Tuvayhun: Beatitudes for a Wounded World Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Tuvayhun: Beatitudes for a Wounded World Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 2, 2023

Tikkun olam is a term in Hebrew referring to healing and/or repairing the world, with the implied emphasis that it takes action to achieve that goal. In that regard kind of interestingly the notes 2L includes with this often quite interesting release specifically mention:

Our world is wounded. All around us we see the cracks.

That reference to cracks may remind some of another piece of Jewish lore with which I began my now long ago Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man Blu-ray review, but one way or the other, Tuvayhun: Beatitudes for a Wounded World , a collection whose subtitle "Beatitudes for a Wounded World" might obviously sound more Christian than Jewish, provides ample evidence that there's a universality to the feeling of brokenness that often attends experiencing life, and the commendable analogous feeling that something needs to be done to help the situation.

2L continues to release gorgeously recorded efforts that are obviously aimed at a niche audience, but if you're an "exploratory" type in terms of what you listen to, this disc provides both engaging vocals and some really interesting and rather textured instrumental aspects as well. As with many 2L releases, it's hard to accurately "categorize" this set of pieces, which is actually something that I personally love about it. That said, many of the vocals have a quasi-Gregorian Chant feeling, albeit often suffused with more of an African or Arab bent ( Tuvayhun is the first world, i.e., "blessed", in the Aramaic renderings of the Beatitudes). There's a similarly "tribal" feeling to some of the instrumental arrangements, with some really evocative flute playing that actually reminded me of some of David Amram's culture spanning compositions. Composer Kim André Arnesen dallies in any number of perceived musical "genres", at least in passing, and so there is definitely a heterogeneous feeling to the disc as a whole. Some of the tunes (if I may be permitted to call them that) even approach a pop sensibility at times. There is some brief spoken material part way through the program that may disrupt the listening experience for some.

Tuvayhun: Beatitudes for a Wounded World Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While there is an AVC 1080 video component to this release, it's really just a standard menu. A few "moving parts" are included, with the track titles changing and a complete tracklist also available, along with a credits pop up informational screen. You can control which audio codec you prefer via the colored buttons on your remote and so really don't need to have a monitor employed to enjoy this release.

Tuvayhun: Beatitudes for a Wounded World Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Fans of Blu-ray audio will find another sumptuous recording on this disc, offered via a variety of codecs, including Auro 3D, Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0. I spent the bulk of my time toggling between the Auro 3D and Dolby Atmos tracks, and both of these provide a really immersive listening experience. The hall ambience (the piece was recorded in the spacious but evidently quite cold Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway) on the Auro and Atmos tracks is especially evident, helping to almost embrace the music with a veritable soft cloud of atmosphere. Both soloists and a choir featuring younger voices are well mixed and clear sounding. The instrumental forces include a rather interesting variety, including what sounds like a hammered dulcimer and some really deep, reverberant gong sounds that begin several tracks.

Tuvayhun: Beatitudes for a Wounded World Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

While there is no on disc bonus content other than mShuttle availability, 2L also includes a CD and a really nicely appointed insert booklet with complete texts and more information on the songs.

Tuvayhun: Beatitudes for a Wounded World Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Longtime readers of my reviews know what a champion I am of Blu-ray audio, and 2L continues to offer some of the most interesting releases in this unfortunately underappreciated format. This is not going to be a release for your average Taylor Swift fan (so to speak), but for discerning listeners, especially those with a religious or philosophical bent, Tuvayhun is often moving and has the benefit of kind of willfully defying being pigeonholed into any one genre. Recommended.