Topic: Dave's Music DVD/Blu-ray Reviews

[dfmorgan]

This thread will contain my reviews of Music DVDs and Blu-rays.

So far as I'm concerned these will be classical performances such as operas, symphonies, concerti etc. and those performances by rock/pop/whatever artists in concert or their music video collections.

Dave

[dfmorgan]

Nightwish: End of an Era

Artist: Nightwish
Band Members:
      Tuomas Holopainen on keyboards
      Emppu Vuorinen on lead guitar
      Marco Hietala on bass guitar
      Jukka Nevalainen on drums
      Tarja Turunen on vocals

Guest Performance:
      John Two-Hawks on Native American Flute and vocals

Concert Date: 21-10-2005
Concert Venue: Hartwall Areena, Helsinki

Watched: 7th Apr 2010
My Thoughts: This concert was the last date on a world tour but it was to their home fans. Many of the numbers performed were from, at that time, their most recent album Once but some old favourites were included. Overall imagery was good, although the picture quality from some of the mini-cameras used on guitar necks etc. was lower. Sound came over well, I listened to the DD5.1 soundtrack but there is a 2.0 available.

It seemed strange to have a guest performer in the middle of a concert but apparently Tuomas, the bands main songwriter, had written a song for the Once album with John Two-Hawks in mind and Nightwish never perform this song if he is not available. One item that makes this recording poignant is that Tarja, the vocalist, was fired immediately following the concert when the band met backstage. She was handed an open letter that Tuomas had written and had been signed by him and the other three band members stating that they felt it was best to continue Nightwish without her. The DVD has a Documentary as an extra feature and that covers the last 3 weeks or so of the tour leading up to the Helsinki concert here. It can be seen that there was some friction at times.

One pity is that this recording is non-anamorphic so although it is in 16:9 it is widescreened in a 4:3 square in the middle of the screen.

Additional Musing: I came across Nightwish whilst channel-hopping. There was a music channel playing a metal band's version of Phantom Of The Opera which sounded rather interesting as they had kept the operatic elements to it, but no details came up about it. A few months later, channel-hopping again, I came across the same video but this time early in the performance and found out that the band was Nightwish. I investigated further and bought their greatest hits, Highest Hopes. Finding that I liked their music I bought further items from them including this DVD.

My Rating: I enjoyed this so 4 but -1 for the non-anamorphic therefore 3

Dave

[DJ Doena]

I've found my way to Nightwish a few months back. Too bad they exchanged their lead singer (due some difference I've heard) because she had a beautiful voice.

I'm still waiting for the Blu-ray to drop a bit in the price before I purchase it.

[dfmorgan]

I've found my way to Nightwish a few months back. Too bad they exchanged their lead singer (due some difference I've heard) because she had a beautiful voice.

I'm still waiting for the Blu-ray to drop a bit in the price before I purchase it.

Yes Tarja is good. In the featurette included with the DVD it shows that Tarja and the others were not getting along at times and it seeming to get worse as the tour gets to the end, but with judicious editing you could make anything appear the way you want it. At times she had separate travel and separate rehearsal rooms but then again Tarja says in there that as a trained classical singer she needs her space to get ready in her way for each performance.

Not sure if you are aware but she has her own album out UK Edition here or DeLuxe Edition here, the difference being a DVD with the DeLuxe as opposed to a bonus track on the UK.

As to the BD I was wanting that but as you said price too high especially when I bought the SE DVD, that was the live DVD plus the live CDs, for less than the ordinary DVD and CDs together. But then again as the DVD was non-anamorphic maybe I should have waited longer.

Dave

[dfmorgan]

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection"

Composer: Gustav Mahler
Title: Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection"
Performers: Eteri Gvazava, soprano
Anna Larsson, contralto
Orfeón Donostiarra
Lucerne Festival Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado
Venue: The Concert Hall of the Cultural and Convention Centre Lucerne
Date: August 2003

Watched: 7th. Nov 2010
My Thoughts: 

My Rating: An excellent concert

[Antares]

Great symphony

[dfmorgan]

Great symphony

Thank you it was  . My first Mahler since the early '70s and that was only to No. 5. I have just watched No. 1 and still have 2 others to see. Hopefully they will do and release all 10 symphonies.

Dave

[dfmorgan]

Mahler: Symphony No. 1 | Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3

Composer: Gustav Mahler
Title: Symphony No. 1
Composer: Sergey Prokofiev
Title: Piano Concerto No. 3

Performers: Yuja Wang, Soloist
Lucerne Festival Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado
Venue: The Concert Hall of the KKL Luzen
Date: August 2009

Watched: 8th. Nov 2010
My Thoughts: 

My Rating: Another excellent concert

Dave

[dfmorgan]

