Rating: 
Summary: Bjork's outstanding performance
Review: Before I bought the DVD I had some doubts if the instrumentation (electronic music duo, classic orchestra, Inuit choir, harp soloist) was a little bit too excessive for a live performance. Bjork's album "Vespertine" has certain tendencies in the direction of being overloaded, though being a masterpiece anyway due to Bjork's unique voice. But will that stuff work on a stage?Yes, it works ... and better than on the album, in my opinion. Ever since her magnificent MTV unplugged concert I recommend her as the leading female European pop artist. She is able to balance jazz-like club and electronic music arrangements of her compositions, and a string orchestrations as well. So she did during her Verpertine tour. Some examples: the performance of the "Ouverture" (from "Dancer in the Dark") really evolves a dramatic attitude of composers like Bruckner and Mahler. And then, in contrast, her very ethereal "All is full of love"! My personal favourite of the DVD is the pair "Unison" and "Harm of will". Much better than the album versions, Bjork gives those songs a presence that is breathtaking. It combines simply the best of her. And, last but not least, after several contemplative moments and an outstanding "Pagan poetry" you can make sure that her old songs are vital as ever. The concert ends with a tremendously powerful "It's in our hands" which combines Bjork's voice, electric harp and electronic sounds over a mesmerizing rhythm and bass pattern. Modern music style at its best. Thanks to Bjork ... and her fabulous co-musicians. The technical side of the DVD is more than acceptable especially the sound is great. The combination of such an amount of electronic and acoustical sound sources is quite difficult but the 5.1 sound direction well balanced the different parts. Though there are some minor problems with illumination the pictures get across the atmospere of the concert ... and reveal that Bjork's still a very beautiful woman. So I recommend the DVD as a "must have" for Bjork fans .. and also for all those people which have any interest in music which is more than simple mainstream pop.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Live Bjork DVDs
Review: I own all the other live performance DVDs Bjork has released and this is by far the best. She finally realized that her fans are too obsessed with her and need bonus material. She has provided a lot of bonus material. Most importantly, a behind-the-scenes look at the tour and the album, Vespertine. Of course, you don't buy a DVD just for the bonus material. The actual performance is still the best part. She has surrounded herself with an orchestra, the Greenland choir, Zeena Perkins and Matmos and the effect is phenomenal. Every song is lush and it makes for an interesting treatment of Vespertine's quieter songs. I wholeheartedly recommend shelling out the extra bucks to buy this DVD if you are a devoted Bjork fan. And if you aren't, then what are you even doing looking at this page?
Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Live Bjork DVDs
Review: I own all the other live performance DVDs Bjork has released and this is by far the best. She finally realized that her fans are too obsessed with her and need bonus material. She has provided a lot of bonus material. Most importantly, a behind-the-scenes look at the tour and the album, Vespertine. Of course, you don't buy a DVD just for the bonus material. The actual performance is still the best part. She has surrounded herself with an orchestra, the Greenland choir, Zeena Perkins and Matmos and the effect is phenomenal. Every song is lush and it makes for an interesting treatment of Vespertine's quieter songs. I wholeheartedly recommend shelling out the extra bucks to buy this DVD if you are a devoted Bjork fan. And if you aren't, then what are you even doing looking at this page?
Rating: 
Summary: Poor picture quality due to PAL conversion and BBC taping
Review: Of course, the performance is phenomenal, and the 5.1 sound mix is the best treatment that Bjork has ever gotten. Of particular note regarding the 5.1 sound mix is that bass redirection is appropriately conservative -- a rare occurrence. The problem with this release is a set of twin factors: (1) the BBC filmed the production, which is a state-subsidized British agency that can never be accused of being state-of-the-art (or, for that matter, using HDTV gear); and (2) I presume that it was filmed in PAL video format. Accordingly, the quality is poor though I see frequent artifacts of remastering and I don't doubt that the mastering engineers did the absolute best that they could with the source material. For the sound mix alone, together with Bjork's virtuosity, however, it is a wonderful addition to your library. (I shall, however, continue to skip past "Possibly Maybe," a song that Bjork unfortunately seems to lug out at every show.)
Rating:
Summary: Poor picture quality due to PAL conversion and BBC taping
Review: Of course, the performance is phenomenal, and the 5.1 sound mix is the best treatment that Bjork has ever gotten. Of particular note regarding the 5.1 sound mix is that bass redirection is appropriately conservative -- a rare occurrence. The problem with this release is a set of twin factors: (1) the BBC filmed the production, which is a state-subsidized British agency that can never be accused of being state-of-the-art (or, for that matter, using HDTV gear); and (2) I presume that it was filmed in PAL video format. Accordingly, the quality is poor though I see frequent artifacts of remastering and I don't doubt that the mastering engineers did the absolute best that they could with the source material. For the sound mix alone, together with Bjork's virtuosity, however, it is a wonderful addition to your library. (I shall, however, continue to skip past "Possibly Maybe," a song that Bjork unfortunately seems to lug out at every show.)
