Blackmore’s Night – Paris Moon
Steamhammer/SPV (11/07/07)
Unrated
128 minutes
Folk rock
Let’s just cut to the chase. As surprising as it is to type, Blackmore’s Night’s Paris Moon is probably one of the best concerts to be released on DVD. Presented in widescreen and mastered in 5.1 surround, this release is the best example of how to release a concert: minimal crowd cuts, cameras focused on the band (in tight shots that don’t overpower the viewer) and a stage filled with ridiculously talented musicians who don’t hold anything back. The great thing about the production is that you can lose yourself in the band without getting jarred back to the “concert” by the audience. But the audience is still there to supply ample energy, as opposed to a sterile studio setting.
There’s a pleasant mix of songs on here—some classic vocal and lush instrumental tracks from the Renaissance fair stalwarts, some great covers (Deep Purple’s “Soldier of Fortune”, Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust” and Joan Osbourne’s “Saint Teresa”) along with a bit of traditional folk material.
To see just how great the band is, take a look at “Under the Violet Moon” or “Home Again”, in which every member of the band just shines throughout. Or take the instrumental “Durch Dem Wald Zum Bachaus”, with a particularly sick bass solo. In fact, all of the musicians should be applauded on that track, as each takes a moment to shine alone on the stage.
Still, there are essentially two stars here—lead singer Candice Night has an absolutely perfect voice for this kind of music, and Ritchie Blackmore (perhaps better known for his work with Deep Purple) is magnificent on every instrument he plays. He obviously has a strong love for this type of music, and has spent the latter half of his career pursuing more and more knowledge on all things renaissance.
Along with the DVD set is an accompanying CD of songs, but the track listing is different from the Paris Moon set and it appears to be more of a compilation of songs.
As already mentioned, the concert is presented in 16:9 widescreen, with a choice of audio formats, but I can’t imagine anything sounding better than the Dolby 5.1 mix. All in all, it sounds good; a little heavy on the bass at times, but each channel comes through clear with minimal crowd interference.
The extras are scant—a photo album set to music, and a short documentary. But who needs extras when the meat of this set is so good. For anyone who maybe likes what Within Temptation or Nightwish is trying to do, but would prefer a little less metal… or anyone reading this who may be a fan of renaissance music… or anyone who just appreciates phenomenal musicians having a great time on stage, this a great concert to add to your collection.
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