Herbert von Karajan Memorial Concert Blu-ray

[jostenmeat]

If you have a good mch sound system, which is quite likely, and hopefully with decent full-range dynamic capability . . .

and you find that you do any one of the following:

- enjoy classical music
- enjoy Beethoven
- enjoy Tchaikovsky
- enjoy violin music
- enjoy symphonic music

This is a MUST SEE.

The video is 1080i, which seems to be true of all the Medici Arts BDs I've seen. It still looks great.

The camera work is excellent, but I can only compare that to the Pyongyang concert (which wasn't bad), but it was good to the point where I wondered if they had musicians, perhaps even specifically conductors, next to each cameraman.

Anne-Sophie Mutter is really freakin' good. Sheesh. *sigh*

She might make you cry. Really. Ok, maybe play it for the SO/CIC/HH to show what a nice system can do. Seriously.

If the violinist seems to be very moved, she is, because Karajan played a very important role in her formidable career, beginning all the way back from childhood, when IIRC, she essentially became famous when performing Mozart under his baton . . . at the age of 14(?).

The Berlin Philharmonic plays the Tchaikovsky 6th (Pathetique) superbly. According to the reviewer at bluray.com (where I found these images) this is the real treat, but I thought all of it was fantastic.

Again, it's a must see if you meet the above criteria.

 

[XEagleDriver]

Anne-Sophie Mutter is really freakin' good. Sheesh. *sigh*

Got to love a gal who is both musically talented and easy on the eyes!!

XEagleDriver

 

[jostenmeat]

Got to love a gal who is both musically talented and easy on the eyes!!

XEagleDriver

For sure.

Man, her bowing is amazing. There is no break of line, or dynamic expression, at either extreme of the tip or frog, and furthermore, she applies all kinds of articulations while using the entire bow with, um . . . a sickening mastery. I think of the first movement particularly in the Beethoven.

I think my favorite "sound" I've heard is from Perlman, though even by his middle aged years, he was supposed to have lost a lot of his mastery. (It's because he was concertizing nearly everyday of the year, off days for flight travel, and so he could never practice . . .). It's hard to describe Mutter's sound for me, which is very unique, but it is bright/brilliant, yet very effective. I also enjoy Shaham's tone very much.

 

[mtrycrafts]

...
This is a MUST SEE.

The video is 1080i, which seems to be true of all the Medici Arts BDs I've seen. It still looks great.

...

Not cheap What is the audio format? Hard to read the box back at Amazon.

 

[jostenmeat]

Not cheap What is the audio format? Hard to read the box back at Amazon.

All of the Medici releases come with both 5.1 and 2.0 PCM tracks. As aforementioned, all of them seem to be in 1080i as well. I believe* I noticed my first bad jaggies with the JVC on the Karajan tribute, but it did look good overall. Some pretty cool "individual" shots and pans, whether panning up during a crescendo to the tympani, or panning across the percussion, or a bird's eye view of a cellist, even zooming in on a clarinetist clearing out his instrument, and the audio clearly picks up the sound of it.

The other two such titles that I've owned (and the only others that I've seen) are the Brandenburg Concertos/Concerti . . .

. . . . and the NYP in Pyongyang.

Obviously, I would choose any selection of title based on how much one likes the particular music. The Brandenburg are in the nicest looking hall. The Pyongyang will offer a greater variety of symphonic music, and definitely in the blandest looking hall. Yes, I am Captain of the Obvious. Anyhoo . . .

I understand the hesitation on the price. It was the reason it took so darn long to buy it myself. If you love violin, and you love bluray, this is a no-brainer to own . . . so long as the price is right I suppose.

 

[mtrycrafts]

.... . .

I understand the hesitation on the price. It was the reason it took so darn long to buy it myself. If you love violin, and you love bluray, this is a no-brainer to own . . . so long as the price is right I suppose.

Thanks for bringing these up. I need to do some serious soul searching
Sounds like a treat to have.

 

[jostenmeat]

Someone hide my wallet please.

Mahler 3rd Symphony, Claudio Abbado, Lucerne Festival Orchestra just has been released.

blu-ray.com review

 

[jostenmeat]

Thanks for bringing these up. I need to do some serious soul searching
Sounds like a treat to have.

mtrycrafts,

You have to get it. I just watched the first mvmt for the third time last night. Ladies who were present were in tears. One guy who drove a ways from out of town was leaning forward all the way, and I have a huge screen as it is. He wants to bring his mother, and dress for the occasion. Everyone mentioned, when I hit pause at the end of it, how they felt they were part of the audience, and instinctively tried not to make a peep during the show.

I enjoy listening to classical, but man does it make a difference when you get to "see" it too. It's discs like these that make me consider reducing screen size to go with AT. Oh well, it's done for now, and they think it sounds great already, but I know it could be even more awesomer.

Ok, I'm late to string quartet rehearsal, with our first coaching nonetheless. I guess I tend to procrastinate if it means I'm going to get my butt chewed out.