Renée Fleming: An Evening with Renée Fleming

Composer - Title:
Modest Mussorgsky - Night on Bare Mountain
Antonin Dvorák - Rusalka: "Mešícku na nebi hlubokém"
Aram Chatschaturjan - Spartacus: Spartacus and Phrygia
Richard Strauss - Capriccio: "Morgen Mittag um elf!"
Richard Wagner - Rienzi: Overture
Erich Wolfgang Korngold - Die tote Stadt: "GIück, das mir verblieb"
Richard Strauss - Zueignung, op. 10 no. 1
Edward Elgar - Salut d'amour, op. 12
Giacomo Puccini - La Bohème: "Donde lieta uscì"
Ruggero Leoncavallo - La Bohème: "Musette svaria sulla bocca viva" & La Bohème: "Mimì Pinson, la biondinetta"
Giacomo Puccini - Turandot: "Tu che di gel sei cinta"
Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet
Gregorias Dinicu - Hora staccato
Giacomo Puccini - Gianni Schicchi: "0 mio babbino caro"
Paul Lincke - Berliner Luft

Performers: Renée Fleming, Soloist
Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Ion Marin
Venue: Waldbühne, Berlin
Date: June 2010

Watched: 8th. Nov 2010
My Thoughts:  The title on the credits and in the enclosed booklet was "Nacht der Liebe" ("A Night of Love") but I guess that the video producers/distributors decided that Renée Fleming would probably generate more sales although she only performs in about half of the pieces played. A new instrument was also introduced into the horn section during the encore of this performance - The Vuvuzela 

My Rating: A really enjoyable concert

Dave

[dfmorgan]

Mahler: Symphony No. 3

Composer: Gustav Mahler
Title: Symphony No. 3
Performers: Anna Larsson, Contralto
Arnold Schönberg Chor, Female Voices
Tölzer Knabenchor
Lucerne Festival Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado
Venue: The KKL Luzen
Date: August 2007

Watched: 20th. Dec 2010
My Thoughts:  I'm really enjoying these Lucerne Festival productions of Mahler's Symphonies.

My Rating: An excellent concert

[dfmorgan]

Mahler: Symphony No. 4 | Rückert-Lieder

Composer: Gustav Mahler
Title: Rückert-Lieder and Symphony No. 4
Performers: Magdalena Kožená, Mezzosoprano
Lucerne Festival Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado
Venue: The Concert Hall of the KKL Luzen
Date: August 2009

Watched: 23rd. Dec 2010
My Thoughts: Another excellent concert from the Lucerne Festivals although I didn't enjoy the 5 Lieder too much.

My Rating: Another excellent concert but down to a due to my failing to enjoy the Lieder.

[dfmorgan]

Mozart: Don Giovanni (2011/Australia) Opera Australia, Sydney Opera House (United Kingdom) Director: Göran Järvefelt, Cameron Kirkpatrick Writing: Lorenzo Da Ponte (Writer) Length: 163 min. Video: Widescreen 1.78:1 Audio: Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio: 5.1, Italian: PCM: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish

Stars:
Teddy Tahu Rhodes as Don Giovanni
Conal Coad as Leporello
Rachelle Durkin as Donna Anna
Daniel Sumegi as The Commendatore
Henry Choo as Don Ottavio

Plot:
Don Giovanni, a libertine, a rake with a devil-may-care attitude, is portrayed magnificently by Teddy Tahu Rhodes in this Opera Australia production, where he first appears on stage in a costume where less is definitely more! Charismatic and sexy, Rhode's acting and singing are magnificent. His misused servant, Leporello, is played by Conal Coad who skillfully promotes the opera's comic elements whilst delivering a thumping bass full of drama. The classic stage designs of Carl Friedrich Oberle form the back drop to the drama of Don Giovanni's last day on earth, before he is hurled in to Hell's flames by the Commendatore, Daniel Sumegi, whose basso profundo is befittingly momentous. Rachelle Durkin (Donna Anna), Jacqueline Dark (Donna Elvira), Taryn Fiebig (Zerlina), Henry Choo (Don Ottavio) and Andrew Jones (Masetto) all deliver superlative singing as Mozart's enthralling music flows from the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, adeptly guided by the baton of Mark Wigglesworth. a triumphant production from the director, Göran Järvefelt.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Featurettes
• Gallery
• 32 page Booklet

My Thoughts:

I am due to go and see the English National Opera's production of this opera in a couple of weeks and thought that maybe I ought to see what it was about. I thought that this was an excellent production and enjoyed it. The cast came over well and Teddy Tahu Rhodes made you dislike the despicable rake Don Giovanni. Hopefully I will find the ENO as enjoyable but this is different to the ENO production though in that the ENO will perform it in English unlike here where it was performed in the original Italian.

Rating: An enjoyable 3

[goodguy]

Probably my favorite opera, with Ruth Berghaus' mid-80s production being one of the greatest ever. Have you seen the recent film version by Kasper Holten (IMDb, Trailer)?

[dfmorgan]

Probably my favorite opera, with Ruth Berghaus' mid-80s production being one of the greatest ever. Have you seen the recent film version by Kasper Holten (IMDb, Trailer)?

I've only really got into opera over the past 2 or 3 years so most are completely new to me apart from select arias and themes. That Juan does look interesting though, thanks.

This is what got me into opera after seeing it broadcast on one of our scatterlight arts channels:-