Customer Reviews

Northern Lights

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I discovered Sissel after I went to Norway on vacation last year, from a close Norwegian friend, who told me how Sissel was discovered, being discovered first at a concert as a young girl, in Bergen, Norway. Her voice is angelic, pure, and sweet. Every album transforms you into a magical, far-off place when you listen and play the album again and again to keep the spirit alive in your heart. Sissel never disappoints! Whether the lyrics are in English, Italian, or her native Norwegian, Sissel captivates your attention, as you await for her next recorded treasure to be unveiled.

The album, Northern Lights, once again shows that Sissel is incredibly superb, in a class of her own. I have long compared her to the New Zealand opera singer, Kiri te Kanawa, truly world class. Her range of material and her vocal abilities elevate her music to the very top. I also had the good fortune to see the DVD that was made when she recorded Northern Lights. Wonderful!

I must admit, however, the piece that alwways brings tears to my eyes is the very first one I heard her sing. That was the Olympic Hymn, at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Lillehammer Winter Games.

I've been trying to see this special in the NY area on PBS, but have failed so far. Luckily, was able to pick this up last night at Barnes & Noble. Listening with headphones, I absolutely melted. This is one of the warmest albums I've heard in a long time.

Sissel has ceased to amaze me, and I'm so glad I investigated her other work since first hearing her ahh-ing away in the Titantic soundtrack. Though there are holiday songs as part of this collection, it is not a total holiday album. It is also not a CD version of the Live TV performance with audience, however a Live recording of just the music itself. Gorgeous throughout. In comparison to her ahh-ing, she does a do-do-do-do this go round on a great version of Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. The duet with Jose Carreras is also lovely, and is a take on "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" that Diana Ross recorded several years ago.

I'm now looking forward to getting the DVD of this program, since I'm not sure my PBS affiliates are showing it around here. When you think "Northern Lights", you would assume extreme cold being where the real Northern Lights are seen. This Northern Lights really melts your heart and calms you down. Wonderful.

Until PBS played Sissel: Northern Lights I had never heard of Sissel. She is an amazing singer with a voice of an angel. Her songs are inspiring and touch the heart. Her songs bring tears to my eyes. The songs in the Northern Lights video as well as CD are songs that will last a lifetime because of her voice and the beautiful arrangements of these wonderful songs. This music of Sissel's is a must have!!

During this last Christmas I was watching PBS and saw a singer that brought me to tears. Her voice was so pure and angelic, I could not believe what I was hearing.
Sissel has the voice of an angel, her voice is literally God given.
I went out and bought the Christmas concert on DVD and CD and spent weeks listening to it almost exclusively.
She not only had a great voice, but you kept wanting more and more.
I was hesitant to buy this CD because I was afraid she would not capture the spirit she did with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
I finally broke down and bought this CD, figuring that if the songs were about Christmas and winter, maybe it was worth buying.
What she has put together here is nothing short of a masterpiece.
If you watch the Northern Lights DVD, she sings again several songs she did with the MTC. I chose to buy the CD first, wanting to hear the new songs she had recorded.
Hymn to Winter is a great song about true love with poignant lyrics.
When will my Heart Arise is an English version of Mitt hjerte alltid vanker, which she states is her favorite Christmas song. I loved hearing the lyrics in English as opposed to Norwegian like she sang with the MTC.
Going Home is another great song. The entire CD is excellant and certainly worth buying.
What you have here, is the finest soprano voice in the world, She will Captivate you with your voice and the music will haunt you like you have never heard before. Sissel is not well known in the United States ( or at least not as popular as she is in Europe. I used to think Celine Dion on Titanic was a great voice. Sissel puts Celine Dion to shame. Now I listen to Titanic with new ears and hear her incredible voice. Sissel is on the verge of being very big in the United States........It's only a matter of time. This could be the break she needs.
This is for people who love Classical, or Traditional Folk music from other countries than the United States.
I recommend this CD to anyone who loves music at its purest, and its finest..........Enjoy

Sissel's voice is enough to convince any one to listen to her music. Her clear and accurate notes are pleasing to the ear. The material on the CD seems a little random, hence the 4 star rating, but again, the clarity of her voice is what sells the music.

What more can be said about a voice so beautiful that it defies description! I buy Sissel's CDs and DVDs, whenever available. I hope more DVDs will be forthcoming in the not too distant future as this lovely lady from Norway must be seen as well as heard!

Her voice is like an angel! Very beautiful.
It is desert to have one in your CD collection.
Another CD called "My heart" is also very nice.

My family thinks of Sissel as our favorite overall performer and we feel that Northern Lights is her best ever collection. Although we don't agree on which song is our personal favorite, we agree that "Sarah's Song" (her own composition), the duet with Carreras and the last two songs "Waiting to Go Home" & "Going Home" are the best among an excellent list of songs. The setting in a rural church and Winter scenes of Norway complement superb arrangements and production quality. Overall, it is so good that we usually insist that visitors to our home be entertained by at least a few of the songs from this DVD. Most leave as new fans of Sissel.

Sissel's voice is at its peak, its very best in this intriguing collection. Obviously, she put a lot of planning and careful thought in the selections. What makes this disc unusual is its mixture of themes. No one sings a love song better than Sissel, and she comes through beautifully in Hallowed Mountains, which she wrote, Hymn to Winter,as well as her duet with Jose Carreras and her signature piece, Sarah's Song, suggesting the reincarnation of her daughter Sarah into Sissel's life. She has featured this selection on several CD's, but I think this is by far her best rendering of it (even better if you can see her perform it on the DVD in which, I believe, Sarah brings a bouquet of flowers to her mother at the end of the concert). On this disc, she also has very religious overtones. In one selection, she takes the part of Jesus's mother watching over her little child in the manger, and in another, she personifies all the evil that crucified Christ. To me, the most dramatic songs are Ready to Go Home and Going Home. Both are about anticipating death, perhaps letting go of this life in anticipation of a better life. "Real life has begun." (Going Home is sung to music from Dvorak's New World Symphony.) My only criticism relative to the CD is that these selections should have been placed back-to-back, as they were performed in concert and are shown on the DVD. I've never heard Sissel in a more lovely voice and in such a varied program. She even makes "do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do" sound lovely. The selections between the CD and DVD vary slightly, so I would suggest purchasing both, but if you opt for only one, I'd recommend the DVD. The overall impact of those 65 minutes will make you glad that you did, did, did, did...etc.