EuroArts has announced the upcoming DVD release of the 2019 New Year’s Eve Gala from Berlin in which Diana Damrau starred. It also marked her debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker, led by Kirill Petrenko. It is currently available for purchase on Amazon Germany.
The program included overtures to Gershwin’s Girl Crazy and An American in Paris, Bernstein’s Symphonic dances from West Side Story, and Weill’s Lady in the Dark Symphonic Nocturne, featuring Ms. Damrau in Rodgers “If I loved you” from Carousel, Bernstein’s “I feel pretty” from West Side Story, Weill’s “Foolish Heart” from One Touch of Venus, Sondheim’s “Send in the clowns” from A little Night Music and Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz.
The concert on December 31 was livestreamed to cinemas in Europe and online via the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Digital Concert Hall, which is now available on demand.
“Damrau, unaided by amplification, was impressively idiomatic and relaxed, at her best in the more introspective numbers. Her touching “Send in the Clowns” was a highlight […] it was difficult to resist her encore, a performance of “I Could Have Danced All Night” that switched nonchalantly between German and English.”