Good Breitling homage!
355443
Bezel does not turn. But its does look great. I removed the leather band and installed a curved stainless steel bracelet. It looks like a Breitling!
2296427
I have been a long time Brust reader, so I bought this to see if I wanted to read "The Incrementalists" novel it shares a universe with.  I was blown away by the tight, detailed look at the practice of "meddlework".  The story captured me quickly (this almost always happens to me with Brust stories), held me tight through to the very end, and then let me go to sit blinking at the last page.

I hope that "The Incrementalists" lives up to this standard.  I've bought it, but not read it yet.

I noted that the author's voice in this piece reminded me much more of "Cowboy Feng's Space Bar" & "Aygar" than the author's other works.  To me, this is a good thing.
1069479
As I have written in reviews of other George Szell Bruckner, his is not the Bruckner approach for those who seek the overwhelmingly heaviest, lushest, most cosmic brand of Bruckner favored by a good number of ardent Brucknerite purists.

George Szell had a different and unique view, and it was brilliant, satisfying and thrilling in its own authoritative way.

Szell's is a heroic Bruckner---clean, clear, steely, tensile, with plenty of majestic beauty. Lyrical moments are radiant and pristine. Szell moves at a slightly brisker clip than most Bruckner interpreters, but he not egregiously fast on the Seventh.

No better example of the Szell difference is the explosive, swashbuckling third movement scherzo, which is thrilling. The adagio is extremely moving. There are certainly other Bruckner interpreters that allow for much more luxuriant metaphysics, and if that is what you seek, by all means go directly to Karajan, Furtwangler, Knappertsbusch, Jochum, Sanderling, Tintner, Celibidache, Giulini, Eichhorn, etc.) And Szell's crisper approach is not dissimilar to those of many respected Bruckner interpreters including Schuricht, Skrowaczewski, Jochum (n his fiery moments), Wand, Rosbaud, Volkmar Andreae, and Gielen. I find Szell's vision compelling.

The Brucknerian "cathedral" is here. It is just a different one. It is not for everyone. It is also very difficult to screw up the Bruckner Seventh, a score which, to a large degree, plays itself well, and is wonderfully represented in recordings. Szell's is one of the many good ones.

This live recording with the Vienna suffers from less than ideal sound, but it's good enough. You get this disc to hear Szell's against-the-grain interpretation, and put up with the sound.
2752164
"Funny" and "German" are not words I'd normally use in the same sentence. Don't get me wrong: The Germans know humor - caustic, ironic, dark - they've got these nailed.

But it wasn't until I read Falko Rademacher's quirky Berlin Noir novel that I'd finally found funny. Plus camp and attitude.

I read the German version first, Ein Koffer voll Blut, then went back to read the English one because the original's full of slang, and I didn't want to miss any of the juicy lines. Hey, it was just as funny in translation as A Suitcase full of Blood."

This is detective fiction, narrated by mouthy private dick Philip Eckstein, and told in classic noir style and lingo. Though set in modern Berlin, the tale is pure 40s, with several blatant hat-tips to The Maltese Falcon, especially in the Sam Spade/Brigid O'Shaughnessy banter of this tale's version of detective vs. femme fatale.

Rademacher runs with the new breed of German Indy authors, getting lots of attention in the Vaterland. But I think he'll do well stateside also.

Break out of your rut and give `im a try. If you like his style, there are other books set in this same world and with overlapping characters, available both in the original (it's a light fast read, and a good excuse to brush up on your high school German) and in translation.

Highly recommended for noir buffs, but also anyone who likes DeMille's John Corey series or Sanford's PREY series.
3970460
Well plotted and good action.  Mercer is an unlikely protagonist as a geologist but Du Brul makes it work.  Of course, the solving of the Amelia Earhart mystery is far fetched, but, as with his sometime writing partner Clive Cussler, solving old mysteries is the hook for the reader and the challenge for the author is to make it reasonably feasible.  Du Brul succeeds!
913139
I got my copy of this from the UK in January, when it became apparent that the US release would be delayed, as is often the case. It is the third in the relatively new Dresden Semperoper New Year's celebration concerts, intended, one might speculate, to create a bit of rivalry with the long standing Vienna New Year's Concert. It's a winner!

