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• VIDEO: The Met Opera's dazzling production of Gounod's La Damnation de Faust $9.99 for 72 hours + Peter Stein's full-length staging of Goethe's Faust (in German) FREE

• COMING ON SATURDAY: QUINCY JONES BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION, FROM MONTREUX! FREE Watch the preview!

• VIDEO: Classical TV Presents: Our Most Popular Hits Now $1.99 for 99 hours!

Nina Simone / Luciano Pavarotti / Salzburg Festival / Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet Stravinsky Celebration / Midsummer Classics from Royal Albert Hall...

• DOCUMENTARY VIDEO: The Von Karajan Legacy FREE He was "one of the very few classical conductors ready for his close-up..."

• IN THE BLOGS: Bob Hughes on the continuing allure of Chopin...

• EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Stephen Greco speaks with director Jonathan Kent, on his spectacular production of Purcell's Fairy Queen

PLUS: MOZART, MANTOVANI, NINA SIMONE, BEETHOVEN, DANIELLE DE NIESE, NATALIE DESSAY, STING, AND MORE...

Watch Faust Stagings From Around The World on ClassicalTV

A double-y devilish video collection: The Met's enthralling Gounod grand opera, available for $9.99 for 72 hours, alongside free performances of the dark Faust-ian tale.

The Best of New York's Metropolitan Opera, in High Definition...

Your premium seats to La Boheme, Madama Butterfly, Tristan und Isolde, I Puritani, La Sonnambula, The Magic Flute, Doctor Atomic, Salome, Hansel und Gretel, and many more...

Watch Our Collection of Free Chopin Performances

The work of the Romantic composer, filled with beauty and pathos, still moves listeners after 150 years; our video collection features quintessential Chopin performances, all free to watch.

Put a Little Love in Your Heart

It's all about amour with these videos: Puccini's scandalous Manon Lescaut, starring Karita Mattila, along with passionate performances from Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald on the French riviera.

A Classical TV Festival of FREE Jazz Videos

From its infancy as a musical blend in the bayou, jazz has flourished to become a beloved, global genre; read our jazz feature and explore our extensive jazz performance videos

Star-Making Favorites From Classical TV's Library

From Alceste, Eugene Onegin and more, experience our very own "compilation album" of inspiring arias from some true artists of our time..

This week's critic's choice, Classical TV

Selected from our library

...by Glenn Kurtz:

"Written in 1939 in Paris by the blind, Spanish composer, the piece combines flamenco-style rasgueados(articulated rhythmical strumming) with clean, modern (Art Deco-like!) orchestration and haunting melodic invention. In particular, the Concierto's second movement, Adagio, has found an enduring place in the world's musical consciousness, perhaps most famously as a track on Miles Davis's 1960 album, Sketches of Spain...." MORE

VIDEOS:

• Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, with Manuel Barrueco FREE

Selected by Picano from Classical TV's extensive library of great videos.

Enjoy the video and read our exclusive feature...

AND DON'T MISS: Damian Fowler selects Sylvain Cambreling conducts Schubert: Symphony No. 8 ("Unfinished") and Mass in E-flat Major - (FREE)

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For your listening pleasure.

Music to work by. Our catalogue, your office or home audioscape.

Get-going inspiration, or distraction-eliminating lyricism: we serve up music to match your working tempo with a handpicked playlist of FREE videos from. New this week:

• Martha Argerich playing Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G - FREE

The jazzy opener of Ravel’s Gershwin-inspired concerto is perfect for tackling the email Inbox, before an inspirational interlude with the gorgeously melodies central movement.

• The Lindsay String Quartet - FREE

A rich concert of Haydn, Tippett and Elgar from the greatly admired British quartet. No chit-chat; great music.

• Vince Jones and His Band - FREE

Laid-back and mellow modern jazz, with very listenable vocals from the great Aussie songster and trumpeter. Lloyd Swanton on double bass is a treat.

