Customer Reviews

Nights from the Alhambra - (Jewel 2 CD + DVD)

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For fans of Loreena McKennitt, this is the concert video that we have all been waiting for... it is just stunning!

There is a possible point of confusion here, as there are TWO versions of the same performance offered on Amazon. The ONLY difference is the packaging, both contain 3 disks (2 cd's and one DVD). This set is packaged as a jewel box set, and the other is packaged in a DVD sized container. At first, I ordered both, thinking that one set was a DVD video and the other was a CD audio version. After I realized my mistake, I canceled this jewel box order and got the DVD sized package (which was cheaper at the time).

Whichever version you buy, I am sure you will be captivated by this magnificent performance, recorded in a magnificent setting!

If this box set did not include the DVD, it would not take on the significance it has. After all, most long time fans of Loreena McKennitt are already quite familiar with most or all of the songs on it. Without the DVD, it would just be an excellent live concert CD. With it, the listener can grasp a fuller sense of the visual and aural extravaganza that Nights From the Alhambra was.
We all like McKennitt's unique sound and the way her songs borrow from a wide swath of cultures stretching from the Emerald Isle to Anatolia. Here we can not only relish that sound, but we can see how it is created by an array of strange and wonderful instruments, many of which are unfamiliar to the average listener.
Each CD offers a little more than three quarters of an hour's worth of music. The DVD is a bit longer than the two CDs combined because the songs are interspersed with McKennitt's commentary. On the DVD, the cameras wander around, providing the viewer not just with a lot of close-ups of McKennitt and her band, but also of the Alhambra itself.
Of course I have my favorites, but I find the entire package a delight. If you are already a fan of Loreena McKennitt and have not yet heard or seen Nights From the Alhambra, then its time to do so now. This is one of those CDs likely to be regarded by posterity as an essential work of the early 21st century.

I don't feel 5 stars does Loreena McKennitt any sort of justice. I had the distinct pleasure of sitting 6 rows away from her this April in Ann Arbor, MI, and she is enchanting. Her band is the most diverse, talented, and passionate group of musicians I have ever seen live, and Loreena herself is a mystical, soulful, playful presence who is just as grateful that we were there as we were to be there.

This CD/DVD set completely captures the ambiance of her live performance style, and while it is no replacement for seeing her live, will certainly tide me over until I do get the pleasure of seeing her perform again.

Certainly an international treasure, I cannot say enough good things about Ms. McKennitt.

My God ...

That was the first coherent thought to go through my mind after I started watching this DVD. The next 3 words were: Beauty, Elegance and Class.

I've been a fan of Lorrena McKennitt's music for some time. I suppose it was a combination of her ability to find common themes throughout the world, her beautiful voice and her ability to weave in the use of "unusual" instruments. Yes, I'm well aware that as a man from the Midwest USA "unusual" is a pretty wide term ... please bear with me.

My first taste of her live material came with "Share The Journey" which is my favorite of her CDs ... well, WAS my favorite. :-)

I am finding more and more in common between Lorrena's music and that of another old favorite of mine; Dead Can Dance. Both use Celtic and "Eastern" styles in their music and I feel "Nights from the Alhambra" to be a less-gothic cousin of DCD's "Towards The Within".

The video of this live performance (for me anyways) falls somewhere inbetween the solemn theatricality of Peter Gabriel's "Secret World Live" and the near-grandeur of Yanni's "Live At The Acropolis" ... with a bit of Dead Can Dance thrown in. ;-)

"The Mummers' Dance" (still my favorite) showed that while the themes the band generally work with are grand they can still have an awful lot of fun. "Penelope's Song" widened my mind a bit more to the feelings my girlfriend has about us being 2 time zones away from one another and is a wonderful companion to my girlfriend's favorite; "Never-Ending Road". Those 2 songs also gave me the peace of mind and openness of heart to ask her to hold my heart carefully until we are together.

Another wonderful feature of the video is the constant energy and talent playing between violinist Hugh Marsh (fantastic!) and the classically beautiful and very talented cellist Caroline Lavelle.

While I personally do not find Loreena a "classic beauty", during and after my watching of "Nights from the Alhambra" when I see her sing a beauty is always evident ... throw in her smile and laugh and I feel pure joy! It is that beauty that she presents with such elegance and carries with the class I'm beginning to believe perhaps only a woman can provide that makes this an experience I can't help but recommend to any lover of music.

When it's all said and done, it was 1 hour and 38 minutes that passed like a float down a calm river ... and all too quickly.

After being introduced to Loreena McKennitt by a previous CD and really enjoying it I decided to purchase this CD/DVD. Loreena and her band sound just as good live as they do in the studio. It exceeded my expectations! The setting of the concert, an historic building with stunning Moorish architecture in Alhambra, Spain is gorgeous and it's just perfect for this type of music! The talented Loreena sings as well as plays three different instruments and the musicians in her band just blew me away with their exotic instruments. Great concert, next best thing to being there!

There is an other-worldly quality to Loreena McKennitt's music -- so much so that it's startling to see it played live, without studio trickery. It took my breath away.

This set includes a DVD and two audio CDs, and everything about it is absolutely first-rate. This is exceptional value for the money. I couldn't recommend it more highly.

A truly remarkable concert! After a very difficult and stressful week, I got this CD/DVD package in the mail, smiled, and, with surprising calmness, walked to the living room, slid the DVD into my MacBook Pro, parked my Sennheiser HD-485 headphones on my ears, and sat back, letting the visceral experience of this incredibly talented woman wash over me, taking the stresses of the week away and reminding me how important smart, beautiful, heart-felt, literate music is to my spirit.

