Our Favorite Things - Christmas in Vienna / Tony Bennett, Vanessa Williams, Placido Domingo, Charlotte Church | 
 enlarge | Director: Placido Domingo
Actor: Our Favorite Things-christmas In Vienna
Studio: Kultur Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $11.01
You Save: $8.98 (45%)
New (23) Used (9) from $8.99
Rating:  14 reviews
Format: Classical, Color, Compilation, Dolby, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 70 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 4212
UPC: 032031421295
EAN: 0032031421295
Theatrical Release Date: October 16, 2001
Release Date: July 31, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED
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Product Description
Four stars align in Vienna for an extraordinary Christmas concert starring jazz legend Tony Bennett, singer and actress Vanessa Williams, superstar tenor Placido Domingo, and a special appearance by teen singing sensation Charlotte Church. Recorded live at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Austria, on December 21, 2000, Our Favorite Things is a timeless holiday concert the whole family will enjoy.Songs include:
Somewhere in My Memory
Winter Wonderland
Hijo de Dios
Through the Eyes of a Child
I ll Be Home for Christmas
O Holy Night
Silent Night
Jesus de Nazareth
My Favorite Things
Joy to the World
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
The First Noel
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Hacia Belen va un Burro
White Christmas
I Saw Three Ships
Angels We Have Heard on High
Silent Night
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Delightful January 18, 2008
JAB NYC (NY, NY)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
An odd assortment of singers you never thought of putting together, come together to produce a truly delightful Christmas concert. The visuals are beautiful to look at as well.
Masterpiece December 28, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
My favorite holiday music performed by top professionals and the gifted Charlotte Church. The amazing abilities of the featured artists supported by the magnificent orchestra and chorus make this an album that I wait all year to hear.
 Was this collection of music drawn out of a hat? December 2, 2007
Suzanne Saunders (Rocky Mountains USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Maybe you had to be at the performance to appreciate it. Perhaps the concert itself, with the presence of these four performers, had some sort of flow and dazzle.
But this CD is merely a strange assortment of singers, songs, and stylings, in no particular order. For instance: Placido Domingo's Jesus de Nazareth (the reason I'm giving this three stars instead of two) - followed by Tony Bennett and Vanessa Williams warbling a swinging "Winter Wonderland." Which detracts from my enjoyment of both those pieces.
And then there are the inexcusable versions of "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "Silent Night," in which Tony Bennett's voice is just not up to the music anymore. It should have been obvious during rehearsals, and Bennett removed from the ensemble or given easier solos, or other songs selected. (And I still love him as a singer, just hate to see his aging voice be bested by the wrong music. In public.)
It is an odd little CD, as is suggested by the cover. I found it in a bargain bin and was puzzled by the selection of these four performers, and decided to buy it and find out how well it worked. I'm so glad I didn't pay full price.
a voice teacher and early music fan October 21, 2007
George Peabody (Carlisle,Pa. USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
ONE AT A TIME IF YOU PLEASE!!!!
This disc includes four of the best voices of our day, BUT they simply do not belong together in one program!!!!Somehow hearing 'O Holy Night' by two classical sounding singers following 'The Christmas Song' sung by a jazz-pop singer doesn't 'light my fire'. Now if you offered me a complete album of anyone of these singers, I probably would take it and enjoy it. Obviously, this is a money-making venture of the extreme sort; after all(say the great commercial powers) if you don't like Tony Bennett, then you have Placido Domingo etc. etc. etc. As I recall the same type disc was recorded 2 years ago (1998) with four diverse singers, Domingo again included.
Oh well, the individual contributions are, for the most part enjoyable, but you will notice I did say: for the most part.
Not Really Anyone's Fnest Hour November 23, 2004
Gregor von Kallahann
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Placido Domingo has done several holiday concert special for PBS over the years. The ones I've seen usually pair him with Jose Carreras on the classical end and maybe one pop diva like Dionne Warwick or Diana Ross. That makes for a mixed bag, and maybe a few awkward moments when the vocal styles don't quite mesh. But with the visuals, the glitz and glamour of the stars usually make these spectacles enjoyable enough.
I've never seen the DVD version of this concert, which also aired of PBS, as I understand it. But I'll wager it works better with the visuals. As a pure listening experience, OUR FAVORITE THINGS comes up short. Domingo is really the only singer who is in top form for the occasion, and his Spanish language carols (probably unfamiliar to most American listeners) are a real treat. Tony Bennett, who has been fine in other recent broadcasts and recordings, sounds a bit hoarse here. He improves as the concert progresses, but he relies more on phrasing than chops and is at a disadvantage when duetting with Domingo. (On the other hand, Domingo's noticeable discomfort with idiomatic American English weakens his performance on tracks like "My Favorite Things" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas").
On the distaff side we have Charlotte Church and Vanessa Williams, whose work I am less familiar with. Church sounds a little nervous and out of her depth when duetting with Domingo. She has a pleasant enough voice, which I hope she does not subject to too much strain before reaching her potential. I am not an expert in these matters, but I have been told by classical singers that too much too soon can be disastrous for a developing voice.
Williams is less distinctive a pop singer than, say, Dionne Warwick or Diana Ross, who could at least begin to hold their own against the classical singers in those previous holiday concerts. She has her moments, but even her duet with Tony Bennett on "White Christmas" seems a bit strained.
Fans of the individual singers featured here may well want to purchase this CD, but (even without having seen it), I'm betting that the DVD would be a wiser purchase. With the visuals of Vienna, the concert hall, the gowns and the glitter, I'm guessing it holds up a bit better. Strictly on a musical level, though, this is none of the stars' shining hour.
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