19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best classical HD DVD release bar none and probably the last., March 11, 2008
This review is from: Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2 Resurrection [HD DVD] (HD DVD)
After watching this HD-DVD of Boulez's M2 I can honestly say that it is as close to an actual concert that I will ever get. Probably better. The sonics are as splendid as I have ever heard. The 5.1 Dolby True HD soundtrack is fantastic. No gimmickry here, just a spacious, accurate rendering of the hall acoustics putting the listener just behind and above the conductor. The bass is rock solid and extraordinarily powerful. Mahler would approve I'm sure. Oh, and I found Boulez and the Staatskapelle Berlin, soloist and just about everyone associated with this production to be top drawer. This is just in a league by itself. PQ is as good as the sound with great contrasts, great color and no grain. You are just THERE in the best seat in the house. Bravo...Highly recommended.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, Lossless Multi-Channel Audio in a Classical Music DVD, April 28, 2008
This review is from: Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2 Resurrection [HD DVD] (HD DVD)
I agree with the rave reviews this DVD has been getting with regard to this Pierre Boulez rendition of Mahler 2. I own a lot of Mahler 2s and this performance is right close to the top.
The video is clean, clear, and excellent for seeing both detail and nuance in instruments, conductor, and orchestra performers.
What makes this HD-DVD performance stand out a head above all other Classical Music DVDs is its Audio. This is the first music DVD I've ever heard where the multi-channel audio (Dolby True HD) sounded truly clean, full, and concert like.
So far I'm one of those few who can currently enjoy the full audio capability this recording has to offer. I own one of those HD-DVD players that has analog audio outputs. That means the Dolby True HD is converted to analog in the player allowing me to connect directly to my receiver equivalent pre-amp. The result is near SACD quality. But - caution - if you want to take the signal from the player 'digitally' (optical or coax), virtually none of the current receivers on the market are capable of completing the digital conversion that allows for Dolby True HD or the DTS equivalent to be heard to full capability. In other words, the best you'll get is the kind of multi-channel audio we've had to live with all these many years (good for movie surround sound effects but not so great for music).
So if you want the full lossless multi-channel audio capability from recordings such as this, you will either need to own a high definition player that has analog outputs such as Panasonic's new BD50 Blu-Ray player, or, buy one of the brand new breeds of HDMI v1.3a receivers that can fully complete the advanced digital audio processing (for example the Onkyo TX-SR805).
High quality audio is most important to me. Until now SACD and DVD-A have been the only real choices (no video with these). Now we're finally able to experience the best of both the audio and video worlds in one recording. Bravo!
It's too bad HD-DVD lost the format war. If I had my way ARTE would continue cranking out HD-DVD performances of this quality well into the future. As it stands now I it looks like they will be very soon switching to Blu-Ray (me too). Fortunately, with Blu-Ray we'll still be able to experience those same Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master audios along with some really good high definition video.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply outstanding -- at the very pinnacle of audio and video technology, April 25, 2008
This review is from: Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2 Resurrection [HD DVD] (HD DVD)
Just for the "record" (!), this private reviewer has notched up over 65 years of listening to recorded music, as well as regular attendance at
live musical events. He feels privileged to have lived long enough to see and hear "home entertainment" media achieve a peak of perfection such as this hd-dvd represents. It is simply in a class of its own, in all
respects -- in terms of performance, production, audio and video quality.
The only very strong tinge of sadness and regret concerns the death warrant just signed by the "industry" in respect of this superb audio/video medium. Seems that just as perfection is at last reached,
mere commercial posturing will snatch the prize away, so there are
to be no more products such as this. Can no-one prevent this madness?
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