Reviews (220)

You'll watch it over and over again
This is the best video I've ever bought. Never have I watched the same video repeatedly - so much so that I bought an extra copy in case the first one wears out. I am a big fan of musicals, and this performance did not let me down (unlike the Cameron MacKintosh tribute video). The way this video flowed was really nice - an excellent production! Tina Arena's opening song - WOW! Donny Osmond did a wonderful job. Antonio Banderas and Elaine Page with the Evita songs - excellent! Antonio is perfect for the role of Che - the video of 'Evita' was also incredible - who knew Madonna could act that well? I was disappointed with the Starlight Express piece - full costume would have been perfect and I thought there were better songs they could have used (maybe the medley would have been a good choice). The Requiem wasn't bad. Nice cello playing by Julian also - thought he would have dressed up for his brother's birthday party :). Michael Ball was PERFECT! All his songs were incredible. Wow, what a rendition of Vaults of Heaven. Incredible Gethsamane! The Phantom pieces were okay - Michael Crawford really should have been there. Bonnie Tyler's rendition of Tire Tracks and Broken Hearts was great! All of the songs from Whistle on Down the Wind were incredible on this video - soooo much better than the original soundtrack! Boyzone did a better version of No Matter What here than on their own album. Glen Close was spectacular on Sunset Blvd's songs! The dancers and the orchestra were also fabulous! Buy this! If you have liked any of Webber's work, you must have this video. When will it ever get on DVD? Or a CD soundtrack?

A Night Of A Thousand Stars!
Just as the box (and the song) says, this is truly a night of a thousand stars. The video contains... Whistle Down The Wind ~ Tina Arena; Joseph Fanfare ~ the Orchestra; Any Dream Will Do & Close Every Door ~ Donny Osmond; Variations On A Theme By Paganini ~ Julian Lloyd Webber; Requiem For Evita ~ National Youth Choir; Oh What A Circus & High Flying Adored ~ Antonio Banderas; Don't Cry For Me Argentina ~ Elaine Paige; Light At The End Of The Tunnel ~ Ray Shell; Hosana (from Jesus Christ Superstar) ~ National Youth Choir; Hosana (from Requiem) ~ Dennis O'Neill; Pie Jesu ~ Sarah Brightman & Ben De'Ath; Jesus Christ Superstar ~ Marcus Lovett; Gethsemane ~ Michael Ball; Phantom Overture ~ the Orchestra; Phantom Of The Opera ~ Sarah Brightman & Antonio Banderas; All I Ask Of You ~ Sarah Brightman & Michael Ball; Music Of The Night ~ Sarah Brightman; Tire Tracks And Broken Hearts ~ Bonnie Tyler; No Matter What ~ Boyzone; Vaults Of Heaven ~ Michael Ball; Car Chase On Sunset Boulevard ~ the Orchestra; Once Upon A Time ~ Glenn Close & Marcus Lovett; With One Look & As If We Never Said Goodbye ~ Glenn Close; Love Changes Everything ~ Michael Ball & the Cast; Memory ~ Elaine Paige; The Heart Is Slow To Learn ~ Kiri Te Kanawa; Happy Birthday ~ the Cast; Whistle Down The Wind ~ Lottie Mayor & Andrew Lloyd Webber, and The Jellicle Ball ~ the Orchestra. You absolutely can't go wrong with this video. There is something for everyone, and you'll find yourself watching it repeatedly. The performances by Antonio Banderas, Sarah Brightman, Michael Ball, Glenn Close, Boyzone & Bonnie Tyler are all definitely highlights, but there isn't a disappointing performance in the entire 2 hour+ show.

