Funding for the arts even in industrialized, well developed nations can often be a bone of contention. Many arts
organizations are on the public dole out of necessity, otherwise they would cease to exist. Even with civic, municipal
and/or state support, many of these arts organizations survive from year to year with only the slimmest margins, and
many are often teetering on the edge of extinction. Despite this, there's a constant drumbeat of complaints from many
of these same arts organizations that they're inadequately funded (which they probably are) and that none of the
creative artists is making enough money (which is probably the truth). There's a significant dose of reality to be had
therefore in the unassuming fortitude of the musicians who make up the Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste, a
hardscrabble bunch of amateurs who have fought long odds to pursue their dream of making beautiful music together.
The OSK as it's colloquially known is the only symphony orchestra in the Congo and as one of its proud members
declaims during the course of this documentary is the only symphony orchestra anywhere comprised solely of
blacks. Kinshasa is the third largest city in Africa, home to around ten million inhabitants, and the capital of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country which as the liner notes to this release describe has a surface size 75
times that of its former colonial occupier Belgium. The average income in the nation is a staggering $300 per capita per
year, and an astounding 73% of the population is considered to be malnourished. The teeming squalor of Kinshasa is
completely on display throughout Kinshasa Symphony. To say that some of the players in the OSK live in shanty
towns is perhaps being generous, and many of the individuals featured in the documentary describe lives of scraping
along with only the barest essentials. And yet all of these people have joined together to try to forge a symphony
orchestra. Absolutely remarkable.
The destitute living conditions of all of the players here spills over into their avocation from the very first moments of
Kinshasa
Symphony, as one of the orchestra members is also the designated "Mr. Fix It" and has climbed a nearby power
pole to restore
electricity
to the outdoor rehearsal area the group has congregated in. He makes a joke of his ability to quickly set down his
instrument as soon as
other orchestra members glance his way in order to facilitate getting things up and running, but his story is mirrored by
many others in the
orchestra who are confronting astounding personal trials and tribulations, and yet still find the internal moxie to
rehearse regularly and
perform. Some of these other people include a single mother who brings her young son along with her to the
rehearsals and another man
who is literally handcrafting doublebasses from stencils he derived from his own instrument (which he had to take apart
to make the
stencils),
so that others will have something to play. In fact the lack of instruments was one of the major hurdles OSK had to
overcome early in its
life.
To say that Kinshasa Symphony is a depiction of the triumph of human spirit over adversity is a bit of an
understatement, though the
documentary is to be lauded for not wallowing even a little bit in maudlin proselytizing or trying to make any of these
incredible people out
to be victims. In fact there's a resoluteness about all of these people that's really awe inspiring throughout the
documentary, and a great
deal of good humor is also on display. One of the funnier segments is the sight of these French speaking Africans
attempting to learn the
German of the final choral movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. In fact a great deal of the documentary is built
around rehearsals for
the Ninth.
To say that Kinshasa Symphony is a depiction of the triumph of human spirit over adversity is a bit of an
understatement, though the
documentary is to be lauded for not wallowing even a little bit in maudlin proselytizing or trying to make any of these
incredible people out
to be victims. In fact there's a resoluteness about all of these people that's really awe inspiring throughout the
documentary, and a great
deal of good humor is also on display. One of the funnier segments is the sight of these French speaking Africans
attempting to learn the
German of the final choral movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. In fact a great deal of the documentary is built
around rehearsals for
the Ninth.
It's therefore a little surprising as we move to the "really big show", an open air concert the OSK and assorted chorus
puts on, when we
actually get part of Orff's "Carmina Burana" instead. No one is ever going to accuse this congregation of setting new
aesthetic levels with
their interpretation (which is a bit on the languid side, at least in the snippets of "O Fortuna" which are included here),
but the mere fact
that they have gotten together and attained even this level of artistry is the real story, and it's one that could well
bring a tear to the eye of
even the most hard hearted audience members. These are people who have given their heart and soul to music for the
sheer joy it brings
to their lives, and Kinshasa Symphony stands not just as a testament to overcoming hardship, but more
importantly for the intrinsic
worth the arts bring to individual lives.
Update: I discovered on 12/7/11 that the latest PS3 software update causes 1080i to display as 1080p, so that,
coupled with the fact the documentation provided with this release lists it as being 1080p, initially led to some confusion on
my part as to why there were combing artifacts in my screencaps. I've since used another PS3 I have which didn't have the
software update applied and discovered this is actually a 1080i presentation (as was my hunch), despite the information
provided on the keepcase insert.
Kinshasa Symphony is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cmajor with an AVC encoded transfer in 1.78 that is listed
as being in 1080p,
though the screencaps clearly showed combing artifacts (which were deinterlaced prior to uploading them here). I'm
assuming perhaps this was
originally done for French television with an interlaced source element and was then transferred progressively for Blu-ray
release. The
documentary boasts excellent color and extremely appealing sharpness and clarity, though occasionally contrast is less
distinct than some might
want, leading to some minor crush in the nighttime scenes. Though the combing artifacts were clearly visible when motion
was stopped to take
the screencaps, when the image is in motion they're undetectable and I seriously doubt they will cause anyone much worry
in an overall
excellent video presentation.
Though Kinshasa Symphony is presented with two lossless soundtracks, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and an LPCM
2.0 stereo fold down,
some may be initially disappointed because this is a documentary, not a performance piece. While there are snippets here
and there of
rehearsals, and the climactic concert that caps the piece, this is really much more a portrait of a handful of individuals who
perform in the troupe,
and as such the vast bulk of this piece is simply talking head segments with any given participant simply speaking directly
into the camera. That
said, there's some appealing surround activity when the documentary ventures out into the insanely busy streets of
Kinshasa, and the music
segments also provide some decent immersion. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range is also well above average on both
of these lossless
tracks.
Bonus (HD; 9:12). This generically titled supplement includes what looks like some deleted scenes featuring some
of the individuals featured in the main documentary.
Anyone who makes their living in the Arts and is prone to at least occasionally complaining about their lot in life ought to be
required to watch
Kinshasa Symphony for a rather brisk wake-up call. Symphony musicians in the United States and other heavily
industrialized (and
relatively well funded) nations are probably going to glean the most from this piece, although their natural cynicism about
the lack of professional
finesse on display may keep them from getting the real message here, which is the power of music to transform
lives. Those of us who
make at least part of our livings with music or other arts are too cavalier in not adequately remembering what any given Art
did to us in our core
beings early in our lives, so subsumed do we become in bringing home regular paychecks. The OSK shows what a pure
love for an Art, in this
case music, can do for individuals and an ensemble as a whole. This Blu-ray offers very appealing video and audio and its
message is extremely
important. Highly recommended.
Kinshasa Symphony Blu-ray, News and Updates
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