TARJA TURUNEN: 'Act I' CD, DVD, Blu-Ray Due In August

earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based rock branch of Edel Group, has set an August 27 release date for "Act I", the new concert CD, DVD and Blu-ray from former NIGHTWISH vocalist Tarja Turunen. The effort was recorded on March 30 and March 31 at Teatro El Círculo in Rosario, Argentina. Each of the two shows featured a different setlist with the exception of five songs, including three tracks from Tarja's time with her previous band ("Nemo", "The Phantom Of The Opera" and "Over The Hills And Far Away").

In other news, Tarja is in pre-production for her third solo album, which is expected to be released sometime next year. She says, "I have 25 songs where to choose the best ones for the album. Some of the musicians are already working on them with me."

Turunen's latest project, HARUS, in December released a CD/DVD/Blu-ray, entitled "In Concert - Live At Sibelius Hall".

The first output of HARUS features traditional and emotional music from Finland presented together with more international repertoire.

Tarja's sophomore solo album, "What Lies Beneath", sold around 1,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 24 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"What Lies Beneath" was released in North America on September 14, 2010 via The End Records.