Bjork Video:

Bjork - Royal Opera House Reviews:
Bjork's outstanding performance
2003-06-20 - 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.

Bjork at her very best!!
2003-04-28 - 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!!

The Best of the Live Bjork DVDs
2003-03-21 - 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?

Poor picture quality due to PAL conversion and BBC taping
2003-02-07 - 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.)

Gorgeous!
2003-01-15 - Wow, this dvd really does have it all!
Bjork really shines on this tour
and you can see the enjoyment
on the faces of all the performers.
There are so many layers of sound
that it makes other concerts
seem a bit flat! Harp, shuffling
of cards and footprints in snow...it
truly is a wonderful musical experience!
Sit back, get chilled and enjoy!!!