Artist: Tarja and Harus
Title: “Live At Sibelius Hall”
Label: Eagle Vision
Release Date: 2/13/2013
Genre: Classical/Opera
Rating: 4/5

If you were ever a fan of the Symphonic Power Metal sensations Nightwish, then you most likely have a soft spot in your musical heart for the amazing voice of their former lead singer Tarja Turunen who left the group in 2005. Since that time, Tarja has launched a successful solo career but for those fans who are dying to hear her soar into the heavens on some Metal stuff, they need to keep on waiting since this video concert is nothing of the kind. As a matter of fact, this is not even the kind of live video that I would normally even speak about but since its Tarja’s first ever release with this project I knew that some of you would want an overview and the insight of a long time Nightwish fan. The recording was done during Tarja’s Christmas Concert back in 2009 and for this group of shows she teamed up with some incredibly talented musicians (Kalevi Kiviniemi, Marzi Nyman and Markku Khronsually). Though I could not gauge its size from the video, I would liken Sibelius Hall to that of NYC’s own Carnegie Hall or maybe even The Town Hall. The camera work and sound on this performance are incredible and one feels as if they are sitting in the hall listening to her amazing voice do what it was trained for and that is Opera.

Tarja speaks to the audience often during the performance and while she is speaking Finnish, there are subtitles to read along so you don’t get too lost. With this being a Christmas concert by the singer she does several classical Finnish holiday songs that she had loved over the years along with renditions of songs that more people would know out there such as “Ave Maria” and “Silent Night”. The show is outstanding from the moment it commences but if you are not open minded to the singer’s wide talents then you might not enjoy this at all. Though I don’t get to them as often as I’d like, I feel that there is nothing quite like an orchestra concert every now and again. The musicianship displayed is wonderful and in the right setting of your viewing experience will take you to another place. I’d suggest a dimly lit room, some tasty wine (if you are old enough to do that) and perhaps even some holiday scented candles. It was wonderful to see Tarja perform in this fashion for a change and I am saying this as a diehard fan of her Nightwish tenure. Who knows, perhaps we will be fortunate enough to find her doing several appearances of this kind at event spaces like the ones I referenced above.

The bonus features include an interview and a photo gallery and of course the dialogue is Finnish, so you’ll want a translator for that. If you know any Finnish people I’d ask them over or just learn the language yourself and return to this part of the video later. Either option works IMHO.

The edition that is being reviewed also included a CD of the concert and while it’s missing a couple of the video tracks it’s still quite enjoyable IF you like sitting back and listening to this kind of music. Since this is a Christmas concert and there are holiday themed traditional songs on it, I envisioned myself sitting with someone special enjoying glass of wine while admiring the lights on the Christmas tree. Perhaps you’d want to add some of these tracks to a Holiday Playlist in Spotify or Apple Music etc. Overall this was a nice change of pace and I think fans of the singer might enjoy and if they don’t they can always gift it to someone who might appreciate it more around the holidays.

Track Listing: Blu-Ray:
01. Heinillä Härkien
02. Ave Maria Op. 80
03. Varpunen Jouluaamuna
04. Maa On Niin Kaunis
05. Concert Etude
06. En Etsi Valtaa Loistoa
07. Arkihuolesi Kaikki Heitä
08. Improvisation on Christmas Themes
09. Ave Maria
10. You Would Have Loved This
11. Astral Bells
12. Ave Maria
13. Walking In The Air
14. Jouluyö, Juhlayö (Silent Night)

CD:
01. Arkihuolesi Kaikki Heitä
02. Ave Maria Op. 80
03. Ave Maria
04. Maa On Niin Kaunis
05. Varpunen Jouluaamuna
06. Heinillä Härkien
07. En Etsi Valtaa Loistoa
08. Jouluyö, Juhlayö (Silent Night)
09. Astral Bells
10. You Would Have Loved This
11. Walking In The Air
12. Improvisation: Variations Sur Un Noëlstart

Official Website: http://www.tarja.com