Visual Sound Theories

If you are a Steve Vai fan, this is a must have. It’s excellent and the Orchestra is excellent as well.

Steve Vai is a sensational musician capable to doing things with a guitar that no human has ever done before. Other greats like Frank Zappa and Joe Satriani knew this and were eager to perform alongside him. It was no surprise that Holland's Metropole Orkest, one of the world's premier orchestras, approached Vai to write music for them. Not only did he compose original music for the orchestra, he adapted a collection of his own songs for them to perform with him. This DVD is the complete July 2, 2005 concert with the Metrople Orkest at De Oosterpoort in Holland with a bonus orchestra only performance of "Bledsoe Blvd". Another surprise bonus is a repeat of the concert during which Steve comments on each song and his experiences with the Metropole Orkest players. If you are a fan of Steve Vai and/or The Metropole Orkest, this is a MUST HAVE DVD. The camera work is excellent and it is full of features and surprises.

This dvd is absolute magic! I, being an orchestral player by educated profession (what I went to school for), am always on the lookout for unique and original uses of the traditional classical symphony, and seeing such an awesome group paired with one of the great guitar masters was incredible!As a violinist, much of my tone is modeled off of Steve Vai. In fact, my mentor, a well-known electric violinist who has built a line of instruments with the range of a guitar, has many Vai-like qualities to his style, and likewise with Vai - in fact, they know each other and have worked together! So before I even know who SV was, I was totally into his sounds via electric violin, and when I finally saw him live for the first time, I couldn't believe he had a voice other than his guitar, because it's like an extension of his own being!Highly recommended to watch, especially on a big flatscreen tv with surround sound :)

Im going to be fairly brief with this review. I've only watched the DVD once so this is my initial impressions on the DVD. Not the best Vai DVD I've ever purchased. And in all honesty I think the problem is inherently related to the fact that Vai has an orchestra backing up his incredible guitar playing. In my opinion this is the tragedy of the DVD. It has no chance to succeed. The orchestra seems to steal Vais Thunder. Not with talent that surpasses his by any stretch of the imagination but simply because they are louder than his guitar. Another thing thats missing on this DVD is the interaction between Vai and his "original band" members. The chemistry between Vai and his bass player Billy Sheenan on previous DVDs makes them so worth watching. This one has none of that. Its like Vai is all by himself even though he has a huge orchestra backing him up. If you want some of Vais better DVDs Id have to recommend "Live in Astoria" and "G3 - Live in Tokyo". Only get this one if you just have to see everything Vai has done or you have money to burn and don't mind blowing some cash on this project. My recommendation to everyone else? Pass.

I was looking for this dvd all over the place. Then I found it on amazon. What can I say besides I’m a huge Steve vai fan. Wonderful concert. Watch it when I’m practicing. Dvd arrived two days in perfect condition.

Steve Vai is a monster on the guitar as well as arranging his music for an orchestra!!! This is a great DVD and I have loved and enjoyed watching it over and over again. It is inspiring music and makes me want to learn more on the guitar. I doubt I'll ever achieve the musical genius of Vai, but I can always aspire for it. It's nice to see someone so mature and great on the guitar! You need to buy this DVD, you will NOT be dissapointed!!!

If you are a fan of Vai and have access to a home theater with 5.1 surround there is no excuse not to own this DVD. The sound was mixed very well. I'm not going to go on and on about how amazing the music is and how great a composer and player Steve is, if you're already a fan you should know this already. Even if you don't have a home theater or have all these songs, its worth the meager price to hear symphonic versions of the classics. Buy it!

Having listened to the CD  Sound Theories, Vols. 1-2  I was interested to see what the DVD could bring to the party. I think what it does show is how much the Orkest really enjoyed themselves in the creation of this project, you can often see them with great big grins on their faces and really getting into the whole vibe of it. Steve turns in some amazing performances and it's really great to hear his music played in a different style. Get it now !!

