Barbra Streisand: The Concerts

Can the legendary Babs still belt it out when she's 64? Maybe not completely out of the park (comparing the 1994 and 2006 concerts in this boxed set, it's clear that the 21st-century Streisand has lost some range and doesn't sustain notes as long), but she's still head and shoulders above most contemporary chanteuses one-third her age, boasting one of the loveliest voices in the history of popular music. Presented in a three-disc set, Barbra Streisand: The Concerts opens with Streisand's Ft. Lauderdale, FL show from her 2006 U.S. tour, with the singer characteristically mixing songs, banter, and costume changes, while also engaging in a few duets with special guests Il Divo. Featuring a number of crowd-pleasing classics—”My Man,” “People,” “Happy Days Are Here Again,” “The Way We Were,” etc.—the orchestral-backed two-hour-shy performance also finds Streisand singing “Funny Girl” (for the first time in concert since the movie's 1968 premiere), haltingly playing piano on the first song she ever wrote (the aptly-titled “Ma Premiere Chanson”), engaging in a charming Q&A with the audience that ends with a spirited abridged version of “Stoney End,” and bringing her dog Sammie on stage for the finale, “Smile.” DVD extras on the first disc include four bonus songs (with a wonderful “The Woman in the Moon”), behind-the-scenes interviews, and a featurette on the Streisand Foundation's charity work. Disc two captures Streisand live at a 1994 concert in Anaheim, CA, performing the aforementioned quartet of classics, plus “On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever),” “You Don't Bring Me Flowers,” “Evergreen” and “Somewhere” (these last two are also on the first disc, but as less-satisfying group efforts with Il Divo), as well as a stirring Yentl medley. The final “bonus” disc, Putting It Together, is an entertaining 1985 behind-the-scenes TV documentary about the making of Streisand's CD The Broadway Album, interweaving in-studio performance footage with an interview of Streisand by filmmaker William Friedkin (with five bonus songs from Streisand's TV specials). Bundled with an accompanying booklet and presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, Barbra Streisand: The Concerts is an excellent set that is sure to be popular. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)