For two weeks in December Cirque du Soleil presented a monumental celebratory event to the public – CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: LE GRAND CONCERT, a musical experience live at the stunning Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church in Montreal. The idea for a concert celebrating the vibrant music of Cirque du Soleil found its creative spark during a musical summit held at the same church in 2009. When the Cirque cultivated ideas to celebrate its 30th Anniversary, the team reflected upon the strong emotions provided during that summit (and the exceptional acoustic sound the Church is known for), and CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: LE GRAND CONCERT was born. The unique performance went on to sold-out crowds and rave reviews, but its legacy should have ended at the final performance. So I have to admit it is truly fascinating to have this product in my hands… it shouldn’t exist!
Don’t you remember when LE GRAND CONCERT was originally being promoted? For two weeks – and only in Montreal – the musical event would be performed, and then it would disappear into the halls of history; unrecorded for posterity thereby preserving the uniqueness and specialness of the ticketed event. And though Cirque du Soleil suggested the concert would never be filmed and/or released to the public – since songs used in this show have already been release on their respective show soundtrack CDs (more or less) – we hoped beyond hope something of this performance would be saved for future generations. We were undeniably pleased to learn that the concert was indeed filmed – “captured at the heart of the splendid Saint-Jean-Baptiste church” on the evening of December 23rd – for television broadcast on Saturday, January 3rd.
And two days after the broadcast fans were delighted again when that television broadcast became available for streaming via TOU.TV, a French-Canadian video-on-demand website. The only catch: the video stream was restricted only to Canadian residents (and the quality was not the best). Thankfully, there were ways around that, and we here at Fascination were able to watch the concert as broadcast (and, of course, gave our comments about it therein.) In the end, the broadcast of LE GRAND CONCERT exceeded our expectations in just about every way. It gave us an opportunity to see / hear the performance when there would have been no other way for us to do so. I was thankful for that, but I ended my brief review of the broadcast with a wish – that an official full-length recording (in HD) would be made available to fans in some official form?
And as of April 21st, it has! I have it in my hot little hands!
PACKAGING
DISCS –- 2-Disc Combo (1 DVD / 1 Blu-Ray)
UPC –- 6-22406-24189-6
Catalog — SRCDVD22418
Video — 1.78:1 Wide screen
Audio — English 2.0/5.1/DTS
Run Time –- 84 minutes
Region –- All
The packaging for this two-disc DVD/Blu-Ray release is a bit disappointing, but I’m not quite sure what I expected, or really wanted in the first place. The design is similar to the packaging of many other recent Cirque du Soleil DVD releases (the recycled cardboard), but that’s where the comparison stops: this is not a Cirque du Soleil release (it’s a Radio Canada release). The package is not the product we’ve come to expect from Cirque releases; however, it’s not clasped closed like most DVD and Blu-Ray boxes, so opening it is a breeze. Once you open the package (like you would a book) you’re presented with the two discs on your right and a booklet on your left. Unfortunately, looks can be deceiving; the booklet is affixed to the packaging at its back page so it is not removable, nor is it a booklet. Opening it reveals a table of contents for the disc – an overview of the musical numbers presented within – and that’s it.
One item that deserves kudos is that the discs have not been “region restricted” they are region-free. That means that anyone in the world with a player that can play NTSC-based discs can enjoy this program.
Getting the discs out proved to be harder than I initially thought, too. Having seen many duel-disc releases in my time one expects the packaging to be of similar design. Here, however, the discs are not affixed to a center wheel, but rather they’re sitting in grooved pockets one on top of the other. Releasing the discs from their snug home took more than a moment for me; you have to push down on the top disc which displaces a clip on the bottom of the disc’s well (for a lack of a better word), which then allows you to pull the disc forward and out. My friend and colleague Keith Johnson prefers this arrangement (as he’s experienced more broken teeth from those center-hole grabbers than he can count, he says) I would have preferred the more traditional approach. (You know you’re getting old when…)
CONTENTS
For the purpose of reviewing the actual concert I selected the Blu-Ray disc (which was BEHIND the DVD, so I had to take it out first…); having already seen the broadcast in “DVD Quality” (or less) I wanted to experience it in full HD. The quality of the video and audio on the recording is superb, and I have no complaints to speak of. However, I only have a small sound bar, but for those who have a complete sound system in which to revel in the music of Cirque du Soleil, take heart: Keith Johnson is one of these individuals and he found the DTS Master Audio to be pretty good too! His only criticism was that the audio was too front-focused for his liking, with only hall ambience in the surround speakers. It creates a nice “you are there” effect, but doesn’t take full advantage of the surround to present parts of the show as it was heard by the audience, such as when “Atmadja” from Quidam crescendos, with the band in the front and the organ and chorus rocking the rear of the church. Imagine that on a surround sound system! But he figures a more conservative standard prevailed in the mixing room.
Most of the missing audio pieces from the television broadcast and subsequent web-streaming are available and fully restored here, such as: “Brisa do Mar” from OVO, “Love Me Tender” from VIVA ELVIS, “Whisper” from AMALUNA, and “Kumbalawé” from SALTIMBANCO – my favorite of the missing numbers.
You might recall in my previous review that LE GRAND CONCERT’s broadcast ended with what arguably is Cirque’s most famous song – “Alegría” from ALEGRIA. While the song is a fitting way to end a performance of this type (“Soleil de Minuit” and “Delirium” ended this way), this song was not quite the end of the concert. An encore featuring the entire ensemble singing “Kumbalawé” from Saltimbanco actually followed, as the singers and musicians exited the stage, truly ending the performance. Thankfully, this piece has been fully resorted on the DVD/Blu-Ray… and it is marvelous!
The discs also include the interviews originally broadcast with the show, intercut with the video as seen on the Broadcast, but with English subtitles! There are no special features here, which are a shame, and quite a missed opportunity. What fun a subtitled commentary track with the creative team and singers discussing how the show came to be could have been (even if it was in French). Or even expanded interviews with the singers themselves! Alas, nothing, and that’s a disappointment to be sure.
My only real gripe with the recording lies with the table of contents: there are two musical numbers listed here that really only get about 15-20 seconds of any actual play-time – “Overture” from Cirque du Soleil (which you can possibly hear briefly at the beginning of the recording, just before “Atmadja” takes over) and “Taruka” from ALEGRIA, who’s infamous snare drum beats are easily recognizable in any venue (they’re used as an intro and segue into “Alegria” rather than a piece of its own,) which was a little disappointing. Otherwise, the Blu-Ray release is a vast improvement over the television broadcast and subsequent webcast, and is a must-have in your Cirque du Soleil video library. But note, it isn’t for the casual fan; this is best for those with more than a passing interest in Cirque, and those with more than a few CDS tracks in their MP3 files.
At the moment you can only get it from Amazon.ca, but they do ship internationally, so feel free to place your order today!
Get it here:
http://www.amazon.ca/Cirque-Soleil-Concert-Blu-Ray-Bilingual/dp/B00TUM0ONW
