- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080i/60
- Audio Codec: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; PCM 2.0
- Subtitles: None
- Region: ABC (Region-Free)
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 88 minutes
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Studio: C Major Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: March 26, 2013
- List Price: $19.99
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Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Performance
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(The below 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]
The AVO Session Basel was celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2011 and put pop music living legend, Paul Anka, on its stage. For nearly one and a half hours, this 71 year-old crooner, tosses off some of his biggest hits in front of a real “big band.” While there are covers of many other hits in the 25-song playlist below, there are the ones that all Anka-philes simply must hear:
- Diana
- You Are My Destiny
- My Hometown
- Times Of Your Life
- Put Your Head on My Shoulder
- Times Of Your Life
- Puppy Love
- Lonely Boy
- Eso Beso
- A Steel Guitar and A Glass of Wine
- My Way
A natural-born entertainer, Anka has aged pretty well and his vocal range (which was limited from its beginning) covers the charts in style. Backed by some pretty terrific musicians in their own right, and with significant audience interaction, we are treated to the essence of the Anka performance magic: it is simply called connection.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
A filmed rather than videoed performance, we get decent detail and a relative minimization of motion artifact. Colors are mostly muted (Anka sports a dark suit).
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack conveys a nice sense of the venue while the 2-channel alternative is also quite good.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0.5/5]
We get a program booklet that provides background on Anka and this Swiss music festival.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4/5]
Younger viewers may have already consigned the Anka catalog to the “elevator music” bin. However, this would be shortchanging a performer who has not only spanned generations but has created some of the most memorable tunes ever recorded. Unlike some of the aging rockers who continue to go to the well long after it has run dry, Anka provides musical entertainment that is not only relevant but a whole bunch better many of the newer wannabes. In the spirit of singers with stamina that belie their age, this Blu-ray will get you out of your seat and give you pure joy. Make it a guilty pleasure or whatever you wish, I am thankful that C Major Entertainment has made this disc available to all of us.
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product region=”ca” tracking_id=”bluraydefinit-20″]B00B5UBDA0[/amazon-product]
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Purchase Paul Anka: Live in Switzerland on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
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