Rating: 
Summary: Misplaced Popularity
Review: Charlotte Church's current popularity clearly shows the public's general distaste in classical music. Any vocal pedagogist or singer, from watching this video, could sit down and write a substantial critique of everything the young Welsh soprano does wrong. The human voice is a fragile instrument indeed. Used properly, it can create a beautiful sound. Used in the manner of the young Miss Church, one will experience general fatigue and laryngitis in extreme cases. Hopefully, there is a pedagogue out there who can correct Miss Chruch's vocal issues, and help her to achieve the status that the public places her in. Otherwise, she will continue to develop techincal problems that will eventually prematurely end her career.
Rating: 
Summary: Magnificent!
Review: Charlotte Church's first full concert performance is a total joy to watch and the behind-the-scenes glimpse into the launching of her career is better than any made-for-TV movie could ever be. Also, her voice is even more angelic in this video than on her CD which was recorded six months earlier. Charlotte is a superstar in the making!
Rating:
Summary: True "Voice of an Angel"
Review: Charlotte has the most beautiful voice I've heard in a long time. I saw her concert on my local PBS station and was amazed at her professional and poised performance. I found her obvious voice training evident in the manner in which she sang all of her selections. I'm looking forward to adding her video and CD to my collection. I highly recommend Charlotte Church to lovers of all types of music.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but why only available in USA?
Review: Charlotte is her usually fun and bubbly self in this concert, and her voice is as excellent as ever. ...
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful to watch and to listen to
Review: Charlotte shines in this concert. It is a performance which is beautiful to watch and to listen to. The glimpses into Charlotte's personal life are just an added bonus to this wonderful video. Charlotte is simply charming.
Rating:
Summary: Opera Spice¿s First Solo Concert
Review: Charlotte's voice is even more spectacular when she is singing in concert. And who could not love a singer who introduces her Teddy Bear to the audience? It was so cute and made you realize how young she actually was when she sang at her first solo concert. Here she takes center stage for the first time, makes jokes that the audience loves and declares that various songs are of unknown origin. She is quite the personality and I had to just laugh when she declared that the Men of Harlech were looking so "posh" in their matching suits. By watching her in concert you will be able to see the contrast between her teenage personality and her angelic and almost adult presence when singing for an audience. It is as if an angelic force pervades her very being. She could be as ancient an angel as one who first sang for God at the beginning of time. Within her is a beautiful soul which radiates throughout her being when she is on a stage. I noticed how while practicing her songs she seems much more shy, but she comes alive completely onstage. There are times when she does seem under the spell of her own voice. Not only does Charlotte take on some complex songs for her age, she sings each song as if she has always known these songs. In fact, she started singing at a very young age and has a very musical family. The beauty of her voice has the power to bring
a grown man to tears. Songs in this Concert which are also from the Voice of an Angel CD include: Panis Angelicus
The Lord's Prayer
Mae Hiraeth yri y Mor
In Trutina
Pie Jesu
Danny Boy
My Lagan Love
Suo-Gan
Y Gylfinir
When at Night I Go to Sleep In this DVD, you get to see behind-the-scenes footage and glimpses of her life. Everyone in her life seems to just come alive in a new way when they are around her. It is as if the light in her being also flows to everyone around her. Of course, she was also a very young Welsh schoolgirl at the time who was known to pout and have disagreements with her mom. She is very human and yet has been blessed with an amazing talent. We forget all about how human she is when hearing her sing her signature tune, Pie Jesu. Especially while surrounded by candles and an amazing orchestral accompaniment. The sheer confidence everyone places in Charlotte was part of what impressed me. Part of the beauty of her voice is the innocence. She is truly a natural. In a way, it is unfair to compare her to anyone else. She is unique. This