 

[serenity737]

After reading the reviews here I purchased this disc as my first Classical DVD - Blu-ray ...

Man oh man! Fantastic!

Mike

 

[jostenmeat]

After reading the reviews here I purchased this disc as my first Classical DVD - Blu-ray ...

Man oh man! Fantastic!

Mike

I'm glad you like it! I don't know if "first DVD/BD" means that you don't normally listen to classical, but in either case, you can see why I get excited about blu-ray as a format for high quality mch audio coupled to high definition video.

 

[3db]

If you have a good mch sound system, which is quite likely, and hopefully with decent full-range dynamic capability . . .

and you find that you do any one of the following:

- enjoy classical music
- enjoy Beethoven
- enjoy Tchaikovsky
- enjoy violin music
- enjoy symphonic music

This is a MUST SEE.

The video is 1080i, which seems to be true of all the Medici Arts BDs I've seen. It still looks great.

The camera work is excellent, but I can only compare that to the Pyongyang concert (which wasn't bad), but it was good to the point where I wondered if they had musicians, perhaps even specifically conductors, next to each cameraman.

Anne-Sophie Mutter is really freakin' good. Sheesh. *sigh*

She might make you cry. Really. Ok, maybe play it for the SO/CIC/HH to show what a nice system can do. Seriously.

If the violinist seems to be very moved, she is, because Karajan played a very important role in her formidable career, beginning all the way back from childhood, when IIRC, she essentially became famous when performing Mozart under his baton . . . at the age of 14(?).

The Berlin Philharmonic plays the Tchaikovsky 6th (Pathetique) superbly. According to the reviewer at bluray.com (where I found these images) this is the real treat, but I thought all of it was fantastic.

Again, it's a must see if you meet the above criteria.

I'm going to HMV and check it out to see if they have it. Beethoven is my favourite composer of all. Would have loved to see Sophie play Tchaikovsky Violin Cobcertyo in D; especially the 1st movement.

 

[jostenmeat]

I'm going to HMV and check it out to see if they have it. Beethoven is my favourite composer of all. Would have loved to see Sophie play Tchaikovsky Violin Cobcertyo in D; especially the 1st movement.

I hear you brotha. A long time ago I used to have her playing that on CD with Karajan, live, in a red dress. Very good.

 

[jostenmeat]

So, I had the MTT/SFS "Keeping Score" bluray of Shostakovich no.5 on order, but I canceled after I read about some disappointing video, and that the documentary was not included in its entirety. If others are interested:

Here is the Amazon selection of the three Keeping Score titles available on BD.

Shostakovich No. 5 (one of my very favorite symphonies, at times my very favorite) PSB documentary in its entirety can be found here.

Prices seem to be identical at the SFS site.

So, instead, I have Beethoven Piano Concertos 1-5 arriving tonight, as performed by Barenboim. The first to be played on my system will be the 4th.

It's going to be expensive, but word on the street is that the DVD version of this title is already spectacular in every way, so I'm excited to see the BD at some point when I can cough up $40.

 

[sleepysurf]

Just got this concert based on your recommendation. It is, indeed, phenomenal! However, I'm going nuts trying to figure out where the heck the video cameras were. They must have been suspended from above, and remote controlled. As impressive as the 5.1 sound is, the artistry of the video is even more astonishing! Great find!

 

[XEagleDriver]

Josten,

Panny DMP-BD60 just arrived, and I ordered this concert in Blu-ray based on your post--will be looking in the mail with kid like anticipation for the next week or so!

Thanks,
XEagleDriver

 

[jostenmeat]

Josten,

Panny DMP-BD60 just arrived, and I ordered this concert in Blu-ray based on your post--will be looking in the mail with kid like anticipation for the next week or so!

Thanks,
XEagleDriver

Even at the higher price point, it is well worth it. Congratulations. I can't think of any other title that received repeated viewings so quickly. I would venture to guess that Ratatouille, and perhaps TDK as an extremely distant second, have got the most play time, if only for demo reasons, but these have been over a much longer time period. You will see this Karajan title is great demo material overall, even if the PQ by itself is not top tier stuff on its own.

So, instead, I have Beethoven Piano Concertos 1-5 arriving tonight, as performed by Barenboim. The first to be played on my system will be the 4th.

So, I watched Beethoven Piano Concertos 1 & 4 last night. Unlike all of my other Medici titles, this one has the mch recorded in DTS-MA. It didn't sound quite as good as my other titles, but I am not sure if it's also a limitation of my system, as I do believe piano is a tough nut to crack for many systems.

What I need to do is try this again in 2.0 PCM (which is the default for all of my Medici titles). I say this because for the moment or two that it was on, before I switched, it really sounded great . . . and I have absolutely no reason to believe it will sound better than the mch version, but I guess I'm a little paranoid because with DVDs, the 2.0 PCM track always sounded better than the lossy mch.