Lavish
I consider Lloyd Webber the British heir to Richard Rodgers, and this is what Sondheim would have done if he could have. (In fact Lloyd Webber at 50 even looks like Rodgers.) But I shut the thing off when a church choir-type started singing "The keys to the vault of heaven." Was this thing a retrospective of the composer or a religious revival? It was absolutely sodden with Christianity, nauseously so. Like almost every last song! I hung in there for over an hour and a half because there were some things I very much wanted to see and hear (as a rule, I love Lloyd Webber's music very much, sans the rock), but at this point I'd had enough. Sarah Brightman was absolutely beautiful and natural, what a charming open smile and such a wonderful voice. I loved what she did, and applauded all by myself in my living room at the end of her duet "All I Ask of You," though I dislike that show very much. I thought the fellow who sang Che (right name, spelling?) near the start was worlds better than Mandy Patinkin (whom I'd always loved before he went on to bigger and more pretentious things), also he had the right accent and was prettier. In fact, he was beautiful, as were several of the young men. I learned from reading some of the other reviews that this was an international cast (all unknown to me, ignorant, insular, xenophobic American that I am), all quite famous, and that Lloyd Webber is loved the world over. I can well understand why he is so much loved. However (I have CDs of all his shows that I know of, he may have written more since I stopped buying musicals), it seems to me that his wonderful talent (genius?) diminished as he grew older, his inspiration, gift for melody deserted him. I highly recommend this DVD for anyone who likes rock music (I do not) and who doesn't mind feeling they're in a 21st Century church. I'm sorry I had to stop it.

FABULOUS........JUST GREAT AND ENTERTAINING!!
I am fortunate enough to see most of the Andrew Lloyd Weber productions on NYC's Broadway, I saw Whistle Down The Wind on the London Stage a few years ago. But, I have to hand it to TINA ARENA, I never heard of her, but came back on Amazon and purchased 4 of her CDs,I thought her rendition of the title song was just fabulous, what a voice, what emotions were generated from her voice. I played that segment over and over again......I was hoping that they made a CD of the whole show. All the performers were just GREAT!! I loved watching Glenn Close get into character for her TONY AWARD performance of Ms. Desmond, I was standing up in my living room giving her an ovation too, she was just wonderful to see again. I was surprised of the musical talents of Antonio Banderas too. But, just to listen and watch the major performers, Sarah, Elaine, and Bonny (were you ever on Bway??) once again made this DVD well worth the price.........and that Michael Ball guy, never heard of him, but, I went out and got his performance dvd at the Royal Albert Hall too..he was sensational, what a voice.......everyone was just awesome......I loved the DVD, the music and the performers, and I applaud Andrew for his music and memories..........come back to NYC with another winner.........

Whistle down with Tina!!!
The first time I watched this Andrew Lloyd Webber special is that I have been very impressed with the cast. All the big names from Europe down to America is present with the likes of Glen Close to Antonio Banderas! big and a shiny production I must say. The opening number titled "Whistle Down The Wind" was honourably given to the gorgeous and ever so talented Tina Arena! She gave a powerhouse performance all looking sultry and sexy in a gray figure hugging lacy gown. She gave a strong performance and the crowd was obviously delighted with her interpretation! The vocals and the emotion are so evident. Encore for Tina Arena!!! Other internationals include Boyzone, Michael Ball, and Bonnie Tyler and gave justifying performances as well. But the highlight ofcourse would be Tina's rendition of "Whistle Down The Wind". Great move for Monsieur Webber to have Tina open the show! very impressive! Go get the video NOW! ... Read more

Description

This opulent Royal Opera production by Oscar-winning film director John Schlessinger stars Kiri Te Kanawa in what "deserves to be ranked…among her finest achievements".(Financial Times).Also stars Anne Howells, Aage Haugland, and Barbara Bonney. Conducted by George Solti. Color, 197 minutes. Subtitles in English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Breathtakingly Beautiful
(sung in German, with subtitles in English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese)

Der Rosenkavalier (the Cavalier of the Rose) can entertain you on various levels.

There is the heavenly, ethereal music which is almost too beautiful. There's a delightful sense of humor with surprises for nearly all of the main characters.

There's plenty of romance, with the scene of "the presentation of the rose" as one of the best examples of capturing the very moment of love-at-first-sight.

As if all the great entertainment were not enough, Richard Strauss has given us a moral lesson: While the Field Marshall's wife has justifiable contempt for her cousin, the lecherous Baron, she realizes that she has been little better as she has used her imperial position to take advantage of more than one young officer. She sees herself in the mirror, and decides to start doing the right (loving) thing--she gives up her current lover so that he can be happy. She finally loves him enough (a sort of motherly love?) to let go of him.

Der Rosenkavalier is basically a love story, with some "growing up" by several of the characters. The music is so beautiful, it's almost unearthly at times.

Georg Solti conducts the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and Kiri te Kanawa sings the role she has made her own--the Marschallin.

You may well gasp in amazement (tears come to my eyes) that such beautiful music has been written. Staging and costumes are splendid also..

