Sissel: Northern Lights (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a seasonal concert marking the arrival of winter. It isn't really a Christmas celebration. For the latter, you should get the companion DVD, "Christmas with Sissel and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square". This particular programme was staged for America's PBS in yet another valiant attempt by Norway's singing sensation to carve herself a place on America's crowded musical stage. The programme was filmed in the Norwegian mountain town of Røros, currently listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sissel sings in the local church where the audience can be seen sitting quietly in the pews. It is generally subdued in tone, quietly reflective and peaceful. Most of the songs are tied to the season or are hymns with a spiritual or religious bent.
Most of the songs are in English, including several penned by Sissel herself. My favourite amongst her own compositions is "Sarah's Song" a lullaby she wrote for her youngest daughter. "Like an Angel Passing Through My Room" is another exquisite song about a mother contemplating her child growing up and leaving. I especially loved the line "Love is one prolonged goodbye." Now who says Andersson & Ulvaeus couldn't write good lyrics.
Like most of Sissel's output, this is a wide ranging mix of semi-classical, folk, traditional and pop music in languages ranging from English, Norwegian, Danish, Italian and Latin. Sadly it is an extremely short concert. The entire DVD including the 2 bonus tracks and the slideshow of her trip, lasts barely 65min in all. Still, with 17 songs in total, it is packed with lovely music and absolutely gorgeous singing. I adored the Norwegian Christmas hymn "Mitt Hjerte Altid Vanker" (My Heart Always Wanders/To the Stable Where Jesus Was Born). I especially enjoyed the Danish folksong "Der Er Ingenting I Verden Så Stille Som Sne" rhapsodising on the quiet stillness of snow. Sadly the lovely Swedish Christmas hymn "Koppangen" is not included on this DVD. It can only be found on the "Northern Lights" audio CD sold separately. Sissel is as shrewd a businesswoman as she is a gifted artist. My hat off to her.
Jose Carreras sings two numbers here. First a solo, "Amore Perduto," an Italian song set to Albinoni's/Giazotto's famous Adagio for Strings and Organ. Then a pop duet with Sissel "Quando Sento Che Mi Ami" where he sings in Italian and she replies in English. Carreras' duet highlights something you don't usually notice about Sissel; just how tall she actually is in real life - she towers over him; a stunningly statuesque example of Viking womanhood.
Through most of the songs Sissel is backed by the Trondheim Soloists and the Nidaros Cathedral's Girls' Choir. In their arrangement of Bach's famous "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", Sissel sings the instrumental part along with the rest of the orchestra while the choir sings the actual chorale (in English). Two traditional English folksongs are included, "In the Bleak Midwinter" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." I'm not too keen on the modern arrangements but Sissel can make anything sound beautiful. In the clearest sign that this was meant for the American TV audience, Sissel ends her concert with a folksong most Americans would be familiar with - "Going Home" (the rest of the world will know this as the Largo from Dvorák's New World Symphony).
The programme is shot and presented in 1.78:1 widescreen (anamorphic). Picture quality is fine for what is essentially a very subtly lit film, mostly church interiors and the dusky Norwegian landscape that presages the imminent arrival of winter. Sound is excellent but strangely only available as either 2.0 Stereo or 5.0 Dolby Digital Surround. No subwoofer channel. Make sure your main speakers are good enough to carry the lowermost notes of the double-basses and drums, of which there is a surprisingly large amount. An altogether enjoyable concert and well worth the price. For those wanting to watch it first before deciding on a purchase, PBS is scheduled to broadcast it during this 2007 Christmas season. You can check with their transmission schedule online.