And everyone agreed, including the women, Mutter is infinitely more pleasing to the eyes than the now elderly Barenboim (who was usually in a full sweat, sometimes with sweatdrop hanging for dear life off the end of his nose).

BTW, Barenboim conducts and plays the solo part simultaneously. My friend did that with a Mozart concerto during my skool days, and he did it with the piano setup left to right. Barenboim is turned completely away, with his back directly at the audience. I don't know, but that's just somewhat strange to me. Maybe he is too used to that positioning as a conductor for so long.

 

[XEagleDriver]

Why no HD audio track??

Not cheap What is the audio format? Hard to read the box back at Amazon.

Finally got to hook up the Xmas Panny DMP-BD60 blu-ray and played the Karajan disk. It was a great concert and the video greatly enhanced the experience.

Very glad I own it . . . but . . . why the heck did EUROARTS not include either a DTS-HD or Dolby-TrueHD audio track with such excellent source material.

In contrast, I also played Roy Orbison's Black and White concert on blu-ray (only $10) which has a DTS-HD audio track.

http://www.amazon.com/Roy-Orbison-Black-White-Blu-ray/dp/B0017XFP4U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1261830209&sr=1-1

The audio quality of DTS-HD track was so vastly superior to standard PCM 5.1 (which I also own for the same concert) that for the life of me, I can not understand why EUROARTS did not inlude an HD audio track

I can only imagine how good the Karajan disk would sound if the manufacturer had included an HD audio! What is wrong with these guys!

Argh,
XEagleDriver

 

[jostenmeat]

Very glad I own it . . . but . . . why the heck did EUROARTS not include either a DTS-HD or Dolby-TrueHD audio track with such excellent source material. :confused

DTSMA and TrueHD are not superior to PCM. The only advantage is that they take up less space, due to compression algorithms. If they couldn't compress mch PCM, there would be absolutely no reason for DTSMA or TrueHD to even exist.

EDIT: IOW, DTSMA and True ARE mch PCM, just boxed tidily into a smaller package.

Select mch PCM (or 5.1). All of the Medici titles I own are defaulted to 2.0 PCM. If you failed to select 5.1, then perhaps your receiver is matrixing the stereo source, and hence your disappointment. Because, I have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[XEagleDriver]

Trying to get this straight

DTSMA and TrueHD are not superior to PCM. The only advantage is that they take up less space, due to compression algorithms. If they couldn't compress mch PCM, there would be absolutely no reason for DTSMA or TrueHD to even exist.

EDIT: IOW, DTSMA and True ARE mch PCM, just boxed tidily into a smaller package.

Select mch PCM (or 5.1). All of the Medici titles I own are defaulted to 2.0 PCM. If you failed to select 5.1, then perhaps your receiver is matrixing the stereo source, and hence your disappointment. Because, I have no idea what you are talking about.

Josten,

Your comment prompted me to do some further research/reading.

I think I have this right:

When the standard DVD came out, the disk did not have the storage space for both a movie's video and a 5.1 multi-channel PCM audio track. (It could and did have room for a stereo PCM audio track.)
Therefore, on DVD, the 5.1 mch audio track was stored in either a Dobly Digital (DD) or DTS compressed format, and both DD and DTS are "lossy" codecs (i.e. some information is lost in the compression/decompression process).

With the advent of Blu-ray (BR), the BR disk does have the storage space for both a movie's video and a 5.1 (or even 7.1) mch PCM audio track. However, in order to save storage space for other things (deleted scenes, alternate endings, bonus features, etc.) the BR disk can store the mch audio track in a compressed format, either a Dolby TrueHD or DTS-MA . But these newer TrueHD or DTS-MA formats are lossless codecs, an improvement over their predecessors providing a bit-for-bit accurate reconstruction back into the original mch PCM audio track.

Bottomline: In the end, mch PCM = TrueHD = DTS-MA as far as audio quality. With the big "if" remaining the quality of the individual movie/concert's recording and mixing!

Correct?

Thanks,
XEagleDriver

 

[jostenmeat]

You have the general gist. I can't say that DD/DTS is lossy due specifically to compression/decompression, but only know that it is lossy. The bitrate for DTS is significantly higher.

For BD, it's true that the codecs take up less space. However, they also seem to be more complex, at least as implementation, to me. On one hand, a videophile might demand that these codecs be used for the further decompression of video (and video codecs is yet another discussion), but OTOH I've seen superb PQ on titles with a lot of lossless audio recorded. For instance, Close Encounters of the Third Kind has English DTSMA, English TrueHD, and even French TrueHD, yet the video looks superb. I think this topic may have been more of an issue if the 25GB discs were more prevalent. When I started paying attention to the proportion of 25/50 at bluray stats, it was about 50/50 for both. The 50GB discs have been climbing, slowly, but surely, in proportion ever since, and is now at 63%.

Your bottom line is correct.