What's Available Now from SFSmedia?

SFSmedia is now releasing Keeping Score titles in HDVD:

1. Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique. Michael Tilson Thomas directs the San Francisco Symphony in a recent performance of Symphonie Fantastique as part of the "Keeping Score" universal outreach program of the San Francisco Symphony. In addition, Thomas narrates a 55-minute Public Television educational program about Berlioz and the Symphonie Fantastique. SFSmedia is shooting here for a state-of-the-art product, alpha to omega. Released in 2009, this disc is 99.5% in high-definition video and has TrueHD 7.1 sound. It seems no vendor in Europe has this title directly now, but you can place an import order by clicking on Symphonie Fantastique. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, or Canada.
    
   [Although I always loved Harold in Italy, I hated all other music by Berlioz, including Symphony fantastique. Would watching the Keeping Score documentary about Symphony fantastique make a difference? Michael Tilson Thomas is almost as good a speaker and teacher as he is a conductor. The documentary was made, I think, to show on public television. It has all the production values you would expect like gorgeous shots of Paris and other locations in France and Italy, excellent writing based on careful research, and expert movie making. Thomas tells about the life of Berlioz, and he makes the Symphony fantastique come alive as he explains the themes and aspects of the music in relation to the dramatic loves of young Hector. I then listened 3 times to the live performance of Symphony fantastique by the San Francisco Symphony.
   On first listening I was surprised to discover that I didn't hate the symphony any more---so the documentary was working. On second listening I began to wonder, "Is this the best recording of a symphony that I have experienced?" Shaking my head, I starting looking around for a comparison. Why, we already have another recording of Symphony fantastique in HDVD---the one by Ozawa and the Saito Kinen Orchestra published by NHK!
   So for my third listening I did many movement-by-movement comparisons of the Thomas and Ozawa versions. According to Gramophone magazine, the San Francisco Symphony is the 13th best in the world, and the Saito Kinen ranks 19th. But surely you wouldn't expect any festival orchestra to be competitive with the likes of the San Francisco band when they are recording in their own lair (Davies Hall) with its state-of-the art recording facilities. Well, the Saito Kinen group is competitive, and I now have even more respect for their singular accomplishments than before. But the comparison also bolstered my feeling that the Thomas recording could indeed be a reference recording for a symphony.
   Seeing the musicians perform in HDVD makes what you hear more impressive than merely listening to the music, say, from a CD. The video record of the San Francisco Symphony performance of Symphony fantastique is probably as good as could be expected with today's technology. The light was bright enough to allow high resolution camera work, but also warm enough to avoid eye-strain and give everybody and everything a healthy glow. The stage is equipped with the normal long range cameras plus special cameras that move about by remote control within the orchestra. There is a command center for the video work that was invented by Dr. Strangelove. It gives the TV director (Gary Halvorson, I think) the ability to plan and make many different short close-ups of the musicians in rapid succession throughout the show. So while Thomas is frantically conducting the mass of players before him, Strangelove is engaged in even more frantic (if unseen) efforts to follow the score and the music in making his movie of the performance. The players know this. No longer can a player hide. At any time, and especially when musical ball is passed to him, anybody can become the star! This must be an exciting and intimidating new aspect of working as as classical musician.
   Although the mikes are almost invisible, the quality of this recording proves that Davies Hall is also extraordinarily well equipped to record the sounds of the musicians. So now put it all together. As is pointed out in one of the extras features on this disc, when the video shows, say, the concertmaster, his violin is what the viewer hears. Because the TV director in Davies Hall has such extraordinary control over both the aural and visual material coming from the musicians, the TV director becomes a kind of second conductor! Thomas is the conductor from the perspective of the players and the live audience. What Thomas brings forth is what the people in Davies Hall experience. But Strangelove determines what we in our home theater will experience, and he may contribute as much to our great experience as Thomas does.
   In this recording, the experience we get is fine indeed. The basis for all, of course, is Thomas's masterly knowledge of the piece (conducted without a score) and his ability to lead his talented troupe where they need to go. Still, Ozawa is probably every bit as good at this as any other conductor. Thomas also has the advantage of leading an ensemble that has played together for years, and now they are in their home court. Probably the audience in Davies Hall heard a stronger performance than the audience at the Saito Kinen festival. But would you tell much difference in these performances if all you had was a recording of each from an identical single camera and single mike? I think probably not.
   The difference between a great recording and an reference recording comes from the quality of the gear and the skill of staff placed under the control of Strangelove. Because of the closeness of the video and aural recordings made at Davies hall, we feel we are even closer to the musicians than Thomas is. We are struck by the wide dynamic range we hear (and even see) as Thomas quickly moves from soft to loud and back. As we hear the musical lead pass from player to player and section to section, we are simultaneously transported visually as well as aurally around the stage. And finally, we are treated to a astonishing degree of detail. For example, when the harps come in during the "Un Bal" movement, we see and hear them with a brilliance that is startling. We hear even the smallest tap-crash from the cymbals because, just for a fraction of a second, we see them touch. When Jeffrey Anderson proclaims the Dies Irae on his tuba, we know from his expression that something terrible is afoot.
   This thumbnail is getting too long, so I will end my description of how "Keeping Score" changed me from a hater to lover of Symphony fantastique. But I should also say that I have only touched on other important aspects of the "Keeping Score" outreach program of the San Francisco Symphony. I look forward to viewing other HDVD titles from Thomas and forces. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
    
   
2. Charles Ives Holidays Symphony. Michael Tilson Thomas directs the San Francisco Symphony in a recent performance of the Holidays Symphony as part of the "Keeping Score" universal outreach program of the San Francisco Symphony. In addition, Thomas narrates an educational program about Ives and the Holidays Symphony. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, or Canada.
    
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3. Shostakovich Symphony No. 5. Michael Tilson Thomas directs the San Francisco Symphony in a recent performance of the Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 as part of the "Keeping Score" universal outreach program of the San Francisco Symphony. In addition, Thomas narrates an educational program about Shostakovich and the Symphony No. 5. SFSmedia is shooting here for a state-of-the-art product, alpha to omega. Released in 2009, this disc is high-definition video and has TrueHD 5.1 sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, or Canada.
    
   [Please let us know if you would like to write a thumbnail description here about this title.]