Recorded live on October 11 and 13, 2012 at Brooklyn's Barclay Center,
Back to Brooklyn
features vocal legend
Barbra Streisand
performing on the first night of her world tour. The event marked the first time
Streisand
had performed in her hometown since embarking on her storied career. The concert also marked the infamously stage-shy
's first live performance since her intimate 2009 Greenwich Village show,
One Night Only: Streisand at the Village Vanguard
. Backed by a 65-piece orchestra led by conductor
Bill Ross
, and featuring special guests -- trumpeter
Chris Botti
, vocal trio
Il Volo
, and her son,
Jason Gould
(who has clearly been blessed with the same God-given talent as his mom) --
performed a bevy of her biggest hits and favorite songs, many of which she has never performed live. Included here are such
standards as the
Marvin Hamlisch
/
Alan
&
Marilyn Bergman
"The Way We Were," the Oscar-winning "Evergreen," and "Don't Rain on My Parade," from
's 1968 film debut,
Funny Girl
. Similarly, we get superb renditions of several other notable
numbers including "The Way He Makes Me Feel," from the
Yentl
soundtrack, and "People," also from
. Elsewhere,
delves into a handful of standards including "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," "You're the Top," and "What'll I Do"/"My Funny Valentine," featuring gorgeous accompaniment from
Botti
. In her seventies at the time of recording, and with a lifetime of experience and skills to bring to the table,
has graduated from stage & screen diva to grande dame of traditional vocal pop. Besides a minor but delightful uptick in her vocal grit (a quality she's always used to some extent to give her voice character)
's resonant vocal chops are in top form throughout the
concert. Ultimately for
, as well as for her fans,
isn't just a return to the stage, it's a coming home. ~ Matt Collar