Laser Discs
The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diameter typically spans 30 cm (12 in). Unlike most optical-disc standards, LaserDisc is not fully digital, and instead requires the use of analog video signals. Although the format was capable of offering higher-quality video and audio than its consumer rivals, VHS and Betamax videotape, LaserDisc never managed to gain widespread use in North America. This was largely due to the high cost of the players and their inability to record TV programs. It eventually did gain some traction and high-end popularity in the 1990s. Its superior video and audio quality made it a popular choice among videophiles and film enthusiasts during its lifespan. The technologies and concepts behind LaserDisc were the foundation for later optical disc formats, including Compact Disc (CD), DVD, and Blu-ray (BD). LaserDisc players continued to be produced until July 2009. With such limited availability, LD players and media have become the focus of a growing community of aficionados.
An Evening with the Kiri Te Kanawa
Kiri Te Kanawa, Jeremy Irons, London Symphony Orchestra (John Mauceri)
Borodin: Prince Igor - Royal Opera, Covent Garden [Box Set]
Sergei Leiferkus, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, (Bernard Haitink)
Claude Debussy: La Mer, Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune; Maurice Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe - Suite No 2
Berliner Philharmoniker (Herbert von Karajan)
Concert in Berlin: Rostropovich, Bashmet & Spivakov
Yuri Bashmet, Vladimir Spivakov, Berliner Philharmoniker (Mstislav Rostropovich)
Dudley Moore Introduces Concerto! Vol 3 - Saint-Saens:Cello Concerto No 1, Op 33
Steven Isserlis
Dvorak: Festival Concert No. 2, Symphony No. 8
Igor Ardasev, Prague Symphony Orchestra (Petr Altrichter)
Dvorak: Festival Concert No. 3, Slavonic Dances, Romance for Violin & Orchestra, Symphony No. 7
Ivan Zenaty, Prague Symphony Orchestra (Jiri Belohlavek)
Dvorak: Symphony No. 9; Fucik: Marches & Waltzes
Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (Vaclav Neumann)
Gala Performances: Domingo & Rostropovich Live In Concert
Domingo, Rostropovich, Kirov Theatre Orchestra of St. Peterburg
Ivo Pogorelich in Villa Contarini: Scriabin - Etude & 2 Poemes / Chopin - Sonata No.2, Prelude, & Polonaise
Ivo Pogorelich, (Horant Hohlfeld)