I've long been a fan of Loreena, yet had never seen her in concert. I was blown away by her multi-instrument acumen, her almost effortless singing while reaching those crystalline, soaring notes that reach through me and make my nerves tingle up and down my spine, her rapport with the very talented band, and, most of all, that serene smile that creases her face as her body sways with the rhythm that demonstrates how much the music carries her to a profoundly peaceful, quietly joyful place.

It's a bit embarrassing, me gushing on and on like this, something I so rarely indulge in. Yet this music, this musician (and the talented, delightful band supporting her), this production, the setting... They warrant this kind of effusive praise. Even with all of her CD's in my library, this addition is not superfluous nor extravagant: it is, in fact, essential to see the whole of Loreena's remarkable talent, heart, and unique sound.

I'm not terribly enamored of the happy-happy/bliss-bliss affectations of much that is categorized as "new age", particularly those individuals who purport to "channel" ancient spirits, while I can't help but speculate that some artists do indeed channel the vibrations, or whatever you might call it, in a pure and profound way, and often in spite of themselves. Lowell George, Yo Yo Ma, Bobby McFerrin, the band Lo'Jo, and many more, among them the beloved Lorenna: music that is timeless, almost archetypal, imbued with both heart and intellect, and beautiful to listen to, over and over.

Thank you, Loreena.

Loreena McKennitt is one of a handful of artists from my youth I still listen to on a regular basis. I find her music so comforting to listen to after a long day at work. After a decade long hiatus, Loreena recently returned to the music scene late last year with AN ANCIENT MUSE and a US tour. NIGHTS FROM THE ALHAMBRA is Loreena's latest release which contains a bonus dvd of her PBS performance. The live cd is two cds of old and new material. I remember seeing her PBS performance and soaking in every song she sang. It is obvious that she was having a lot of fun during her show especially on songs like "The Mummer's Dance" and "Santiago". Judging by her little dancing with her accordion, it is obvious that Loreena was happy to be back on stage in front of a live audience. I loved listening to Loreena tell the audience stories behind the songs. I rarely buy live albums but NIGHTS FROM THE ALHAMBRA is definitely worth owning. There is not one song on both cds and dvd I did not like. Loreena could sing the phone book and still make it sound enchanting. NIGHTS FROM THE ALHAMBRA w/dvd is a definite must have for Loreena fans who have either seen or missed out on her US tour. Loreena was smart to package the live concert with both cds and the dvd. This is truly worth shelling out money for.

I've been a fan for a couple of years now, since I discovered her on an internet radio station from Italy. Strange, huh? I had seen her CD's in the store but had to discover her on a foreign radio station.

Anyway, I'd always thought that she was excellent on the studio versions. I was blown away to hear the live versions! How many people do you know that sound as good as or even BETTER live versus in the studio? I've seen very few acts that can sing as well as they do on disk. With all of the technology out there like pitch correction software and the like I'm just stunned at how good she is live. Loreena also has some top-notch musicians backing her. I'll get my chance to see her live in October when she comes to NE Ohio. I can't wait. I'm sure it will be a surreal experience being that most of the shows I've seen (other than concerts by David Lanz & one by Brad Paisley) have been in the rock/metal genre. My sister just looks at me, shakes her head and wonders when I acquired a bit of "culture". ;-)

The acoustics at the Alhambra must have been something to behold because the sonic qualities of the DVD and CD's are wonderful. If you have a quality sound system (surround-sound) you'll especially love it. Get the DVD. You won't be disappointed. BTW, I bought this version, the other one comes in a DVD-style case but otherwise is identical.

UPDATE: I saw Loreena perform live last night in Cleveland and it was everything I had expected and more! What an amazingly talented lady!!! She can sing like an angel and has a band that you just can't believe until you see them live. The DVD got me primed but I wasn't sure what to expect as far as acoustics, live sound, etc. They were every bit as good as the Alhambra performances and it now becomes the best live performance (by far) that I've ever witnessed. If she comes to your city, go see her. It's woth every penny!

Loreena McKennitt: Nights from the Alhambra (Amaray - DVD + 2CD)
\\

This issue from Loreena McKennitt, and Quinlan Road, simply put, is Astounding.

If you can only buy one live performance this year, then make it this one. How amazing, after all these years of collecting Loreena's stupendously beautiful albums, to see her and her crew perform this awesome music live! And, further, to see them doing it in one of the most beautiful buildings ever built, the Alhambra is just perfect. It is so fitting to have McKennitt's music and all it means to all the peoples of the world, performed in this glorious and ancient structure that means so much also to all the peoples of the world is just so "right".

Some of her most beautiful and moving work is captured here, from the span of her career, in some of the most glorious cinematic concert footage ever captured on film (I feel).

You will endlessly be entertained with this release, both for its audio (the most spectacular 5.1 surround you've heard), and also for the beautiful shots of the individual instrumentalists playing their various and sundry rarely-seen instruments. Just wonderful! And, of course, leading it all, the graceful Celtic Lady herself, in her warm and unimposing way...Sheer Delight!

Do NOT hesitate to pick yourself up a copy of this truly wonderful release, containing the whole concert on both DVD, and on CD as well...how thoughtful of QR to include these formats together for us in one reasonably priced package!

.....Kudos to all involved in this great product.

****
Note that there are two issues of this album. One (featured here) is the CD formatted one, with 2 cd's and 1 dvd all in a jewel-case sized package. The Second (at the link provided above) is the DVD formatted one, with the same 2 cd's and 1 dvd all in a dvd-case sized package. This seems unnecessary, but I'm sure, given her character, MS McKennitt perhaps thought offering a choice for those who have a preference for where to file this (music/vs/film) it would "fit in" with one's collection more neatly.

Note that the photo on the DVD listing is another copy of the CD package...I have supplied a customer image of the actual DVD package below it.