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Roman Invasion of Britain (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Education meets entertainment with perfection. Not just for history lovers. Dramatization as good as any Roman Era films, fine military and Brit commoner costuming, and realistic period settings. As a visual documentary, it is one of the best at filming wild, rustic, natural British countryside you can find on DVD. It's about the Roman Empire's invasion (AD 43), Brit retaliation, and occupation results over 400 years. Eventually the Romans in Britannia fall.
Original UK air, July, 2010.
Presenter/narrator Bettany Hughes is scholarly AND expressive, photogenic,& dramatically theatrical with a most bonny British accent. Her eyes draw you into narrated history as emotionally as the battle scenes. Flirtatious, smiles & looks, rivaling Honeysuckle Weeks of 'FOYLE'S WAR', almost drives one to distraction. I want to be taught more by this historian & will look for "When the Moors Ruled in Europe" and "The Minotaur's Island."
3 episodes about 46 minutes each--WITH SUBTITLES
1 ONSLAUGHT--Spring AD 43, Claudius sends 40,000 troops to conquer Britannia and perhaps save himself & his public image. Plautius was the general leading the channel crossing invasion of 800+ ships. Romans vs Celts.
2 REVOLT--1st century, 17 year gorilla war (a Viet Nam for the Roman Empire) continued, lead by Boudica and her E. Anglia clan, Iceni (AD 60). She wipes roman colony Colchester off the earth, now archeologically proven. London & St. Albans followed. But tides turned. Rome builds towns, i.e. Bath. A 73 mile Hadrian Wall (AD 130) is Rome's northern wall of dominance.
3 DOMINION--350 years of Roman domination proved a mixed existence for Brits. 10-15% lived well. 85% in harshness, hatred & fear. 10% of Rome's military were stationed in Britannia to exploit. Romans taught the Brits how to tax (ask Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin). Brits became mine & urban slaves. By the end of the 4th century the Romans sun was setting.
Bonus material:
Text Bios of Bettany Hughes, Claudius, Plautius, Caratacus, Boudicca, Hadrian.
Athena booklet with time line, study questions, & 5 essays on historical fact.
Extended Interviews (subtitled):
1 Dr. Paul Sealy; + Mosaics of Romano Britain
2 Dr. John Davies; + Ruins of Romano Britain
3 Guy de la Bedoyere; + Museum of London's Roman Relics
A must for Educational institutions dealing with British history or Roman Empire impacts. Not rated but family friendly, but the intellectual level is high school through adult.
Really wonderful to view--high recommendation for ANYONE who enjoys learning.

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Rome\'s daring conquest and occupation of the British Isles
Motivated by an emperor\'s greed and political ambition, Rome added Britain to its empire in the first century CE, changing the land and its people forever. Join historian Bettany Hughes (When the Moors Ruled in Europe) as she examines new research and the latest archaeological evidence to reveal the brutal realities of the Roman conquest. Meet scheming politicians, beleaguered generals, and fiery revolutionaries--including Queen Boudicca, the wronged woman who mobilized her people for a bloody and tragic revolt. Interviews with noted military experts and meticulous reenactments illuminate a little-known but pivotal period in British and Roman history.
Packed with drama and detail, this absorbing series reveals how a nation sprang from 400 years of subjugation.
Oxford-educated author and historian Bettany Hughes has presented historical documentaries for the BBC, PBS, and the Discovery Channel. She serves on the Innovation Programs Committee of the U.K.\'s National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts.

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Celtic Woman: A New Journey - Live At Slane Castle (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)Slane Castle is the perfect backdrop for the second Celtic Woman concert on DVD. The castle is all lit up and the Celtic WomEn are in top form. This was the first appearance of Hayley Westenra as the newest member of CW. I have to admit when I heard she was joining the group, my first thought was "if it's not broke, why fix it?" I will tell you now, happily, I was wrong. I really enjoyed listening to her sing and thought she made a nice addition to this group of extraordinarily gifted women.
The music is as wonderful as I had expected and I watched the DVD twice today. I had the opportunity to see Celtic Woman in concert this summer. There were several songs that they performed that night that I had never heard them sing. I remember thinking, I hope they are going to record these. They did.
The one song I really wanted them to record was "At the Ceili" a fun little song about women going to a Ceili (party) and seeking out men. It is upbeat and impossible not to want to clap along or tap your foot. Meav, Lisa and Orla sing that song and they really look like they are having a good time doing it.
Another favorite was the "Pacific Slope." Mairead is playing her fiddle, with the accompaniment of two dueling bodhran players. I love when they do that. The audience is clapping along, while Mairead is dancing around barefooted. She is quite the performer.
I really expected to hate the song sing out, because other reviewers talked about how cheesy it was. I didn't hate it. It's a little chipper, but it didn't make me want to hit the skip button or anything.
This is a wonderful DVD and Slane Castle is a beautiful backdrop. I only gave it 4 stars because of the repeat of songs from the previous DVD and CD. They once again performed Orinoco Flow, Danny Boy, Somewhere and You Raise Me Up. While I love those songs, I was sorry to see them appear again. The arrangement and everything remained the same. I would have preferred four new songs.


