Customer Reviews

Christmas with Chanticleer - An Orchestra of Voices

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you're a fan of Chanticleer, you don't have much of a choice regarding buying their concerts on video; this 2002 Christmas program is the only one they have. Thankfully, though, this one is so excellent, you will want to play it year 'round anyway. Chanticleer is a 12 member men's acappella group, (13 when joined by their director on a couple of selections) and the sounds they produce on this DVD are stunning. This is an extended edition of the same concert that now airs annually on PBS. The concert lasts 77 minutes and features 16 selections; some traditional, some obscure, but all of them captivating. One of Chanticleer's best-loved songs is included in the concert, (German composer Franz Biebl's version of Ave Maria). That, and the Medley of Christmas Spirituals are the two high points of the concert for me, and are worth the price of the DVD, alone. The latter of the two is an incredible concert closer, and the encore of "Christmas Time is Here" is gorgeous. The complete track listing is as follows:

Of the Father's Love Begotten
In Dulce Jubilo
O Magnum Mysterium
Sa aqui turo zente pleta
Rosa das rosas
Riu, riu, chiu
A Christmas Round / Today the Virgin
Village Wedding
The Holly and the Ivy
A Virgin Unspotted
Ave Maria
Star of Wonder / We Three Kings
The First Nowell
In the Bleak-Mid Winter
A Medley of Christmas Spirituals
Christmas Time is Here

Highly recommended

Christmas with Chanticleer was originally a Christmas gift from my son and became a gift for several friends who had a love of music as we do. I first listened/watched this DVD as we were together Christmas morning and had to completely stop the festivities to focus completely on the music and the movement on the DVD. Chanticleer's style is pure and transporting. The venue - the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC - was the perfect venue for resonance and mystery. The music was haunting and lovely. A favorite.

A DVD from a live performance, you'll be amazed at the outstanding performance from this group, and charmed at the simple Christmas quality it delivers. (None of the overblown, sequin-filled extravaganzas that bury you in forced Christmas cheer.)
It you enjoy the reflective warm feeling of Christmas, this is the DVD for you. You won't hear musical performances better than this.

This was Chanticleer prior to the departure of most of its members, and their sense of ensemble, nuance and dynamic shading are a wonder. A group can only achieve that kind of precision and sensitivity by singing together for months and years. They have so refined the art of listening to one another that they phrase and breathe almost as one organism rather than 12 separate singers. Some of my favorite selections are Rosas Das Rosas, Village Wedding, Christmastime Is Here, and the spirituals medley of Joseph Jennings at the end is both exhilarating and inspiring. My only minor disappointment was that one solo and refrain of Biebl's Ave Maria were ommitted in the editing .. perhaps they had an off night in this performance of it. I heard them perform it live in their first Carmel Mission performance and it was stunning.

I, like many others, enjoy watching fine singers perform. These musicians are some of the finest in the world. Their individual techniques are a marvel to witness. To watch the concentration and the joy in their faces as these artist create their music is thrilling. The programance includes a wide range of styles and is varied enough to please almost any listener. For me, it's full of the Christmas spirit and it's a performance I have enjoyed every Christmas season since I first discovered this DVD. I particularly enjoy the spiritual medley. To add to the pleasure, they are performing in front of the Baroque Christmas tree at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City with the beautiful acoustics of that hall. I've heard many of the CDs that Chanticleer has made but this DVD performance is my favorite.

I have seen Chanticleer in concert and highly recommend this DVD. It is one of their best!

Couldn't be happier. The most beautiful music. There must be angels near as you hear these wonderful voices. Turn this video on, close your eyes and you'll be lifted to heaven. Amazing!

This DVD of the Chanticleer's Christmas concert in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC is excellent. The Chanticleer's are a favorite of mine, and the music along with watching these 12 men sing together is an outstanding experience. We watched it several times. Enjoy!

I purchased this DVD as a gift, and was pleased with how soon it arrived and the excellent condition of it.

I happened upon this performance on PBS several years ago and was mesmerized. The music itself is gorgeous, but listening to it while viewing the Medieval and Renaissance art is exquisite.

This is a must-have in my Christmas collection, and I have bought it for several friends as well!