The Pyongyang Concert – New York Philharmonic
Orchestra (Medici Arts Blu-ray and
DVD)
Picture:
B+/B Sound: B+/B Extras: B- Concert:
B
Historic
events are few and far between these days, but on February 26th,
2008 a truly great spectacle took place when the New York Philharmonic
Orchestra under the direction of Lorin Maazel performed the first concert by an
American orchestra in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. This
event, years ago would have been unimaginable, but progress, peace, and new
leadership has enabled this event to happen. It’s long been said that
music can bridge the gap between people, between boundaries, and even between
long divided nations. This particular event – The Pyongyang Concert does just that. For those who were not
able to be there in person, now get to experience the power of that moment on
home video in both the DVD and Blu-ray format.
Music is
truly one of the few universal languages that transcends people’s beliefs,
religious backgrounds, race, ethnicity, political views, and speaks to the
heart, speaks to the soul, and speaks to the mind. Here we have a
memorable experience where for one evening music brought together people, but
this milestone is the first of a hopeful many in which people from around the
world can forget the differences we have, and embrace the similarities that we
share.
Concert
Listing:
National Anthem of the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea Aegukka
The Star-Spangled Banner
Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin:
Prelude to Act III
Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in
E minor, from The New World
George Gershwin’s An American in
Paris
Georges Bizet’s Farandole from
L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2
Leonard Bernstein’s Candide:
Overture
Arirang
The
recording took place at the East Pyongyang Theater and is directed by Michael
Beyer, this DVD and Blu-ray release features the performance in a 1.78 X 1
transfer that is in 1080i High Definition for the Blu-ray. The concert
runs a total of 107-minutes in length and gives a great sampling of fine classical
music from a variety of eras and styles. The DVD is unable to come close
to the beauty of the Blu-ray as the limitations of DVD are fully realized with
a lack of depth and color balance that the Blu-ray is able to deliver.
The audio
is presented in a 5.1 Dolby Digital mix on the DVD, but the Blu-ray runs circle
around this with two superior mixes: PCM 2.0 and PCM 5.1. The PCM mixes
feel more ‘lively’ and have a greater sense of depth that lossless mixes are
able to accomplish. The Dolby mix on the DVD is far too compressed and
lacks the warmth, depth, and overall fidelity that the PCM mixes both
contain. I prefer the multi-channel mix just a bit of the PCM 2.0, but
both are exceptional and put the listener in an imaginary concert hall.
I’ve never heard any recordings from this particular hall, but it looks
beautiful and it’s acoustical qualities shine through with this release.
Articulation, tone, presence, and spatial-ness is all brought forth and give a
very natural presentation that audiophiles love.
In
addition to the excellent feature there is also a bonus documentary that runs
nearly one hour that chronicles this amazing historical event and provides an
in-depth look at this momentous occasion. A must see!
- Nate Goss