The first two of the Dresden series presented the music of Franz Lehar, with some Strauss waltzes thrown in for good measure. This disc features the music of Emmerich Kalman (1882 - 1953), who was regarded as one of the finest composers of operetta in the early 20th century. His best known works are Die Csardasfurstin (The Gypsy Princess) (1925) and Grafin Maritza (1924). His music emphasizes the "Gypsy idiom" , which he believed to be truly Hungarian, as well as the Viennese waltz. It is very melodic and intensely rythmic, as well as extremely romantic especially in the duets (as one might expect).

Some might consider this stuff as ... a bit out of touch with contemporary tastes in music, but as my bartender/psychologist keeps telling me, "... it's OK if you have an arrested development insofar as your musical tastes are concerned ..." (He should talk: HE likes Wagner!!) But I wallow in this kind of music! It's near total schmaltz, but it's very good schmaltz!

Soprano Ingeborg Schopf, who filled in "at the last moment" for an ailing Diana Damrau is the real deal. She was unknown to me before I got this disc, and has no other recordings, as far as I have been able to find. She is a lead soprano with the Dresden State Operetta and her performance shows it; she is totally "at home" with this repertory. She relies on the score in a couple of pieces, probably as a result of her late stand in status, but her voice is secure, clear, focused and lovely throughout the range.

Piotr Beczala is, IMHO, one of the top tenors on today's stage and he shines in this repertory (catch him in the Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow) on Arthuas DVD, gentle reader). He has an awesome top, admittedly, but the rest of his voice is equally as superb, with impeccible technique. I didn't catch any women in the audience swooning, if such is even done any more, but if it happened, I'd not be surprised. Beczala sings the music as romantically as it is written

Maestro Christian Thielmann, a noted conductor of Wagner, is quite at home in the operetta world and has a lot of obvious fun in directing. There is the mandatory Struass waltz (An der Elbe) to ring down the curtain while ringing in the New Year.

Disc quality is superb, with clear and crisp picture, and amazing audio in the DTS mode. Subtitles are in English, German, French and Spanish.

Open a bottle of bubbly and enjoy! As I said, it's a winner!! I hope that DG keeps bringing us these lovely concerts.
229065
This is a new (2009) English translation of a Fontane novel about late 19th century Berlin. The English and original German are side-by-side on each page. Fontane's novels are noted for their realism, so don't expect crisis situations  or happy endings.

The situation is a familiar one in literature. A young aristocratic cavalryman,  Botho,  out for some sexual adventures before settling down, , meets a lovely young commoner, Lenne,  and they have an affair. They fall deeply in love. But here the story departs from well-worn paths.

Lenne is a pragmatist. She has no illusions about any permanence in the relationship. She sees the  class system as intact and essentally impregnable.  So, she enjoys  the affair and resigns herself  to an imminent ending. It is Botho who is torn by the role expected of him, which is ".Knock it off right now" and marry an appropriately rich young lady, Kathe, selected by his and her parents long ago. His family's financial position is precarious so he is expected to do his duty and marry money. . But the families  do not coerce him heavily. It is his decision to make. He marries Kathe early in the novel, and the story is really about the subsequent lives of Botho, Kathe and Lenne.  I  have a feeling that, if Botho had instead asked Lenne to marry him, Lenne, the level-headed pragmatist, might have turned him down. (with broken heart).

The character  development  by  Fontane is  just great, including minor characters - Lenne's foster  mother, Frau Nimtsch,  and her neighbor friend, and  Botho's military friends.  You will like and understand these individuals, embedded in a  culture  where  social mobility is virtually impossible.  There are really no villains in the novel.

 Berlin, ,the capital of the newly  formed  German empire, and the surrounding environment are  described in colorful detail., one of Fontane's  strengths.

