touched upon. Directed by Phil Grabsky, these two documentaries take you not only into the lives of both Beethoven and Mozart, but into their worlds, what inspired them, created them and gave them reason and cause to create the music that has spanned time and is still as unique and powerful as when it was created.

Filmed in locations in and around the European cities, homes and haunts of the composers, In Search Of Beethoven & In Search Of Mozart, the films take you into the very footsteps of the masters, it is obvious that there was extensive research into the lives of both Beethoven and Mozart. There are commentaries by noted Historians, Conductors and World Renown Performers, whom have made the works of Beethoven and Mozart the focus of their careers. The viewer gets a glimpse into the private journals of both Beethoven and Mozart, and find out the until now known reasons for why they lived as they did and why they were not only well known and famous in their lives, but also the tortured geniuses that would invoke, in their music, images of love, hope and the divine.

Beethoven and Mozart, both musical contemporaries, living at the same time in very similar places, went on to lead very different lives, you learn of Beethoven’s desire to live an aristocratic life, how Mozart, at the age of five, wrote his first piano piece, at an age when most children are unable to play piano! In Search Of Beethoven & In Search Of Mozart show you the Highs and the Lows of the composer’s great lives in the era of invention and revolution.

I sat down to watch In Search Of Beethoven & In Search Of Mozart with my wife, both of us enjoy classical music and documentaries, we found ourselves riveted to our seats. The series is not “dry” or monotone, but vibrant and intriguing, the commentators/narrators spoke with enthusiasm and the information about the composers lives showed them as the “stars” of their times and as people whom fell prey to the same issues that we have today dealing with social matters, politics, war and personal issues, it was very dramatic. Shortly after our kids came into the room and they were interested too, my daughter, who is eight years old, was completely still and afterwards watched the third disk, which had extras like deleted scenes, interviews and complete movements by the symphonies and concerto ensembles that performed pieces by the composers in the documentary. I feel my children learned about the lives of Beethoven and Mozart just as much as I did, and it was a great way to expose them to culture and music.

It is difficult to tell you more without exposing too many of the secrets of the documentaries In Search Of Beethoven & In Search Of Mozart, the series will be available for purchase on May 31^st, 2011 at your local retailer, online or at the web site for the series http://www.microcinemadvd.com/, I would advise you to mark your calendar and get this series.

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