SYMPHONIC LIVE (DVD)

Yes have about 19 different concerts available on the market, from all different eras, with countless different line-ups and of differing quality. Yes Symphonic Live has the unique selling point of being performed live in conjunction with a Symphony Orchestra.

The sound and visuals are top notch (apart from some cheesy, but thankfully short animations) and there are no major complaints to be made about the camera work or editing. The sound is equally impressive, balancing your need to hear the band's performance with your desire to hear the Orchestra's addition well.

The actual performance is strong too, this concert stands on its own merits and is not worthwhile only because of the Orchestra's involvement. Howe, White, Squire and Anderson are on rare form and deliver classic material like "And You And I" and "Long Distance Runaround" with passion and precision.

The tracklisting too, is perfect for this type of event. The material concentrates on Yes's grander and more symphonic works, the band manage to play three of their longest compositions "Close to the Edge," "The Gates of Delirium," and "Ritual" all in the same concert three hour concert. The track listing comprises primarily of material from the band's classic Wakeman/Howe/Anderson period (from `The Yes Album,' until `Going For The One') although there are one or two songs from their post millennial, orchestral album `Magnification,' in addition to the 1980s smash hit "Owner Of A Lonely Heart," which is the sole Trevor Rabin composition in the set.

Despite the heavy leanings on Wakeman era material, Rick himself is absent from the band during this recording and the keyboards are handled by the talented Tom Brislin, who makes a more than capable replacement.

Many other bands release Orchestral concerts (Kansas, ELP, Ian Anderson, Deep Purple, Kiss, Metallica and Serj Tankian, to name a few) and they usually deliver something interesting, providing a new spin to the music and inspiring the original musician's to give it their all. This is no exception and could even be described as one of the best examples of this sort of collaboration. After all, their albums `Time And A Word' and `Magnification' have given Yes Orchestra experience before and their music is so frequently described ad grand or symphonic on its own merits.

Overall, I highly recommend this Blu Ray to a first time buyer, however if you already have the DVD it isn't really all that essential for Upgrading, sure the sound is marginally better and the picture is a higher resolution obviously, if that is enough then by all means get the Blu Ray version, otherwise don't pick it up if you are happy enough with your existing copy; Yes put in a brilliant performance, it looks and sounds good, they play The Gates Of Delirium and the Orchestra adds considerably to the experience, but all that applies to the DVD edition as well.