Olivia Newton-John and the Sydney Symphony: Live at the Sydney Opera House

I never cease to be amazed at how busy Olivia Newton-John continues to be every year. Even though she has not been a chart-topper or a radio regular for years, she continues to release projects that prove to the world she still has it! And exactly what is "it?" Beauty, charm, stage presence, and incredible pipes! She has been singing most of the songs on this DVD for decades now, but she never seems to grow tired of them. And she gives freshness to songs like Physical and Don't Stop Believin' by completely changing their standard pop flavor. While diehard fans may really like the less familiar additions to the concert-- like Tenterfield Saddler, Serenity, Cry Me A River, Stronger Than Before, Dancin' and The Promise-- all of the classics that people know and expect to hear are included. The one notable absence is A Little More Love. I know she has included this in concerts in recent years. I thought it should have at least been part of the Rock Medley (although the medley is actually representative of her '80's hits, and A Little More Love was late '70's). All of these songs appear on various CD's and Greatest Hits comilations. So the main reason to own this DVD is not just to hear the music, but obviously to SEE Olivia perform! And she is a complete joy to watch! Whether standing, sitting, dancing, or dueting, the entire concert is pure delight. And the fact that she is performing before a huge audience at the Sydney Opera House with her band as well as the Sydney Orchestra just adds to the pleasure of this incredible performance. Olivia has timelessly endured during a time when so many performers who peaked in the 1970's and 1980's have long been absent from the music scene. Her fans are forever loyal. And those who have not followed her career in the past couple of decades will be absolutely delighted to see how well Olivia still delivers!

Olivia Newton-John and the Sydney Symphony: Live at the Sydney Opera House Olivia stills has the touch, when she sings she can still captivate your heart! You can really feel the emotion in her voice of what made her so great!!! She can make you feel wanting her in your arms & every second while she sings feel like a lifetime. Not only that she is so talented & captures the audience! Olivia sure would be nice to meet in person, but know not in this life time!!! But if did, surely would have to be fate, guidelines to follow, & my honor... But in all honesty, know it would never be! But having this DVD that belongs to me, is a piece of music history that I can always cherish... Knowing that Olivia's voice will live an eternity & each time I watch it (on DVD) something new in me that I have always admire about Olivia wants me to know more of this famous Artist... Would it be to much of me to ask for an 8 by 10 Color Autograph of Olivia? That alone to me would be priceless & have a setimental value only... Olivia is so talented & has such a gift when she sings, that it seems she had a vision of this a long time ago... I am not only so proud to have this DVD, my next plans is to attend her next concert if was able... She has her fans holding on to her every word as she sings, that's because she puts her heart into it as though she has experienced singing each song for the first time... Yes you could say I hopelessly get involved into each of her songs, because the sound is so pure... Nice job Olivia, M.S. Snow (USA

This dvd is a must buy for any Oliva fan, as well as anyone who enjoys watching and listening to a symphony orchestra. The setting is perfect, the Sydney Opera House is a work of art itself in a gorgeous setting on the harbour, and I loved the walking tour Olivia did along the waterfront. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra gave a lot of style and class to her music, along with her band, it was a perfect match. With Olivia's stunning voice, her radiant beauty, both inside and out, this performance was a feast for the eyes and ears. I've never had the chance to see her perform live in concert, so this dvd is the next best thing, it gives you a front row seat to one of the best concerts you could see. I really enjoyed the new mellower versions of her big hits, like "Physical", and "Magic" with the saxaphone- excellent choice. She really showcased a whole range of musical styles, from pop to country, and even some latin. I enjoyed the closing credits too, which showed pictures of Olivia from when she was a young girl, all the way through her career, along with many of her songs, all in order. It's one of the best purchases I've made, and will continue to enjoy over and over again.

I bought this DVD in conjunction with an Olivia concert that was on HBO in the 80's. I never thought that concert could be surpassed and it is very good but this 2008 concert is amazing. The picture is razor shop and the sound is stunning. Olivia's voice is no doubt different now but as the concert progressed she sounded more and more like she was, like she was rejuvenated as the concert went along. Every hit song you would want to hear is on on the DVD. The only sad part is some are done as medleys and not full length but that doesn't take away anything. The DVD also features her visiting different places in her home Australia and she genuinely looks like she is having fun and even interacts with the fans. The final song she does based on the Serenity prayer absolutely blew me away. I played it over and over. She summoned a strength and voice that had to be from GOD. This song alone was worth every penny. I highly recommend this DVD in every way!

