I have a question about... A new DVD?

[jascka]

Hi everyone!,

What a shame!
I was wondering if someday in somewhere will be released a DVD concert of her Choreography Tour, for example .
This is of some importance, i think... it's worth it. As for instance a video that includes something of Subject to change promo, Violin Player, a rarity, tv performances, video clips, etc.
Never?
I really wonder... does anyone here know anything about a future DVD of Chen Mei ?

Cheers,

[Xanthippe]

Hi jascka,

Yes we would all welcome a live DVD with a Choreography concert very much.

I had contact with someone in the publicity office of Sony and asked her about possible plans for such a release. She told me no such plans existed at that time, but at Sony they considered it as an interesting option.

Both Vanessa-Mae and Sony are well aware that fans are interested in video material, especially live concerts.

Of course, such a release must be profitable commercially for Sony and Vanessa-Mae herself.

There are two live concerts of Vanessa-Mae available commercially. The Red Hot concert in the Royal Albert Hall was filmed on June 30th 1995 and is available on tape and DVD. Vanessa-Mae live at the Berlin Philharmonie on September 4th 1996 is available on tape only. Moreover, several VCD's have been released as bonus with her albums. These VCD's hold video clips and promotional clips.

[jascka]

ok, thanks for the note!,
I'm looking forward to hear it, from Sony...
I'm really interested about Choreography and Subject to Change promo, concerts... . And some tracks of her first album too, of course... Anyway, she included some repertoire of her Violin Player throughout her last tour, isn't it?

Iván,

[Xanthippe]

Hi Iván,

Vanessa-Mae always includes music of her previous albums in the program of the present tour of concerts. I visited her Choreography tour twice in London and Dresden. See the links below for my reviews with photos. Track listings are also available there.

Vanessa-Mae live in the Royal Festival Hall, London October 2004

Vanessa-Mae live in Dresden, February 2005

For more reviews on albums, video and the other 4 concerts that I attended see:

Reviews

[jascka]

That's great!

Thanks Rijko,

program:

-Sabre Dance
-Havana Slide
(speech)
-Roxanne's Veil
-Bolero for Violin and Orchestra
-Solace
-Tango De Los Exilados
-Laughing Buddha (electric violion)
-Hocus Pocus
(introduction of the band)
-Moroccan Roll
(speech)
-Theme from 'Caravans' (electric violin)
-Retro (electric violin)
(speech)
-Bach Street Prelude
-I Am A Doun
-Raga's Dance
-Emerald Tiger
(speech)
-Toccata & Fugue
-Storm

encore
-Sabre Dance

:eeek: :yummy:

Is 'Toccata and fugue in D minor' or not?' Is it the extended version?

[Xanthippe]

Iván,

Yes it is in D-minor as on the album. Vanessa-Mae plays T&F live in concert more or less according to the album version. I never noticed any difference.

Theme From Caravans as Vanessa-Mae played it in Dresden differed markedly from the album version as it is on 'The Violin Player.'

[jascka]

Yes! I read it on your review:

... especially the flute parts sounded very nice.

:eeek: I would like to hear it... jeje.

Mmmm... 'Toccatta And Fugue' (World Music Awards 1997), she played the shorter version, for example. In the beginning, the difference starts at the beginning, at the beginning's notes. Actually, the difference is in all the song, as she omit a part of it. But I like both of them in concert!

[Xanthippe]

Yes, the version for television is shorter than what she plays live on her tour of concerts.

[jascka]

Ok!, There is a shorter version of the song, maybe as a promo. So, does she play the almost 8 minutes version on the tour, the album's version, isn't it? She had to play it very similar, I suppose...

[Xanthippe]

I never actually clocked the lentgh of the song during the concerts but here is some additional information.

T&F album version lasts 7:47
T&F single edition lasts 3:39

I checked the dvd of the Royal Albert Hall concert of june 30th 1995. T&F lasts 5:24 there and during the encores 2:36.

I suppose the length of live concert versions varies depending on the tour she did, and maybe between individual concerts too. But my guess is that the live version resembles the album edition the most, like during the Royal Albert hall concert of 1995.

[jascka]

You are right, on her Live in London (at Royal Albert hall, 95), the song
resembles the album edition the most, I think too...

Like on this album:


http://www.vanessa-mae.nu/discography/a ... _front.jpg

On this collection appears T&F cut off too, but it isn't like in the different versions for TV, of course.

I suppose the length of live concert versions varies depending on the tour she did, and maybe between individual concerts too.

