LA LUNA LIVE IN CONCERT
( Angel Records - 2001 )
My DVD Review and Track Listing
This concert DVD can only be described as world-class entertainment of the highest caliber, delivered to us by the world's greatest entertainer! As was the case with the One Night in Eden Concert, you are once again magically swept away on a fantasy journey, only this time the destination is the moon. If you witnessed one of these incredible La Luna concerts live, you can re-live the remarkable experience! If you missed the show, you will see for yourself what those who did go have been raving about!
The concert opens in almost total darkness to the opening strains of La Lune. When the song reaches its first verse, Sarah mysteriously appears out of the darkness and fog at center stage, to the applause of the anticipating audience. This ethereal song also opens the superb La Luna album that these concerts were in support of. Sarah traverses through a fair portion of the La Luna music throughout the duration of this concert, as well as some music from her other albums. La Luna highlights include the prophetic Winter in July, the traditional folk song Scarborough Fair, the dark and mysterious Figilio Perduto, the latin-flavoured Hijo de La Luna, the pop classic A Whiter Shade of Pale, complete with pyrotecnics, the moving ballad He Doesn't See Me, the awesome La Luna, with Sarah's incredible voice shifts, and my personal favourite from the album, the gorgeous La Califfa, which I feel really showcases Sarah's crystalline voice and passion-filled singing. Other highlights include the superb Queen song Who Wants to Live Forever (Time to Say Goodbye), the amazing Puccini aria Nessun Dorma (Eden), the sacred and emotional Pie Jesu (Lloyd Webber Requiem), the introductory tune Siren (Dive) and the soulful Deliver Me (Eden), both performed while suspended high in the air above the stage, and the lovely duet There For Me (Time to Say Goodbye), performed here with tenor Josh Groban. The concert concludes with a Phantom of the Opera set, including Twisted Every Way/Phantom of the Opera Suite, with its usual dramatics, Little Lotti, the lovely Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, and the always-emotional Music of the Night.
Sarah then returns to a standing ovation to perform three encore pieces. The first is the magnificent Question of Honour (Fly), which begins and concludes with the Catalani opera aria from La Wally, but in between features Sarah performing the upbeat main portion of this song, again high in the air above the stage, and also executing a few summersaults while up there! After this song concludes, she then re-emerges and sits on a ball on the front of the stage to sing the beautiful Mancini tune Moon River (La Luna bonus track), before concluding this incredible concert with her signature piece, Time to Say Goodbye (Time to Say Goodbye EP).
Plus on this DVD you have the option of having the song lyrics appear at the bottom of the screen during the concert if you wish. I really like that feature. The time, as always, seems to fly by. Sarah has stated that she loves fantasy, and tries to transport her audience to another world for the duration of the show. She has once again succeeded in doing this without question! Bravo Sarah!
This DVD also includes a plethora of bonus material in addition to the actual concert. There is an interesting "behind the scenes" video, which tracks the whole history of La Luna, broken into several parts. These include the recording of the album, the photo shoot for the album and video, the promotion of the album, the rehearsals for the La Luna concerts, footage from the actual tour, the party at the end of the first leg of the tour, and the mixing of the DVD. Sarah is the narrator in this fascinating peek at some of the things that are involved in recording an album, and then promoting and touring in support of it. You can see how Sarah had planned on using a hot air balloon during the show, but then decided it was too dangerous. You will also find a video for A Whiter Shade of Pale, as well as an interview with Sarah about the album and tour. She reveals among other things in this interview what her inspiration was for the lunar-themed album, and what her favourite song was at the concerts, and why. You also get a scrolling biography (the information is similar to what is in the La Luna tour programme), done to some beautiful piano music with string accompaniment. Finally, there is a tour map for both legs of the tour, as well as a backstage tour, where you see what actually goes on behind the stage to prepare for and execute such an incredible concert and tour!
Like the "One Night in Eden" DVD, any fan of Sarah's will want this for their collection. The amazing concert on this DVD alone is worth the price paid for the disc. And then there are all the extras, which are a bonus, and which I found to be most interesting and informative. And to have Sarah herself guide you through the history of La Luna. Wow! Thank you Sarah for sharing this part of your life and career with your fans! We truly appreciate it. Another job extremely well done!!
