Product Description

On February 26, 2008, the world watched as the New York Philharmonic gave the first performance by an American orchestra in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Those lucky enough to be present will never forget that historic evening, when people from two long-divided nations were united through the beauty and power of music. By the end of the final encore, both the audience and the musicians onstage stood waving to each other in a new-found spirit of understanding. We are honored and pleased that through this DVD we can share this transformative experience with new audiences for years to come -- New York Philharmonic President, Zarin Mehta. Hundreds of millions watched the historic concert on television, now exclusively on DVD: the New York Philharmonic concert in Pyongyang.
Music became diplomacy when this courageous musical project united Americans and North Koreans.
The musicians went from strength to strength in a beautiful program which illustrated the
excellency of the orchestra, and Lorin Maazel once more proved his reputation as one of the best contemporary conductors.
Includes previously unreleased documentary with 53 minutes of exclusive material.
The first classical concert release on Blu-ray Disc offers professional technical standards in the comfort
of your own home.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61501 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-09-16
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Classical, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 159 minutes

Review
For at least 90 minutes in a theatre in Pyongyang it was possible to believe that 55 years of cold-war
hostility were coming to an end. --James Miles, The Economist, 2008

Review
Astounding was the fact that the orchestra played the North Korean national anthem and the Star Spangled Banner on a stage flanked by flags of both nations a rare moment of harmony, proving the power of music that bridges the divides. --Cho Jae-hyon, The Korea Times (South Korea), 2008

Time Out Chicago, Bryant Manning, October 2008
The New York Philharmonic's invitation to play in Pyongyang, North Korea, in February is one of the year's most intriguing political stories--campaigns and Fannie Mae included. Nuke wrangling and "axis of evil" name-calling seem a little less probable when you witness these two countries share music so civilly. Israeli filmmaker Heller expertly preserves the whole miraculous 48-hour experiment in this new DVD documentary, which also features uninterrupted concert material.

Time Out New York music editor Steve Smith tagged along; on his blog, he accurately described dreary Pyongyang as full of "gray, blocky apartment buildings" and his hotel as "Soviet-era." In the film, one NY Phil musician recalls waking up early to go for a morning jog when, just minutes later, ominous voices shout through hidden megaphones demanding she return. The American musicians have no contact with their families: Their cell phones are confiscated. And heating is such a luxury that, in late February, virtually no building has it. No wonder Christopher Hitchens elsewhere compared the North Korean government to the "thought police" from Orwell's 1984.

For all Pyongyang's gloom, it's a place that cherishes music. NY Phil's concertmaster, Glenn Dicterow, shows a grateful young Korean woman how to play Mozart. Maazel takes a break and conducts the almost-all-male North Korean National Orchestra through Tchaikovsky and Wagner. At a moment when we don't even know if Kim Jong Il is dead or alive, this rare documentary penetrates deep into a forbidden culture, making this one of our generation's most important artistic artifacts.

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable Historic Concert!
As a S. Korean, who has never been to N. Korea, I really enjoyed this concert and thought the event was meaningful and historic in a once-in-a-lifetime way. At the beginning, the N. Korean audience looked like rather nervous and uncomfortable but as time goes by, they seemed to open their hearts and to be free by the power of music. At the end of the concert, their ovation was almost endless as if they would never let the musicians go. Lorin Maazel, who later mentioned that he'd felt warmth and enthusiasm from the audience, kindly explains about each music he's going to play next with some short Korean sentences, which makes the audience laugh.

New York Phil played many different works including Richard Wagner: Lohengrin, Prelude to Act III; Antonin Dvorak: Symphony No.9 in E minor "From the New World; George Gershwin: An American in Paris; George Bizet: Farandole from L'Arlesienne Suite No.2; Leonard Bernstein: Candide, Overture; Traditional: Arirang. I thought New World Symphony in Pyongyang makes sense and liked the long version (maybe too long?) of the Korean traditional music "Arirang", which was appropriate to play at the end.

Along with the flawless concert, the hi-def documentary "Americans in Pyongyang" is very interesting and enjoyable to watch. You will be able to peek some aspects of N. Korea and people's lives there.

Technically, this EuroArts's very first blu-ray is a bit disappointing, however. The concert was shot in 1080i and AVC coded but birates are around only 10mbps, which means more compression was made than most other blu-rays whose bitates are usually between 20-30. I don't understand why only one layer (25B) was used to include both the concert and the documentary in hi-def. The feature of trailors is available but actually you cannot see them (the click button doesn't work). The audio is excellent with PCM 5.1 and 2.0. A 36 page booklet included.

All in all, this blu-ray is definitely worth getting to enjoy not only the great musical performances but also the historical moments happened in Pyongyang, the last place isolated in the world.

Music conquers over politics
The repertoire was not the best, but the opportunity to view this historic concert makes this DVD worth the purchase price and more. It is a rare glimpse into this closed society and of how music definitely is a universal language. Congrats to all involved in making this concert happen and in making it avalable to all those of us who will most likely never get a chance to visit Pyongyang. Image and sound were very good so the viewing experience is most satisfying. Enjoyed the special feature almost as much as the concert itself, although it makes it very evident that brainwashing is alive and well in North Korea. Sadly, North Koreans seem terrified to speak (like the beauty who could not utter a single word when interviewed) and those music students who dared to speak made it a point to say that they could learn nothing new from the visiting musicians because their teachers were just as good. Really sad.

A Glance of North Korea
Nice picture and sound quality though only 1080i. Gave a glance of North Korea and the people there. Familiar classical music selected. Members of New York Philharmonic were mostly elderlies, it's an old men band! Young generation of New York doesn't play classics anymore? Guess they all go into raptalk now!