A Gala Christmas in Vienna

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
You don't hear many live Christmas records, but then it's seldom you get as many operatic powerhouses under one Austrian town-hall roof with a full orchestra and large children's choir. Placido Domingo (who dominates the proceedings with his commanding tenor), Britain's own Sarah Brightman, Belgian Helmut Lotti, and Italy's Richard Cocciante raise the roof on this international gala recording from 1997 under the skilled baton of Steven Mercurio and choir master Elizabeth Ziegler. Chief among the performances during this black-tie event are the Domingo-Cocciante duet of "Walking in the Air," Brightman's chilling "First of May," (the Bee Gees song) and a strange medley of European-American songs, traditional and pop, ranging from Roger Whittaker and John Lennon and Yoko Ono to Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson and a handful of traditional Welsh, German, and Spanish works, plus that Yank standard "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." For button-down audiences only who still can appreciate pop songs in expanded and exploded arrangements. --Martin Keller

Entertainment Weekly
As long as gorgeous-voiced stars like Placido Domingo and Sarah Brightman stick to traditional fare like "Deck the Halls" and European carols, all is bright.

A Gala Christmas in Vienna

Tracks:

Christmas Prologue
Deck The Halls
The Closing Of The Year
Tu scendi dalle stelle
Walking In The Air
Adeste Fideles
Away In A Manger
An Old-Fashioned Christmas
First Of May
Il Re Gesu
Froliche Weihnacht
Cantemos Rapaces
Christmas Is Here Again
Child In A Manger
Angels From The Realms Of Glory
Another Christmas Song
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Happy Christmas (War Is Over)
Silent Night
First Of May (Studio Version) - (Bonus Track)

Amazon.com

You don't hear many live Christmas records, but then it's seldom you get as many operatic powerhouses under one Austrian town-hall roof with a full orchestra and large children's choir. Placido Domingo (who dominates the proceedings with his commanding tenor), Britain's own Sarah Brightman, Belgian Helmut Lotti, and Italy's Richard Cocciante raise the roof on this international gala recording from 1997 under the skilled baton of Steven Mercurio and choir master Elizabeth Ziegler. Chief among the performances during this black-tie event are the Domingo-Cocciante duet of "Walking in the Air," Brightman's chilling "First of May," (the Bee Gees song) and a strange medley of European-American songs, traditional and pop, ranging from Roger Whittaker and John Lennon and Yoko Ono to Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson and a handful of traditional Welsh, German, and Spanish works, plus that Yank standard "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." For button-down audiences only who still can appreciate pop songs in expanded and exploded arrangements. --Martin Keller

Customer Reviews:

A Gala Christmas in Vienna.......2007-01-15

Excellent Christmas music with some very good vaiety of voice and composition.

Helmut Lotti and others sing for Christmas.......2005-09-24

I am a great fan of Helmut Lotti. This particular recording is one my husband I already own and enjoy. We purchased this one for our adult daughter. Each of the performers on this disk are first rate and the recording as a whole is well worth adding to one's holiday pleasures.

Great for Christmas Time!!.......2004-02-26

Beautiful concert, with a lot of Spirit, Sarah Brightman voice is wonderful, this 4 singers give soul to the concert, is great for christmas time, I love this CD & also the DVD amazing..

Still my favorite Christmas album.......2004-01-08

I read all the other reviews and just had to add my thoughts. This is still my favorite Christmas album after listening to it for 5 seasons now. I can hardly wait for next Christmas so I can enjoy it all over. Sarah Brightman is wonderful of course - wish I could find a separate recording of - First Of May - , wow! If you like good Christmas music and the spirit of Christmas you will enjoy this album.

humorously horrible.......2002-12-24

This album is so wretched it made me laugh. In the store I looked at the artists and the songs and thought it would provide nice holiday music. I put it on when I got home and wondered if maybe Spike Jones had slipped in some joke tunes. I can't believe these people sound so bad. Sure, some of the numbers are very nice, but then you split a gut laughing at the others--or worse, cringing.

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