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DVD TRACKLIST: 1. The Sky & the Dawn & the Sun 2. The Prayer 3. Calendonia 4. Newgrange 5. Orinoco Flow 6. Dulaman 7. The Blessing (not in TV broadcast)8. Scarborough Fair 9. Granuaile's Dance 10. Over the Rainbow 11. Beyond the Sea12. At the Ceili 13. Laschia Ch'io Pianga 14. Carrickfergus 15. Sing Out 16. The Last Rose of Summer 17. Spanish Lady 18. Panis Angelicus (not in TV broadcast)19. Shenandoah-Reels 20. The Voice 21. Danny Boy 22. Somewhere 23. Mo Ghile Mear 24. You Raise Me Up (not in TV broadcast)25. Ceili Playout (not in TV broadcast) Running Time: 1 hour 20 minutes live show + additional 20 minutes "Makingof" bonus feature

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Celtic Thunder: Take Me Home (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Okay, many of the reviews here either pre-date the DVD release, or refer just to the group themselves, not this DVD. Which can be misleading to someone considering this purchase. I'm going to just address the Take Me Home DVD.
The guys sound great on the DVD (unquestionably live this time 'round) and are just as cute and talented as ever, though I do have some issues with this set. Damian needs more mature songs to go with his more mature voice, and Keith fans will be disappointed that he sings nothing new here (the only one who doesn't. And I'm not counting Castles in the Air, since it was included in the Act II cd). The Take Me Home cd has two new Keith songs, which for some reason don't make it into the show. The CD may be more worth your money, as it consists of all new songs, plus a new version of Steal Away, that you do hear on the DVD. As others have said, this DVD seems to just recycle a lot of songs from the first DVD, which is disappointing.
But none of that bothers me as much as the AWFUL production value of the DVD. It looks like someone from a college video class made it. Crazy camera angles, unnecessary zooms, shaky-cam to the point of vomit-cam a couple of times. Bad lighting, strange crowd shots, and even my DVD menu didn't work. I can't do anything in the Song Selection on the main menu. It keeps looping and looping. I have to play the first song, stop, hit menu, and THEN I can select a particular song. At the end of the DVD, if I hit stop, it won't, and then after it plays out on it's own, I again get booted back to the Song Selection menu, which still won't let me select a song. Anyone else having this problem? It is just another example of how this DVD was shoddily made in an effort to cash in quickly on the Lad's popularity. It is insulting to them and their fans.
So, to sum up, Celtic Thunder, the group, get 5 stars. Celtic Thunder, Take Me Home, the DVD, gets a 0. If you are a CT fan, as I am, you'll get this anyway (or even pre-ordered it like me, whaaa) but just be prepared that it is nowhere near as nicely done as the first one.

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A DVD with a running time of almost 2 hours features 13 new Celtic Thunder performances!Since March 2008, Celtic Thunder has spent over 45 weeks at the top of the Billboard World Music Charts, knocking themselves off the number 1 spot with their second CD "Celtic Thunder Act II." Now after scanning close to 400K units and playing to over 200,000 people on their second North American Tour Celtic Thunder presents Take Me Home (filmed at Casino Rama in Ontario, Canada on April21st '09) an all new show on CD and DVD.The event features almost all new material with only three of the most popular songs from the original Celtic Thunder pledge show included. The new songs are dynamic and exciting. Damian (a foot and a half taller with a new deeper voice) has great new songs in "Happy Birthday Sweet 16" and "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" and would give a young Neil Sedaka or Frankie Vallie a run for his money! Ryan's dark destroyer character develops well with a rendition of Sting's "Every Breath You Take", George's personality and sense of humour comes to the fore in "500 Miles", a highlight in the show and Paul's performance of "You Raise Me Up" is not to be missed. Keith, the blonde surfer heart-throb is set to steal more hearts with "Castles in the Air" accompanying himself on the guitar. The guys come together for both "Working Man" and "Take Me Home", as ever their voices even more powerful in these ensemble songs, and in the harmony pieces. "Danny's Boy" A Cappella, has been included due to popular demand after their performance on 5th Ave for "St Patrick's Day" and performing it at the White House that night - the highlight of their success in the USA.Also Available: A new studio CD that features 15 songs/14 never before on CD!

