Music DVDs

Latest music DVDs reviewed

PINK FLOYD
Pulse EMI ****

What with Pink Floyd playing Live 8 last year, David Gilmour releasing a superlative solo album (On an Island) a few months back, Roger Waters playing Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety last week in Cork and this, the first official Pink Floyd release in quite some time, it seems that the machine once thought defunct (or just plain dead) is slowly having its wheels oiled for further activity. This live DVD is of one of Pink Floyd's Earls Court concerts in 1994; Waters is missing, but to plug any perceived gaps is a stage show so visually and sonically sophisticated it's no wonder that they perform so rarely. Tracks include all of Dark Side of the Moon and selections from Wish You Were Here, The Division Bell and The Wall. Extras on this sumptuous package include stage plans/itinerary/on-the-road fluff and more substantial items such as sections on cover art, bootlegging, and Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan inducting the band (sans Waters) into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Tony Clayton-Lea

ROSSINI: LA CENERENTOLA
Soloists: Ruxandra Donose, Maxim Mironov, Simone Alberghini, Luciano Di Pasquale, Raquela Sheeran, Lucia Cirillo. Glyndebourne Chorus. London Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski. Opus Arte ****

Those who liked Cenerentola in the recent staging by Opera Ireland will find much to enjoy here in this staging from the 2005 season at Glyndebourne. This was a new production directed by Sir Peter Hall, and the sets are rather dark, grey and brown being the dominant colours; in a way they emphasise the personalities of the characters. These are brought to life in a manner that reflects the complexity of Rossini's music, a point often lost when this opera is played just for laughs. The conductor gives the music an effervescence that brings it up fresh with fine orchestral playing. The singers are well cast, with Ruxandra Donose managing the difficulties of the title role with ease. A very enjoyable performance that seeks to bring out the underlying seriousness in Rossini's score. www.opusarte.com  Colman Morrissey