Waldbuhne 1992 – French Night DVD – Georges Pretre , Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

French Night is subtitled “An Exceptional Summer Concert from Waldbuhne Berlin, 1992” and was recorded on June 27 of that year with the Berlin Philharmonic delivering a programme of French favourites under the baton of Georges Pretre. The concert begins with Berlioz’ Roman Carnival Overture and though the orchestra work hard the full daylight in the amphitheatre setting negates any real engagement. Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand follows and is the most serious part of the programme, soloist Leon Fleischer making the most of his showcase, though Debussy’s L’Après-Midi d’un Faune is really too intimate for such an event. Night has descended for Bizet’s Carmen Suite and the show really takes off as the famous tunes fill the arena. The audience equally appreciate Ravel’s Bolero before the French part of the evening is capped by some lively dance music from Offenbach and Bizet. Then, to restore local patriotic pride, the Berlin Philharmonic launch into an enthusiastic version of Johann Strauss’ Radetzky-March, the familiar closing number from the Vienna Philharmonic’s annual New Year’s Day concerts. The finale is Paul Lincke’s Berliner Luft, a whistle-along favourite which produces some entertainingly diverse audience reaction. A fun evening for all which would have been better had they waited for nightfall. On the DVD: French Night on disc has promos for nine further TDK classical music DVDs but otherwise no extras. The 4:3 picture has all the flaws of live concert footage shot on video, with little detail in long shots, highly noticeable light trails and a gauze-like effect across many scenes. The sound defaults to a good PCM stereo mix, but while subtly employed the Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 soundtracks offer a much more absorbing atmosphere, the latter in particular providing a real sense of three-dimensional presence. –Gary S Dalkin