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Alceste - Paul Groves

Alceste - Paul Groves ($FREE)

Paul Groves sings from Gluck's Alceste in the role of Admete

Dur: 00:09:49

Die Entfuhrung - Paul Groves

Die Entfuhrung - Paul Groves ($FREE)

Paul Groves introduces and sings from Mozart's Die Entfurung aus dem Serail

Dur: 00:08:25

Wolfgang Sawallisch: Concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra

Wolfgang Sawallisch: Concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra ($FREE)

The Philadelphia Orchestra has a reputation for maintaining the highest standards of traditional symphonic music while standing at the forefront of new repertories.

Dur: 01:12:46

Britten: Curlew River (Aix-en-provence Festival)

Britten: Curlew River (Aix-en-provence Festival) ($FREE)

Curlew River is derived from the ritualism and simplicity of the Noh drama, Sumidagawa. This highly-acclaimed production was staged by the Japanese actor and director Yoshi Oïda.

Dur: 01:16:50

Borodin String Quartet No 2

Borodin String Quartet No 2 ($FREE)

The Borodin Quartet is one of the major string quartets of our day. It was founded in 1945 and cellist Valentin Berlinsky has been with the Quartet since its earliest days.

Dur: 00:30:20

Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte behind the scenes (german language)

Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte behind the scenes (german language) ($FREE)

This german language behind-the-scenes documentary features interviews and contributions from Nikolaus Harnoncourt; dramaturg Ronny Dietrich; cast members Oliver Widmer, Carlos Chausson and Roberto Sacca.

Dur: 00:21:57

All Free Videos

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust ($9.99 for 72 hours rental)

Conducted by James Levine, Robert Lepage's stunning production-with its brilliant marriage of art and technology-thrilled HD audiences around the world. In Berlioz's rarely performed vision of the immortal Faust legend, Marcello Giordani is a fiery title hero whose impulsive bargain with Méphistophélès (a commanding John Relyea) proves fatal. Susan Graham is a lovely and tragic Marguerite, the woman who gives everything to the man she loves.

Dur: 02:22:00

Preview Buy Now

Duke and Ella Live at the Cote d' Azur

Duke and Ella Live at the Cote d' Azur ($1.99 for 99 hours rental)

This video brings together two of the greatest names in jazz. Duke Ellington live in the South of France with Ella Fitzgerald as his special guest.

Dur: 01:02:42

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Puccini: Manon Lescaut

Puccini: Manon Lescaut ($4.99 for 72 hours rental)

One of today's most compelling singing actresses, Karita Mattila takes on the irresistible role of Manon Lescaut, the headstrong young woman torn between a life of luxury and the call of her true love: the Chevalier des Grieux, played by Marcello Giordani. The young Puccini lavished some of his most sensual music on this early hit, conducted here by the Met's beloved James Levine.

Dur: 02:26:50

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Tan Dun: The First Emperor

Tan Dun: The First Emperor ($4.99 for 72 hours rental)

The incomparable Plácido Domingo began a new chapter in his legendary Met career when he created the role of Emperor Qin in the world premiere of Tan Dun's epic opera. Staged by revered film director Zhang Yimou, The First Emperor is both a rich pageant of ancient China and a fascinating study of the ruler who united it. Conducted by the composer, it also stars Paul Groves and Elizabeth Futral and features a riveting turn by Peking Opera performer Wu Hsing-Kuo as the Yin-Yang Master.

Dur: 02:57:38

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Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice

Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice ($9.99 for 72 hours rental)

This complete vision for Gluck, with choreography by Morris and costumes by Isaac Mizrahi, features the artistry of Stephanie Blythe in the title role. The alluring Danielle de Niese is Orfeo's adored wife, Euridice, who inspires the hero to face the underworld for her sake.

Dur: 01:39:24

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Nina Simone at Montreux

Nina Simone at Montreux ($1.99 for 99 hours rental)

Taking the Casino stage to the expected applause, she stands motionless, demanding the crowd's complete and total attention. Having established beyond doubt who's boss, she proceeds to deliver a set that kept the audience spellbound.