Finally in wide U.S. release (January 2008) nearly two years after being filmed at the Sydney Opera House on March 17, 2006, Olivia Newton-John makes a triumphant return to the land she calls home in her new concert DVD, Olivia Newton-John and the Sydney Symphony: Live at the Sydney Opera House . It was introduced as a pledge-drive premium for local PBS stations in an edited version in the late fall of 2007, but the full-length DVD is now available. Olivia was actually born in Cambridge, England, but her family emigrated to Melbourne (Australia's second-largest city behind Sydney, and the capital of the state of Victoria) when she was the age of five. She has received the United Kingdom's OBE (Order of the British Empire), essentially the highest honor (er, make that "honour") possible short of being declared a Dame (the same as being knighted, whereas the gentleman would henceforth be referred to as "Sir"). She has also received the Order of Australia (AO--and no, it's not supposed to be "OA"); received a 1978 Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for her performance in "Grease"; and has received four Grammy Awards and eight additional Grammy nominations. Suffice it to say that Olivia Newton-John has been an extremely popular all-around entertainer, globally as well as in the U.S. and in the British Commonwealth, for more than 35 years. First, let's start with the bad news. The DVD is about 95 minutes long. It consists of the concert, interspersed with clips of Olivia, her then 20-year-old daughter Chloe Rose Lattanzi (her dad is Olivia's ex-husband, actor Matt Lattanzi), and touring band walking around Sydney and then taking the ferry northeast across Sydney Harbour in a light rain to the sleepy and charming suburb of Manly, enjoying fish 'n' chips and ice cream. My wife and I honeymooned all over Australia. We walked all around the inner-central area of the city of Sydney (I particularly enjoyed riding the fun elevated monorail system), and we too took the ferry to lovely Manly, and it is indeed charming. We truly had the time of our lives. My point to all this superfluous crap? Watching Olivia pointing out her old haunts to her daughter and bandmates is like having to sit through your neighbors' home movies. And the more the concert kept getting interrupted by these incessant "home movies," the more annoyed I got--even though I must admit that I enjoyed reliving my honeymoon, but it added no real value to the DVD. At the most, these clips could have been added as an after-concert bonus feature--I guess, if necessary. But that's it. This DVD is as bare-boned as they come. It's the concert, and only the concert. No extra goodies. Now that you know that, on with the show. Even though she was age 57 at the time of this filming (presently age 59), she is still utterly gorgeous. There are unmistakable signs of an eye lift (her eyebrows have suddenly taken a leap skyward), she is still that irrestistible, youthful, fresh-faced girl-next-door we've always loved and still do. Her voice remains utterly flawless, and so she takes to the stage with her #1 song from 1975, "Have You Never Been Mellow?" However, she later gives, in my opinion, a disrespectful short-shrift to the songs that put her on the map in the U.S.: her early-'70s country hits, with a medley of very abbreviated versions of "If Not for You" (did you know this song was written by Bob Dylan?); "Let Me Be There"; "Please, Mister, Please"; "Jolene" (written by and a huge country hit for Dolly Parton); and "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)." Later she sings another early country song, "Don't Stop Believin'," as a stand-alone song in its entirety (gratefully for this writer, as it's one of my ONJ faves). Despite her huge success in "Grease," her next feature film, 1980's "Xanadu," which co-starred Michael Beck and film legend Gene Kelly, was savaged by the critics and bombed at the box office. Nevertheless, the Xanadu: Original Film Soundtrack was a smash and resulted in a number of enormous hits for Olivia. She breaks them up over the course of the concert, singing "Magic" and the title tune, "Xanadu," early on, and then revisits them later on with "Dancin'" and then "Suddenly," with backing vocalist Steve Real taking on Cliff Richard's duet part. Unfortunately for Real, his microphone was not set to a proper duet amplification level for "Suddenly." He has a beautiful voice, and it was presumably the intention to try to duplicate the Cliff Richard vocal on the single. The sound technician was not on the ball this time, and Real got a raw deal. It was a shame, because it would have been a beautiful duet if both vocalists could have been heard at equal volume. The biggest surprise (musically, that is) opens with a lush and gorgeous prelude by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Rick King. The viewer isn't quite sure what's happening at first, but then the rhythm section kicks in with a variety of percussion instruments and then begins a sultry, swaying bossa nova with Newton-John and her singers clustered together on stools, swaying to the beat. And then Olivia begins to sing... "Physical"??! Oh, what a delicious, unexpected twist this turns out to be, and it turns the most successful commercial hit of ONJ's career into something far more provocative and enticing than the original ever was. "Physical" spent 10 weeks at #1 in 1981-82. It was the #1 song for all of 1982 (although it debuted in '81). In fact, it was also the #1 song for the entire 1980s decade (all data courtesy of Billboard Publications). If that isn't the definition of a hit record, I don't know what the heck is. Her bawdy (for that time) and hilarious video won a Grammy in 1982. (We of a "certain age" [and we know who we are] vividly remember the video. Remember when virtually all videos were shot on videotape instead of film? My, how things have changed in nearly 30 years. Meanwhile, back to ONJ...) A quarter-century later, she can still "get physical" by doing it with cool moves, a jazzy beat, and with the help of her backing vocalists, the freedom to let her amazing voice reach the rafters as her soprano does acrobatic vocal riffs that she's rarely been able to let venture forth on before. It's an utterly ingenious arrangement by symphony conductor Rick King, who also arranged all of the music in the entire program. This man is lightning in a bottle. A couple of left-field selections include a tribute to the smoky-voiced torch-song female balladeers of the '50s, and in particular Julie London, with her 1957 hit "Cry Me a River." TV viewers would later remember her as Nurse Dixie McCall in the 1970s drama series "Emergency!" It's certainly well sung by ONJ, but is curiously out of place in this concert. Then, why she includes her 1988 Elton John-Bernie Taupin release "The Rumour," which essentially bombed worldwide, is simply baffling. It didn't make the Top 30 on any major chart in any major country. Meanwhile, major hits like "A Little More Love" and "Deeper than the Night" from 1979 didn't make the concert (two personal favorites). I don't get it. Oh, well, she decides the repetoire, I suppose... Then, the early '80s would prove to be where the well would begin to run dry in the "hits" department, but the hits she had were powerful. Olivia belts out "Heart Attack," "Make a Move on Me," and--from Two Of A Kind: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (her reunion with "Grease" co-star John Travolta)--"Twist of Fate." All three songs were Top 5 hits during the early 1980s. But then, in a quite serious "twist of fate," the '90s were not a particularly kind time for Olivia. In addition to a fading recording and acting career, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She freely discusses her ordeal with the audience and her determination to fight the disease and beat it, which she has. She wrote and sang the songs on two albums, which she highlights here. First up is the title song from 2005's Stronger Than Before CD; and later in the program is a song written while she was fully in the throes of her struggle, "Not Gonna Give in to It," from her 1994 CD Gaia: One Woman's Journey . These songs are so personal that your heart literally aches despite the vows of strength, power, and will to persevere that she professes. They are windows into the soul of a much-beloved entertainer that the public rarely gets to see, and I consider it a privilege that she shares her journey with us. Despite the massive commercial success of "Physical," her true theme song is, of course, "I Honestly Love You." That song was co-written by the late, celebrated composer and entertainer Peter Allen, who wrote/co-wrote hits for artists as diverse as Melissa Manchester (the 1978-79 Top 10 smash "Don't Cry Out Loud," which was later covered in a 2004 single by "American Idol" finalist Diana DeGarmo); Frank Sinatra (1980's "You and Me [We Wanted It All]"); Pablo Cruise ("I Go to Rio," which cracked the top half of the Hot 100 in 1979; however, Allen, ever the showman himself, later crafted "I Go to Rio" as his own pseudo-theme song as well); Rita Coolidge ("I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love," a Top 40 hit in 1979); and Christopher Cross, who also co-wrote and recorded the #1 hit "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," which won the 1981 Academy Award for Best Original Song from the comedy "Arthur," which starred Dudley Moore, Sir John Gielgud (Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner), and, in a slight irony, Peter Allen's ex-wife, Liza Minnelli. Allen was introduced to Minnelli by her mother, the legendary Judy Garland, after Garland saw him performing in Hong Kong in 1964 and convinced him to come with her back to the U.S. Allen and Minnelli were married from 1967-74, although they were estranged for a great deal of that time. Allen died in 1992 at the age of 48 from AIDS-related throat cancer. Allen, from Tenterfield, New South Wales (the state in which Sydney is located), was a flamboyant performer who is still fondly remembered by Australians as "The Boy from Oz." An Aussie stage musical with the same title was mounted in 1998, and it eventually found its way to Broadway in 2003 starring the ever-versatile Aussie native son, Hugh Jackman (I'll try to forgive his two-episode "Viva Laughlin" fiasco on CBS for the moment, especially since my wife and I LOVED the original, "Viva Blackpool," on BBC America). Best known to American audiences as a feature-film actor with such roles as Wolverine in the "X-Men" franchise and appearances in many other films including "Swordfish," "Kate and Leopold" (Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical), and the voice of emperor penguin Memphis in "Happy Feet," Jackman transformed himself into Peter Allen and mesmerized Broadway audiences with his performance in The Boy from Oz (2003 Original Broadway Cast) (audio CD). Jackman won a 2004 Tony Award for his performance in the title role. (In a unique twist, Jackman also won a 2005 Emmy Award for hosting the Tony Awards TV presentation!) Peter Allen was a complex, conflicted, and incredibly gifted man--and Olivia runs a video of a young Peter singing the title song from his 1972 LP "Tenterfield Saddler" and joins him in a "video Peter/live Olivia" duet. It's a touching and wistful tribute to a friend and Aussie compatriot who had a substantial part in the road to her success. Also tender is "Can I Trust Your Arms?" which consists of lyrics that began in the form of a Christmas-morning poem gift from Olivia's daughter, Chloe, to her mum. ONJ added the music and, in this performance, accompanies herself at the piano. (I don't mean to be blunt here, but Diana Krall has nothing to worry about.) Staying in the tender moment is Olivia's "The Promise (The Dolphin Song)," as she renews her cause to save the environment from global warming and the world's oceans in particular, and those human-friendly, incredibly intelligent cetaceans who may very well end up being man's "second" best friends. Finally, the show wraps up with the piece-de-resistance: a tip of the hat to the pinnacle of her career, music from 1978's Grease: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack . Warren Ham, an incredible multiple horn player with a terrific voice to boot, does a fantastic job standing in for John Travolta on the duet with Olivia on the #1 hit "You're the One That I Want." Then ONJ solos on her still-beautiful classic "Hopelessly Devoted to You," before Newton-John, Real, Ham, and backing vocalist Carmelia Ramsey all don black leather jackets and do a rousing production number out of the finale, "Summer Nights" (both of the latter two songs were Top 5 hits). And as the saying goes, they saved the best for last. For encores, Olivia sings "I Honestly Love You" as sweetly in March 2006, or possibly even better, as she did when she first recorded her iconic classic in 1974. She then closes the concert with "Serenity," a lovely and appropriate lullaby that also caps her 2005 Stronger Than Before CD. Olivia has weathered many trials and tribulations in her 35-plus-year career (she was a child star in Australia far earlier than that). And if anything, she's truly proved that she continually strives to actually be Stronger Than Before. It's almost become a mantra or a mission in the way she now lives her life. As for this DVD, it is sorely lacking in extras and has those infuriating interrupations for updates on the ferry boat ride. Her country-hits medley is too much "medley" and far too little on content of the "hits." And "Cry Me a River" and "The Rumour" are out of place, out of character, and totally superfluous, taking up precious time that should have been filled by any number of other hits she's had over the years. So for all that, she loses one star, but only one. The concert's great, and you will absolutely enjoy this DVD. And don't forget, Olivia is currently featured on the fun and bouncy "Cotton Jenny" duet track with Anne Murray on the Canadian Snowbird's new hit CD Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends (please see my review here at Amazon.com). The tune was written by another iconic Canadian recording artist, Gordon Lightfoot. Both Olivia's DVD and Anne's CD are keepers, so enjoy! DVD RATING: **** (out of 5) -- 11 Mar 08 -- BOB BOURBEAU

