Track Listing

1. Kama Sutra
2. Harem Overture (Cancao do Mar)
3. It's a Beautiful Day
4. Dust in the Wind
5. Who Wants to Live Forever
6. Anytime, Anywhere
7. La Luna
8. Nessun Dorma
9. The War Is Over
10. Free
11. A Whiter Shade of Pale
12. The Phantom of the Opera Suite
13. WIshing You Were Somehow Here Again
14. Time To Say Goodbye
15. Question of Honor
16. Snow on the Sahara (Bonus studio track)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48119 in Music
• Released on: 2004-09-28
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Extra tracks, Live
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.com

Sarah Brightman Photos

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Amazon.com
While the sales of Sarah Brightman's ambitious, Middle Eastern-themed 2003 album Harem may have fallen short of its predecessor, the veteran UK chanteuse's popularity as a live performer has only mushroomed. This live recording of her ambitious, sold-out Harem World Tour engagement at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Arena is testament to that appeal, begging the question: Will Brightman become the Grateful Dead of classical crossover? Indeed, abetted by the rich sonic textures of longtime producer/collaborator Frank Peterson, the worldbeat conceits of her recent studio recordings are folded into a larger, even more expansive live vision here. Brightman's overt dramatic instincts and oft-chaemeleonic vocal abilities drive a slate of material that stretches from the Arabian Nights/Madame Butterflypastiche of Harem's seductive "It's A Beautiful Day" through surprisingly effective classical/rock reinventions of Kansas' "Dust in the Wind" and The Moody Blues' chestnut "Nights in White Satin" to expected classical bowings "Nessun Dorma" and the obligatory nod to "Phantom of the Opera"Harem's East-meets-Eurodisco sensibility will also welcome the melodic new studio bonus cut, "Snow in the Sahara." --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Brings back nostalgic memories...
I was fortunate enough to have experienced a very surreal evening with the angel of music, Sarah Brightman, last March on her Harem World Tour concert in Anaheim, CA and just had to acquire her first live recording, which took place in Las Vegas here, so that I could relive the experience whenever I wanted to. I was naturally skeptic as there aren't many live albums that can capture the magic of the event as it's actually happening but this nailed it quite well. Sarah's voice is in perfect form and the production is superb! Crank up the volume, close your eyes, and you'll be taken to Sarah's harem...

"Kama Sutra" is a nice two minute intro into "Harem", which brings me to my one and only gripe about this album, and that would be how they chose to cut out most of the good parts and pretty much make this an overture instead of using the entire song. Also, I could have lived without "Who Wants To Live Forever". It seems she includes this song on every tour she does when in fact it is one of my least favorite songs of hers. I was, however, thrilled to hear "Phantom Of The Opera Suite" and, even though I would have loved to hear "Music Of The Night" as well, "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" was probably the better selection. I also enjoyed "Anytime, Anywhere" (always a highlight for me) and the somewhat extended version of "Dust In The Wind", which I prefer over the original found on EDEN. Granted, Sarah also closed her LA LUNA set with "A Question Of Honour", this is hands down the best version I've yet to heard of that song. I could really feel the energy of the crowd with their harmonious clapping to the beginning drum section after the brief "La Wally" aria.

Many complain about the music being too loud but, HELLO!, that's how it is when you attend a live concert! And Sarah handles the ethereal power of her vocals like the pro she is; never failing to soar above it all without sounding as if she's trying too hard. This is a wonderful live recording that I recommend all fans get - even if it's only for the brand new studio track, "Snow On The Sahara", which I've been playing excessively as of late... It is absolutely gorgeous and has quickly become a favorite of mine!

The World Is An Ugly Place. Thank God for Sarah!!!!
I attended my first concert ever when Sarah was in Reno this year. From the first step inside the auditorium, she "assaults" your senses immediately with a giant incense burner filling the stadium and brilliantly colored lights focused on a huge exotic curtain. I didn't know what to expect at all. I had paid $75 for a ticket and was hoping I'd get my money's worth.

Wow!! Did I get my money's worth!

Dancing girls, an elaborate, somewhat abstract stage, phenomenal lighting, and here comes little Sarah down the runway ramp. Little -couldn't be 5 feet tall- Sarah with this HUGE voice pure as liquid light.

My favorite songs were It's a Beautiful Day, Dust in The Wind, La Luna, Free,Time to Say Goodbye and the one that literally brings down the house: A Question of Honour, where tons of colored confettie falls from the ceiling drawing in the audience and the show DOES end with a "Bang", a huge white explosion. I was so jazzed I would have gone out and bought another ticket if she had given two performances. The audience was ecstatic and all of us were shouting "encore!" Never had so much fun in my entire life. Such talent, such class!! Sarah is a class-act unlike the drug addled rockers and borderline singers like Madonna. I am now a bonified Brightman fan and will drive 500 miles to her nearest live performance.

Buy this beautiful CD, hear this out-of-this-world voice. Sarah can take your mind off the violence prevelant in the world today. Thank you, Sarah!

P.S. I just watched "Kama Sutra: A Tale Of Love", a very well directed story of a fatal love affair between a Raja, his beautiful consort and her artist lover whose love for her kills him. Remarkably, the lovers' theme was the music Sarah Brightman opens her show with (Cut#1). Rent or buy this excellent (extremely sexual-hence the title)1996 movie and see where she got some of the ideas for her wonderful show.

Sarah's Sexy and Magical Harem!
Having seen Sarah's Harem concert in NYC, I was quite excited to hear about this live CD and 2-disc live DVD release. Having purchased the CD, I was overall pleased with this new album. Sarah's singing, as always, is spectacular and beautiful, whether moving from dance-Euro-pop to her special way with "operatic" materials. It's interesting to hear the difference in her voice between a perfectly controlled and produced studio recording and a live, at-the-moment performance. Sarah does not disappoint as a live performer, visually or aurally. Some of these live renditions, "Nessun Dorma", and "It's A Beautiful Day, to name but two, are actually superior to her studio versions. There are times however, when Sarah, trying to produce a fuller "operatic" sound to her voice, resorts to "scooping" before hitting certain notes (in this concert, it occurs during parts of "La Luna" and "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again", and also to be heard on her studio recording of "O Mio Babbino Caro", found on her "Classics" CD, as examples). This "technique" is not used too often and, when not employed at all, her singing retains it's clarity, brightness, power, and ethereally magical sound. It is a shame, as others have noted, that the "Harem" live version selection is terribly cut short, and there should have been more of the "Harem" material included. However, what is on this CD is beautifully sung, expertly produced, and acts as a perfect album for the Brightman fan or a newcomer to Sarah's incredibly magical and sexy universe. I found myself repeating "Dust In the Wind" over and over, Sarah's singing being infinitely moving. The bonus "studio" track, "Snow On the Sahara", is simply another Brightman classic. Sounding like it may have been recorded during the "Harem" album sessions, it just whets my appetite for the next (and hopefully soon!) Sarah Brightman studio album.
Luigi in NYC.