JEAN MICHEL JARRE
Live - Oxygene Moscow
Image Entertainment
www.image-entertainment.com


Jean Michel Jarre is a synthesizer legend. Since the seventies, he has been on the cutting edge of keyboard-based music, and along with Kraftwerk, can be considered one of the founding fathers of Techno and Electronica. With the advancements in digital technology, however, it became hard for anyone to be innovative; the technology was suddenly available to all of us. At first, Jarre disappointingly went New Age, losing much of his fan base. He started to sound like the dreaded Yanni. But, Jean saw the light. Wisely, he went retro and returned to performing on his huge, obsolete synthesizers with names like Moog, ARP, and Oberheim. Once again, Jean Michel Jarre rose to the top of European society, hanging out with leaders, royalty, and the rich. This concert DVD captures the full pomp and circumstance of European society, and Jean Michel Jarre, as he musically hosts Moscow's 850th birthday. Set against the backdrop of the city's architecture, fireworks are timed to the high peaks of Jarre's synthesizers. A symphony orchestra and human chorus are thrown in to really put things over the top. This is all good stuff. The great thing, however, is the extras you get with DVD. Just as interesting as the concert itself are the additional pieces that deal with the history of Jarre, the state of Moscow, and a behind-the-scenes view of the ultimate high tech concert.

Jeff Muendel