Superlative
Perfect casting, and a near perfect performance. Well acted and well sung. The last 20 minutes is as sublime as any musical experience one could want to have.

Most emotionally satisfying of 4 Rosenkavalier videos I own
Despite hard-to-read subtitles, this performance is the best-acted, best-sung, best-staged version of the four I own, including my great favorite, the 1961 film, which I saw as a teenager.

Caveat
I agree with all the reviews. However, many of the sub-texts are difficult to read due to a white-on-white reduced ability to read them.

Te Kanawa is a goddess !
Kiri Te Kanawa thrilled and delighted me with her singing, and made me weep with her sensitivity as an actress...she's also an exquisitely graceful and beautiful woman, making this aesthetically in every way a perfect performance, and a treasure for any opera lover. The last few moments of act one (the end of tape # 1), are incredibly moving, and will stay with me forever.

Anne Howells is also superb as Octavian. Her body language as a young man is flawless and vocally she's excellent as well. Every member of this cast shines, held together with mastery by the wonderful Georg Solti.

The sets and costumes of this Covent Garden production are spectacular (the Marschallin's dress in the last act is breathtaking !), the direction flows, the editing expert, the comedy good, the drama great.

The scene between the Marschallin, Octavian, and Sophie is mesmerizing. The beauty and emotional power of it overwhelmed me, and once again, I was moved to tears.

This is simply one of the best filmed operas in existence...nothing short of magnificent, a rare jewel. ... Read more

Amazon.com

For those who want a home video that preserves the kind of treatmentVerdi's Otello gets in a first-class international opera house, thisSolti-Domingo-Te Kanawa production from Covent Garden looks like the best bet.Neither Georg Solti's conducting nor Elijah Moshinsky's stage direction pullsany punches; this is presented clearly and forcefully as a drama of jealousy(Iago's and Otello's) destroying innocence (Otello's and Desdemona's), in whicha military man from a primitive background is plunged into situations andperplexities that his life has not prepared him to handle.

What matters most is the casting of the three leading roles. When thisproduction was taped in 1992, Plácido Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa were the Otelloand Desdemona of choice, and in this production they show why with effectivesinging and strong characterization. Sergei Leiferkus is, on the whole, aconvincing villain, but not quite on the level of the two stars. The orchestraand chorus are outstanding.

Otello was even more spectacularly represented in a 1986 film also usingDomingo in the title role. It was directed by Franco Zeffirelli with moreconcern for visual and emotional impact than for operatic fidelity and, as such,must be judged as a movie, not as an opera in the traditional format. I wouldnot want to be without that unique vision of Verdi's masterpiece, though hiscavalier treatment of the music (most notably his omission of the beloved"Willow Song") has alienated many hard-core opera lovers. --Joe McLellan ... Read more

Description

Kiri Te Kanawa is featured in this glittering Covent Garden Opera production of Johann Strauss' masterpiece. PlacidoDomingo conducts the Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus. Other soloists include Hermann Prey, Hildegard Heichele, Benjamin Luxon. ... Read more

Description

"Manon", wrote Puccini to his publisher Giulio Ricordi in 1889, "is a heroine I believe in and therefore she cannot fail to win the heart of the public." This turned out to be a truly prophetic statement since none of Puccini’s other world successes were received on their first nights as rapturously as Manon Lescaut. The popularity of Puccini’s great masterpiece has never waned and the highly acclaimed Götz Friedrich production at Covent Garden was hailed as an operatic milestone. Two of the world’s leading stars--Kiri Te Kanawa and Placido Domingo--head a strong cast conducted by the brilliant Italian conductor Giuseppe Sinopoli. Sung in Italian with English subtitles. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The last and most subtle of Richard Strauss's operas gets a finely nuanced interpretation inthis San Francisco Opera production. A generally excellent cast is highlighted not only by the radiant presence of Kiri Te Kanawa but by the deceptively robust performance of Tatiana Troyanos in her last operatic appearance before her untimely death from cancer.