 The translator, Curt Swanson, has some nice surprises for us. You will find explanatory footnotes in the English version on  virtually every page, almost like a paper in a technical journal. They are really enjoyable  to  read.  Many refer  to the Berlin environment, others to the translation of German expressions.  Included with this book is an essay by Swanson on translation problems. As an example, he must deal with the local Berlin dialect spoken by Frau Orr and  Frau Nimtsch and the high German spoken by Botho and his  social set, somehow letting us know in English which is being spoken.
2997642
This was the first of a planned cycle of Bruckner cycle under the late Georg Tinter, a venerable Bruckner conductor who never really received his due until Naxos started to recorded his performances (an earlier Bruckner 6  does not begin to compare with the Naxos remake).
The present  performance is rather typical of this conductor in Bruckner. First, there  is the obvious love and dedication which have gone into the preparation of  the score. The orchestra plays with fire and conviction. Second, there is  Tinter's keen ear for detail and his ability to "place" the  climaxes of each movement almost to perfection (a gift he shared with  Karajan, Furtwanger and, on his day, Knappertsbuch). Third there is the  clean, almost clinical orchestral sound which allows you to hear almost  every note, and finally, there is a natural sense of pacing which enables  the orchestral details to be laid out logically and systematically, yet  never in a hurried or laboured fashion.
These ingredients combine to  create a unique style in performing Bruckner. This is because Tinter  somehows manages to combine the elemental force of a Furtwangler  performance with the clinical ear of a Szell - and he does it in a way  which seems to be quite individual (and natural; his style is never as  forced as Szell). Tinter is always "his own man" and his insights  and sincerity shine through in each movement.
These are not easy, slick  or smooth  performances; but they are questing, searching, individualised  (without being mannered) and thought provoking ones, which speak of a life  of studying these superb manuscripts.  As such they should surely be judged  on their own very considerable merits.
This fifth is thus an important  and thought provoking document. Ultimately, it is the control of dynamic  light and shade which is the most impact (for example as heard in the first  movement, especially in the build of up the coda). Don't listen to this  performance to be lulled to sleep: listen to it  to experience a quest for  sincerity and truth. This is a most interesting and thought provoking  performance which may be underrated by some reviewers initially.
Tintner's cycle is due to be completed in 2000. It is well worth  collecting  - perhaps not as an only set - but as one person's quest to  find his own way to the heart and soul of a composer he loved all his life.  There should always be performances like this in the catalogue: they  enrich our understanding of a composer and make us listen with new ears.
2236160
Levine's 1993 Met performance and Horst Stein's 1981 audience-free Bayreuth production are the only traditional "Parsifals" on DVD, so a comparison seems in order. The Bayreuth "Parsifal" has very fine singing but is marred by less than involved acting and occasional weak production touches by Wolfgang Wagner. The singing at the Met is just as good, and Otto Schenk's production is far better. The Met scores in terms of scenery, staging and acting. There is a magic in New York that is not there in Bayreuth, which has a more plain, homespun quality, attractive in its own way (similar in that regard to Wolfgang Wagner's "Bayreuth "Meistersinger.").

Schenk's handling of characters is just more involving and inviting. Here are seemingly real people facing important issues. Wolfgang Wagner's sense of stage acting comes basically from the stand and deliver school, lacking much compelling interaction between characters to bring the drama to life. The drama here is not exactly gripping; static is more like it.

On its own, the Bayreuth forest that opens acts 1 and 3 is fine, but next to the Met's grand and realistic outdoors, feels a bit cramped and artificial after a while. Bayreuth's second scene of both acts (the hall of the castle of the grail), a la his brother Wieland's 1951-75 production, is abstract yet compelling, too, in its own way. But the Met has a more spiritual setting and a more deeply affecting result.

Act 2 starts out in Bayreuth with Klingsor's castle looking like a cheap science fiction B-movie scene with cheesy-looking smoke, abstract curved pillars on the side and Klingsor dominating from above like a tacky evil superhero. Unconvincing. Laughable even. Sad when Leif Roar is a most compelling Klingsor, full of menace and in vibrant voice. The Met's scenery and staging are more believable, richer in imagery and impression, but Franz Mazura as good as he is, can't compare vocally to Roar, and looks a bit old.

Vocally, both casts are very fine. Each Gurnemanze, the vocal center of the opera, offers rich vocal portrayals, although Wolfgang Wagner has Hans Sotin act rather too condescendingly toward Parsifal in Act 1, losing some of our sympathy. The Met's Kurt Moll is rather more the wise-old grandfatherly type in the spirit of the well-meaning Gurnemanz.

Siegfried Jerusalem is both Parsifals, and his extra 12 years of stage experience shows more strongly at the Met. The voice may be slightly fresher at Bayreuth and his youthful looks a plus, but his Met Parsifal is deeper, more natural and more eloquent.

Bernd Weikl also graces both productions as an outstanding Amfortas. His Wieland Wagner-enforced less-is-more movement at Bayreuth is not a hindrance in this spiritually and physically wracked character, and in some ways is a plus.

Waltraud Meier's Kundry is one of the Met's highlights. She is more fetching and physically expressive than Bayreuth's Eva Randova, well as she sings. Meier brings a sensuality and stronger vocalizing to Kundry that is most compelling.

