The Pyongyang Concert, Blu-ray (2008)

by | Dec 2, 2008 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews | 0 comments

The Pyongyang Concert, Blu-ray (2008)
 
Featuring: The New York Philharmonic, conducted by Lorin Maazel
Program: WAGNER: Lohengrin: Prelude to Act III; DVORAK: Symphony No. 9; GERSHWIN: An American In Paris; BIZET: Farandole from L’Arlesienne; BERNSTEIN: Overture from Candide; Korean Traditional: Arirang.
Studio: Medici Arts 2056944
 [Distr. by Naxos]
Video: 1.78:1 for 16:9 color, 1080i HD

Audio:  Uncompressed PCM 5.1 and PCM Stereo

Extras: 52 minute documentary

Feature Length: 107 minutes

Rating: *****
 
When this disc was first offered to me, I got the impression that the offer was made almost jokingly – I mean, a concert by the New York Philharmonic in North Korea? Everything I could gather about the event struck me as rather odd – we’re talking North Korea here, one of the “Axis of Evil” – and it just seemed almost implausible that the Bush administration would have even allowed the event to take place.  Shockingly, this enlightening and entertaining disc easily ranks among my best of the year, offering a remarkably educational experience that’s presented in Blu-ray’s superb 1080p HD.

The disc contains not only a truly excellent hour-and-a-half plus of great music played magnificently by the New York Philharmonic, but also contains a 52-minute documentary film that chronicles the event and the very interesting back stories. Both the concert and the documentary were excellent, and after watching both, I’m almost at a loss as to which viewing order the viewer would be best served by. As excellent as the concert was, I just wasn’t prepared for how enjoyable the documentary was, especially since I pretty much planned on a cursory scan through just to cover the highlights – but I ended up watching the whole thing, it really was fascinating! When the invitation was first offered to the NYPO by the North Korean government, it apparently took quite a bit of convincing to not only get the US government to approve the concert, but also to convince many of the orchestra players to participate in the trip. Eventually, the trip was seen by all in a similar light to the Van Cliburn and later Mercury trips to Russia during the height of the Cold War, and all involved felt that the concert might help to thaw tensions between Pyongyang and the US.

Amazingly enough, as the various events in Pyongyang played out, the initially stony-faced North Koreans warmed up significantly to the orchestra members; when during the actual concert event, the orchestra played the Korean traditional Arirang, there was hardly a dry eye in the house! There was another particularly telling moment in the documentary, when the various members of the orchestra were giving master classes to North Korean musicians – some of whom were particularly gifted musicians – and Glenn Dicterow, the NYPO concertmaster offered this young violinist the opportunity to attend the Julliard for additional instruction. She responded that she’d never heard of the Julliard, and she was certain that the level of instruction she was currently receiving in North Korea would exceed any she might receive there, anyway! Also especially telling was the nighttime travel of the musicians between the various venues; the Pyongyang skyline was completely dark, with the rare exception of the occasional government building! One of the guides, when queried about this, responded that they had no oil or petroleum, and that this concert would hopefully serve as a stepping stone towards normalizing North Korea’s relations with the rest of the world on an economic basis.

Technically, this excellent disc is reference quality in both sound and image presentation. While the documentary isn’t sourced from HD material, it’s about as clear and crisp as 1080i gets, and the material is so gripping, it just makes for an incredibly compelling watch. I can’t recommend this disc highly enough; as entertainment, it’s superb, and it’s a remarkably enlightening educational experience not only regarding the current status quo in North Korea, but also concerning the warmth of their people. Very highly recommended!  

 
– Tom Gibbs

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