The composer describedCapriccioas a "conversation piece for music inone act," and he put alot of effort into it, not only the music but the words, onwhich he collaborated with conductor Clemens Krauss. His verbal input wasparticularlyappropriate in this work, because the real subject (symbolized bya conventional love triangle) is the competition (and alliance) between words andmusic in opera, a subject naturally close to the composer-librettist's heart.The conversation runs through the whole opera in various forms. It begins immediately after the curtain goes up, with a quarrel between the poet Olivier (Simon Keenlyside) and the composer Flamand (David Kuebler) over the respective merits of their arts. They are rivals for the hand of the widowed Countess Madeleine (Te Kanawa); she is to choose between them (i.e., between poetry and music) but she is still undecided as the final curtain descends. The intervening two hours are rich in artistic shop talk and backstage situations that will enchant sophisticated opera-lovers, as well as the love interest for the rest of us.

David Runnicles conducts with a sure sense of Straussian style; and Mauro Pagano's18th-century set creates the right atmosphere. Keenlyside and Kuebler are eloquent and believable, Te Kanawa sweet, regal and ambiguous. Håkan Hagegård and Victor Braun give particularly vivid performances in supporting roles.--Joe McLellan ... Read more

Amazon.com

Filmed in 1984, the feature-length documentary Leonard Bernstein Conducts "West Side Story" follows the composer as he records the first-ever complete recording of his musical-theater masterpiece. Virtually the entire documentary takes place in a New York recording studio with a pick-up orchestra, session singers, and headliners Kiri Te Kanawa (Maria), José Carreras (Tony), Tatiana Troyanos (Anita), and Kurt Ollmann (Riff). The 89-minute program alternates rehearsal footage with complete final takes of the main numbers--including "Tonight," "America," and "Maria"--with limited comments from the principal players. Te Kanawa explains how much the music means to her, Troyanos notes how she grew up in the very streets depicted on stage, and Carreras provides a rare moment of tension when a session ends unsatisfactorily. Bernstein himself is by turns commanding, charming, enthusiastic, and weary. This is a fascinating insight into what happens as a major album is recorded. --Gary S. Dalkin ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Bernstein and Carreras at their magnificent best
This 1984 behind the scenes look at Bernstein's first recording of his classic score, West Side Story, is a real treat. The singers he assembled were an eclectic mix: Kiri Te Kanawa, Tatiana Troyanos and Jose Carreras, among others. The latter may have seemed an odd choice for the role of Tony, but vocally this character has never been better interpreted. Less successful is Te Kanawa, who overdoes her Puerto Rican accent, ignoring Bernstein's plea for "the merest hint of Puerto Rican-ness".

The video takes the viewer through preliminary rehearsals in Bernstein's apartment, interviews with the singers and Bernstein, and finally the recording studio. More than anything else, it conveys the joys and frustrations of making a recording with the composer himself conducting, and the programme does not shrink from showing temper tantrums from both Bernstein and Carreras (who storms out of the studio at one point, cursing "Ma porco in Dio!")

Bernstein's energy, creativity, anguish and love of life are evident in every scene, and this is often a moving study of a towering musical figure.

Among the singers Jose Carreras steals the show, singing the demanding "Maria" in a performance that is both poetic and powerful. He sings a magnificent High B flat on the word "MAria!" and then ends the song on a melting falsetto. This is the Carreras of yore, and he is unforgettable.

Forget the off-key singing in the movie version of this classic - this is the real thing, with the maestro himself in charge.

West Side Story
When I first played this DVD it instantly became my favorite. The music is superb and it shows a lot of what it took to make music recordings before the digital age. My DVD was damaged and I am now orderring a replacement.

Great Memory of Bernstein
What a great find! Watching Bernstein conduct his most famous popular piece is amazing. His wit, style, temper, intensity are all present. A very straightforward account of the recording of this double cd set using opera stars as "cast" members. All of the stars perform well.

Carreras is an interesting study here as he takes on the role of Tony. A very talented man, he is at once brilliant and very human as he tries to overcome his inner demons. His "Maria" is especially fine.

The chorus performs well also. All in all a tribute to Leonard Bernstein while serving as a behind the scenes peak at true creativity.

Excellent but...
This is an excellent DVD. I however was expecting what I had seen a few years back on PBS. In that version there was far more tension between Carreras and Bernstein. Carreras, whom I believe had just found out he had leukaemia, walked out in the middle of rehearsal after Bernstein picked him apart. Although there is not all that tension present in this DVD, it is still a good look inside the making of this recording. Watching the performance of the singers, musicians, and Bernstein is a far better treat then just listening to them on a CD. I do believe it has been whitewashed by removing a lot of the tense moments which is why I didn't give it 5 stars.

