- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080i/60
- Audio Codec: PCM 2.0 Stereo; DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles: French, English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean
- Region: ABC (Region-Free)
- Rating: Not Rated
- Discs: 1 (1x Blu-ray)
- Studio: Accentus Music
- Blu-ray Release Date: September 25, 2012
- List Price: $39.99
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Overall
[Rating:4.5/5]
The Performance
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Performance
[Rating:4.5/5]
Eight hundred years have passed since founding of the St. Thomas Boys Choir of Leipzig, otherwise known as Die Thomaner, making it one of the oldest musical institutions in the world. Over the centuries, its members have included such luminaries as Johann Sebastian Bach who is buried on the church grounds. Directors Paul Smaczny and Gunter Atteln have created a documentary that covers the activity of this choir for a year, neatly divided into seasons. Enrolled at the St. Thomas boarding school, we follow the boys through their auditions, their travels, including a trip to Buenos Aires’s Teatro Colon. Between rehearsals and studies, we share their leisure-time activities and how membership in the choir ultimately transforms each boy from having his cheeks painted with the “TC” logo to his graduation. While watching this chronologic journey, you realize how much effort each choir member puts in and how much the work ethic is emphasized by the faculty. With beautiful videography and excellent sound recording, this is a fascinating experience that goes well beyond a musical travelogue.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The cameramen involved in this video give us shot after shot of the young faces and their occasional “boys will be boys” actions. Great attention is paid to the atmosphere of varied locations and the pacing keeps this from becoming a matter-of-fact account of the choir’s activities. Color palette and detail are excellent.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
The dts HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is magnificent and the sonorities of the live sessions are just plain beautiful. While listening, you understand why Mozart remarked: “There is not a choir like it in Vienna, Berlin or Prague.” For special effects enthusiasts, there is a pretty realistic thunderstorm in Chapter 18.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1.5/5]
Accentus provides trailers and two cuts from their simultaneously released BD of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, featuring the choir.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4.5/5]
It is not common that we get to live with a musical group for an entire year and, yet, the time flies in this well-paced documentary. We get to see the behind-the-scenes preparations for the concerts. Even more importantly, we get to see how the young choristers learn to cope with living away from home and getting along with their classmates. Throughout, the intimacy of this group portrait adds a dimension that is informative and heartwarming. I could not help but feel throughout this video that JS Bach himself was looking down on the proceedings and smiling his beneficent smile. I was certainly smiling that smile when the last chapter concluded. Even the hard-hearted will melt during the Christmas section when seeing these young faces illuminated by the candles and holiday spirit singing “Stille Nacht.” (Silent Night). A strongly recommended BD for you and your family.
Additional Screen Captures
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Overall
[Rating:4.5/5]
The Performance
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1.5/5]
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