For those who appreciate quality video- with an upconverting DVD player- it achieves near blu-ray quality. Interestingly enough, the viewer is given the option of choosing 2.1 or 5.1. Olivia's performance is outstanding. While it is a live performance, it literally sounds like it was performed in-studio. It's a testament to what a beautiful voice she had. My biggest gripe is that in between numerous songs, they show her walking and talking outside the amphitheater. I would have preferred those segments as an "extra" on the DVD. The segments are very short and do not take away from the quality of the show. If you like Olivia, you cannot go wrong purchasing this DVD. She sings every song like she is hopelessly devoted to you. Rest in peace Olivia and thank you so much for this performance!

For the Olivia Newton-John fans, this is a must have DVD in one's collection. At 58 (at the time of the concert), she looks stunning and is still fantastic at belting out the songs that we are familiar with. She was very much in control of the performance. You can also see how much fun she was having at performance. She can still hit the high notes without much effort. Having a full orchestra to back her up was amazing. It was a great concert from beginning to end. There were several highlights for me personally. I love the rendition of "Dancin" (the mash of the 30s. big band orchestra and the rock and roll of 80s from the movie "Xanadu"), "Xanadu" (where she hit the high note at the end of the song looking effortless),jazzy rendition of "Don't Stop Believin'", the medley of the high energy songs "The Rumour", "Heart Attack", "A Little More Love" and "Twist of Fate", "Have You Never Been Mellow", the duet with Peter Allen "Tentenfield Saddler". I hope that you will enjoy the DVD as much as I have. It is really worth collecting.