Bernstein and Carreras at their magnificent best
This 1984 behind the scenes look at Bernstein's first recording of his classic score, West Side Story, is a real treat. The singers he assembled were an eclectic mix: Kiri Te Kanawa, Tatiana Troyanos and Jose Carreras, among others. The latter may have seemed an odd choice for the role of Tony, but vocally this character has never been better interpreted. Less successful is Te Kanawa, who overdoes her Puerto Rican accent, ignoring Bernstein's plea for "the merest hint of Puerto Rican-ness".

The video takes the viewer through preliminary rehearsals in Bernstein's apartment, interviews with the singers and Bernstein, and finally the recording studio. More than anything else, it conveys the joys and frustrations of making a recording with the composer himself conducting, and the programme does not shrink from showing temper tantrums from both Bernstein and Carreras (who storms out of the studio at one point, cursing "Ma porco in Dio!")

Bernstein's energy, creativity, anguish and love of life are evident in every scene, and this is often a moving study of a towering musical figure.

Among the singers Jose Carreras steals the show, singing the demanding "Maria" in a performance that is both poetic and powerful. He sings a magnificent High B flat on the word "MAria!" and then ends the song on a melting falsetto. This is the Carreras of yore, and he is unforgettable.

Forget the off-key singing in the movie version of this classic - this is the real thing, with the maestro himself in charge. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

I loved it!
I thought the production beautiful and the singing excellent. Kiri is a bit aloof as she is always but Wolfgang makes up for it. He is just scrumptous and the perfect leading man with some chemistry between them. All the parts have excellent casting and performances are very good to excellent. The conducting kept the pace very interesting. This is a keeper and I'm not a big Strauss fan! I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good love story!

Very Beautiful
First rate cast, all singing supurbly. Beautiful production. Kiri is spectacular, Brendel is fine as a romantic lead. McIntyre is particularly fine as the father.

An Excellent DVD of an excellent performance
How lucky we are to have this gorgeous Metropolitan Opera production on such a high-quality DVD! If you missed the original 1995 telecast of this opera, you have yet to discover the joys of this production. Arabella is a comedy of manners set in 1860s Vienna. Arabella's parents have a fading fortune, so they can afford to marry off only one of their two daughters; the other, Zdenka, they dress as a boy and refer to as Zdenke. I won't give away the rest of the story; it's really worth it to let this magnificent performance unfold and find out what happens that way. The cast was the best that could possibly be assembled at the time, with Wolfgang Brendel, quite convincing as the young, hot-blooded Mandryka, in his debut of the role. Kiri Te Kanawa is a legendary Strauss singer, and though she is often criticized for poor interpretation, in this opera her subtle acting shines. For example, look at her reaction when she meets Mandryka, the man she had been crushing on witho!ut knowing who he was. Her singing is consistently beautiful and soft, and her stage presence is radiant, in spite of her fifty years at the time of this taping. Arabella is supposed to be about twenty years old, and Kiri truly exudes the youth of the character, yet manages to convey the maturity that colors her almost maternal relationship with her younger sister Zdenka. Helga Dernesch and Donald McIntyre are animated as Arabella's parents. Marie McLaughlin is a passionate Zdenka. We really feel for her throughout the opera, as she longs for femininity and love. A special bonus in this production is the now-stellar Nathalie Dessay as Die Fiakermilli. She flaunts her coloratura in Act II. Christinan Thielemann is a sensitive conductor, and the MET orchestra plays flawlessly. The DVD transfer is superb. Subtitles available in German (original language), French, English, and Chinese. (Special note: Renée Fleming will perform in this same production at the MET in November 2001. G!et your tickets!) ... Read more

Amazon.com

Kiri Te Kanawa inspires a kind of affection that is accorded to fewprima donnas, for the warmth and expressiveness of her singing, for her naturalease in operatic roles, and particularly for a sunny, outgoing personality thatis clearly projected in her stage presence. Both the voice and the personalitycome through effectively in this presentation, which preserves the best momentsfrom two concerts she gave in 1990 and 1991, with her own introductions andcomments.

