Mahler: Symphony No.2 [Blu-ray] [2010]

NEW REVIEW OF THE "REMASTERED" MAHLER 2 BLU-RAY (MARCH 17TH 2011):

Well, EXACTLY six months after reporting the audio issue affecting the first blu-ray release of this concert, the day has finally come when the revised verion arrived at my door and it has been worth the wait! I can't comment on player compatibility issues, because I never had them, but I've watched the "remastered" Mahler 2 BD from start to finish now and can conclude that the sound is absolutely fantastic all the way through, just as it was on the DVD. The picture is of course a clear improvement over the DVD, but that was already the case on the earlier BD and I see no difference there.

Traces of the struggle to "get it right" this time can still be detected though, but it depends on viewers' indivual sensibilities as to how distracting they'll find it. Something I hadn't noticed before on the earlier, bad sounding BD (probably because I was already so turned off by the poor sound) was that at some points the picture and the audio weren't in perfect synch with each other. A good example of that can be seen early in the 3rd movement where one of the percussionists makes a rhythmic sound with a straw bush on the big drum; on the DVD the picture and the sound are in synch, but on the earlier BD it was not quite in synch. The NEW BD actually magnifies that issue; it's even a bit more out of synch, with the sound of the beats falling perfectly BETWEEN the visual beats (actually the audio lags a bit behind the video).
One can see this fluctuating regularly; long stretches are perfectly (or nearly perfectly) in synch and then at some points the audio and video go out of synch a bit, but then at the next shot everything is in synch again.
The vocal parts luckily show no synch issues, as I suspect most people would be the most annoyed about. This thing must have something to do with the fact that there were different SD and HD video edits of the concert, so it doen't really surprise me.
All in all I think it's a small price to pay for a BD version that finally has great sound and fine picture quality, and it's certainly not going to stop me from upgrading my star rating from 1 to 5 now. Bravo to everyone involved in making this happen!

One thing that will be an issue in the coming time is the old BD still floating around in the distribution chain and lots of online and "terrestrial" stores also, which is part of the reason why I'm still keeping the text of my old review below for everyone to see. Unfortunately there's no way to tell from the packaging if one has the correct version or not. The only way to know the difference is by removing the cellophane and checking the code on the inner ring of the data-side of the disc, which is different from the previous BD. These are the codes:

Old: A0101642381-A511
New: A0101729797-A511

The latest info from Euroarts says that there are indeed still some old ones around, but if anyone still encounters one of them, just notify the outlet you bought it from or contact Euroarts directly. It will be dealt with and you'll get a correct disc one way or the other.

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OLD REVIEW OF THE FIRST BLU-RAY EDITION OF THIS CONCERT (SEPTEMBER 17th 2010):

Let me start by saying that the actual concert on the blu-ray is one of the best I've ever seen, but my review - which is actually a near copy of a comment I placed earlier under another review - will not be about that.

I had already ordered this one from the UK near the end of August and noticed something was wrong within seconds when I heard almost EVERY sound coming from the front speakers alone, and I'm talking about the 5.1 mix here, *not* the stereo. The mix sounds as flat as a pancake and doesn't even begin to compare with the 5.1 mix on the DVD, or the glorious 5.1 mixes for the BD's of Mahler Symphony No. 1/ Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3, Mahler Symphony No. 3 & Mahler Symphony No. 6 (buy those, buy those, they're great!!). I contacted Euroarts tech support immediately and one of the people who handled the actual production of the BD confirmed that it's a result of different video & audio versions that exist for this title.

Basically the SD video edit was different to the HD-Cam, so the original DVD-version 5.1 audio didn't match the HD-Cam picture or stereo audio. It was decided there wasn't time to re-edit the HD-Cam video & stereo audio to match the 5.1 mix, so the stereo was used to make a new 5.1.

This has two problems:

1 - A 5.1 conversion seldom sounds as good as a real 5.1 mix, but more importantly

2 - The HD-Cam stereo soundtrack had been heavily limited, meaning that the loud sections were significantly reduced in level.

This is common in broadcast for TV, which is probably what happened here. These two factors together explain the difference between the BD 5.1 and the DVD 5.1. The problem is that to correct this would involve significant time and expense...

So, due to time and money constraints they found themselves forced to use a clearly sub-par stereo source to create a pseudo 5.1 mix that doesn't even begin to sound like one; it has zero depth and lacks all the refinement the original 5.1 mix had on the DVD of the same concert, all because it's a helluva job (really, it is) to create a brand new HD video edit of the concert which will actually fit just as seamlessly as the original SD video edit did with the original 5.1 mix. You see, if they'd just combine the HD video edit as it is right now with the original 5.1 mix, the whole thing would be totally out of synch. A complete overhaul will therefore be needed to turn this into a product worthy of the concert itself and of the BD format.
My personal opinion is that they never should have released it. They should have just taken their time and release it at a later date, concurrently with one of the other Mahler/Abbado performances that will still be appearing on BD in the near future. The guy from Euroarts said they really need to see how they'll be handling this (I actually urged a temporary recall of this BD until the issue is resolved) but at the moment it's not clear what will happen, because fixing this will take time and ehm... money. I'll gladly keep you guys updated on any news regarding this in the comments section!

