Hymn: Sarah Brightman in Concert Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Hymn: Sarah Brightman in Concert Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 19, 2019

Sarah Brightman is often credited with helping to popularize the so-called “crossover” genre, and one need look no further than this release for an indication of the extremely wide array of material that Brightman typically covers. While some may chafe a bit at some perhaps perceived subtext of Brightman filming this concert in the vicinity of Neuschwanstein Castle, a location with a somewhat “problematic” history considering its connection to Richard Wagner and "Mad King Ludwig", it at least offers an incredibly scenic environment, though of course this concert takes place inside, in the venerable Festspielhaus, where Brightman and her team pull out all the stops to provide both a rather sumptuous physical production in support of some beautifully sung and arranged music.

Sarah's concert includes the following songs (an asterisk indicates this track is also included on the bonus CD):

• Gothica
• Fleurs du Mal*
• Stranger in Paradise
• Carpe Diem (featuring Mario Franqoulis)
• Anytime Anywhere*
• Gia Nel Seno (La Storia De Lucrezia)*
• Misere Mei
• Beautiful
• Follow Me*
• Figlio Perduto*
• Who Wants to Live Forever
• Tu Che M'Hai Preso Il Cuor*
• Miracle (featuring Yoshiki)*
• Hymn Overture
• Hymn*
• Sogni (featuring Vincent Niclo)*
• There For Me (featuring Vincent Niclo)
• Better Is One Day*
• Canto Per Noi*
• Pie Jesu (featuring Narcis)*
• Fly to Paradise*
• Time to Say Goodbye*
• Masquerade
• Phantom of the Opera (featuring Mario Fangoulis)
• Sky and Sand*

Hymn: Sarah Brightman in Concert Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Hymn: Sarah Brightman in Concert is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Vision, an imprint of Eagle Rock Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Decca Gold with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. This is an often fairly strange production in terms of the actual physical trappings, choreography and other bells and whistles, but aside from some minor banding (probably exacerbated by the use of dry ice and/or stage "fog") and a couple of moments of combing artifacts in some fast movement (noticeable when the string players are in the frame), this is a sharp and appealing looking transfer that offers a nicely saturated palette and excellent detail levels. There are an above average number of close-ups throughout the presentation, where fine detail is very precise, offering clear views of fabrics on the musicians' costumes and more "mundane" elements like flyaway hairs.

Hymn: Sarah Brightman in Concert Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hymn: Sarah Brightman in Concert perhaps unexpectedly features a Dolby Atmos track, but I have to say as enjoyable as it is, I didn't notice a whale of a lot of difference between it and the also included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Both of the surround tracks offer really spacious accountings of the orchestral forces, and Sarah's voice is mixed prominently in front, as fans will be expecting. Fidelity is excellent throughout the presentation, segueing effortlessly between more bombastic orchestral moments and some quieter, almost "unplugged", moments that feature things like a solo acoustic guitar.

Hymn: Sarah Brightman in Concert Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Hymn In Concert - Behind the Scenes (1080i; 14:26)


• Hymn - The Album Production (1080i; 7:00)


• Hymn Track by Track Album Review (1080i; 24:35)


• Photo Slide Show (1080i; 3:18)

Additionally a Bonus CD is included.

Hymn: Sarah Brightman in Concert Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Any concert which is able to include everything from some quasi-classical material to Contemporary Christian anthems like "Better is One Day" to one of my all time favorite songs from a movie, "Follow Me" from Mutiny on the Bounty, deserves kudos for ambition if for nothing else. But there is a lot of "else" here, including some admittedly outré staging and a parade of bizarre costumes, none of which really detracts and/or distracts from what is the prime focus of this release: some really ravishing music. Technical merits are solid and Hymn: Sarah Brightman In Concert comes Highly recommended.