Product Details

• Actors: n, a
• Directors: n, a
• Format: Surround Sound
• Language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Studio: Surround Records
• DVD Release Date: August 23, 2007
• Run Time: 74 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 1.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001E6OT6U
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,988 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

THIS DTS-HD MASTER AUDIO DISC DELIVERS AN AMAZING ACOUSTIC REALITY EXPERIENCE THROUGH PLAYSTATION 3 (LPCM OUTPUT) OR BLU-RAY PLAYER WITH DTS-HD MASTER AUDIO OUTPUT CONNECTED THROUGH 1.3 HDMI CABLE WITH DTS-HD MASTER AUDIO CAPABLE RECIVER. THE FULL RANGE 7.1 (6.1;5.1) SURROUND SPEAKER SET-UP IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR FULL PERCEPTION OF ACOUSTIC REALITY AND LOW FREQUENCY CHANNEL (LFE) THAT IS VERY CRITICAL FOR THIS RECORD. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS RECORD WAS ORIGINALLY PRODUCED FOR 5.1 AND PRESENTED FOR 7.1 SURROUND SOUND REPRODUCTION TO PROVIDE YOU WITH UNIQUE ACOUSTIC REALITY EXPERIENCE.

This Disc is Audio Only

Download Access Feature: Disc 1.

Alfred Brendel, accompanied by Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra presenting the grandest of Mozart s C major concerto.
It has the following three movements:
1. Allegro maestoso
2. Andante in F major
3. Allegretto
The expansive first movement is one of Mozart's most symphonic concerto movements. This movement subtly slips in and out of the minor several times. The secondary theme of the concerto's first movement is a march that often reminds people of the then unwritten Marseillaise. Beethoven references this concerto in his own Fourth Piano Concerto. In addition, the famous motif in the first movement of Beethoven s Fifth Symphony resembles one found in this concerto. The tranquil second movement is in sonata form, but lacks a development. It extensively uses the winds. The third movement is a sonata-rondo that opens with a gavotte theme from Mozart's opera Idomeneo. Girdlestone considers this movement to be very serious-minded. Like the first movement, it touches upon the minor; however, it ends confidently and triumphantly.

Disc also includes:
Mozart Sonata in E flat major K282
Mozart Sonata in D major K 576
Mozart Fantasia in C minor K.396

Disc 2.

In his own words, Grieg aspired to paint Norwegian nature, Norwegian folk-life, Norwegian history and Norwegian folk-poetry in music. In Autumn sees Grieg take inspiration from the forces of nature, both life-giving and destructive, whether it be from the farmers harvest celebrations or the ensuing death and decay, while the Symphonic dances make extensive use of Norwegian folk-melodies. Indeed it has often been said that the famous Piano Concerto has an element of untamed wildness in its opening timpani roll followed by the cascading chimes of the piano. Whatever its inspiration, this cornerstone of the piano repertoire remains one of the most enduringly-popular of all concertos on account of its profusion of inspired melodies, noble eloquence and poetic vitality.

Album works:

Grieg, Edvard : In Autumn for Piano 4 hands, Op. 11
Grieg, Edvard : Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 16 Performer: Håvard Gimse (Piano)
Grieg, Edvard : Symphonic Dances (4), Op. 64
Ensemble: Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Period Time: Romantic

Disc 3. Tchaikovsky s Piano Concerto No. 1, with its big tunes, winning melodies (some based on Ukrainian folk-songs) and brilliant orchestration, has become the most popular of all Russian concertos. The less familiar Piano Concerto No. 3 was originally a single movement which the pianist, Sergey Taneyev, turned into a three movement work by orchestrating Tchaikovsky s sketches for his unrealised Seventh Symphony, published in 1897 as the Andante and Finale, Op.79
Album works:
1. Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23
2. Piano Concerto No. 3 in E flat major, Op. post. 75
3. Pieces (2, andante & finale), for piano & orchestra, Op. post. 79 (completed by Taneyev, also arr. for 2 pianos)
Performed by Russian Philharmonic Orchestra with Konstantin Scherbakov Conducted by Dmitry Yablonsky

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars AVOID ANY PRODUCT BY SURROUND RECORDS ! ! !, June 26, 2010

By 

Vaughan Dawson (Delray Beach, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2&3 - Acoustic Reality Experience [7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Disc] with DTS-HD Music Downloads Access [Audiophile][Blu-ray]Experimental Multimedia Project courtesy of Sony/BMG strategic research and development (Blu-ray)

Just look at some of the reviews for this or any of their other blu ray discs: about half are raves about how nice they sound....and the other half are from users complaining that the disc does not play in X player!

