This Concert Is Fantastic!
Anthony Morelli | Montreal, Canada | 03/10/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's great to finally have the opportunity to review this spectacular concert DVD and CD. The clarity of the audio recording is amazing. There isn't as much verbal contact between Sarah to her audience on the CD, but the DVD is the full thing, just as the audience saw it when they were there. I believe this DVD runs circles around The Harem world tour DVD 100 times, which makes this purchase totally worthwhile. The photos are stunning and the printing of the glossy booklet make everything look so nice. The DVD is purple and the CD is black with silver lettering.
Sarah's costumes and hair are gorgeous and she is definitely glowing and looking more pretty than ever. There is one small difference from the studio recording of "Fleurs Du Mal" and the recording on the dicsc. What I'm saying is...Sarah doesn't do that high-pitched vocalise while the violin solo comes in in the intro of the song, compared to the studio album recording. I wonder if it would've wrecked the intro to the song if she did sing it while moving down the middle aisle.
"Sanvean" written by Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance) is a beautiful vocalise consisting of no lyrics but just sounds. That is what I love about this song. It's just so haunting and original, and Sarah does it very well, even if some say she's too breathy. "Canto Della Terra" is beautiful and Alessandro Safina looks & sounds amazing as Sarah's duet partner. Together, they blow everyone away with their breathtaking live rendition of the song. "Atessa" is very pretty and much better than expected. It really doesn't appear they used any playback for this concert, meaning Sarah used her own voice for the whole recording. I was actually expecting Atessa to be dubbed from the studio recording because of that very outstanding high note at the end, which is incredibly hard to do without screaming it.
"POTO" turned out to be quite nice, although it was a little too fast-paced compared to the original version. But the rock concert edge gives it a totally new edge and Sarah was still able to sing over the volume of the rock band and the pipe organ high above her and Chris Thompson. Oh, that reminds me, in "I will be with you"...my only negative comment would be; Chris Thompson looks a bit tired and sounds winded. If I hadn't known already what he looks like, I would've thought they pulled someone off the street to sing with her, although the rock edge was still there in his voice. Fortunately enough, Chris shines in "POTO", and he and Sarah really blew me away when I heared the performance for the 1st time. The CD bonus track "Vide Cor Meum" is beautiful and really fits in well with the theme of the album. It could've worked really well in the traclisting on the studio album "Symphony" too.
It's really wonderful to have this beautiful package and I'll cherish it for many years to come. This is by far, Sarah's best live performance to date...although there are some really amazing live performances on her other live DVDs. But this one really showcases Sarah's live singing voice, and how well she can work with a rock band. Get this item and you'll agree, it's totally worth the wait and the money."
Great DVD, but CD is a bit pointless
A. Salas | Brooklyn, New York United States | 03/11/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a great concert, if not as good as what the Symphony North American tour eventually morphed into, incorporating older hits, haunting visuals and even an electronica version of the Nutcracker's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. But what we have here is pretty great anyway, mostly just Sarah looking pretty, sounding fantastic, and performing in a great gothic cathedral. What's not to love? It's a pleasure to see Sarah give into her rock and roll side for a few numbers, giving us the gothic rock she's been teasing us with for so long.
My only question is the point of the CD, since the songs are performed so closely to the studio versions on the Symphony CD, with almost the exact track-listing. Only the bonus track Vide Cor Meum, made me buy the more expensive CD/DVD combo. That's dirty play, in my opinion, cuz of course the fans will plunk down the extra cash... but I guess I'll forgive Sarah almost anything.
The new song, btw, is incredible... a haunting classical piece featuring Gregorian singing back-up along with the Crouch End Choir. Eerie and lovely."
My favorite Sarah Brightman concert yet!
Ruth Anderson | 03/15/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sarah Brightman's flair for theatricality and the spectacular are on full display in her Symphony: Live in Vienna concert special. Based on her Symphony album, the concert was filmed at the breathtakingly gorgeous Stephansdome Cathedral in Vienna. With a widescreen presentation, every frame of the concert is filled with eye-popping shots of the cathedral's interiors and Sarah's gorgeous dresses. Listening to the DVD and the accompanying CD of the concert, Sarah sounds fantastic - she can definitely deliver vocally in a live setting as she's proven time and again with her specials. The goth and rock-tinged songs from the Symphony album look and sound fantastic. Visually and song-wise there's a perfect balance between the light and dark, the classical and the rock-influenced, the darkly romantic presentation of Sarah's symphonic vision. While most of the tracks are from Symphony, there are a few Brightman "standards" like "Pie Jesu," "Time to Say Goodbye," and "Ave Maria" mixed in, all ideally suited to be sung in the Stephansdome Cathedral. My favorite tracks are the rock-opera stylings of "Fleurs Du Mal," where Sarah makes a dramatic entrance in a stunning red dress, and her duets with Alessandro Safina and Chris Thompson. Safina joins her for "Canto Della Terra" and "Sarai Qui" (formerly known as "There You'll Be" from Pearl Harbor) - if you haven't heard this guy sing, do yourself a favor and check out his music. His voice is absolutely amazing, and the perfect classical counterpoint to Sarah's in every way. Thompson takes the stage for two songs - "I Will Be With You (Where the Lost Ones Go)," which is a gorgeous song about lost love, and "The Phantom of the Opera." In the cathedral setting he and Sarah blow the latter out of the water - backed by this amazing pipe organ, the song sounds fantastic, and Thompson really sells the track with a gravel-voiced intensity. The DVD has two interviews with Sarah discussing the production and each of the songs, which are pretty interesting, and then there's a featurette on the location with interviews with one of the priests and a historian giving some fascinating background on the gorgeous cathedral. Symphony is probably my favorite Sarah Brightman concert yet - and this DVD/CD combo is a well put-together, gorgeously produced package."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1
