Die Zauberflöte on Blu-ray

[ESF]

Having just watched the Covent Garden recording of Die Zaberflöte with Sir Colin Davis on Blu-ray from Opus Arte I must strongly recommend this experience!! Will Hartmann does Tamino, Dorothea Röschmann Pamina, Diana Damrau Queen of the Night etc. Many of you are probably familiar with the DVD version but Blu-ray brings the opera into your livingroom. A large screen (i.e. plasma or projector) brings you so near, or "on stage", that you would have to be very well positioned in a real opera house to beat it.
The stereo sound (PCM 2.0) through a fairly good stereo system sounds extremely good. There is also the choice of 5.1. (surround sound) which I haven´t tried but the ordinary 2 channel stereo sound is exemplary! The reason opera recordings often give a nice, realistic timbre is probably due to the fact that one can´t go too near with the microphones.
Opus Arte has more Mozart operas in the pipeline on Blu-ray (like the new Figaro with Mia Persson and Dorothea Röschmann). Check with Opus Arte for details. Arthaus might also releasing Mozart on Blu-ray soon!

[tiger roach]

I just saw that one performed by HGO. Cool beans. Thanks for the heads up!

[HDJK]

How is the camera directing? Is there a lot of jumping around or did they go for a 'you're in the audience' kind of experience?

[garak]

Anybody know where this can ordered this in the U.S.?

[Blu-baton]

Also, is it region specific. I'll in Paris in April ... would love to pick that up if I can't order it online.

[Russell_L]

Originally Posted by ESF

Having just watched the Covent Garden recording of Die Zaberflöte with Sir Colin Davis on Blu-ray from Opus Arte I must strongly recommend this experience!! Will Hartmann does Tamino, Dorothea Röschmann Pamina, Diana Damrau Queen of the Night etc. Many of you are probably familiar with the DVD version but Blu-ray brings the opera into your livingroom. A large screen (i.e. plasma or projector) brings you so near, or "on stage", that you would have to be very well positioned in a real opera house to beat it.
The stereo sound (PCM 2.0) through a fairly good stereo system sounds extremely good. There is also the choice of 5.1. (surround sound) which I haven´t tried but the ordinary 2 channel stereo sound is exemplary! The reason opera recordings often give a nice, realistic timbre is probably due to the fact that one can´t go to near with the microphones.
Opus Arte has more Mozart operas in the pipeline on Blu-ray (like the new Cosi fan Tutte with Mia Persson and Dorothea Röschmann). Check with Opus Arte for details. Arthaus might also releasing Mozart on Blu-ray soon!

Thanks! I have this on SD DVD and thought the PQ was outstanding (but this was before I got a BD player). I wasn't aware that Opus Arte had released this on BD, as only the 'Midsummer Night's Dream' ballet had been announced from them (or so I thought).

Russell

[Blu-baton]

Just answered my own question here. The BD supports all regions, is 1080i, and has a 5.1 PCM track. It can be ordered online at the opusarte.com site for a rather excessive amount of moolah, but that is definitely an option if one cannot wait until amazon distributes it.

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by ESF

Having just watched the Covent Garden recording of Die Zaberflöte with Sir Colin Davis on Blu-ray from Opus Arte I must strongly recommend this experience!!

Opus Arte has more Mozart operas in the pipeline on Blu-ray (like the new Cosi fan Tutte with Mia Persson and Dorothea Röschmann). Check with Opus Arte for details. Arthaus might also releasing Mozart on Blu-ray soon!

On Blu-ray? Wow! Thanks! I am going to order it as a birthday gift for my wife. She loves opera and Die Zauberflote is one of her favorites. Not sure why it's in 1080i though. But it should upconvert to 1080p ok I suppose. But the lossless LPCM 5.1 track really is going to be worth the extra expense of ordering it from the UK. I am not going to risk waiting to see if Amazon stocks it before April rolls around.

Hope they get Le Nozze Di Figaro on Blu-ray that's another one of her favorites and mine too, but they only have DVD releases.

[HDJK]

Originally Posted by Blu-baton

Just answered my own question here. The BD supports all regions, is 1080i, and has a 5.1 PCM track. It can be ordered online at the opusarte.com site for a rather excessive amount of moolah, but that is definitely an option if one cannot wait until amazon distributes it.

1080i? Damn, no show for me (i need to get this projector soon ). Thanks for the info.

[HDJK]

Originally Posted by rwojtalewicz

...Not sure why it's in 1080i though. ...

I'm pretty sure it was recorded that way (video and not film).

[EricJ]

Wrong "Magic Flute", though, darn--
C'mon, Criterion, hurry up!

[ESF]

Originally Posted by HDJK

How is the camera directing? Is there a lot of jumping around or did they go for a 'you're in the audience' kind of experience?