I've now tested several discs with the latest firmware, and they are indeed garbage. Amazon should pull all of the product from this company. Why would anyone want to deal with a company whose product only works in about 50% of players? I've never seen something so ridiculous or shoddy in my 10+ years of purchasing discs from hundreds of manufacturers.

BEWARE: DO NOT PURCHASE ANY PRODUCT FROM THIS COMPANY!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular Performance and Sound, April 17, 2010

By 

David Bower (Houston, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2&3 - Acoustic Reality Experience [7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Disc] with DTS-HD Music Downloads Access [Audiophile][Blu-ray]Experimental Multimedia Project courtesy of Sony/BMG strategic research and development (Blu-ray)

Update August 25, 2011

My First Opinion of This Disc Stands!

I was unaware of the tempest that was developing by reviewers who felt this disc and its performances were markedly inferior and those reviewers who had given it five stars were all fraudulent; I was unaware, that is, until it was brought to my attention by a comment on my review by EricR who referred to my review as fraudulent.

It is too bad that EricR has had such a bad experience with this disc, but his bad experience doesn't mean everyone else has had that same experience and just chose to conceal that fact. I can say with complete certainty that EricR was not in the room on April 17, 2010 when I played this disc on my system and could not possibly have any idea at all how it sounded at that time.

I can understand various individuals preferring different performances of well-know works as beauty of this sort is in the ear of the beholder; I just happened to find both performances musically and sonically satisfying, they were both dramatic and exciting.

All of my reviews are written based on my experience with the product in my home. I have no association with any industry groups and have no interest in promoting any industry causes. I am most specifically not associated with any "cabal of 10-20 people from blu ray dot com."

I have just replayed the disc and found it to be as sonically and musically rewarding as I reported in my original review.

Original review follows

I have just replayed this disc in order to provide my latest and freshest impression of this recording; my conclusions are this disc features both technical and musical superiority and should be in the collections of anyone who appreciates well recorded and well performed classical music.

First the music; the orchestra, conducted by Dmitry Yablonsky, gives an outstanding reading under Mr. Yablonsky's baton. The performance demonstrates a love for the music of Rachmaninov that gives full due to the beauty and drama of these two concertos. The pianist, Konstantin Scherbakov, plays the piano with confidence and yet demonstrates a sensitivity that brings out the subtle nuances of the music. Everything sounds right; the music flows as it should. It is a recording that invites you to sit back, relax and enjoy the music.

On the technical side the recording is also remarkable in many regards. I played the disc back using a 5.1 channel setup which took full advantage of the DTS-HD Master Audio technology. One of the first things one might notice is the wide dynamic range; I'm not sure how many decibels are involved but it is truly impressive. Another notable characteristic is the smooth hall ambience; one gets the impression of being in another place.

One of the outstanding characteristics of this recording is the complete absence of the scratchy, hissing sound that can accompany electronic audio. By this I mean a sound that accompanies both analog and digital music reproduction, and most often occurs when string instruments or soprano voices are performing in unison and has, in my experience, occurred in live performances of music electronically amplified and reproduced in strictly the analog domain.

I have experienced this on analog LaserDisc's, CD's, some SACD's, and some DVD's. It is most annoying and a constant reminder one is listening to an electronic reproduction of either a recorded or live performance. The total absence of this phenomenon on this recording contributes mightily to the feeling that one is listening to the actual performance rather than a recording.

By way of summary, my hat's off to the musicians and technicians who made this recording possible. In all regards it is a joy to hear!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superlative, March 14, 2009

By 

Classics Man (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2&3 - Acoustic Reality Experience [7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Disc] with DTS-HD Music Downloads Access [Audiophile][Blu-ray]Experimental Multimedia Project courtesy of Sony/BMG strategic research and development (Blu-ray)

You most likely will never find greater sounding performances of these works in these respects: Scherbakov delivers a meltingly poignant and lyrically beautiful reading, while delivering all the power and virtuosity you could possibly want. This combination of poetic renderings and long musically endearing lines with blazing fire and drama comes around only rarely. DTS-HD Master Audio produce a wonderfully full, integrated sonic experience with the reality of acoustic presents that hard to believe.
Yes, the third concerto is the piece featured as the "musical villain" in the movie "Shine," but don't be fooled. This piece is nothing to fear; rather, it is one of the most astounding, emotional, and moving masterpieces of piano literature ever. And the famous, beautiful, and unforgettable melodies of the second concerto will take you back to a time when composers and performers alike treasured all that was romantic, gorgeous, and heart-warming.