The works on this recording were performed during the 49th season (1984) of the Ravinia Festival, Chicago, James Levine, Music Director.

本部作品——美国大都会歌剧院艺术总监詹姆斯·莱文的全本《指环》，是自1894年该剧于美国首演百年后，90年代首位美国本土指挥在这部乐剧上最辉煌的艺术表现，也是当今效果最华丽，场面最盛大，最具写实主义色彩的名作。

《尼伯龙根的指环》是二十世纪无与伦比的经典，而于今观之，依然是引人入胜的作品之一。 于舞台制作上，本片以写实的造景，搭配上炫目奇幻的灯光效果，创造出华丽的日耳曼神话，并营造出海蓝光影中的迷人莱茵黄金，彩虹之后的瓦哈拉城与石山火影后的女武神。高度写实的服饰，与人物间略见疏离的表情动作。表达出一种含蓄的古典气质，以及发人深思的内省精神。于灯光效果上的出色表现，可说是写实华丽的极致。

在音乐上，詹姆斯·莱文身为大都会歌剧院百年来首位艺术总监，以与大都会歌剧院管弦乐团水乳交融的默契，营造出《指环》饱含端正、华丽的管弦乐与高度的戏剧张力， 更重要的是其中蕴含着一种灵活精致的特质。而詹姆斯·莱文对音响平衡感的重视，同样令歌者的演唱不至在管弦乐团的威力下黯然失色。本片完美掌握了灯光与戏剧效果， 宏大的格局，绚烂的大自然场景中不乏深刻抽象的戏剧象征，在传统与现代中取得中庸与平衡。

企鹅唱片指南评这部DVD为三星！

* This classic Otto Schenk production of Tannhäuser is conducted by James Levine and filmed live by Brian Large at the Metropolitan Opera in 1982.
* Celebrated heldentenor Richard Cassilly sings the title role alongside an all-star cast featuring Eva Marton, Tatiana Troyanos, and Bernd Weikl.

R E V I E W S

“One of the most gorgeous and gloriously romantic productions in the Met´s repertory . . . the scenic designs are both breathtakingly grand and painstakingly subtle.” -- The New York Times

Mozart’s darkest operatic masterpiece with a superb cast featuring Renée Fleming and Bryn Terfel, masterfully conducted by James Levine with Franco Zeffirelli’s beautiful staging.
“A very special night at the opera . . . the kind of true theatre that opera in general … does not often approach. “ The New York Times, 2000
Bryn Terfel, giving his first Don Giovanni at the MET, received rave reviews for both his singing and his dramatic performance – as the Los Angeles Times puts it: “Terfel is exquisite as the Don, raping and pillaging his way through Europe: His voice, diction and acting are perhaps the best in the role since Cesare Siepi.”
Renée Fleming proves to be the perfect match to Terfel with her telling characterization of Donna Anna – the Boston Herald wrote: “Thank heaven for Fleming . . . she easily walks away with the evening. She looks great, sounds greater and delivers the greatest ‘Non mi dir’ . . . in memory, filling it with all the pain of unfulfilled and conflicted passion that’s just below the music’s surface.”
Zeffirelli’s production from 1990 has an unashamed theatricality, with painted skyscapes, outsize columns and a glimpse of hell at the end straight from the world of 18th-century theatre – the staging was partially renewed to open the 2000 season
Features include
• Superb picture quality
• Improved audio quality and two surround sound options
• PCM Stereo / Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS 5.1
• Additional content and bonus material: picture gallery, DVD trailer, DVD catalogue section and web link
• Subtitles in German, English, French, Spanish and Chinese

叶甫根尼 伊戈列维奇 基辛（Evgeny Igorevich Kissin，俄语：Евге́ний И́горевич Ки́син），1971年10月10日出生于莫斯科一个犹太家庭。据说他11个月大时，就能哼唱出他姐姐Alla用钢琴弹出的巴赫的旋律。六岁时，他就进了专为天才儿童而设立的Gnessin音乐学校学习钢琴。在那里，他成为他家人以外的唯一的钢琴教师——Anna Pavlovna Kantor的学生。
十岁时，基辛首次登台，和乌里扬诺夫斯克交响乐团合作演奏。之后在同一年，他在莫斯科举办了他的第一场独奏会。基辛的天才在国际舞台上亮相是在1984年，他和莫斯科爱乐乐团合作演出肖邦两首钢琴协奏曲。1987年在英国，他和指挥家Valery Gergiev(捷杰耶夫,也译作葛济夫),小提琴家Maxim Vengerov,Vadim Repin(列宾),在Lichfield音乐节上演出.1988年在柏林爱乐新年音乐会上和卡拉扬合作演出了柴可夫斯基第一钢琴协奏曲(我看过录像,说实话不是很喜欢这个柴一).1990年9月,基辛在美国和祖宾 梅塔及纽约爱乐乐团合作演出了肖邦两首钢琴协奏曲,并且在卡内基音乐厅建成百年纪念之际举行了独奏会.1997年,他在伦敦Proms音乐节上(注:Proms音乐节是BBC组织的夏季古典音乐会。它的历史可以追溯到1895,演出地点是ALBERT HALL,是皇家音乐厅。PROMS的音乐家很多都是崭露头角的新人)举行个人独奏音乐会.
基辛经常在在欧洲,美洲和亚洲举行巡回演出.他曾经和很多世界一流的交响乐团和指挥合作过,例如阿巴多,阿什肯纳齐,巴伦博伊姆,克林 戴维斯,捷杰耶夫,朱里尼,扬松斯,卡拉扬,列文,马泽尔,穆蒂,小泽征尔,索尔第等等.基辛也曾经和阿格里奇,克莱默,列文,麦斯基,斯特恩等合作演奏室内乐.（以上翻译自英文维基百科）
专辑中文名: 贝多芬第二，第五钢琴协奏曲
发行时间: 1997年

This is a memento, complete with applause before and after each number, of James Levine's joyously greeted return to conducting in May, 2013. Few returns - or should one say resurrections? - have been so emotional. Plagued by a series of falls that exacerbated chronic back problems, along with various surgeries and perhaps a serious neurological condition, Levine underwent the trials of Job, leading to his sudden resignation from the Boston Sym. after he felt that his impairments made him an insufficient conductor of a great orchestra. That was in 2011, and instead of resting and recuperating, Levine's physical difficulties grew worse, leading to a two-year absence from any conducting.