The first, given outdoors during a homecoming tour of her native New Zealand,shows her achieving a remarkable feat of personality to match her excellentsinging; she establishes a sense of intimate communication with an audience of75,000. First, she sings an aria from an opera that was not otherwise part ofher repertoire: the intense, anguished "Pace, pace" from Verdi's La forza deldestino. This program is designed to show her versatility; besides arias byVerdi and Puccini, it includes My Fair Lady's "I Could Have Danced AllNight," sung in a perfectly idiomatic style that would be out of reach for manyopera stars, and a couple of songs in New Zealand's Maori language. A nice touchfor a homecoming concert is her performance of "Home, Sweet Home" in Maori.

The second half of the program is a selection of music by Handel and Mozart,given in a sharply contrasting environment: a snowy evening in the exquisitebaroque chapel, designed by Christopher Wren, at the Royal Naval College inGreenwich, England. A highlight of this segment, and a rare experience, isMozart's Exsultate, jubilate, sung in its entirety, rather than the familiar,brilliant "Alleluia" segment that other sopranos use by itself simply to showoff their technique. --Joe McLellan ... Read more

Amazon.com

One of the most remarkable things about this recording of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Prom at the Palace--quite apart from the musical goodies on offer--is the opportunity to glimpse inside the royal garden, and see what Her Majesty's principal home looks like from the back. Voyeurism aside, director Bob Coles also catches the palpable sense of occasion and excitement that surrounds the concert, with some swooping camera angles and exciting crowd shots. The music is a mix of classical favorites (Zadok the Priest, "Jupiter" from The Planets, Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks) and a few lesser-known items.

The outdoor acoustic is generally handled well, and the soloists all sound wonderful; Angela Gheorghiu stops the show with a passionate account of "Vissi d'Arte" (from Tosca) and 13-year-old clarinetist Julian Bliss gives a remarkably assured performance of Messager's Solo de Concours. Occasionally the BBC Symphony Orchestra loses concentration, but overall this is a fine souvenir of a historic concert. All profits from the sale of the DVD will be donated to the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Trust. --Warwick Thomson ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Interesting music, fascinating look at the Palace
I got this one mostly for a look at the Palace and grounds, haven't listened to all of the program yet. The music is pretty much classical, seems well done, if you like that sort of thing you should find a lot to appreciate here. I found it interesting that a couple of selections were by a black choir (The London Adventist Chorale?), spirituals, I guess favorites of the Queen. I liked seeing inside, and out, of the Palace (unlike Elton John's Party at the Palace selection you could tell that these were live performances by seeing the crowds outside the windows), Swan Lake was done in the Ball Room and Bachianas Brasileiras no.1 was performed in The Music Room, my greatest complaint was that the cameras seemed to spend a lot of time examining the ceilings. If you buy both Prom at the Palace and Party at the Palace I think that you'll find this one to be the better arranged program although I think news reports said that the Party concert itself was actually better organized. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"Opera" merely begins to describe the range of music Kiri Te Kanawa sings on this disc amid the spectacular scenery of Australia's Yalkarinha Gorge. Operatic arias include one exquisite rarity, "Marietta's Lied" from Korngold's Die Tote Stadt, as well as the more familiar music of Puccini, "Vissi d'arte," "Signore, ascolta," "Un bel di," and, as a final encore, "O mio babbino caro." But the program also includes folk music arrangements: four of Canteloube's Songs of the Auvergne from southern France (exactly right for her voice) and music of the Australian aborigines that matches the rugged landscape. There are also Broadway tunes by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Irving Berlin, and Richard Rodgers, and religious inspiration in "I Believe." Her voice shows signs of fatigue in one encore--the uncomfortably high beginning of "Summertime"--but otherwise the singing is excellent. --Joe McLellan ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Disappointment
I found the sound of Kiri te Kanawa's voice here shocking. I think she sounds like an old lady - which was obviously because of the emotionally turbulent period of her life that she found herself in. If you want to buyt his Dvd for vocal beauty, dont! however, if you are prepared to make some concessions and enjoy the singing of one of the great female singers of the last 30 years - the musical art - then do. She has done better though!

Kiri in the Outback
This is a wonderful must have video!With the great Kiri Te Kanawa in her best form and old friend Robin Stapleton conducting this is one for all music lovers.Kiri has a wonderful range in dynmanics.She has worked with greats from Berstein to Lloyd Webber himself so her vast knowledge of all music types comes into play here.Plus you have the stunning outblack.This is not the first time Dame Kiri has sung in the outback.Its wonderful to have the whole concert on view here. ... Read more