Dur: 01:11:58

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Britten: Peter Grimes

Britten: Peter Grimes ($9.99 for 72 hours rental)

Anthony Dean Griffey creates a haunting portrait of the outcast fisherman who struggles under the burden of presumed guilt. This chilling production by Tony Award-winning director John Doyle also features the superb Patricia Racette as the sympathetic Ellen Orford and the Met chorus in a truly hair-raising performance as the oppressively judgmental fishing village.

Dur: 02:48:36

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La Belle Helene - Felicity Lott (1)

La Belle Helene - Felicity Lott (1) ($FREE)

Felicity Lott performs and introduces from offenbach's Belle Helene "Amour divin" & "L'invocation a Venus" (Chatelet)

Dur: 00:10:04

Offenbach: Orphee aux Enfers (La Monnaie)

Offenbach: Orphee aux Enfers (La Monnaie) ($FREE)

In Offenbach's burlesque on the Greek legend of Orpheus (a satire on the regime of Napoleon III) a dissolute bunch of gods, bored with the cushioned confines of Mount Olympus, are in a rebellious mood

Dur: 01:59:28

Viennese Operetta: An Evening of Song

Viennese Operetta: An Evening of Song ($FREE)

Recorded live at the Hegelsaal in Stuttgart, this concert features René Kollo, Regina Klepper, Werner Schneyder, and Martina Dorak in music by Austrian operetta composer Nico Dostal.

Dur: 01:00:59

Iphigenie - Juliette Galstian (1)

Iphigenie - Juliette Galstian (1) ($FREE)

Juliette Galstian introduces and sings from Gluck's Iphigenie en Tauride "O toi qui prolonges mes jours" & "Je cede a vos desirs"

Dur: 00:10:00

L'elisir d'amore - Angela Gheorghiu

L'elisir d'amore - Angela Gheorghiu ($FREE)

The occasional series which celebrates some of opera's all-time greatest hits. Angela Gheorghiu sings Adina's aria Prendi, per me sei libero from Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore in Lyon

Dur: 00:09:52

Strauss Richard: Salome

Strauss Richard: Salome ($9.99 for 72 hours rental)

It is no wonder that Met audiences have gone wild over Karita Mattila's sizzling Salome. Indisputably one of the greatest Salomes of our time, Mattila utterly incarnates Oscar Wilde's petulant, willful, and lust-driven heroine. With Strauss's groundbreaking music magnifying the degenerate atmosphere and building the erotic tension, this is one opera that is as shocking today as it was at its premiere in 1905.

Dur: 01:46:34

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All Opera

Friedrich Gulda: Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto

Friedrich Gulda: Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto ($FREE)

Austrian Piano virtuoso Friedrich Gulda, plays Beethoven's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 5 in E flat Op. 73 (Emperor) with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, which he also conducts.

Dur: 00:38:25

Michael Endres: Piano Recital

Michael Endres: Piano Recital ($FREE)

Winner of both first prize and the special prize of the prestigious Schubert Competition, Endres plays Schubert's Sonata No.20 in A D959, as well as Godowsky's Paraphrase of Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus, and Friedrich Gulda's Prelude and Fugue.

Dur: 00:49:56

Wolfgang Sawallisch: Concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra

Wolfgang Sawallisch: Concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra ($FREE)

The Philadelphia Orchestra has a reputation for maintaining the highest standards of traditional symphonic music while standing at the forefront of new repertories.

Dur: 01:12:46

Erich Leinsdorf: Richard Strauss Concert

Erich Leinsdorf: Richard Strauss Concert ($FREE)

Strauss specialist Leinsdorf, who died in 1993, conducts the Berlin Staatskapelle in Don Juan Op.20, Ein Heldenleben Op.40 and Holderlin Hymnen Op.71, with soloist Sabine Hass.