is a child who took charge of her own future at a very early age. In this DVD you will see how she actually started her career by her own actions. It is not her mother pushing her, but rather encouraging her to be the best she can be. They show Charlotte and her mother laughing and it does seem they have a very good relationship. "I was watching Richard and Judy and they said they were looking for talented kids. No one was around so I phoned up." "The producers said I had to sing down the phone. So I did 'Pie Jesu,' and that was it. I was invited on the show! Mum and Dad were the last to find out!" -Charlotte Church I look forward to seeing her acting in the 2003 release of "I'll be There," which is a comedy. She actually made her acting debut in the UK TV drama 'Heartbeat'. Charlotte's biggest ambition is to sing in her favorite opera - Madame Butterfly -at La Scala in Milan. You know, this Welsh soprano might just do it one day. After all, she has already had a concert at The Megaron in Athens. At 17, she has seen so much success. I can only imagine a wonderful future for this motivated young star. She was born Feb. 21, 1986. Also look for: Charlotte Church - Enchantment (From Cardiff, Wales) (2001)
Charlotte Church - In Jerusalem (2001)
Dream a Dream: Charlotte Church in the Holy Land (2000)
Christmas Glory from Westminster (2000)
Charlotte Church: Prelude - The Best of Charlotte Church (2002)
Enchantment
Voice of an Angel
I'll be There CD
Voice of an Angel Audiobook
Voice of an Angel: My Life (So Far) Sometimes in this world where we live with tragedy and sorrow day after day, God does something miraculous. He gives us a Charlotte Church.
Rating:
Summary: I've been very impressed / Ich bin sehr beeindruckt gewesen
Review: Die DVD ist wirklich sehr lohnenswert. Viele der Lieder wurden -dem London Symphonic Orchestra sei Dank- mit einem besseren Arrangment wiedergegeben, als dieses noch auf der CD "Voice of an Angel" der Fall war und sind nun nicht mehr so höhenlastig und vor allem auch besser ausgesteuert. Nur bei Pie Jesu mussten Abstriche gemacht werden, welche durch die Unmöglichkeit Live zu doppeln, bedingt waren. (Die Stimme des Jungen Sängers, reichte leider nicht ganz an die von Charlotte heran).
Besonders gut und empfehlenswert ist dort auch "Men of Harlech", welches durch das Zusammenspiel mit einem wirklich guten Männerchor eine sehr hohe Dynamik aufweist. Auch die deutlich verbesserte Version von "Danny Boy" ist sehr beachtenswert.
Bild und Ton sind durchweg akzeptabel gut. Schade ist lediglich, dass das ganze Konzert immer nur -bedingt durch die Spots und Lichteffekte- farblich verfälschte Bilder (meist rotstichig)vorweist. Schön ist hingegen das Video, welches die Showvorberetungen und weitere Hintergründe zeigt. Es guckt sich wie ein moderenes Märchen; nur eben dass es wahr ist!
Unterm Strich ist die DVD jedenfalls wirklich lohnenswert, wenn man sie über eine gute Anlage anguckt. Wenn die Anlage den Bass nicht gut wiedergibt, dann kann es allerdings für manchen -bedint durch die helle Kinderstimme- zu schrill wirken, was aber letztlich Geschmackssache ist.
For all english speaking readers:
I've been very impressed by this DVD: The arrangments have been improved (compared with the CD "Voice of an Angel") The Sound is very good and also the video quality is o.k. If you have a good equipement and like this kind of music you will like that dvd very much. At the End of this DVD you'll see a video about Charlotte wich seems to be a fairytale with the difference that it is reality -like a dream that has become true.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding !
Review: Far more than just a visual version of her smash CD, Charlotte Church's concert video goes behind the scenes to give us insight into the angel behind the voice. The picture that emerges is one of a completely likable and unpretentious young lady who, despite the worldwide attention she's received, remains largely unaffected by it all. The concert itself is spectacular, featuring Peter Robinson conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. Vocal support is ably provided by the London Symphony Chorus and the Welsh Male Voice Choir, and Ms. Church introduces Gwilym Evans, a fine male soprano (shades of Paul Miles Kingston?) for duets of her signature song, "Pie Jesu", and "When at Night I Go to Sleep". The closer is a real treat, the rousing "Men of Harlech", which wasn't on the CD but which will surely be considered for a future recording. All in all, a very fine production. Even a five-star rating seems too little.
