TARJA TURUNEN & HARUS – In Concert Live A Sibelius Hall

Tarja Turunen, as most people will no doubt know, was front women of Nightwish, a heavy metal band with major classical overtones. Tarja’s vocal delivery has always been very much in an operatic style, which was perfect for the majestic sound of Nightwish and on this DVD and CD package she takes her classical leanings to a whole new level.

Recorded in the Lahti Theatre in Finland back in December 2009, this finds Tarja and her trio of musicians in contemporary classical mode playing to an audience enthralled by the performance. Playing along with Tarja are Kalevi Kiviniemi on organ, Marzi Nyman on guitar and Markku Krohn on percussion who are all classically and jazz trained, playing with ensembles in both disciplines worldwide.

Musically, if you are expecting a Nightwish-like hard rock performance you will be disappointed as this is an operatic classical performance which showcases Tarja’s vocal dexterity beautifully. Over the course of the DVD and CD you will find operatic arias, improvised Christmas numbers, the quartet’s take on the Aled Jones favourite ‘Walking In The Air’ and no less than three versions of ‘Ave Maria’. There are also a few instrumental numbers demonstrating the talents of the three musicians, but these were a bit too improvised and jazzy for my taste, especially ‘ Astral Bells’ which was an experience not to be repeated in a hurry.

This package is really aimed at classical buffs or Tarja Turunen completests and whilst I am not adverse to the odd classical concert, I would have struggled to last the distance at this one. As I say, one for the collector.

David Wilson

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)