Dur: 01:25:35

Zubin Mehta: Bruckner's Symphony No. 8

Zubin Mehta: Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 ($FREE)

In this live recording, from the Alte Oper Frankfurt, Mehta conducts the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in a superb performance of Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 in C minor.

Dur: 01:27:24

Not Mozart: M is for Man, Music, Mozart

Not Mozart: M is for Man, Music, Mozart ($FREE)

M is for Man, Music, Mozart - Eminent Dutch composer Louis Andriessen and Peter Greenaway have produced a conceit on the letter M, set in a grisly sixteenth-century anatomy theatre.

Dur: 00:29:35

All Classical Music

Stravinsky: The Soldier's Tale

Stravinsky: The Soldier's Tale ($FREE)

The acclaimed opera and stage producer Ruth Berghaus directed this performance of Stravinsky's jazz-inspired dance theatre piece The Soldier's Tale, with soloists Kolja Blacher as the soldier, Brigitte Scherzer as the Soul, Clemens Tichy as the Devil and Lilly Scheuermann as the Princess. French Language - No Sub-titles

Dur: 00:51:17

Preview

The Royal Ballet of Cambodia in Performance

The Royal Ballet of Cambodia in Performance ($FREE)

This programme showcases the beauty and exquisite skill of the dancers of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, performing live in France. They dance Reamker, Cambodia's version of India's Ramayana.

Dur: 00:58:20

Bejart Ballet Lausanne Nutcracker

Bejart Ballet Lausanne Nutcracker ($FREE)

Bejart attracted huge new audiences for dance with the productions he mounted in sports stadia, public squares and circus tents. He now works on a more intimate scale but his style is as vivid as ever

Dur: 01:42:59

Preview

The Royal Cambodian Ballet: Dancing for the Gods

The Royal Cambodian Ballet: Dancing for the Gods ($FREE)

The chilling regime of Pol Pot almost succeeded in obliterating the royal and ancient art of Khmer dance. This film is testimony to the survival and rebirth of the Royal Cambodian Ballet.

Dur: 00:58:48

The Ballets Russes at the Mariinsky

The Ballets Russes at the Mariinsky ($1.99 for 99 hours rental)

A celebration of the legendary avant-garde ballet company: Moscow's Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet presents a program of Stravinsky's thrilling Firebird, Le Sacre du Printemps (Rite of Spring) and Les Noces (The Wedding).

Dur: 01:48:35

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Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan: Moon Water

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan: Moon Water ($FREE)

Energy flows as water, while the spirit shines as the moon": this description of the ideal state for a Tai Chi practitioner was one of choreographer Un Hwaimin's points of departure.

Dur: 01:04:39

All Dance

Duke and Ella Live at the Cote d' Azur

Duke and Ella Live at the Cote d' Azur ($1.99 for 99 hours rental)

This video brings together two of the greatest names in jazz. Duke Ellington live in the South of France with Ella Fitzgerald as his special guest.

Dur: 01:02:42

Preview Buy Now

Diana Krall Live in Paris

Diana Krall Live in Paris ($1.99 for 99 hours rental)

Recorded live at the Paris Olympia to a sell out audience, the captivating voice of Diana Krall delivers a sensual collection of romantic ballads and bossa novas.

Dur: 01:00:14

Preview Buy Now

Nina Simone at Montreux

Nina Simone at Montreux ($1.99 for 99 hours rental)

Dur: 01:11:58

Preview Buy Now

Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis at Lincoln Center

Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis at Lincoln Center ($FREE)

When two musical icons like Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis join forces for a concert you know you're in for something special and this show delivers exactly that. Filmed over two nights in January 2007 at New York's Lincoln Center, this magical show sees Willie and Wynton combine their unique talents in a blend of jazz, blues and country music which takes in Willie Nelson originals, traditional songs and standards by the likes of Hoagy Carmichael, Jimmy Reed and Duke Ellington.

