Customer Reviews

One Winter Evening at Meymandi

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

 

 

A beautifully performed live handbell concert by The Raleigh Ringers. It's also the first (and only!) handbell concert recorded in Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound! It's one thing to listen to them perform, but to see 15 people actually doing it, endlessly scrambling for bells, that really leaves you puzzling as to how it all adds up to music in the end. It may be a little pricey, but the money goes for a good cause (they're a non-profit organization, check out their website) and it's worth every penny.

Here's the tracklist:

Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)
Good Christian Friends, Rejoice
Up On The Housetop
Greensleeves
Pinnacle
Overture To The Marriage Of Figaro
Blue Christmas
Sleigh Ride
The Nutcracker Suite
Overture
Marche
Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairy
Danse Russe Trepak
Danse Arabe
Chinese Dance
Dance Of The Reed Flutes
Valse Des Fleurs
God With Us For All Time
Stille Nacht (Silent Night)
Sweet Home Alabama
Pinball Wizard
---Bonus Tracks---

Tempest
Fantasy On King's Weston
Prelude in C# Minor
Hotel California
Stars And Stripes Forever

A few of the standout tracks are:
Greensleeves (gorgeous), Hotel California, & Sleigh Ride. Hard to choose really... so many good ones! The rock tracks are fun as well.

Both the video and audio are recorded beautifully. The main live concert runs 2 hours, plus 5 bonus tracks, and a featurette on The Raleigh Ringers & some other extra material explaining handbell types, discography, all adds up to well worth your money. Perfect for Christmas holiday viewing, or any old time!

Watching the DVD 'One Winter Evening at Meymandi' is a tremendously satisfying experience for both the eyes and the ears. Just listening to the music this talented group makes is enough, but adding the visual element, watching them put it all together, adds immeasurably to the experience. The Raleigh Ringers' ensemble sound is a terrific example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

When you realize that the Ringers are not a professional band but a community handbell choir consisting of dedicated, talented volunteers, their musical accomplishments are even more astonishing. The cost of the DVD is worth it for the performance of Tchaikowsky's 'Nutcracker Suite' alone: the fresh arrangements and unfamiliar sonorities allow one to hear chestnuts like The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies with fresh ears, surely a public service of the highest order.

There are times when the audio quality of the live concert recording is marred by some over-bright treble bells--the 'making of' segment mentions difficulties encountered with microphone placement--but otherwise the quality of both audio and video is excellent.

I ring bells in my church handbell choir and have heard so much about the Raleigh Ringers. Now I know why. They are the premier performing group and have taken bells to a new level. It is fun to watch as well as educational. We have played pieces that are specifically arranged for the Raleigh Ringers and I have listened to their recordings as I prepare, but there is nothing like the visual experience. I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys music and making it as well.

This DVD is TREMENDOUS!!!! I have seen the Raleigh Ringers on PBS for several years. Now I own the DVD. There is a lot of great Christmas music on this disc. It's over two hours long. For me, one of the best titles was the bonus track of the Eagle's "Hotel California".

jsc in NC

I ring bells myself, at least try. The Raleigh Ringers are out of this world!!

The Raleigh Ringers are the essential group to see in concert if you love handbell choirs. This is not a stodgy, stuffy concert, but rather a vibrant, fun-filled and versatile offering of musical styles. Bet you didn't know you could perform a "rock song" on the handbells! Lots of fun on this DVD with some terrific behind the scenes information that will delight all audiences!