Rating: 
Summary: Far and away the best of Bjork's four live DVD's
Review: Only Bjork could successfully combine a 50 piece orchestra, a harpist, a female Inuit choir, and two synthesists into a cohesive whole. While she often appears distant in her other live DVDs, Bjork seems much more human here in spite of the larger venue and opera house setting. For those fortunate enough to see her in 2001, her performance here is a reminder of the exuberant spirit and childlike sense of wonder she exhibits live. The choir also appear to enjoy themselves immensely. Indeed, the performers all radiate tremendous positive energy. The sound quality is very good and, more importantly, is true to the quality of her appearances that year. Matmos (the synth duo) mix electronica with real non-musical sounds like boots crunching salt to recreate (and give new life) to the rhythmic backdrops from Bjork's albums. The show starts with Bjork seated and holding a music box under a spotlight while being showed in feathers. Next, the orchestra plays the Overture from Dancer in the Dark (which always makes my spirit soar.) The primary focus of this show is on Vespertine (the 'cool' first half) and Post (the 'hot' second half), although she does play Human Behavior, Joga, and a couple of other tracks from Homogenic. I was a little disappointed that Unravel was not played that evening, but also relieved to find that Army of Me was not included in the setlist (just not the right song for this setting). This edition would be really complete if the BBC were able to tack on her set from HBO's Reverb from earlier in the tour. My only reasons for giving this release four stars are the drowned backing vocals on "All Is Full of Love" and the, well, boring extras. On the other hand, I'm really nitpicking. I highly recommend this release to other fans (and open-minded neophytes.) I can't fathom why more NTSC copies aren't being made available. ...
Rating:
Summary: "Look No Further ":)
Review: This is a documented treasure...filled with surprises, exploration of sounds, and ingenuity! I am biased, but never has a live concert been so alive and beautiful; simple, yet complex. Bjork is truely a pionetic wonder. Just forget about all that junk about the swan dress, and see for yourself the true fun/art/hard work of original music making.
Rating:
Summary: "Look No Further ":)
Review: This is a documented treasure...filled with surprises, exploration of sounds, and ingenuity! I am biased, but never has a live concert been so alive and beautiful; simple, yet complex. Bjork is truely a pionetic wonder. Just forget about all that junk about the swan dress, and see for yourself the true fun/art/hard work of original music making.
Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding
Review: This is a truly amazing performance. I would have loved to have been there that special evening. Apparently it was the first time that a contemporary artist had been allowed to perform in the Royal Opera House: Covent Garden - London. Lets begin: The full-scale orchestra, Matmos, the choir from Greenland and the mesmerising Bjork. I put on this DVD; in a darkend room, with surround sound and had an amazing hour and a half of my life. What a performance! I'm a huge Bjork fan anyway but to see the fusion of live classical orchestra, choir and Bjork was spellbinding. I don't find Bjork that physically attractive, but she oozes something which just turns me to jelly, the voice, the accent, her facial movements, her performance. I tempt anyone even if they are not Bjork fans, to watch this DVD (uninterupted) and not be impressed by the musical talent before them. The set-list is just what I would have wanted. I do know however that she did perform 'Play Dead' that evening but it has not been included on the DVD - shame, but there is more than enough to make up for it: 1 Frosti
2 Overture
3 All Is Full Of Love
4 Aurora
5 Undo
6 Palmstroke
7 An Echo, A Stain
8 Hidden Place
9 Cocoon
10 Unison
11 Harm Of Will
12 It's Not Up To You
13 Pagan Poetry
14 Possibly Maybe
15 Isobel
16 Hyperballad
17 Human Behaviour
18 Jóga
19 It's In Our Hands The first half mainly focusses on the excellent Vespertine - and the second half being a mix of Debut, Post, Homegenic and Vespertine. I have been to many concerts and live performances, as well as owning an array of music DVDs. This blows them all out of the water! If you know, and like Bjork - Buy this. If you don't know her, or think you don't like her music - take a gamble and buy this DVD on the basis of a music fan's opinion - you will not regret it!
Rating:
Summary: Bjork at her very best!!
Review: This is an amazing DVD highlighting perhaps the best live performance of Bjork's career thus far. The concert was recorded after Vespertine, so it contains her newest, deepest, and most heartfelt songs, including one of her best b-sides, 'Generous Palmstroke'.
If you have your dvd player connected to your audio system, just pop the dvd in without video, and enjoy the spellbinding music of Bjork any time you feel like being enveloped with a sweet emotional soundscape.
The 5.1 surround sound will bring out the many individual contributions, including electronic sound masters Matmos, the Il Novecentro Orchestra, the Inuit Choir, Zeena Parkins on harp, and of course the amazing vocal exaltations of Bjork.
If you think it's expensive, remember that you will be able to watch and listen to this Bjork concert any time you feel like, for less than the cost of one concert ticket.
The song selection seems so right and it flows perfectly, and there are plenty of highlights. Many songs sound better than the original album versions because she has had time to practice and tweak them to bring out their best. The fact that it's live, brings out more raw emotion, and it's amazing how dynamic her performance is, and how she hits everything just right.
Listening to her originals in comparison, you'll see that her music is not just a studio product, it's a pure expression of emotions and experiences that exist in her that are freed when she sings. If that's not enough, you get to watch Matmos create their unique sounds and beats through shuffling cards, moving a hyper-sensitive mic over material, trudging through snow, manipulating motion detecting sound shifters, and more.
I mostly love hip-hop and electronic music, but this concert DVD made me a true fan of Bjork. This is my first review because this is the only product I've bought so far at Amazon.com that I felt strongly enough about and has not received it's fair share of recommendations.
The high replay value will make this DVD a valuable addition to your collection. You will not be dissappointed!
Though the video quality is not on par with most Bjork videos, the audio alone earns this 5 out of 5 stars.
If you liked my first review ever, please indicate so, thanks!!
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