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Celtic Woman (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)I recently caught a viewing of Celtic Woman on my local PBS station. I must say that this performance really took my breathe away. The music was a good mix of celtic and classical/pop. I thought the four singers were quite good. I could not help but take notice of the clarity in their vocal performances. I love classical-crossover artists like Sarah Brightman and Josh Groban but those artists don't restrain their vocals a lot of the time. The women in Celtic Woman shows that you don't need to enunciate every single note to show that she can sing or to emphasize the emotion in the song. Don't get me wrong, I like Sarah and Josh but I often find their voices overwhelming at times. In the case of Celtic Woman, they have shown that they can sing without restorting to vocal acrobatics. The other member of Celtic Woman is a violinist named Máiréad Nesbitt who I found very engaging to watch. Her enthusiasm for performing really showed. The songs in this performance were fantastic. I was completely blown away when I listened to 15 year old Chloe sing "Walking in the Air", a song that my favorite heavy metal band Nightwish has performed on their "Oceanborn" cd. It was quite a contrast from what I was used to hearing. My favorite song that Chloe sang has to be the beautiful ballad "Someday". I was simply moved by the song. My other personal favorite performance was for the song "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring", my favorite song by Sebastian Bach. I couldn't help but notice that the group did quite a few songs by Enya which were really excellent. I couldn't help but notice how similiar their voices were to Enya's. On a couple of occasions I closed my eyes, I thought I was listening to Enya herself. The one thing about this performance that I found rather unintentionally funny is the audience members. A few of them looked about as 'enthusiastic' to be there as I am at the dentist office. My most deeply personal favorite moment of the performance was the women's interpretation of "You Raise Me Up". Their version by far is the best I have heard. I was speechless when I heard them sing this lovely song. Otherwise this was a really great performance. Too bad when I saw it on tv, I had to put up with the annoying interrruptions because it is pledge season at PBS. After seeing this wonderful performance, I so want to see them live in concert when they come to my neck of the woods in October this year. They just made a new fan out of me.

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Celtic Thunder: The Show (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)As a singer myself (and one of Irish heritage on top of that) I can tell you I was in awe of the vocal chops shown by the men in this group. There is of course, Paul the operatic tenor who could have a brilliant career in classical music but also can be achingly tender on love ballads and throw a bit more timbre in his voice to put some testosterone into the folk songs. Then there is George the baritone, so rich and mellow and gentle on the family ballads he sings and with the best brogue of them all. Blond twenty-something Keith whose slightly nasal but very sweet tenor is God's gift to those Irish protest songs and pop songs. And then precocious and precious Damian, all of 14, who sounds at least 10 years older than he is and with so much depth and chest resonance-- where did he learn to do that? Finally, Ryan who seems less vocally gifted but I suspect that is only because of the company he is in, but has more than enough smolder and attitude to make up for it. And then when they blend their voices together on the songs of national pride and longing somehow they manage to sound like a string ensemble. There were literally chills down my back and tears in my eyes. These guys are good, really good.
About all I can add to what others have written is to tell you that my daughters, aged 6 and 7, absolutely love this music as much as I do. It is now replacing the Wiggles (thank God!) as our favorite music to play in the car. My 7 year old practically melted into a big puddle on the floor when she saw young Damian. She thinks he is the cutest thing since Zac Efron! So this CD has been a great experience to share with my kids and teach them about our family history.

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For Celtic Thunder, Sharon Browne has teamed up with Grammy-nominated Irish songwriting and composing veteran Phil Coulter to produce a show that includes an eclectic mix of songs ranging from the traditional "Mountains of Mourne" and "Come By the Hills" to international hits such as "Brothers in Arms" and "Desperado," as well as original compositions by Coulter, who has written hits for Elvis Presley ("My Boy") and the Bay City Rollers, and performed with Van Morrison, Tom Jones, and the Rolling Stones. The ensemble numbers in Celtic Thunder reflect the power of the vocalists, who range in age from 14 to 40, and feature songs that celebrate a common Celtic heritage.Track Listings:1. Heartland2. The Mountains Of Mourne3. Raggle Taggle Gypsy4. Ride On5. Come By The Hills (Buachaill On Eirne)6. The Old Man7. Love Thee Dearest8. Heartbreaker9. Nights In White Satin10. A Bird Without Wings11. The Voyage12. The Island13. Brothers In Arms14. Mull Of Kintyre15. Puppy Love16. Lauren & I17. Steal Away 18. Remember Me (Recuerdame)19. My Boy20. Desperado21. Ireland's Call 22. That's A Woman23. She24. Young Love25. I Wanna Know What Love Is26. Cal/Local Hero27. Caledonia28. Yesterday's Men

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