6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An absolute delight!, July 19, 2007
This review is from: A Christmas Experiment / The Canadian Brass (DVD)
This is our family favourite video. The songs line up of this production is very natural, from the festive "Sleigh Runners" opening featuring the kids playing the percussion, through secular favourites to the more religious songs and ending with "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "O Christmas Tree" featuring Ron Romm in a Christmas Tree costume going across the stage. The music arrangement is fantastic. Beautiful counterpoints. The Canadian Brass performance is as usual, wonderful. Despite what some reviewers of the older release feeling that this is not as polished as they expected, the children's choir and dance performances are really top notched and add to fullness of it. The scenes are rich with pretty sets to faces filled with expressions. There are lots of lovely touches from the costumes to the use of Ophelia the dog and other real animals. There are details like the backstage shots and the camel in the "We Three Kings" segment. All of these resulted in a program with lots of holiday spirits, a delight to young and old alike.
What the product description doesn't mention is that the show is not just produced on one stage. There are off stage sets, and outdoor scenes-- "Jingle Bells" features a sleigh rides and "Sweet Songs of Christmas" includes beautiful ice dancing of a professional ice dancing couple. It is really a well balanced program. So well done that I don't mind having to watch it daily for 3+ months! (Yes, that's a little extreme, but I have a preschooler. This is much better than a lot of things a young child might demand!)
I do have to say that my husband wasn't too excited about the video at first. However, it grew on him and it is now our comfort video of sorts. It's great to watch whether you're decorating a Christmas tree or just because. We especially recommend this video to family with small children. It's a wonderful way to introduce them to good music and my little one has effortlessly learned all the popular Christmas songs, secular and religious. It also presents to her the popular ideas behind Christmas. It really is great!
Note: I have the older DVD release from 2000. The cover of this one looks much better, though I'm now suspecting my 2000 copy's authenticity (I ordered the older version from one of Amazon sellers two years ago and the cover looks like a cheap copy and I've just noticed a typo on the back cover!). So if you're choosing between this one and the older release, I suggest ordering this newer one directly from a reputable seller.
(For those of you who are interested in introducing more music to your toddlers' lives, I also recommend another video of Barbara Willis Sweete. We stumbled upon the "Falling Down Stairs - Bach Cello Suite #3" from the "Yo-Yo Ma Inspired by Bach" series at our local library. The dance choreographed by Mark Morris beautifully adds to the already wonderful music. It's another of our delights.)
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5.0 out of 5 stars
best family Christmas show ever, January 21, 2010
This review is from: A Christmas Experiment / The Canadian Brass (DVD)
The talented musicians of the Canadian Brass put on an old-fashioned Christmas program with stories and presents and the Baby Jesus...rehearsals and sleighrides and snow and the sweetness of small children and the delight of their audience (parents? grandparents?)leave viewers happy and with warm memories of the DVD as well as (we hope) of their own childhood.
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1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A failed experiment, October 11, 2009
This review is from: A Christmas Experiment / The Canadian Brass (DVD)
My wife has always been big on Christmas music, and I have always been a big fan of the Canadian Brass.
We bought this CD with the expectation of being dazzled by the technical expertise of this group as they brought new dimensions to traditional Christmas carols and music.
Instead we got a lousy CD of a children's choir backed up by pedestrian arrangements that could have been performed by a high school band of average competence.
This CD isn't worth listening to, much less buying.
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