Music DVDs

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I have a fair-sized collection of music DVDs, which I collected some years ago, but I realise now that I hardly ever watch them. Most of them are operas, but a few are orchestral. Even though I have 20 x as many CDs, I am much more likely to listen to any one of them than any one of the DVDs. The visual medium does not seem to encourage repeated viewing/listening.

Any thoughts?

[Norfolk Born]

Only that my own experience is similar.

[Bryn]

Do as I often do. Listen to them with the television switched off. I know some players which use HDMI connection refuse to play a DVD unless the television is switched on, but in my experience, switching off the television as soon as the disc starts to play causes no problems with the continuation of the playback.

[Petrushka]

I have a fair-sized collection of music DVDs, which I collected some years ago, but I realise now that I hardly ever watch them. Most of them are operas, but a few are orchestral. Even though I have 20 x as many CDs, I am much more likely to listen to any one of them than any one of the DVDs. The visual medium does not seem to encourage repeated viewing/listening.

Any thoughts?

This is my experience as well. Visual memory is much stronger than the aural. I also follow Bryn's suggestion of listening with the TV picture off.

[Roehre]

This is my experience as well. Visual memory is much stronger than the aural.

That makes many of us then. That's why I haven't any purely music DVDs.

[Thomas Roth]

I miss the picture when I listen to cd´s.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It's all in the mind.

[Stanley Stewart]

I seem to be in a minority as I prefer DVDs to CDs. For instance, viewing, say, the Ring Cycle, I have an instant advantage with subtitles; I would miss so many nuances if I listened to "Pelleas & Melisande" on audio only, although I do use a libretto if listening to the 1941 recording on EMI References, conducted by Roger Desormiere. Additionally, modern TV has quite sophisticated sound systems, or I can link the TV to the hi-fi equipment. "Anna Nicole" broadcast on R3, last night, didn't have the allure of the TV relay. Always preferable to have an alternative, surely? For tonight, I've set aside a DVD of Mahler, Sym 6, La Monnaie SO/Hartmut Haenchen, rec 2009.

[Petrushka]

It's all in the mind.

Indeed it is. When viewing Abbado's recent Lucerne Mahler 1 I was irritated beyond belief by two violinists who were jumping up and down so much I could hardly watch it a first time never mind a second! The visual memory is very different from the aural and the visuals never change whereas our aural perception is such that we constantly hear fresh nuances even after many hearings. For this reason, my DVD purchases are very few and limited to the New Year's Day Concerts and some Mahler performances from Haitink, Bernstein and Abbado.