Customer Reviews

Dream Season: The Christmas Harp

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yolanda Kondonassis performs superbly in this CD of Christmas music. The selections culminate in a hauntingly beautiful "Dream Season", written by the performer, and for which the CD is named. The listener will thoroughly enjoy this CD. It will be a great addition to any Christmas collection.

I felt very skeptical about purchasing this CD because I was afraid I'd get something tinkley and icky-sweet, but not so. This is a wonderful CD. The sound of the harp is rich and resonant, like the thrumming of a Spanish guitar and the deep ringing of churchbells combined. Although the mood is completely different, this one belongs right up there with Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, and The White Christmas Album as a Christmas staple. A joy to listen to again and again.

I gave this five stars, despite a couple of reservations. Reservation 1: the volume varies so greatly that if you have it loud enough to enjoy the quietest parts, the loudest parts are much too loud. Reservation 2: too much percussion on a couple of songs. For all that, five stars is hardly enough. If angels play harps, this is what they must sound like. The music is masterful without showing off. For purity and elegance, this music is nearly unmatched.

One need not wait `til Christmas to enjoy this delightful yuletide treasure! In fact, you'll grab this CD again and again throughout the year. If you love music, you'll love this recording! Most will recognize this well-chosen selection of songs. What makes this recording special and sets it apart from most other Christmas-themed recordings is the quality and presentation of the music. This IS NOT a mood album. This IS NOT a garish production with frivolous songs like `Jingles Bells' and `Here Comes Santa Claus'. Yolanda Kondonassis performs in the most elegant fashion and presents these classic melodies with the utmost expressiveness, feeling, and respect. This wonderful recording has an ethereal quality, which engages the listener. This is a real HI-FI recording in that if it is played on a capable audio system, one will be truly transported into a heavenly realm. Some have complained of this and other `Telarc' recordings that the volume levels vary too much. I understand this complaint and wish to explain. `Telarc' is a high-fidelity recording label. They present to the hearer the most accurate sound reproduction possible with today's most advanced technologies. This means that quiet passages will be whisper-quiet and loud passages will be loud! This the way it would sound at a live performance. Most popular music is subjected to audio compression so that all audio levels are nearly the same, resulting in a weak and lackluster recording. This, however, is a very dynamic recording and demands your attention! I consider it a blessing to have discovered 'Dream Season: The Christmas Harp'. I highly recommend this CD!

I have owned this CD for about five years. It is still one of my two favorite Christmas CD's and I look forward to listening to it year after year. The music is breathtakingly beautiful. This CD makes a great gift. It is a little different from the choral albums that most people associate with Christmas music. My other favorite CD is Festival of the Heart by John Boswell.

Yolanda Kondonassis is a wonderful harpist. If you need some relaxing moments this season, here you go. The percussion by Jurij Konje is just enough to add to the beautiful harp. Together they have made a perfect CD.