Dur: 01:24:36

Leonid Chizik: Solo Piano

Leonid Chizik: Solo Piano ($FREE)

Following this concert, in which the leading Russian jazz pianist perfoms his own compositions, jazz standards and improvisations, Chizik forged a new career in the West.

Dur: 01:19:19

Newport Jazz Festival All-Stars

Newport Jazz Festival All-Stars ($FREE)

This programme with New York's famous swing jazz band features George Wien (piano), Warren Vaché (cornet), Plas Johnson (saxophone and flute), Lew Tabackin (saxophone), Ed Johnes (bass), Oliver Jackson (drums), and Howard Alden (guitar).

Dur: 02:03:44

Bordertalk: The European Jazz Trio meets Jiri Stivin

Bordertalk: The European Jazz Trio meets Jiri Stivin ($FREE)

Four leading jazz musicians perform modern jazz and improvisations: Gerd Dudek (saxophone), Ali Haurand (double bass), Rob van den Broeck (keyboard), Jiri Stivin (flute and saxophone).

Dur: 01:15:59

All Jazz

Chance Encounter

Chance Encounter ($FREE)

Award-winning singer and composer Lisa Bielawa teamed with soprano Susan Narucki to create a 35-minute musical work using overheard speech as text. Performed in public spaces by 12 migrating musicians, "Chance Encounter" was premiered by Ms. Narucki and The Knights in Manhattan's Seward Park. The film, directed by Lisa Guidetti, pulls from the entire piece to create a visually compelling montage. The film version recently won the Gold Medal for Excellence in a Performance Film at the Fifth Park City Film Music Festival.

Dur: 00:06:01

Credere

Credere ($FREE)

The title track of Thomas Spencer-Wortley's debut album puts the classically trained tenor and Broadway player in front of the camera for a stylized music video. Composed by Thomas's brother Oliver Spencer-Wortley, "Credere" also features the Midnight String Quartet, also signed to Thomas's label, Cove Records, as well as pianist Dominic Carter.

Dur: 00:03:45

Cameron Carpenter: "Revolutionary" Etude

Cameron Carpenter: "Revolutionary" Etude ($FREE)

Organist Cameron Carpenter plays the title track (Chopin’s Etude, Op 10, No. 12 in C Minor, “The Revolutionary”) from his first Telarc release “Revolutionary”, on the Marshall Ogletree virtual pipe organ at Trinity Wall Street Episcopal Church in New York, NY. The video and recording were made in March 2008 and the CD/DVD was released in September of 2008.

Dur: 00:03:26

All Contributed Programs

The Wolfgang Dauner and Albert Mangelsdorff Quintet

Duration : 01:37:24

View our Playlist

BLOG: CLASSICAL DIVERSIONS

“New York City Ballet, one of the planet’s enduring cultural jewels, is finishing up its winter season at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch theater with a bang: classic modern masterworks by Balanchine and Robbins, including the enchanting... ”

THE INFORMER

Young Love And Summer Magic: Purcell’s Spectacular Fairy Queen

The centerpiece of the inaugural BAM opera festival, The Fairy Queen, is part play, part song-and-dance; don't miss our exclusive interview with director Jonathan Kent.
That Damned Faust! Gounod’s La Damnation de Faust

See two very different - very devilish - productions of The Damnation of Faust: the Metropolitan Opera's newest staging of Gounod's version, as well as a free stream of director Peter Stein’s Goethe production.
Happy Birthday, Chopin!

His life was short but Frederic Chopin lives on as an idol of the Romantic era; in observance of the composer's birthday, we bring you a collection of free Chopin performances from our video library.

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ALL-TIME CLASSICS: Musical Insights At-A-Glance

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The Wolfgang Dauner and Albert Mangelsdorff Quintet

BLOG: CLASSICAL DIVERSIONS

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THE INFORMER

Young Love And Summer Magic: Purcell’s Spectacular Fairy Queen

That Damned Faust! Gounod’s La Damnation de Faust

Happy Birthday, Chopin!