Customer Reviews

Christmas With Sonos Handbell Ensemble

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

 

 

"Christmas with Sonos Handbell Ensemble" continues the tradition of excellent playing and fine engineering pioneered on Sonos' first disc. The repertoire runs the gamut, but leans toward the quiet, mellow carols and tunes, and the other instruments featured (flute & clarinet) are perfectly balanced and blended with the overall sound. The acoustic is marvelous, greatly benefitting from the superb room at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch and audiophile-quality production.

Of special interest is the bluesy/gospel "Christmas Tidings" (Mary Had a Baby Boy/Go Tell It On the Mountain) with clarinet, the lovely "Panis Angelicus" with flute, and a quirky arrangement of "Carol of the Bells," which does not do what you expect! There's the ever-popular nutcracker, along with the Leroy Anderson's hit "Sleigh Ride." A moody "Veni Emmanuel" is paired with a mediaeval-sounding "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen." There's even a little Prokofiev: the "Troika" (another kind of sleigh ride), from Lt. Kije.

This CD is great for parties and background music but can also be brought up and appreciated for its detail and finer qualities. A rare combination.

I am so glad I have this wonderful CD of Christmas songs with bells. The bells are truly played as one instrument and you can really get into the Christmas spirit. It's so hard to record bells well, but they did it! I always tell my friends to BUY this CD to add to their Christmas music collection. In fact, I give the CDs away as gifts! A GREAT RECORDING!

Beautiful Christmas music played on handbells. It was the background for our family opening our presents this Christmas. I couldn't have asked for a better reminder of previous Christmases when we played the music ourselves.

It is a very nice selection of Christmas music that really puts one in the holiday spirit.

I like handbell music anyway, so I was already set to like this. Good Christmas CD to get away from the typical stuff. Great for background. Very cheerful. Very full sound. Get it if you like something besides guitar and piano for a change.

The other two reviews stressed that this was a quiet, unexciting CD, which appealed to me. I was surprised that the first part of the CD, at least, was anything but sedate and calm. I enjoyed the music, however, and the handbell group is very talented. Just don't expect this to be all peaceful background music.

While we all associate bells with Christmas, we think more of bells ringing wildly in their towers. And when we think of Christmas music, we think schmaltz. This album features a different kind of bells -- handbells -- and music that is anything but schmaltzy. As I listen to this beautiful, seamless music, I am in awe of the skills required to make it sound that way: a dozen people handling dozens of bells, sounding as one instrument. The musical selections are varied, the performance top-notch, and the experience of listening is marvelous. I do not hesitate to recommend this CD to any listener.

I found this album unremarkable and boring. The arrangements were lackluster and formulaic, and the performance was mechanical and lifeless.
I was surprised at how little feeling and expression the director lent to what is clearly a competant choir. They were either over-rehearsed/over performed, or they weren't ready to make the music say something emotionally. Either way it's ok as background party music, but it's not much more.

I would not waste my money on this. It is just a terrible album. The selections are not for everyone and maybe just a handful at that.

Sonos is very accomplished, yes, and they play what they do very well, but nothing really appealed to me as "exciting" bell music. I have nothing against classical music, but they need perhaps faster songs or something of that sort. Other than that, it was great!