Sacred Music (The BBCs Groundbreaking TV Series) [DVD] [2010]

Series One of the BBC's groundbreaking classical music programme follows renowned actor and former chorister Simon Russell Beale as he explores the flowering of Western sacred music. This four-part documentary series contains a rich mix of personal, political and musical stories and features some of the greatest music ever written, all performed by Harry Christophers and his award-winning choir, The Sixteen.

Review
A beutifully filmed series that should inspire many to investigate further --The Gramophone.may 2010

The interplay of music,image and appealingly-elaborated context creates a rich polyphony of its own. performance **** Picture and sound **** extras *** --BBC Music Magazine. April 2010

One of the best things the BBC has made in years
These shows were aired in the autumn of 2009 in the afternoon and was perfect viewing before catching the football scores. Here we have all four programmes with extras on two DVDs. Simon Russell Beale takes us through four periods: the Gothic Revolution, Palestrina, Tallis and Byrd, and finally J. S. Bach. The fact the series ends here might suggest that there might be another series (please!) looking at maybe Handel, Henry Francis Lyte and others.

Beale is excellent as a presenter. He has secure knowledege without sounding pompous and arrogant and he also does not try to be "a nice guy" like many others these days. He gets on with the programme without dumbing down leaving others to be anaytical, chiefly Harry Christophers, the conductor of The Sixteen who provide most of the excellent music.

Choral music of this kind rarely gets any attention and to hear it played in these magnificent cathedrals remind us of why they were written. The show also does not force religion onto the viewer and the show can be throughly enjoyed by all. I seriously did not think you could enjoy an hour of Gregorian chant but with the visuals, interviews and performances you can.

At last the DVD!
I saw this series when it first went out in late 2008 on BBC 4 and was captivated by the combination of the glorious music and the learned approach to the development of the western choral tradition; I was frustrated to discover that the BBC hadn't made it available on DVD despite repeating it in 2009 (and now in 2010). Hooray for Corus, yet again!

Great series marred by poor manufacture
Having seen this on television I waited with anticipation for the release of the DVD. The series is informative, well-presented and well-edited, but the sound quality on the DVD is poor (which I do not recollect being a problem with the broadcasts), and one of the disks which I received, while appearing to be in mint condition, skips long periods which several different players describe as "damaged areas". Sadly I confess while expecting to be delighted I emerge disappointed from the experience.

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