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A RE-REVIEW IN THE LIGHT OF EUROARTS HAVING NOW CORRECTED THE SOUND ON THIS DISC. I AM LEAVING THE ORIGINAL REVIEW, BUT WITH THE RE-REVIEW AT THE END.

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I can only add my voice to the chorus of protest here. This Blu-ray disc as issued by EuroArts is a disgrace and should be withdrawn immediately.

Echoing the experience of other purchasers, the disc completely jams my normally excellent OPPO BDP-83 player. So bad is the jamming that the only way out of the total freeze is to turn off the machine and eject the disc. This problem occurs when the solo voice enters in Track 5 (at 43.29") and the chorus enters in Track 6 (at 1.09.12"). Clearly, there would appear to be an underlying difficulty to do with synchronisation of subtitled text, although the problem occurs whether any subtitles are showing or not and in any sound format, be it PCM Stereo or DTS HD Master Audio.

We are greatly indebted to 'Godbluffer' for pursuing the audio problems with EuroArts and revealing the unholy mess that created this ghastly compromise. I have owned the standard DVD for some time, and this offers very good sound in PCM Stereo, DD 5.1 and DTS 5.1. The picture is very good, too, if not quite as sharp as the Blu-ray, but in this case there is not a lot in it. However, the sound is radically different. The DTS 5.1 of the DVD offers a spacious surround sound ambience within the Lucerne Concert Hall, and there is tremendous weight and range. Turn immediately to the Blu-ray and the comparison is extraordinary. Using the so-called 'DTS HD Master Audio', the hall ambience and the sense of a large acoustic space have virtually disappeared, and although there is something coming through the subwoofer, the overall effect is that of a horribly compressed stereo image. The narrowness of the dynamic range and the dreadful compression make for an astonishingly flat sound, and the outcome is a frightful insult to a great performance of this wonderful work by Abbado and his Lucerne forces.

Until this problem is resolved, I would urge you NOT TO BUY THIS DISC. If you really want Abbado's performance, and you should, then get the DVD for the time being. It will more than suffice. I would also strongly urge you to get the Blu-ray discs of Mahler's 3rd and 6th Symphonies under Abbado which both look and sound stupendous. Wonderful recordings of equally great performances.

AND EUROARTS - DO THE RIGHT THING - RECALL THIS DISC, REPAIR THE FAULTS AND REISSUE IT.
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PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A RE-REVIEW IN THE LIGHT OF EUROARTS HAVING NOW CORRECTED THE SOUND ON THIS DISC.

Other reviewers have commented very positively on the re-issue of this disc. I have not heard this performance on the single disc but as part of the newly-issued 4-disc set, and it now sounds splendid - a huge improvement on the DVD. Visual quality is excellent. I have experienced none of the earlier problems with my OPPO player; texts appear properly in translation and there are no glitches. The same goes for the whole set which is a stupendous achievement. The performances are shattering, and in my view the set as a whole is not only a landmark in Blu-ray concert experiences, but also a benchmark for recorded Mahler performances in any format. Five stars.

Abbado has the enviable reputation of being one of the world's finest Mahler conductors. This has been further reinforced by his set of performances held at Lucerne with his hand-picked orchestra constituting the Lucerne Festival orchestra.

This very large orchestra, apart from containing musicians of outstanding individual abilities, also lays great stress upon their empathy and experience with the world of chamber music. Thus is achieved the unusual combination of orchestral size allied to individual and corporate sensitivity. This suits Abbado's particular vision of Mahler and is apparent throughout this performance which could be described as both visionary in style and inspirational in effect.

The generously spacious layout of the orchestra allows the camera work to achieve equivalent sensitivity of detail as well as panoramic effect. The newly re-mastered surround and original stereo captures all of this with admirable lucidity.

On that note - a word of caution. The original issue of this disc had unsatisfactory sound with the surround sound being electronically processed from the stereo as a result of mechanical failure of the Blu-ray surround sound source. This caused an outcry as it was inferior to the DVD version. Since then Euroarts have re-mastered the Blu-ray from the DVD genuine surround sound original to good effect and any remaining problems are not really significant. There may still be some older issues in stock though ....

The upcoming series planned by Chailly, also on Blu-ray, might become a serious competitor to Abbado however. His Mahler 2 is now available and some find it preferable - certainly as sound. I have both and find them equally satisfying in their different ways (see my Chailly review for further details). Highly recommended in its new re-processed form.