Skip to content
Elly Roberts reviews
EMI
- Cert:
- Cat.no: 5995949
- Running time: 210 minutes
- Year: 2004
- Pressing: 2004
- Region(s): All, PAL
- Sound: Dolby Stereo
- Languages: English
- Widescreen: 1.78:1
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £17.99
- Rating: 4/10
- Extras:Making Of, All Access backstage video tour, Multiple camera angles, photogallery, Harem quiz
Sarah Brightman made a dramatic entrance into the world of popular musicfronting disco troupe Hot Gossip in 1978.
I Lost My Heart To A StarshipTrooper became a disco anthem. Since then, shes turned into an actress,classical singer, and along the way married Andrew Lloyd Webber. Now, sheshighly rated as one of the greatest voices in the business.
Filmed on 13 March 2004 at the MGM Grand Arena in Vegas during her Harem WorldTour, she predictably puts on a great singing performance. Using state of theart technology, 20 cameras, the worlds largest camera crane (100 feet long),64 microphones capturing every sound in the band, it still fails to impress asa viewing experience.
This highly stylised and theatrical presentation is so far removed to whatsgoing on outside the show. As thousands of punters pit their wits in thegambling capital of the world, a feline and lean Sarah Brightman goes throughthe motions giving a vocal masterclass. The crescent and star-shaped stagesjoined by an extra long thrust provide the settings.
Dancers help out with the routines which are Eastern flavoured, belly dancingetc. Its all very atmospheric, slick and distinctly British in its directionby David Mallet, whos worked with Cher, Celine Dion and the Three Tenors.
She emerges from song to song like a ghost, as she flits from stage to stage.Theres raised platforms and a host of other gimmicks. It even has a subtledecadence, but as an armchair viewer I got bored very quickly, as theresnot enough entertainment value, basically because of the slow pace andlength of the show.
It is a wonderful record of what would have been a great live experience, butat no stage does this transfer to a watchable DVD.
Of course theres some very nice bits, and the singing is excellent, but notenough of them. She got a standing ovation, which considering the conservativenature of the crowd, was quite remarkable.
Highlights include Queens Who Wants To Live Forever, Nessun Dorma, NellaFantasia, Phantom of the Opera and Time To Say Goodbye. Worst part – singingLouis Armstrongs What A Wonderful World on an elevated swing!
The CD album,Harem,is a better choice for listening.
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Kama Sutra
2. Harem
3. Beautiful ( DVD only)
4. Its beautiful Day
5. Dust In The Wind
6. Who Wants to Be A Millionaire
7. Anytime, Anywhere, interlude
8. Anytime, Anywhere
9. Nella Fantasia
10. Stranger In Paradise
11. La Luna
12. Nessun Dorma13. No One Like You (DVD only)
14. Arabian Nights (DVD only)
15. The War Is Over
16. Free
17. What A Wonderful World
18. A Whiter Shade Of Pale
19. Phantom Of The Opera Suite
20. Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
21. Time To Say Goodbye
22. The Journey home
23. A Question Of HonourMore info atSarah-Brightman.com /Angel Records.com
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.