Customer Reviews

Harmony

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

On The Priests' sophomore CD, Fathers Martin and Eugene O'Hagan and Father David Delargy tackle another round of soul-stirring hymns and religious music, including How Great Thou Art, Amazing Grace, the Lord's Prayer and Silent Night. The Lord's Prayer deserves special mention for the powerful a capella rendition; it's the only track not backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, thereby evoking the power and grace of early plainchant. The English-language version of Silent Night opens and closes with a tin whistle and is more traditionally paced than the uptempo version of "O Holy Night" from their debut. The fathers composed the music for "King of Kings" themselves. Nods to their Irish Catholic heritage come in the form of Gaelic Blessing by John Rutter and the lovely Irish Gaelic hymn Bi Iosa Im Chroise (Christ Be In My Heart).

The strongest tracks are those from the Baroque / Classical / Romantic repertoire, including Stozel (Bist du Bei Mir, frequently misattributed to Bach), Pergolesi (Stabat Mater), Vivaldi (Laudamus Te), Mozart (Ave Verum Corpus), Haydn's Te Deum and Mendelssohn (Lift Thine Eyes). This version of Pergolesi's divine Stabat Mater is a bit more uptempo than some of the other versions I own by Andreas Scholl, Cecilia Bartoli and Sara Mingardo, but no less haunting. Much as on their debut, the orchestral backing complements the priests' rich voices without overwhelming, allowing the vocals to shine.

Overall, "Harmony" has much more of a uniform feel than their debut; most noticeably, there are fewer foreign-language songs ("Priests" had two Spanish songs in addition to Latin and Irish Gaelic tracks) and only one Christmas song. The fifteen tracks really shine in the hands of producer Mike Hedges, Fathers Martin and Eugene O'Hagan and Father David Delargy, the Royal Philharmonic, the Brompton Oratory School and Coro. In Father Eugene's words, `I think, because over the last year we have been singing together so much, our voices blend better and our sound has matured. There's an even greater sense of synergy with the voices, and we're more confident too. Even as a professional singer, you never stop fine-tuning the instrument.' "Harmony" is a pure delight and a wonderful gift for those seeking a moment of peace and contemplation in their hectic lives.

Having bought their first CD, I was eager to hear this one. The selections were well thought out -- and the voices are as strong as they were on the first CD. I shared two with friends as gifts, and am eager to buy more to share with others.

BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL

Lovely harmonies, restrained strong musicality. I think they do best when they stay with their traditional sacred or Irish music selections such as The Lord's Prayer or Stabat Mater. Other selections, such as Amazing Grace which you often hear in a rhythm & blues style, do not work as well. Overall, a lovely CD for medication or for the holidays.

Saw the PBS special regarding the priest tenors, and knew I'd like the CD. Actually, decided to give this CD to a friend who has always enjoyed tenors...the original Pavarotti,Domingo...group especially. She highly approves and has been listening to it daily --she especially likes the Christmas hymn. I would recommend it highly. I also purchased the DVD and have decided to keep that for myself.

I'm not a music critic and have no formal training in the musical arts. But I am a R. Caholic and these guys sang the classics with Spirit. Downloaded the CD to my Nano without so much as a hicup. Their music has the desired effect as I drive to and from work; it helps me both detach and refocus without losing my concentration.

I heard these gentlemen on TV one day and absolutely loved their music. I find it very relaxing and listen while I drive my car.

I heard The Priests on a PBS special and enjoyed their harmony. So I ordered this item. It is exactly what I thought it would be. It was shipped in sufficient time, packaging was good, item was in good condition -- I have no complaints.

I don't buy Religious music often but I had heard The Priests on a couple of shows and their harmonies and choice of music made this buy irresistible. Also bought it as a Christmas present.

I purchased the first album "The Priests" and was delighted when the second album came out. The Priests are well trained and the choices of classical pieces, for the most part, are wonderful. I think the renditions of "Stabat Mater" and the "Te Deum" are marvelous. I wish the producers and the Priests had chosen something other than "How Great Thou Art" and "Climb Every Mountain." Those pieces have been sung many times and I don't think these presentations add anything new. The London Symphony is beyond compare and overall I rate this CD 4 stars. I would like to hear a totally religious album put out by The Priests in the future.

The harmonies and the priests voices on this cd are as good as the first CD from last year. Really beautiful music. I am not personally as crazy about all the selections as last year, but it is still wonderful. AnneG