Highest Hopes was released in three different formats: Standard, Special Edition and Extended 2 CD. In addition to the normal version, a special edition was released, omitting the song "Deep Silent Complete" and replacing it with the popular cover version of The Phantom of the Opera theme, it also contains a bonus DVD containing three full songs filmed live at the Mera Luna Festival in Hildesheim, Germany in 2003.[4]
The Extended Version is a 2-CD compilation with CD1 the same as the Standard Version plus a 2nd CD of eight audio tracks from the Tarja Turunen period and includes a bonus DVD containing ten video tracks; Three full songs ( Tracks 1-3 ) filmed live at the M'era Luna Festival in Hildesheim, Germany in 2003 ( Identical to the Special Edition Bonus DVD but in an altered running order), three studio videos ( Tracks 4-6 ) and a further four full live songs (Tracks 7-10 ) filmed live at the Summer Breeze Festival in Germany in 2002 . All versions feature a new (2005) recording of the song "Sleeping Sun" and a live version of Pink Floyd's "High Hopes" from which this compilation takes its name.[4]
The album was certified platinum in Finland – for sales exceeding 40,000 copies – the same day it was released,[5] and also was gold in Norway with more than 20,000 sold copies.[6] It was also Finland's best-selling album of 2005, having sold more than 65,000 copies, certified with double platinum. Today, it has sold more than 103,000 copies.[7]