The recording is as usual a mixture of close ups, gentle zoom and a more distant audience perspective. The stage is not too floodlit, so there is a lot of 18th century feel to the atmosphere. I would say that it is shot with a bigger viewing screen in mind, i.e. a large visual field which of course is ideal for a large plasma/projector. Blu-ray, particularly since it is the only format, desperately needs some productions with content quality! It also needs to demonstrate how wrong DVD is for large screens! Blu-ray should obviously be regarded as the "normal format" of today in view of how many there are who have access to a larger veiwing angle.

[HDJK]

Originally Posted by ESF

The recording is as usual a mixture of close ups, gentle zoom and a more distant audience perspective. The stage is not too floodlit, so there is a lot of 18th century feel to the atmosphere. I would say that it is shot with a bigger viewing screen in mind, i.e. a large visual field which of course is ideal for a large plasma/projector. Blu-ray, particularly since it is the only format, desperately needs some productions with content quality! It also needs to demonstrate how wrong DVD is for large screens! Blu-ray should obviously be regarded as the "normal format" of today in view of how many there are who have access to a larger veiwing angle.

Thank you very much for theat info

The 1080i part keeps me from buying this now though (my display cannot deinterlace signals, neither can the PS3 unless it's 480i). But as soon as I get my PJ I will check it out.

[sebica]

Finally they got aorund this! We shall see now the rest of the masterworks coming on BLU. I wonder though, why necessarily Die Zauberflöte. Indeed, this is one of Wolfie's greatest works, but they could've started with something more known to the masses so they attract more buyers. I will get this release ASAP nevertheless. What I would like to see now is Die Hochzeit des Figaro, Cosi fan Tutte, Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, Il barbiere di Seviglia, Il Trovatore, La Boheme. Ehhh... there are so many, I can't wait for them all. Thanks to ESF for the heads up.

[Russell_L]

Originally Posted by HDJK

The 1080i part keeps me from buying this now...

As with most 'live' concert programs, this was originally shot on video, not film, and is therefore interlaced--in this case 1080i. 1080i stuff can look stunning--take 'Galapagos', for example, or many of the concert BDs out there. I've got the Chris Botti, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, and Legends of Jazz BDs, and they're all vibrant and sharp as a tack; others have reported that the Tony Bennett, Shakira, and Celine Dion BDs--also in 1080i--look great as well.

Russell

[OokieSpookie]

I have been looking forward to picking this up, I am glad to know that it can already be ordered.

[Russell_L]

Well, I just ordered this from MDT in the UK (http://www.mdt.co.uk). Came out to $48.64 with shipping to the US and VAT deducted. Not too bad, but I just couldn't wait, especially considering that their previously announced first BD ('A Midsummer Night's Dream') isn't slated for release here until March 25.

Russell

[HDJK]

Originally Posted by Russell_L

As with most 'live' concert programs, this was originally shot on video, not film, and is therefore interlaced--in this case 1080i. 1080i stuff can look stunning--take 'Galapagos', for example, or many of the concert BDs out there. I've got the Chris Botti, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, and Legends of Jazz BDs, and they're all vibrant and sharp as a tack; others have reported that the Tony Bennett, Shakira, and Celine Dion BDs--also in 1080i--look great as well.

Russell

Please, next time you make a comment read the whole post first...

Originally Posted by HDJK

Thank you very much for theat info

The 1080i part keeps me from buying this now though (my display cannot deinterlace signals, neither can the PS3 unless it's 480i). But as soon as I get my PJ I will check it out.

I'm quite aware of what you said, but I can simply not watch any 1080i signal with my current setup.

[sebica]

I went yesterday to our local HMV here in Downtown Toronto and the gentleman at the classical section told me that they don't even have it in their system yet and it might take another month or so before the new release crosses the pond. I am going to wait until it gets here.

[Blu-baton]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Wrong "Magic Flute", though, darn--
C'mon, Criterion, hurry up!

I assume you mean Bergman's celebrated Trollflöjten. As I am certain you know, it was done for Swedish TV and was therefore shot at 1:37 aspect ratio, though I believe it was done on 35mm film which means it could at least be rendered in 1440x1080p (instead of 1920x1080). I wonder what advantages would be gained from a blu-ray release of that film. It's very much a TV job with almost no wide shots of the entire (reproduced) Drottnignholm stage. (the guy understood the medium and sure knew what he he was doing). The audio is also probably perfunctory. I'm sure Bergman himself was surprised to see the film have the movie theatre life it eventually enjoyed. Nevertheless, it's SOOO good that I would buy it anyway ... So many great people's masterpieces were created almost by accident, I think that's one of them.