The conductor comparison surprised me, as I have not been a fan of Levine's Wagner, finding his "Ring" protracted and heavy handed. But "Parsifal" is a different animal in the Wagner canon; my two favorite audio recordings both come from that master of grand, Knappertsbusch (Bayreuth, 1951 and 1962). Levine, while not quite on his level, brings off a spirituality and conversely, more animation when called for, that the straightforward Stein, who is a good but not overly compelling (similar to what I felt about his Bayreuth DVD "Meistersinger").

Levine may unduly stretch tempos now and then, but to my taste, his is a more involved and felt journey than Stein's.  Stein offers a good, solid reading which has the benefit of flow but misses some of Levine's passion and depth.

The drama is more real, believable and interactive in New York than Bayreuth. The sets and staging are more natural and compelling, too. An outstanding release.
4675952
This is one of my favourite films. Having watched the original series, I was delighted to find this on film. Telling the story of heroic Christabel Bielenberg, wife of one of those who tried to assassinate Hitler, this story is so fittingly acted and directed and together with having some hauntingly resonant music in parts, it creates a vivid atmosphere showing the rise of National Socialism and its consequences. It is a personal story though, and Liz Hurley acts so well in this that it has to be her best venture on screen. She looks different from the star we now recognise, but equally beautiful and her captivating screen presence makes this film outstanding. Part of the film is set in Germany and part in England, the antithesis between the two countries creating a tension throughout in terms of highlighting the life changes for Christabel as she experiences the effects of war with her family. The real life Christabel was undoubtedly totally unique- the bravery of going to Ravensbruck to try to get beloved Peter released was astonishing! This Dennis Potter production is really splendid, and quite a gem. I have watched it several times and never get bored of it. It is one of those films that poignantly tells so many stories in one, and it was made at a time in the 1980's when these sorts of series no doubt commanded larger budgets than they would today. This film really is a must for anyone interested in history! Liz Hurley is beautiful to watch!
2115893
It's always a joy to see Kna in his cowboy hat. After all, he was a law unto himself in Bruckner. Try as they might, Sheriffs Haas and Nowak were never able to bring this outlaw to justice. Believe it or not, there's actually a cymbal clash in the finale of the Eighth - yee-ha!

The more I listen to Kna in Bruckner - largely through the largesse of my friend JL - the more I prefer him to Furtwangler in this domain. Kna never indulges in gear-changes. Patience is foremost. Kna is the master of the long lines which in Bruckner attest to a higher cosmic unity. That means - to my way of thinking - Knappertsbusch is second only to Karajan in Bruckner and one could argue that he runs him damned close, if not surpasses his slick rival in performances such as&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Knappertsbusch-Conducts-Bruckner-Symphony-No-3-1962-Wagner-Overture-to-Die-Meistersinger-1963/dp/B000XETUHW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Knappertsbusch Conducts Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 (1962) / Wagner: Overture to Die Meistersinger (1963)</a>&nbsp;&<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Bruckner-Symphonie-No-7/dp/B000J10K82/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Bruckner: Symphonie No. 7</a>&nbsp;(and this is arguably the Seven of Sevens).

Kna recorded the Bruckner Ninth twice with the Berlin Philharmonic in late January 1950. From what I am told reliably, one of them was made in the studio for broadcast, whereas the Ninth in this collection is taken from the live concert - the occasional cough attests to it. As per usual, the Loewe Edition is in use with its bowdlerisation of the finale. Whatever its limitations might be, this is a formidable reading. The coda of the First Movement is ferocity itself. More than usual, it makes one wonder whether Bruckner composed this work on the island of Patmos rather than in Vienna.

The Eighth too has a claim on the general listener. A Schalk Edition is in use. Recorded in 1960, it's more proof that Kna was a Master-Brucknerian: patient, far-sighted and unfussy. If I did not know any better, I'd said that the Berlin Philharmonic rather than its Viennese counterpart was in play - Kna evokes more torque than usual from this ensemble. Indeed, the Todesverkndigung (Annunciation of Death) climax in the first movement is cyclonic in its fury and second to none. I cannot say that Kna surpasses Karajan '44 in the finale but then again, who does? Crank this performance up and you'll understand why this utterance has developed such a cult following in a godless age.

There are mishaps in both symphonies (and the first movements in particular as if the orchestras are blowing out cobwebs); Kna was notorious for disdaining rehearsals: they  matter little in the scheme of things.

Mono though they be, the 2006 / 2007 remasterings are  amazingly warm and spatial.