Rating:
Summary: Voice of An Angel
Review: God and his Angels weep for joy everytime Charlotte Church sings. I have had the fortune to travel and hear many of the greatest singers of the 20th century and none can compare with the voice of this young lady from Wales. Being of Celtic ancestry myself may prejudice my thinking somewhat, but her voice speaks for itself. Magnificent! I know that she will only become more acomplished as she matures and anyone who says otherwise is sadly mistaken.
Rating:
Summary: Charlotte Church is divine in her first solo concert
Review: I absolutely adore Charlotte Church. However much some people belittle her talent or claim she is being manipulated by people who are going to ruin her voice, she is a star of stars in my eyes. She truly does have the voice of an angel; it's the most beautiful voice I've ever heard. This DVD is a special treat indeed because it allows us to hear and see Charlotte at the very beginning of her professional career. She had already topped the classical charts with her debut album, and now, mere days after her thirteenth birthday, she gave her first true concert, backed up by the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus - and we can all be there time and again with the 5000 or so fans physically in attendance that night. The music is fantastic, Charlotte is as charming as she can be, and an inside look at her life at home and her preparation for the concert show us a perfectly normal child who just happens to have a magical voice. After a short introductory piece, Charlotte walks out on stage with no sign of nerves whatsoever. She brings a couple of friends with her, a white stuffed bear and a shaking critter whom she likens to her Dad before the show (as he was obviously more nervous than Charlotte was about her big night). Every trace of the adorable little child disappears once she stands before the mike, though. She leads off with Panis Angelicus, and the transformation from excited youngster to world-class soprano is amazing; while Charlotte always shows her love for what she does, she also reveals her serious commitment to each song in her whole demeanor. After each song, her youthful nature shines forth in smiles and laughs, but her seriousness never relents until the orchestra plays the final note of each song. She sings eleven songs in all in this concert performance, ten of which come from her Voice of an Angel CD, backed up by a huge orchestra and sizeable chorus. Her delivery of The Lord's Prayer is impeccable and soul-stirring, even more so in the light of the attack on 9/11 and another singer's moving rendition of the song during the national memorial service following the tragedy. Danny Boy is also a beautiful song; Charlotte's version of this song is respectfully somber but not quite as mournful as most renditions I have heard. The Welsh songs are particularly lovely, possessing a nature that really draws me into each song even though I have no idea what Charlotte is singing about. My Lagan Love, Suo-Gan, and Y Gylfinir (The Curlew) - one of the Three Welsh Bird Songs from her debut album - are quite magical. Her friend Gwilym Evans joins her for two songs: Charlotte's signature song Pie Jesu and When at Night I Go to Sleep; his high voice blends well with Charlotte's, but he appears far more nervous than Charlotte was. Charlotte's final song of the evening closes the night out in grand, exciting style, as the London Welsh Male Voice Choir joins her in a stirring rendition of Men of Harlech (the one song here that you won't find on her debut CD). The concert is fairly short, but it is followed by a wonderful look at the real Charlotte Church. We get visions of both her family and school life, showing Charlotte trying to juggle homework in between interviews for television, newspapers, and magazines from all over the world. She and her mother look to have a loving and fun relationship, and Charlotte is as proud of her family as they are of her. The little girl in her is clear to see, as evidenced by a huge stuffed animal collection and her innocent zest for life, and it is reinforced by her mother's descriptions of her sulking prowess. Charlotte is refreshingly normal and down-to-earth, and she makes it clear that she is singing and performing because that is what she loves and wants to do forever; in no way is anyone manipulating her into doing anything she doesn't want to do. The Voice of an Angel DVD is essentially Charlotte Church's coming-out party; she had proved to the world that she could sing like an angel, and with this concert she proved that she could perform in front of a large audience and not only blow the audience away with a voice of the rarest beauty but also display all the charms and poise of a true star while doing it. I don't see how anyone could watch this DVD and not love Charlotte Church.
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