Symphony: Live in Vienna (CD & DVD)

Andrew Lloyd Webber (Composer), Frank / Schwarz, Thomas / Meissner, Matthias / Peterson (Composer), Stefanie / Nowak, Andreas / Stolle, Johannes / Sto Kloss (Composer), Lisa / Claxton, Andrew Gerrard (Composer), Francesco Sartori (Composer), Diane Warren (Composer), Frank Peterson (Composer), Espen / Bjorklund, Amund Lind (Composer), Phil Cordell (Composer), Jorge Avendano Luhrs (Composer), Carsten / Hirschburger, Klaus / Peterson, Frank Heusmann (Composer), Charles Gounod (Composer), Patrick Cassidy (Composer), Paul Bateman (Conductor), Ambassade Orchester Wien (Orchestra), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Jan-Eric Kohrs (Performer), Sarah Brightman (Performer), Gunther Laudahn (Performer), Mark Awounou (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Jan-Eric Kohrs, Sarah Brightman, Gunther Laudahn, Mark Awounou
• Orchestra: Ambassade Orchester Wien, London Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Paul Bateman
• Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Frank / Schwarz, Thomas / Meissner, Matthias / Peterson, Stefanie / Nowak, Andreas / Stolle, Johannes / Sto Kloss, Lisa / Claxton, Andrew Gerrard, Francesco Sartori, et al.
• Audio CD (March 10, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Manhattan Records
• ASIN: B001Q8FSS4
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,984 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #68 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Romantic (c.1820-1910) > Vocal & Song

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Pie Jesu

2. Fleurs du Mal

3. Symphony

4. Sanvean

5. Canto della Terra (duet w/Alessandro Safina)

6. Sarai Qui (duet w/Alessandro Safina)

7. Attesa

8. I Will Be with You (Where the Lost Ones Go) (duet w/Chris Thompson)

9. Storia d'Amore

10. Pasión (duet w/Fernando Lima)

See all 16 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. The Production (interview with Sarah Brightman) (DVD)

2. The Songs (interview with Sarah Brightman) (DVD)

3. The Location (interview with Father Anthony Faber and historian Elisabeth Lloyd-Davis) (DVD)

4. Photo Gallery (DVD)

Editorial Reviews

In January 2008, Sarah Brightman recorded and filmed Symphony -- Live in Vienna within the mystical walls of Stephansdome Cathedral in the heart of where classical music evolved -- Vienna, Austria. Renowned for its awe-inspiring Gothic architecture, the cathedral was the perfect setting to enter the magical world of Symphony lead by the voice of the beautiful, gothic-angel. The concert includes repertoire from her album Symphony and some of her most popular songs ("Phantom of the Opera," "Time to Say Goodbye").

COMBO PACKAGES TRACKLISTING*
1. Pie Jesu
2. Fleurs du Mal
3. Symphony
4. Sanvean
5. Canto della Terra (duet w/Alessandro Safina)
6. Sarai Qui (duet w/Alessandro Safina)
7. Attesa
8. I Will Be with You (Where the Lost Ones Go) (duet w/Chris Thompson)
9. Storia d'Amore
10. Pasión (duet w/Fernando Lima)
11. Running
12. Let It Rain
13. The Phantom of the Opera (duet w/Chris Thompson)
14. Time to Say Goodbye
15. Ave Maria
16. Vide Cor Meum (*bonus track)

DVD extras:
The Production (interview with Sarah Brightman)
The Songs (interview with Sarah Brightman)
The Location (interview with Father Anthony Faber and historian Elisabeth Lloyd-Davis) Photo Gallery
Extras RT approx. 45 minutes
Total RT for combo pkgs approx. 75 minutes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Concert Is Fantastic!, March 10, 2009

By 

Anthony Morelli "Woofbear" (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Symphony: Live in Vienna (CD & DVD) (Audio CD)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Sarah Brightman concert yet!, March 15, 2009

By 

Ruth Anderson "Book Reviewer" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Symphony: Live in Vienna (CD & DVD) (Audio CD)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another brilliant concert from Ms Brightman, April 14, 2009

By 

Robert Petersen (Durban, South Africa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Symphony: Live in Vienna (CD & DVD) (Audio CD)

Sarah Brightman's latest live concert, filmed in St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna is a winner on all fronts. Featuring a dazzling lineup of songs from her current album Symphony, outstanding guest artists, a pickup orchestra and frontline rhythm section, her long-standing admirers will certainly not be disappointed. The Cathedral provides an atmospheric setting for Sarah to showcase both classical and popular repertoire with consumate ease. With so many highlights to choose from, her duets with Italian tenor Alessandro Safina, Manfred Mann vocalist Chris Thompson and Spanish counter-tenor Fernando Lima are most memorable. The show also features several older hits, among them Pie Jesu, Phantom of the Opera, Ave Maria and Time to say Goodbye. The bonus CD that accompanies the DVD is a welcome addition.