Before my actual review is even to begin, I feel compelled to dispel nonsense about Sarah's supposed lip-synching. She doesn't. I made a road trip when she visited the west coast and saw three of her shows consecutively. If she lip-synchs, she must record a new track every night because each show was different. These allegations come about because sometimes, her lips don't synch perfectly with the singing. You'll notice that these instances occur almost always with close-up shots. The reason for this is this: Her concerts are recorded twice. She goes through the entire show without an audience so the director can get some nice close-up shots, then she does it for real in front of a live audience. The reasoning for this method is quite simple. To get the type of close-ups desired, the camera would be parked up on a crane with a film crew surrounding it right in front of the artist. A paying audience would riot if cameramen and stagehands were right there on stage hovering around Sarah. I know this isn't what people really want to know, but the editors have done an absolutely fantastic job putting the show together in a way that is totally seamless. It really is Sarah singing live, and while the method isn't what people want (I know we all want a DVD that shows footage only from the live audience show), but it's either we get to see her up close this way or we don't. If you go to her official site's fan section, you'll see they make absolutely no secret of this fact. In fact, there are photos from the first closed-set taping, which I believe a select group of lucky fans were able to sit in on and watch happen. Her official camp is absolutely candid about this process, and those who discredit her in their reviews are just ignorant of this process. Now, on to the review...

While One Night in Eden has more undeniable charm and La Luna drew us into another world more effectively, this latest concert hallmarks a great period in Sarah Brightman's career. She pulls all the stops in this one, and the sheer scope of what she puts together is a perfect accompaniment to this point in her career: she is at the top. If you think only getting the abridged soundtrack is enough to give you a taste of the Harem experience, you're dead wrong. You'll have to see this DVD, because the audio alone cannot portray the wonderful costumes, dances, and pure theatrics Sarah brings on stage.

The costumes are sheer decadence (meaning, of course, they are luxurious and fantastic). The diva is in top form, both vocally and physically, despite her age of forty-four, which she doesn't look anything like, mind you. The show is a lighting extravaganza, with the lighting director using each and every method and trick in his arsenol to use each and every bulb to highlight Sarah's presence. Together with the entourage of dancers who dance around her, Brightman is portrayed almost as a queen straight out of 1001 Arabian Nights. This, however, is how her fans know her best. Her shows almost always showcase her as the aloof goddess hovering on stage where her fans may best worship her. Despite all this, however, she still manages to come across as a warm, personable, charismatic performer.

While this concert was a little bit more 'showy' than I prefer seeing her, it was nonetheless dazzling. Sarah does not share a stage well, though, and she's best when she's the sole object of attention. The best performances feature her in this way: Who Wants to Live Forever, La Luna, Nessun Dorma (which was amazing), What a Wonderful World (probably the most memorable performance of the concert). The dancers, however, were terrific during the interludes. (My only gripe with the dancers was the 'biker chick' number where not only the dances, but the costumes were horribly out of place during the performance of 'Arabian Nights.) Featured vocalists Violet (née Amelia Brightman, Sarah's youngest sibling), Shwetta Shetty (indipop artist who contributed vocals on the Harem album), and Eli Barak were each brilliant. Shwetta, especially, is a powerhouse talent that brought much-needed 'ooomph' to Arabian Nights and What a Wonderful World.

Harem is a wonderful ride from beginning to end. She starts off strong with Harem then ends with the ever-crowd-pleasing Question of Honour. The camera captures each song very well. There is none of the fast camera changes, funky camera tricks, and downright schizoid camera handlings we've come to know and hate from recent concert releases -- thank God. (On a side note, I really wish that trend would die.) The camera is handled reverently, respectfully, and, most of all, maturely.

Video noise is the downfall of this DVD. It was destined to be the pinnacle concert DVD, but the director chose to use film that was subpar to what we expected. Pictures are not as crisp and clear as they were on La Luna, and the video noise is worse on this DVD than it is on One Night In Eden. Strangely enough, many scenes seem to be a bit 'smokey' in color. The color is not as vibrant or clear in some scenes because of this foggy quality. The worst is during far-away shots, because you can barely make out her face due to the video noise. For this reason, La Luna still ranks #1 as being the best DVD. Sound, however, on Harem Live is lush, rich, and everything I expected it to be. You can definitely see the images, and the only reason it was distracting for me was because I was expecting something just as good (or better) than La Luna when it came to video quality. Everything does show up well and it is watchable, don't get me wrong. I just wish video quality was better, because Brightman's concerts are such a visual feast for the eyes.

The extras on the second disc include some entertaining interviews with her entourage. It also includes a photo sequence that shows various photos, and while it plays, a few remixes of Harem songs play in the background -- worth listening to if you enjoyed the Harem album! There's also a video quiz that is quite infuriating, but the prize is a password to access a prize on the official site (this offer may or may not be still available, since it was a limited time offer). I finished the quiz and got my prize from the official site which was free photos of Sarah in concert from the Harem Tour called 'The Signature Collection.' I paid for s/h, of course, but that's more than fair.

All in all, this concert is still a must-have. It is a triumphant extravaganza sure to please fans and non-fans alike. It's a spectacle, and ranks high as one of my favorite concerts.