As a fan from Zappa-days, it is to my shame that I lost sight of Steve Vai sometime soon after `The Ultra Zone', as my attention was diverted by raising young children, and all the distractions that come with that.However, seeing his knockout show at the Hammersmith Apollo recently has prompted me to play catch-up and I'm currently soaking up the brilliance of `Alive In An Ultra World', `Real Illusions: Reflections' and `The Story of Light'. But for me the most enjoyable of my recent Vai-related purchases has been this DVD release.`Visual Sound Theories' is simply a film of Vai's performance of a selection of his material with a full orchestra. As an experiment it works very well, putting a new slant on well-known material that was originally created within the Rock genre. But as entertainment, it is a spectacle. Coupled with a clearly well-rehearsed orchestra, who play with vigour and relish, Vai is stunning and watching his interplay with the other musicians (and the genial conductor) is a masterclass in how this type of collaboration can be a success (Deep Purple, take note!).But as I say, this is an experiment and as such, I doubt that the audio CD of this performance will become a fan-favourite. But the DVD will bear repeated viewing and I'm certain that I'll return to it many times in the future.Recommended to all, even if (especially if?) you didn't like the audio version...otherwise you'll never get to see the over-excited timpanist put his beater straight through the drum-skin...which kinda sums this up...a lot of fun!

Steve has come a long way of his musical journey. I discovered him in David Lee Roth's 'Skyscraper' and became a true fan since. I have all his CDs and DVDs, books and magazines, jewel box and picks, but not the guitars (I wish). Saw him live twice and wanna go every time he comes in town. Everyone knows he is a unique guitarist. We all know his music and his style.The previous DVD was 'Live In Astoria' which is something that you always see in his live performance. If you are expecting the same, forget this DVD. No Billy, Toni, Dave etc. If you have seen Yngwie Malmsteen's 'Concerto Suite For Electric Guitar ...', you know it's Yngwie without his usual stuff standing amidst the full orchestra and shredding his guitar. Yngwie was experimenting with strings section. It's just like that but slightly different. Here, Steve is experimenting more with horn section. Yngwie sounded more like classical while Steve here like jazz.Before the DVD, I bought the CD on the day it was launched. I didn't enjoy the CD much at first, apart from Steve's guitar talking with other instruments and audience in the beginning on 'Kill the Guy With the Ball'. That's something I like very much in 'G3 - Live in Concert' when his guitar talks with the audience. These things made me get the DVD and I enjoyed it watching without closing my eyes for a second.I think sometimes if Steve did all his songs as original as they are here, maybe I would never know him apart from just David Lee Roth's guitarist. My main music is rock and Steve rocks. Steve is not only a good guitarist but a good soul, good personality and good entertainer. He does a lot of fun here and the real artistry out of him you can see. He proves here that he's more than just a great guitarist. Composing, arranging and playing in 3-6 piece rock band maybe/maybe not easy. But doing it for the full orchestra is the work of a genius.

Visual Sound Theories is a truly special piece of contemporary performance. If you're anticipating just a bunch of Vai tunes that have been half-heartedly arranged for other instruments, think again.The painstaking efforts that Vai has gone to, with the help of those involved, has resulted in a unique, vibrant show which is perhaps more Vai than any other. As well as showcasing his prowess as a musician and composer, it also proves that it is possible to entwine the modern with the traditional and create something beautiful.Some of Vai's best loved tracks (for example, For The Love Of God, Answers, The Attitude Song) sound, in my opinion, better than ever, and what is more, EVERY single instrument and musician is made the most of. Nothing is spared in this show, especially effort.I think Visual Sound Theories should appeal to a wide audience....it's not just for guitar freaks and Vai-ists. Enthusiasts of cLassical and orchestral music should find it just as refreshing.Production is, of course, top-notch, sound is great, and the special features are decent too.This has got to be the best music DVD in my collection, I cannot recommend it enough!

Another example of why Steve Vai is possibly the finest musician alive today. Well crafted arrangments lend themselves well to this concert. Only 2 points let it down. 1st the picture quality on the long shots is low quality and pretty grainy. The 2nd part being the final half hour of the concert is purely the orchestra playing a couple of pieces that Steve Vai composed, however he doesn't play guitar or appear onstage during these pieces. That said, the quality of the songs he does play on, more than justifies buying the dvd and certainly at this great price is a beautiful masterclass in virtuoso guitar playing and musicianship.

Absolute musical excellence , for the ears of whoever listens to this .The "bonus features" are also excellent ( usually bonus features I can do without ).Some of Vai's musical weirdness and overindulgence can take a bit of getting used to - and on some of his C.D.s there are songs which can be inaccessible to my ears . Not so here though . He will never top this work .