Saddle up! Take your guns to town. Join Kna and Anton for a whisky at the Last Chance Saloon!
3232489
Perfect for an opera lover just back from Venice AND a performance of "Traviata" which figures heavily in the plot. Leon is great at creating the atmosphere of the place.  I've seen some of the other Brunetti mysteries on TV in German.  It's better to read them. The plot is clever,if perhaps a little rushed at the end.  She tends to build more slowly but wrap it up rather too simply.
2445579
Wonderful "Weinstein Company" film starring Academy Award-winning Helen Mirren, and also terrific was Ryan Reynolds as the intrepid young attorney who successfully represented the late Maria Altmann in Altmann v. Austria, a true story of the recovery of Nazi-looted art.  Director Simon Curtis does a great job, as does Katie Holmes in an under-written part as attorney E. Randol Schoenberg's wife, and mother of their child.  Also worth watching is Daniel Bruhl, a Spanish-born German actor who is always terrific -- as he was in the film-within-a-film of the Nazi sniper in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds."

True story here, moving, beautifully filmed,particularly the filming in Vienna, Austria.

The status of "art recovery" all over the world is worth following, and caring about.  Ronald Lauder, head of the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, refers to these art works as "the last prisoners of war of WWII."  We're with him!

Finally, if you know of museums and/or governments that are holding onto art works stolen by the Nazis during the Holocaust, let them know in no uncertain terms that they simply must return these beautiful things to their rightful owners -- even if it hurts.

Enjoy this unique film.  When we saw it in the theater, there wasn't a dry eye in the house!  We've since bought the Blu Ray version, here on amazon.com, and enjoy it very much, including the special features included on the DVD and Blu Ray.
4339895
This is surely one of Brecht and Weill's most (unfortunately) neglected masterpieces, and definately one of their most unorthodox pieces. Julia Migenes, of course, sings it all divinely, and her dramatic flair and tension is all there, too. Her acting genuinely comes through... it's all there... IN THE VOICE. She doesn't just sing it 'prettily' (i.e., 'blandly') like some pretentious Brechtians would accuse. I like to think of myself as a Brechtian, and generally do prefer the Brecht-Weill pieces to be done by a great actor with a mediocre singing voice. But I also don't mind it when that great actor pays equal (and I mean EQUAL) attention to the music.  Brechtian 'scholars' pointing fingers at Migenes, saying that she would make a pretentious operatic sound while singing this piece, would do better to point their fingers elsewhere.  Migenes was a sublime interpreter of Weill's music, and I wish that she had performed it more frequently in her prime. The male quartet that makes up the Annas' family (two tenors-brothers, baritone-dad, bass-mom), are all of very good voice (among them vetrans Alan Opie and Robert Tear).

 Michael Tilson Thomas leading the London Symphony Orchestra through this piece and EINE KLEINE DREIGOSCHENMUSIK is perfect from beginning to end (the only other performance that I have heard of the THREEPENNY suite that is better is available on the DG Weill box set).

 For a long while, this was the only recording of THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS that I knew, and I didn't see how it could possibly get any better. I now own Marianne Faithfull's FABULOUS rendition (recorded in W.H. Auden's top-notch English translation), as well as the always-fabulous Lenya's recording. I love both of them (particularly Faithfull's), but I still find myself pulling out this Migenes rendition and listening to it as I lie bed in the dark: the bittersweet ending of the piece is a heart-stopping, brilliant moment, and I just can't move in the first few moments of silence following the final chord. I really don't think that I could live without this album.

 Julia Migenes and THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS.

 *sigh*

 PERFECTION!

 Buy this recording RIGHT NOW!
3807346
Inspector Brunetti movies? What could be better? I am in mystery heaven. The scenes in Venice are drop dead gorgeous and who cares if they are in German? They are subtitled which means you don't miss any of the dialogue. I have read all the books and anxiously await a new one each time. I hope the rest of the movies are made available, I will purchase all of them. The episodes are very well acted and the music is great as well. So much better than anything on TV!
4950655
The Brunetti series is terrific. The mysteries are worth waiting for and the interplay between the personal and the main mystery in each episode  is not over done. I wish they had stayed with the cast that appeared in the first recorded episode, but for some reason the characters all changed faces as subsequent episodes appeared. I suppose there are contracts and such that account for it, but it makes watching the series a bit strange. The other strange bit is that the characters live in Venice where Italian is the predominant language, as I recall, but the show has been recorded in German, probably for German television, and appears in these tapes with English subtitles. A bit confusing. It keeps all parts of your brain in gear.
835933
A very good read. If the original was in German, them the translation was done exceedingly well.  Good storyline, too.  Interesting.