What's Available Now from Naxos?

1. Naxos has produced its first HDVD under the Naxos brand name---The Virtual Haydn. Tom Beghin plays all of Haydn's solo keyboard compositions, on a 4-disc boxed set, using 7 historical keyboard instruments played in 9 virtual historic rooms. One HDVD is devoted to to a documentary about the project, a concert with 5 Haydn selections, and an interactive feature that lets you hear how the 7 different instruments would sound in each of the 9 rooms (total of 63 examples). In addition, there are 3 Blu-ray audio disks with all of Haydn's keyboard works. Except for a couple of short archive scenes, the video is in high-definition. Sound is 5.0 DTS-HD Master Audio. This was published only in Blu-ray. In terms of content and recording technology, this title from dreadnaught Naxos may be the most sophisticated video ever offered to the consumer market. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, or Canada.
    
   [As a generalist, I'm not qualified to review this astonishing work by a group of fanatical early music experts teamed up with world-class scientists at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology at McGill University in Montreal. I originally graded this "B+" because I questioned whether it would have the broad appeal required to get the grade of "A" or "A+". But the grade of "X" is more appropriate. If you are interested in historic keyboard music or the cutting edge of music recording and marketing, this title rates an "A++" for you. If you don't have an HDVD home theater, you will have to get one of those too. For the rest of us more mundane souls, this set is still a true bargain. It will open your eyes and ears to deeper understanding of the history of Western music. Thanks to the clever programs put together by Tom Beghin, you can drench in Haydn without getting overwhelmed or bored. Or if you have the sitzfleisch for it, you can listen to it all in only 2 nine-hour days. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]