In Dreams

Mario Frangoulis is shaping up as a major crossover talent, equally at home in European and American songs, and enjoying a knack for co-opting operatic material into his personal style. His voice has strength and warmth, he expresses emotions with passion and subtlety, and he handles words clearly and expertly in a variety of languages, notably Italian, Greek, and Spanish. His English is impeccable. Except for the omission of "Canzone Arrabbiata," this PBS-televised concert in the outdoor Theatre of the Earth in Thessaloníki, Greece, duplicates the material on the CD of the same name. In "Nights in White Satin (Notte di Luce)," he is joined by Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues. The video dimension adds a lot; Frangoulis has a magnetic stage presence, and the vast audience is infectiously enthusiastic. He gives little spoken introductions explaining each song, but English subtitles would have made the DVD even more valuable. --Joe McLellan