Ditto to everyone who loved the Physical remake. I love that playful bantering back and forth and her high notes at the end are spectacular. I thought that was so catch, I downloaded it on my Ipod. I had the orginal. Overall, the whole concert is wonderful. I enjoyed the Dancin' song from Xanadu. Not such a great movie, but great songs. Dancin' meshes 40s type tune with rock. She did a lot of her hits like I Honestly Love You, Xanadu, Let Me Be There, If Not for You(Her first hit) If You Love Me, Let Me Know to a Grease Medley and Suddenly as a duet with her back-up singer. Olivia and her voice have held up very well. I enjoyed these when I was a lot younger in elementary school and high school. I finally got to watch the video and I liked it so much I played it again. I also let people hear Physical over the phone. You will be glad you bought it if you ever were a fan of hers. I wish the concert had been longer. I enjoyed the backstory in Sydney but I kind of agree, it should have been an extra or special feature. There's a few hits I think that were missing.

US輸入バージョンのレビューです。 リージョンはALLで、字幕はありません。 2chドルビーデジタル(48kHz/192bps)と5.1chドルビーサラウンドが入っています。 27曲の中には、2005年のStronger Than Beforeも入っています。 Jazzのナンバー、Cry Me A Riverも歌っています。 2002年のデュエット曲集からは、「Tenterfield Saddler」をピーターアレンのビデオとデュエット。 2005年のCan I Trust Your Armsは、ピアノの弾き語り。 最後は、グリースから３曲。 そして、お約束の、I Honestly Love Youをオーケストラバージョン(シドニーオーケストラ)で。 最後はこれも2005年のアルバムの最後を飾るAmy Sky作のSerenityでフィナーレ。 できれば、ラスベガスのライブも手に入れたかったのですが、在庫なし。2,500円でAmazonに在庫があったので、これを購入しました。

Magnifique olivia, ta voix nous fait toujours rever. Les nouveaux morceaux sont superbes et l'interpretation est tres reussie. L'equipe reste inchangée; on ne change pas une equipe qui gagne. Les cameraman devraient eviter les gros plans ca serait sympa. Le son est pur, c'est une merveille pour les tympans. L'image est propre meme sur les plans sombres. On aimerait aussi un dvd ou bluray de la tournée au japon en 2003 avec un son digne de ce nom.

Super bon show, olivia en pleine forme avec sa belle voix qui interprète ses plus belles chansons tout simplement wow

El producto llegó en perfectas condiciones y antes de la fecha prevista. Responde a mis expectativas.

I did not know what to expect with this one. I've been a fan of Olivia for more years than I'd care to remember but so often when you see these folk in live performance they do not come up to the standard you had built up in your mind over the years - it's an image created in a studio with clever electronic trickery. Not so this DVD of a live performance in Australia.The warmth of this artiste comes through the recording - especially in the sequences between numbers when Olivia and friends do a tourist trip around the town.She shows herself as a a very personable individual when seeking a meal - not anything exotic but fish and chips! Be warned, male viewers, you will probably fall in love with Olivia by the time the credits roll! A highly recommendable DVD.ASIN:B000YD00TG Olivia Newton-John live at the Sydney Opera House (2006)