As everything Sarah Brightman sets her mind to do, this has been yet another unforgettable concert spectacular captured timelessly and presented to us here to enjoy time and time again. I initially feared this would dim my own "Harem" experience in comparison to this sold-out taped/recorded event at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada but thankfully it's not much different so it gives me a wonderful sense of nostalgia as I watch it. Sarah's voice sounds just as pristine as when I saw her live for the first time last March and the sound is amazing when it comes to both the classical and rock musicians whom mostly play in a shallow ravine-like gorge on the stage that does rise on occasion but is hidden for the most part... The props and costumes are as elegant as ever and everyone put on a really great show, which is no surprise at all as her concerts are always quite lavish in proportion with never a dull moment. Of course Sarah could probably mesmerize an audience if only it were her and a microphone... I also enjoyed the exotic group of female dancers and got pleasant chills whenever the spellbinding backing/featured vocalists, Violet, Shweta Shetty and Kadim al-Sahir would lend their talents and sing. Many highlights for me included them; such as "No One Like You", "Arabian Nights", and "The War Is Over" where Sarah plays the piano. And yes, with today's technology the video production could have been better as the long-shots do tend to make everything look a little grainy but its truthfully not as bad as everyone's making it out to be (although I guess it could depend on what kind of TV you have).

Live setlist - 23 songs

Concert running time approx. 110 minutes

Dolby 5.1 and DTS 5.1 surround sound

Includes second disc with special bonus features!

Still haven't finished the quiz, though, to see what the prize is because every time you get an answer wrong you have to start over again and there's a lot of questions so I hope you've all done your homework and have a good memory!

I attended both the first and second concerts in Las Vegas and was present during the DVD filming during the first concert (with high power binoculars). I was also at the invitation-only DVD special filming in the afternoon before the first Vegas concert. Sarah does not lip-synch in concert or on the videos. The reason the DVD sometimes looks like this was explained technically by her producer, Frank Peterson.

The concerts were spectacular and Ms Brightman's performance was incredible, as always. This DVD is really worth owning for those reasons. However, I agree with others about the quality of the filming on the DVD. It's not up to her previous standards on One Night in Eden and La Luna. It appears very grainy, just like a video tape from years ago.

The DVD, Harem, A Desert Fantasy, is of much better quality and is worth owning. It's more true to the songs on the CD, some of which weren't done at the concert in Vegas. If you own both, you will not only get different quality of filming, but you will also get different songs.

Despite my criticism of the image quality on the Live From Vegas Album, it is a wonderful piece. My 5-star rating was only downgraded to 4-star due to the video quality, not the performance.

David

"Sarah Brightman Live From Las Vegas" is one of the best Concerts I've ever seen. This was her 6th PBS Special. The Concert was Filmed on March 13th, 2004 at The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Viva Las Vegas. This is one of Sarah's Theatrical Concerts she's ever done in her life. Thier are 2 Songs were Sarah Flies. They are "No One Like You" and "A Question of Honour." Also 2 Songs where thier are Fireworks. They are "Ariabian Nights" and "A Question of Honour." The songs on this DVD is her Greatest Hits.

The First DVD Contains the Whole Concert

The Songs are

Act 1

1. Kama Sutra

2. Harem

3. Beautiful

4. It's A Beautiful Day

5. Dust in the Wind

6. Who Wants to Live Forever

7. Anytime, Anywhere Interlude

8. Anytime, Anywhere

9. Nella Fantasia

10. Stranger in Paradice

11. La Luna

12. Nessun Dorma

Act 2

13. No One Like You

14. Arabian Nights

15. The War is Over

16. Free

17. What A Wonderful World

18. A Whiter Shade of Pale

19. Phantom of the Opera Suite (Twisted Every Way / Phantom Overture / Little Lottie)

20. Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

21. Time To Say Goodbye

Encores

22. The Journey Home

21. A Question of Honour

The Second DVD Contains Bonus Material. The Bonus Material DVD goes Behind the Scenes on Sarah Brightman's Harem World Tour.

The Best thing people enjoy is the Harem Quiz about Sarah's Life.

If you get a question right it goes to the next question.

If you get a question wrong Sarah will say things like "Sorry! Incorrect!", Sorry! Wrong Answer!", "Nearly! But no!", or "False!" and takes you back to the first question. If you figure out the first 10 Answers, Sarah shows you a Video she took from her own Video Camera. It's called "Sarah Behind the Camera" it takes you Backstage with Sarah at The Negara Stadium in Malaysia. That was one of her stops on the Asian part of the Harem Tour. She shows you around her Dressing Room and under and on the Harem Stage. There's an Interactive Multiple Camera Angle View where you can view diffrent areas of where the Camera People viewed Sarah on Stage. There's 3 Songs you can view the Camera Angles. They are "Anytime, Anywhere", "What A Wonderful World" and "A Question of Honour." Also other a "Making of" Documentary of the DVD and an "All Acecess" backstage Video Tour on how they move the Stage from Location to Location, and how they prepare Sarah for the Concert. Plus a Photo Gallery. They show Pictures of Sarah On and Off Stage. Hope you enjoy the DVD and have fun!

Sarah is so awsome and this concert is amazing. Hew voice is beautiful and her production is huge and lavish. The best songs are "The Journey Home," "A Question of Honor," and "The War is Over." I do have to make the unfortunate note that the above reviewers are correct in that something is wrong with the video quality of the DVD. If you have a sharp eye for DVD quality you will notice a cloudy grainy picture other than when there is fog onstage or sarah is behind a scrim. The DVD is STILL A MUST for Sarah fans. Sound and presentation is excellent.