Sky Arts 2 Mahler Symphony Cycle

[Mr Pee]

For my fellow Sky Arts viewers, just spotted in the Radio Times that there's a new cycle of Mahler symphonies from the Concertgebouw Orchestra next week on Sky Arts 2,(all in HD as well if you have it!), starting on Monday at 8pm with Daniel Harding conducting the 1st Symphony, and then immediately afterwards Maris Jansons with no. 2.

The rest of the week looks like this:-

Tuesday 8pm:- Maris Jansons, No.3
Tuesday 10pm:- Ivan Fischer, No.4.

Wednesday 8pm:- Daniele Gatti, No.5
Wednesday 9:30: Lorin Maazel, no. 6.

Thursday 8pm:- Pierre Boulez, No.7
Thursday 9:35:- Jansons, no. 8

Friday 8pm:- Bernard Haitink, no. 9
Friday 9:50:- Eliahu Inbal, No.10.

I've set it all up on the Sky+ box with series link- particularly looking forward to Ivan Fischer. His recording of No.4 with the BFO is one of the very best.

And of course at 10pm on Sunday, the return of The South Bank Show, with a profile of Nicholas Hytner.

No wonder The Guardian recently said that "Sky Arts is increasingly proving itself the place to find the most interesting and innovative arts programming.”

[EnemyoftheStoat]

That'll be the forthcoming RCO DVD box then. Is Sky broadcasting it in Bluray?

[underthecountertenor]

Well it will be on their HD channel, EnemyoftheStoat. The only problem with this, as far as I am concerned, is that the sound as broadcast seems not to be up to much (if their Met broadcasts are anything to go by).

[Mr Pee]

Well it will be on their HD channel, EnemyoftheStoat. The only problem with this, as far as I am concerned, is that the sound as broadcast seems not to be up to much (if their Met broadcasts are anything to go by).

Do you put the sound through your Hi- Fi or a home cinema system? I listen via a Panasonic 5.1 surround set up, and I've never had any complaints!

And I wonder how much this set will cost when it is released on Blu-Ray?

[Bryn]

Sky and the BBC have both come in for a lot of stick over the past couple of years regarding the poor quality of their audio on HD, This is said to be down to the paucity of data made available to carry the audio. It is difficult to find up to date figures but it would appear that Sky use around the same number of data to carry six channels (5.1) as the Radio 3 HD Sound option uses to carry just two. So nothing like HD sound really, but probably enough for those with cloth ears.

[Mr Pee]

Sky and the BBC have both come in for a lot of stick over the past couple of years regarding the poor quality of their audio on HD, This is said to be down to the paucity of data made available to carry the audio. It is difficult to find up to date figures but it would appear that Sky use around the same number of data to carry six channels (5.1) as the Radio 3 HD Sound option uses to carry just two. So nothing like HD sound really, but probably enough for those with cloth ears.

That'll be me then!!!

Seriously though, at nearly 50, and after many years of playing in Military bands, my hearing is not what it was. So I am sure that I will enjoy the Mahler symphonies with my cloth ears regardless. And my eyesight, with the help of glasses, will certainly enjoy also watching them in HD. You don't get that channel from Radio 3!!

[VodkaDilc]

Many thanks for alerting me to the Mahler cycle, which I had not noticed. The South Bank Show is already set on series link - one could hardly fail to be aware of its return, with the constant trailers (almost at BBC levels of repetitiveness!!). I'm really pleased to see Sir MB has found a new and congenial home.

[Panjandrum]

. So nothing like HD sound really, but probably enough for those with cloth ears.

So presumably, Bryn, you derive no pleasure from mono recordings?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Sky and the BBC have both come in for a lot of stick over the past couple of years regarding the poor quality of their audio on HD, This is said to be down to the paucity of data made available to carry the audio. It is difficult to find up to date figures ..

The former Performance Channel, discontinued in 2008, had particularly dire audio quality, but it had the virtue of being free.

[Bryn]

So presumably, Bryn, you derive no pleasure from mono recordings?

A total non-sequitur. Why might mono equate with low definition sound. One criticism I have of many digital broadcaster is that when they process monaural source material for transmission, they waste data that could be used to represent it in high quality by creating two identical channels at, say, 128kbps mp2, rather than one at 256lbps (though the degree of waste is ameliorated if 'joint stereo' processing is used. The same waste of data potential is found on many download sites, such as the Naxos one, where historical mono recordings are similarly treated.

[Bryn]

The former Performance Channel, discontinued in 2008, had particularly dire audio quality, but it had the virtue of being free.

Indeed, 128kbps mp2 used to represent 2 channel stereo. There were plenty of complaints on the old Radio 3 Forum when Radio 3 dropped its DAB data rates to that level for a while. Fortunately, they got the message for once, apologised and returned the default rate to 192kbps stereo, with 160kbps 'joint stereo' being resorted to sometimes when 5LSX was active.

[Panjandrum]

A total non-sequitur.

One might say the same about your comment that only those with cloth ears would enjoy these broadcasts.

Why might mono equate with low definition sound.

Well, I don't think many people would go back to mono in preference to stereo.

Nevertheless, I accept that Sky, BBC and other broadcasters' audio does not match the quality of the visual element of the package.

[Bryn]

One might say the same about your comment that only those with cloth ears would enjoy these broadcasts.

Well, I don't think many people would go back to mono in preference to stereo.

Nevertheless, I accept that Sky, BBC and other broadcasters' audio does not match the quality of the visual element of the package.

Not the comment I made, "nothing like HD sound really, but probably enough for those with cloth ears". Whether they, or others, might enjoy what was on offer is another matter. I was addressing the specious claim to High Definition when it comes to the audio aspect of Sky Arts 2. Each of the 6 channels of surround audio gets a lower data allocation than each of the 2 channels of audio on the old Standard Definition, though the codec used for HD is admittedly more efficient.

[VodkaDilc]

Since Sky Arts is part of the standard Sky package of channels, I imagine huge numbers of "users" have access to it. As many have observed, Sky is a hugely convenient method of receiving television and radio.

May I say that I think it rather tasteless to be making adverse comments about Melvyn Bragg. Surely few have made a greater contribution to the televising of the arts over the past 35 years. Fortunately he is still going strong.

[Bryn]

Now this is what I call a Mahler cycle.