Customer Reviews

12 Girls Band: Live from Shanghai

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Brian Kohler wrote: "how can there be 13 girls in the 12 girls band? Thats craaazzzy!!!!"

Not so craaazzzy. There are 13 doughnuts in a baker's dozen and the Three Musketeers had four members, Porthos, Athos, Aramis, and d'Artagnon. Gotta learn to think outside the box.

But, more to the point, the Twelve Girls Band is outstanding, especially, I think, for their masterful renditions of Bach and Beethoven. I had my doubts that European classical and baroque music could be played appropriately on Eastern instruments, but they quickly disabused me of that idea. I felt the same way about Bela Fleck playing Bach on the banjo, but he proved that good music could be played by talented musicians on any instrument and made to sound as though it had been written for that instrument. Terrific DVD...highly recommended!

Having enjoyed considerable time in Shanghai, and listening to and watching the Twelve Girls Band's performances on CD and DVD for several years, I confidently invite you to an audio-visual delight! This DVD provides not only an unforgetable late-evening visual tour of the Shanghai-Pudong area, but also a lasting exposure to some of the finest music available in the world today. These very attractive young ladies are incredibly competent musicians who employ ancient, traditional Chinese musical instruments to turn their renditions of contemporary songs into glorious listening experiences.

Since returning from a trip a trip to China, I have become somewhat fascinated with Chinese culture and history. Of course, as a Westerner, my understanding is hopelessly superficial. I have built a small collection of CDs of Far Eastern Music; some sound more traditional than others.

Upon my first listening to this, my first CD of the 12 Girls, I was unimpressed as it seemed like a mushy "new age" treatment, but as I gave it a few more hearings, the CD started to grow on me. It 's actually a fusion of traditional Chinese music, jazz, rock, classical and a bit of new age. The musicians, I guess, are quite phenominal. According to the liner notes, these women are the best in all China.

I found this CD, relaxing, amusing and interesting. I may be looking for more of the 12 Girls.

Believe it or not, if you like Celtic music (i.e. Celtic Women's Band) you may like the 12 Girls from China. As different as the Chinese are from the Irish, it seems that traditional music of Ireland and China have similarities (I guess it stems from the use of the pentatonic scale).

This is The Girls' ninth DVD. Unlike others, this one is filmed live in Shanghai in an open stage with a few songs by guest singers.

There is a mix of old songs and new songs. The new ones are mostly played excellently. The Bach's Concerto for Violin in A Minor outperforms the usual violin version. This will become another hit after New Classicism. The La Habanera (from Carmen) sung by Lila Downs is my favorite. Fragile deserves special mention here. The instruments do not seem to tie in well with My Heart Will Go On, perhaps due to the fact that the tone of erhu is too "sorrow" for the song, which requires a touch of romance and softness. Carnival is an old song but played in this DVD much better than other previous DVDs.

Overall, I would rate this DVD my second best after Miracle Live DVD (performed in Beijing, now out of stock) and is a must buy for new (as well as for returning) customers. Two other must buy DVDs include the Romantic Energy 2005 DVD and A Tribute to Wang Luo Bin DVD (for those who are familiar with Chinese folk songs). The Eastern Energy CD is also a must buy.

This group is tops for musicianship and you get the treat of hearing unfamiliar instruments play old favorites. Everyone that I've loaned this to has fallen for this group and their music.

Don't get hung up counting the band members, yes there are thirteen on the cover... The name is probably more lyric/significant in the native Chinese. But just forget about all this, put on the disk and listen! It may not sooth those looking for atmosphere music, but these ladies bring the spirit of their ancestors right into the 21st century. Driving drums and big production values join with contemporary arrangements to deliver a sound unlike any you have heard before. Lovely and wonderfully adept, 12 Girls Band is an absolute aural delight!

I have watched this production on PBS twice and again on the dvd. I consider this one of the finest cross-cultural offerings I have ever seen. My only disappointment was that there aren't notes about the various oriental instruments being played. An astounding production - beautiful music with beautiful girls in a beautiful setting.

If you like Asian music played on unique instruments by 12 lovely young ladies, then this DVD is a must have. Contemporary tunes as well as selected Oriental selections make this a one of a kind DVD. Get it you won't be sorry.

This performance is right up the alley for a typical, highly produced PBS performance: a grandiose setting replete with high production value, frequent dramatic flourishes, cameras all over the place, and costume changes galore. Fortunately it's a really good show, and I'd recommend this to almost anyone desiring an upbeat musical experience.

These 13 girls (yep, count 'em) possess the perfect made-for-feature-DVD combination of expert musicianship and beauty pageant good looks (all of them!). They play strictly traditional Chinese instruments, although a backup band (rock music instrumentation) is there to fill in the gaps and get the toes tapping of as many international viewers as possible.

For those who are wondering about the instrumentation, it was mostly like this:
- Erhu (5), two-string "Chinese fiddle," bowed next to a small resonator covered with python skin
- Pipa (3), China's main lute, and probably its most popular plucked instrument
- Guzheng (1), a zither with movable bridges
- Yangqin (2), Chinese version of a hammered dulcimer
- Dizi (2), wooden, transverse flute, with an extra hole covered by a tissue-thin reed
One of the dizi players moved to the xiao, a long, end-blown vertical flute, for several numbers. Also, on one number only, an erhu player showcased the duxianqin, a single-string zither employing a flexible rod to vary string tension (quite captivating).

Arranging pop/jazz/classical tunes for oriental traditional instruments is a hit-or-miss proposition, in my opinion, and I was hoping for fewer of these numbers and more traditional Chinese folk melodies. Handel's (Royal Fireworks) came across like a funky march. Mozart (Symph #40) and Beethoven (Symph #5) were also relegated to a Top 40-ish feel. The Bach tribute involved an impressive duet featuring two stellar erhu players complemented by a classical guitar, but was slightly tainted by a backing digital drum track. Guest artists Lila Downs and Tim Sheff were okay, but were too much of a diversion from what I hoped was going to be more of an orchestral presentation. "Georgia on My Mind," even with Mr. Sheff's accomplished vocals, didn't work for me.

The best news involved a very nice surprise with the ensemble's rendition of "Take Five," Paul Desmond's overplayed anthem of smooth jazz radio, which took on an entirely different life with the chorus effect and phrasing of bowed instruments. Loved it. I was also impressed with the traditional numbers "Alamuhan," "High Mountain and Floating Water," and "Flowers and Juveniles" (not sure if the DVD cover got those translations right).

I'd give the video editing an average grade. Lots of camera angles were employed, but the guy in the booth suffered occasionally from too-quick changes and inability to pick the right shot, as several times there was a soloist featured who was obviously elsewhere besides on my TV screen. Interspersed with the stage show was frequently recurring footage of Shanghai, mostly at night, which was a little repetitive for my taste.

The DVD contained no extras, and there were no accompanying notes.

Overall, the production, talent, song selection and sound quality will make this an enjoyable concert DVD for just about anyone.

This is one of the best CD's that I've Purchased. If you are looking for a great CD this is the one! I would highly recommend this CD to all for my friends & family.