Product Description

Studio: Uni Dist Corp (music) Release Date: 06/20/2000

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #65156 in DVD
• Brand: Philips
• Released on: 2000-06-20
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English, Italian
• Subtitled in: Spanish, German, French, Italian
• Dubbed in: Italian
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 77 minutes

Amazon.com
Critics may remain divided over Andrea Bocelli's operatic credentials, but the popular verdict long ago crowned the sightless tenor as a crossover champion, a victory that will only be reinforced by this handsomely produced video companion to Sacred Arias, his well-timed 1999 album of devotional pieces. That collection mingled sacred classics with a handful of venerable Christmas songs to combine seasonal appeal with a broader spiritual fervor, providing a sturdy platform for Bocelli's unfailingly earnest style. For its video incarnation, Bocelli, performing with the Orchestra e coro dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under the baton of Myung-Whun Chung, reprises the album with three additional works, with Chung and the orchestra and chorus contributing a fourth bonus track, Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus."

As first aired on PBS, Sacred Arias dovetails comfortably with Bocelli's hugely popular, preceding broadcast and video, A Night in Tuscany, again adding color to its often solemn musical performances with glimpses of Italy. The performances were shot in Rome's Cathedral of Sopra Miverva, employing wide-angle lenses and graceful camera movement to supply energy to the otherwise static performers: Bocelli's own lack of body movement is offset by Chung's more expressive conducting, but the program's most striking visuals are achieved through long shots that pan down onto the group from high in the cathedral's nave, and cutaways that show us the rich frescoes that adorn the walls and vaulted ceilings. The pacing also makes good use of contrasts between Bocelli's solo performances and those pieces that rely more on the sweep of the chorus and orchestra.

Brief interview segments with the singer and conductor allow the camera to move outdoors for romantic vistas of the Italian countryside, shot in golden light complementing the darker sepias and grays seen in the cathedral. A slightly wider screen aspect ratio gives the concert a cinematic flavor while imposing discreet black bars on standard sets that won't trouble viewers who prefer full-frame videos. --Sam Sutherland

Additional features
The Sacred Arias DVD includes a bonus performance, "The Hymn of the Great Jubilee," and a seven-minute featurette, "The Making of Sacred Arias," consisting of rehearsal footage and comments by Andrea Bocelli and conductor Myun-Whun Chung. French, German, Spanish, and Italian subtitles are available for the spoken portions of the DVD, and the booklet includes all texts in German, Italian, English, and French.

The song list:

1. Ave Maria (Caccini/Mercurio)
2. Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod)
3. Ombra mai fu (Handel, Serse)
4. Hallelujah (Handel, Messiah)
5. Ave Maria (Schubert)
6. Cujus animam (Rossini, Stabat Mater)
7. Amen (Rossini, Stabat Mater)
8. Ingemisco (Verdi, Requiem)
9. Sanctus (Verdi, Requiem)
10. Domine Deus (Rossini, Petite Messe sollonnelle)
11. Va pensiero (Verdi, Nabucco)
12. Pietà, Signore (Niedermeyer)
13. Panis angelicus (Franck)
14. Sancta Maria (Mascagni/Mercurio)
15. Adeste fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful) (Trad.)
16. Mille cherubini in coro (Schubert)
17. Astro del ciel (Silent Night) (Gruber)
18. The Hymn of the Great Jubilee (Father Jean-Paul Lécot) (DVD bonus track)

Customer Reviews

One of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life
This video is for me one of the most beautiful and emotional things I have ever seen, heard or enjoyed in my entire life. I wish I had more words the describe the beauty that is present in these scenes, the glorius interpretations of the orchestra, the chorus, and especially the masterful performance of the singer, Andrea Bocelli. The concert is recorded at the impressive Basilica of Santa Maria Minerva, in Roma. Give yourself the opportunity to enjoy all these beautiful things at home, as I do. I ordered this video even before it was available, and I just got it today. Wonderful, extraordinarily beautiful.

Special Edition with both DVD & CD is available
Instead of this DVD alone, I suggest the Bocelli, Andrea : Sacred Arias CD & DVD Special Edition (ASIN: B0000CE9VO). It includes the full 77 minute concert on DVD, plus the two bonus tracks on the DVD, plus the full 72 minute CD. This includes two bonus tracks on the CD not available on the original CD. Amazingly, the Special Edition is a few dollars less than the DVD alone. What a bargain! This is an amazing concert with a tremendous picture quality on a big screen TV. It is one of those DVD's that captures the feeling of "being there". A must-see for any Andrea Bocelli fan.

A BRILLIANT MASTERPIECE!
Well worth waiting for, the DVD of this classic performance has everything expected and more! Beautiful photography of classic scenes in Rome and the inside of this most beautiful church....the sound makes great use of the 5.1 channel audiophile format....the performance is, well, transcendent as usual! Bocelli doesn't need hype..he IS A MASTER! No wonder he's the Pope's favourite singer! Master Chung gets everything out of the orchestra and more. Choral pieces are done with feeling. The Sacred Arias album was voted by readers of Classic FM magazine as Album Of The Year...and it's easy to see why! There are not enough superlatives to describe this most wonderful singer, a person who puts life into these time-honored classics. You owe it to yourself to bask in the warm, vibrant colour that this wonderful DVD offers. This is a DVD worth using to show off your sound system! BUY IT NOW!