Extreme How To – May 2014

Universal's UHD three-film collection places a trio of documentaries onto one disc, covering great white sharks, the last great ice age, and antarctic penguins. None of these films have been previously released to Blu-ray, making this an early UHD format exclusive…

On the occasion of its 40th anniversary (1974-2014), the Arditti Quartet, one of the most famous groups in contemporary music, has chosen to record, for the second time and this is an occurrence sufficiently rare that it bears emphasizing , the complete string quartets of Brian Ferneyhough. The pieces on these discs immediately weave an auditory spell and well illustrate this composer's brand of complexity, i.e., writing reputed to be unplayable for the instrumentalists but providing a definite pleasure for the listener, caught up in the headiness of a universe without limits or vanishing point. This 3-CD set will not only be one of the indispensable releases of 2014 but also the best way to apprehend the music of a fundamental composer whose intense writing, emancipated heir of Schoenberg, remains radically expressive, chaotic in appearance but sublimated here by the freedom and excellence of the interpretation.

Universal's UHD three-film collection places a trio of documentaries onto one disc, covering The Grand Canyon, the universe, and tornadoes. Of these, only Grand Canyon Adventure has been previously released to Blu-ray, making 2/3 of this an early UHD format exclusive. Note that, while presented in 2160p resolution, none of the films feature HDR color enhancement. Also of note are 5.1 lossless audio tracks for each film and no object-based sound option. No extras are included. Read on for summaries of each film and picture and sound overviews inside.

Ancient Impossible reveals how many of today’s technological achievements were actually developed centuries ago. Colossal monuments, impossible feats of engineering and technologies so precise they defy reinvention–the ancient world was far more advanced than we ever imagined. We’ll travel through history to reveal a radically different picture of the past, with innovations so far ahead of their time; they’re still in use today. New science uncovers a lost world more like our own than we ever suspected, and reveals how modern technology has its blueprint in the ancient world.