Post by Goodwood August 27, 2008 (1 of 14)
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I have recently been marvelling at big screen HDTV, including watching BBC Proms. As a musician I love looking at the conductor, the musicians, the venue, the instruments (even the repairs).
I begin to ask myself, given that Blu Ray can apparently provide HD video and high resolution audio, why would I now not wait for works to be released in this format. I take it for granted that opera will shift to video over time but even music only performances can take on completely new dimensions.
Yes it's less portable and there are numerous legendary performances in audio only but as far as I can see the advantages outweigh other considerations.
Imagine those future legendary performances with HD footage!
Interested in more serious classical listeners takes on this - after all you can always turn the screen off.
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Post by zeus August 27, 2008 (2 of 14)
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Goodwood said:
Interested in more serious classical listeners takes on this - after all you can always turn the screen off.
While I enjoy the occasional documentary on performances, rehearsals etc these are strictly watch-once only. Sound quality is immaterial. I can think of few things more boring than watching whole performances on the box. Not to mention the attendant spotlighting of individual instruments/sections. So the extra production costs would be wasted on me.
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Post by Jay-dub August 27, 2008 (3 of 14)
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Goodwood said:
I have recently been marvelling at big screen HDTV, including watching BBC Proms. As a musician I love looking at the conductor, the musicians, the venue, the instruments (even the repairs).
SACD is a format that appeals to people who don't enjoy watching musicians, so you should expect more negative opinions of the idea of concert videos here than almost anywhere else. No doubt a musician can learn valuable techniques by watching performances, but for many lovers of classical music the work has a special autonomy and listening to music is direct communion with the mind of the composer. For people who want this kind of pure experience, it is quite bothersome to be reminded of the individuality of the performers, which is the inevitable effect of video.
I have quite a few DVD's of operas and jazz performances, for both of which the visual element reveals essentials that are not manifest in the audio, but my few classical concert DVD's are not really satisfying. Part of the problem is that the camera work is distracting. The limitations of standard-def displays has forced videographers to rely heavily on close-ups, but that turns editing into a highly subjective act of interpretation, and in my experience the video editors of concerts rarely have anything interesting to say about the music. Perhaps future hi-def videographers will cultivate a more objective style of concert filming that is less objectionable.
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Post by Claude August 27, 2008 (4 of 14)
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There is already a considerable market for classical performances on DVD, but it's much smaller than the CD market. I guess this will be extended to Blu-ray now (with the hope that the sound quality is on par with the video quality).
But just as SACD has not fundamentally changed the classical market (unlike CD versus LP), Blu-ray won't either, IMO.
Generally, DVD releases concern famous performers, or opera. Few people want to see "unknown" performers on video. Think of all those low-paid, ugly, poorly dressed east european musicians recording en masse for Naxos ;-)
So independently of the format, video releases will remain a niche on the classical market. The trend of parallel DVD/CD releases with star musicians (as on the pop market) and DVD reissues of legendary TV performances will continue, but video releases won't outsell audio releases.
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There is a big potential for high production values and interaction with the Blu Ray format, but I wonder if the market would be big enough to realise this potential.
The firt is the obvious high-resolution, multi-channel (and thus immersive and lifelike, or should that be live-like) sound.
The second is the interactive qualities. For example, counter to the criticisms offered in this thread thus far, the user could choose which camera angle to follow, i.e. behind the conductor's shoulder, to see the whole orchestra, or at the conductor's face and body, as if you were one of the musicians, or maybe a member of the audience. The possibilities are huge...for those that want a concert-like experience. Which is why I said, the market might not be big enough - after all, how many concert-dwelling folk also have an interest in high def media (Blu Ray), and vice versa!
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Post by Goodwood August 27, 2008 (6 of 14)
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Interesting responses and not surprising. I enjoy staring into the blackness between my speakers to enjoy music like anyone else.
I do think however that it would be wrong to suggest that to enjoy watching a performance is something unnatural. After all a wealth of material was composed for performing live, and was done so well before recording conceived.
The reality is that we are in an exciting period and there there will be something for everyone - audio and visual, recorded and broadcast.
In the meantime I am enjoying Gustavo Dudamel on Sky Arts HD.
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Post by seth August 27, 2008 (7 of 14)
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FunkyMonkey said:
The second is the interactive qualities. For example, counter to the criticisms offered in this thread thus far, the user could choose which camera angle to follow, i.e. behind the conductor's shoulder, to see the whole orchestra, or at the conductor's face and body, as if you were one of the musicians, or maybe a member of the audience. The possibilities are huge...for those that want a concert-like experience. Which is why I said, the market might not be big enough - after all, how many concert-dwelling folk also have an interest in high def media (Blu Ray), and vice versa!
For my thesis in college, I made a video recording of the Pulcinella's suite shot from 5 fixed angles. The DVD utilized the multi-angle feature so that you could toggle between the different angles during playback.
I'm the first person to admit that it sounds much more interesting on paper than in practice.
The problem is that listening to music and watching film is a passive form of entertainment (in the sense that you sit back and pay attention to what is being presented -- you're not an active participant). I had a lot of people test the DVD, and while most people thought it was a neat feature, flipping through the angles was fatiguing and distracting. After a few minutes, most people just left it on the wide shot.
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seth said:
For my thesis in college, I made a video recording of the Pulcinella's suite shot from 5 fixed angles. The DVD utilized the multi-angle feature so that you could toggle between the different angles during playback.
I'm the first person to admit that it sounds much more interesting on paper than in practice.
The problem is that listening to music and watching film is a passive form of entertainment (in the sense that you sit back and pay attention to what is being presented -- you're not an active participant). I had a lot of people test the DVD, and while most people thought it was a neat feature, flipping through the angles was fatiguing and distracting. After a few minutes, most people just left it on the wide shot.
This is a fair point, and one I feel is accurate. However, I did not envisage flickign through the options, but pickign one during a listening session and stickign with it. The one you picked each time you played the disk would depend on what mood you were in.
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Post by Beagle August 27, 2008 (9 of 14)
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Just my opinion, and therefore even a bit humble:
'Video killed the radio-star...', they say (in music). Music is auditory; the human brain has evolved away from its nocturnal small-mammal, 3-D auditory roots and is now dominated by 2-D visual projections of the environment. The auditory universe needs to be rescued from the tyranny of video or it becomes mere sound-track to The Movie.
At home I prefer listening in the dark, and I spend >95% of live performances with my eyes tightly shut, in order to get my money's worth. It is true that in the Classical Age and others, many went to musical performances 'to see and to be seen', but that was their loss. I gave away the Julia Fischer DVD, and the other performance DVD I have has never left its jewel-box.
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Beagle said:
At home I prefer listening in the dark, and I spend >95% of live performances with my eyes tightly shut, in order to get my money's worth. It is true that in the Classical Age and others, many went to musical performances 'to see and to be seen', but that was their loss.
I gave away the Julia Fischer DVD
Right on!
But which Julia Fischer DVD? Four Seasons or Montpellier Recital?
I often listen to mine with my eyes closed. What am I missing - a pretty face? Well yes, but the music is so much more accessible!
Bruce
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