So, perhaps is there a greatest resemblance during her first tour?
Well, anyway, it has beautiful arrangements... but she could make the most of the song (throughout her concerts), especially with those voices around the end... with that atmosphere!


Cheers,

[Xanthippe]

Yes 'The Ultimate' has the Royal albert Hall version of T&F.

All audiences at her live concerts appreciate this song in particular, as they do when Vanessa-Mae plays Red Hot or Storm at a concert. There is realy great atmosphere in that hall then. Great to there!

[Benji]

Ok!, There is a shorter version of the song, maybe as a promo. So, does she play the almost 8 minutes version on the tour, the album's version, isn't it? She had to play it very similar, I suppose...

The answer is No. As many times that Vanessa-Mae has played Toccata & Fugue, she's never performed the original unedited version seen on the Violin Player. Toccata and Fugue happens to be one of my favorite songs, especially Mike Batt's version on TVP album.

This is one of my misgivings about the concert arrangements of T & F. The 5 min version is the closest you'll get to the album version, but still it doesn't have the "fugue" part, with the violin "dueling" with the electric guitar, then later joined by other instruments.

My second misgiving is, 98% of the time, she performs this song with her electric violin, but really, her Guad sounds the best and adds color to the song. Also, like Red Hot (which I'll get to in a minute), she doesn't play the song the same way she does on the album. Now all musicians ad-lib, but usually when Vanessa Mae adlibs, it usually involves omitting certain notes, which sorta detracts from the song. I never understood why she does this. I don't mind playing it a different way, but omitting notes?

Which brings me to Red Hot. My biggest beef ever with Vanessa-Mae is how she performs this long live. Now here, I must admit; she did WRITE this song, so I really have no right to say how it should be performed. But at the same time, how she originally wrote it is very, very, very, good. But again, in concerts, she omits notes that really takes away some of the character from the song. To people who aren't violinists, these little "ad-libs" wouldn't be noticeable; unfortunately, it is to me.

I'm glad she got away from miming in her own concerts, for which if she was ever caught, it could be very, very, bad publicity (see: Ashlee Simpson). I also like the fact that she uses her acoustic violin more.

All in all, I wouldn't bet on a DVD release. Much to my dismay, her promotion under Sony is no better than when she was at EMI. Several TV shows, even some here in the U.S. where Vanessa is not that famous, have a hard time finding her to book an interview/short concert. Her website, besides some tour dates, haven't been updated in over a year. I, for one, think that Vanessa could succeed in the U.S. because she's unique, but finding the right producer and the right promotoer is the key.

I'm not at all surprised Choreography wasn't released in the U.S. It would have totally flopped, especially since Vanessa-Mae hasn't played a concert in the U.S. in several years. However, Vanessa begins working on a new album starting next year, perhaps Americans like me might get a glimpse of her here in the U.S. in 2006 or 2007. But I'm not holding my breath ...

[Xanthippe]

Benji is right. T&F as played during the Royal Albert Hall concert, at show concerts and performances on television differ considerable from the 7:47 album version. Some of the very interesting parts were skipped, probable to limit the length of the song. Benji mentioned that already.

I can't really remember exactly how T&F was played at the cocnerts that of Vanessa-Mae that I attended but my guess is that it resembled the Royal Albert Hall version basically.

Audiences at classical concerts are used to hear compositions, symphonies or movememts of consederable length, sometimes up to almost 30 minutes. At more pop oriented concerts, audiences often get bored if a specific song takes too musch time. This might be a motive for Vanessa-Mae to limit the length of T&F by skipping some parts and thus make the song more easily digestible for the audience.

Personally, I would love to hear the full album version played by Vanessa-Mae live in concert. T&F is a brilliant piece of music.

Anyway, I have seen Vanessa-Mae 8 times live in concert. The firts time was for 'The Storm On World Tour' in 1998. There Vanessa-Mae played T&F on her Zeta violin. About one year later in 1999 for 'The Original Four Seasons Tour' in Hamburg, Vanessa-Mae did not play T&F nor 'Red Hot.'
During 'The Tour For Change' concerts in Zurich and Berlin in 2001, Vanessa-Mae played T&F on her Zeta violin again.

However during the past Choreography Tour' in London and Dresden, Vanessa-Mae used her acoustic Guadagnini violin to play T&F.

I will certainly see Vanessa-Mae live in concert again in the future, hopefully as soon as possible, and then I will time the length of T&F.

[eva03]

I dont expect a V-M DVD in 5 years.