Product Details

• Actors: King's Singers
• Format: Classical, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Acorn Media
• DVD Release Date: April 11, 2006
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000EDWLSC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,587 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

The sextet of Englishmen known as The King’s Singers, one of the world’s most renowned a cappella vocal ensembles, has been delighting audiences around the world for more than 30 years. On their first DVD, they share some of their favorite works, a mixture of songs old and new—madrigals by Byrd and Monteverdi, a Rossini overture, and tunes from The Beatles, Freddie Mercury, Duke Ellington, and many more. Interspersed with these performances is footage of the singers in the recording studio as they face the challenge of performing Thomas Tallis’s 40-part motet Spem in alium. The program culminates with their rendition of this magnificent work.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great program sung brilliantly, January 30, 2007

By 

Tim Reid "Tim Reid" (Manchester, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The King's Singers: From Byrd to the Beatles (DVD)

I've always enjoyed King's Singers concerts better than their albums. Their studio recordings, while always interesting, are sometimes so highly thematic that listening to them from beginning to end can be a real challenge. Their concerts, on the other hand, feature varied programs like the one on this dvd. The range of music, all sung acappella, allows the talent of the singers to dominate the dvd, and make no mistake - these are six great singers who make a great ensemble. A highlight is Billy Joel's "Goodnight My Angel" with a Philip Lawson arrangment that makes this THE iconic version of the song. The segments on the making of Spem in Alium show interesting behind the scenes interviews and recording sessions on the creation of this 40-part, 8-minute work from 6 singers. The final work (Spem...) and the encore, "Masterpiece" fill out the DVD. A highly recommended purchase.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful for classroom use, November 24, 2006

By 

Laurie Beth "music teacher" (Cadott ,WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The King's Singers: From Byrd to the Beatles (DVD)

I bought this DVD to use in a general music class. Our music books featured a recording of the Kings singing "I'm a Train," and my 3rd and 4th grade students loved the song. They wanted to hear more King's Singers music, so I bought the DVD to share with them. What a treat this has been! The second half of the performance is lighter music that appeals to children as well as adults, especially songs like "Blackbird," where the singers mimic the sounds of the musical instruments used in the original Beatles recording. Every song on this DVD is a gift! Clips of the "Spem in Alium" recording sessions are interspersed among the songs, along with the singers' commentaries on the project. Besides enjoying this dvd at home, this was the best classroom purchase I've made in years. It is so great to see students turned on by something other than country music.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! Brilliant, May 14, 2007

By 

Daniel Kvedaras "dak" (Caracas, Venezuela) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The King's Singers: From Byrd to the Beatles (DVD)

These guys are simply the best cappella singers ever.

The DVD is great, structured into pieces that go from the older madrigals, to the most recent Beatles. The introductions for each song is done by the members of the group themselves and they actually explain a lot of the contents in the lyrics and their writers, which considering that many of them are in french or german, is very enlightening.