Believe[DVD]

They were five in their first concert: four vocalists (Lisa Kelly, Chloë Agnew, Méav Ni Mhaolchatha and Olga Falon) plus a small blonde angel, fallen straight from Heaven for our utmost felicity: Máiréad Nesbitt, an outstanding violinist. They were six in their second one: "A New Journey" (their masterpiece in my opinion, for which I wrote a long review in Amazon on February 4, 2007) when Hayley Westenra joined them for that unique concert. But they are only four in their fifth concert: only three vocalists instead of four and the violinist. Lisa Kelly is still there, Chloë Agnew is also still there, as same as Máiréad, the soul of the group, mastering her fiddle like Paganini, jumping and dancing like "Les Nymphes des Bois" ("The Nymphs of the Woods") depicted by French poets of "La Pléiade" in the XVIth century. But Méav and Olga are no longer with the group. We miss their charm and Olga's harp. In fact, they had already disappeared from the fourth concert ("Songs from the Heart"), where they had been replaced by two other girls called Alex and Lynn, who have also disappeared in the meantime. The third girl in this fifth concert is called Lisa Lambe, a charming young woman with long curly reddish hair and her voice harmonizes very well with those of Lisa Kelly and Chloë. In fact, you will see plenty of new faces in this DVD, not only in the choir but also in the orchestra. Unlike Adre Rieu's concerts, where the numbers are separated by endless jokes and explanations, sometimes in Dutch, which only a handful of people understand, there is no dead time in Celtic concerts. As it was already the case in the four previous shows, the public is still applauding that the next number is already rolling. The whole concert is thus only 1h30 long, but there is an extra chapter showing its preparation. Like the first and third concerts ("Celtic Woman" and "A Christmas Celebration"), this one is staged indoors. This time, it is at the legendary FOX Theater on Peachtree Street in Atlanta. Maybe the bad souvenir of their fourth concert ("Songs from the Heart", staged in the gardens of the Powerscourt House in Ireland), where it was raining one hour before the show started, dissuaded the group from giving another outdoor show! How about a "Christmas Concert" 2012 in Miami Beach, where it is bright, warm and sunny all year round? I'm sure that would be a big hit! Better do it before December 21st, just in case... If the first four concerts contained mostly well known songs from several countries and epochs, this new one has very few of those immortal numbers and contains many songs that I had never heard before. Like in all previous shows, this DVD opens with the presentation of the now only three vocalists, angel Máiréad and composer David Downes, Musical Director. The first number is "Awakening". It starts with a few notes from a flute followed by Máiréad and her violin. Then Chloë, Lisa and Lisa sing with drums in the background during the whole song. As it was the case in all their concerts, this show combines music, songs and dances, and instead of standing still, our vocalists move and dance continuously in almost every number, fulfilling the goal of French Symbolist playwrights at the end of the XIXth century: "Le Spectacle Total" ("Total Show"). "Follow On", the second number, starts with a choir followed by Lisa Kelly singing a sweet song, contrasting with all the movement of the first one. "The Foxhunter" is an instrumental number with Máiréad and her violin at the beginning, joined later by the drums in a very fast melody where she is at her best: she jumps, she dances, she turns like a spinning top, earning a well deserved standing ovation. The fourth number is "Nocturne". Máiréad opens slowly with her violin and Chloë soon arrives singing alone a melancholic song after all the movement from the previous one. This is followed by "Sailing", a sweet song interpreted by all three girls, ending with a standing ovation. "Bridge Over Troubled Water", which was a great success in 1969 during the Viet Nam war, is one of the few well known songs in this concert. Each girl sings a few verses before singing all three together. Then a children's choir jumps in, creating a magic moment, as it is always the case with women's or children's choirs, greater yet when they both join their voices. This number alone would justify the purchase of this DVD! Naturally, this was followed by a well deserved standing ovation. Unlike the audience of Andre Rieu's concert in Ireland, where everybody seemed to be screwed to the chair, the Atlanta public kept going up and down most all the time! The following number is "Black is the Colour" (NO misprint: this is the British spelling...), interpreted by Lisa Lambe "The World Falls Away", song number 8, opens with a bagpipe; then, all three girls jump in, singing and dancing with drums in the background. Number 9 is "My Heart Was Home Again". Lisa Kelly starts alone, joined later by Lisa Lambe. "A Tribute to Broadway" opens with a few words by Lisa Kelly who starts singing the song, soon joined by Chloë. After a few notes of flute, Kelly Lambe sings alone in the lower stage while the two others climb to the upper stage where the choir is waiting. After a drums intervention, the choir goes down to the lower stage and all girls sing together the end of the song. This is followed by another standing ovation. "Téir Abhaile Riú" is a fast song favoring dances by the three vocalists and the women's choir. Four male choristers join them in the upper stage. Once again, Máiréad plays, runs, jumps and turns around. A tap dancer does some steps towards the end. Once again, the public gives a standing ovation. The following number is "A Woman's Heart", interpreted by all three vocalists. This is a nice melancholic song. "The Water is Wide", song number 12, is interpreted by Lisa Kelly. Towards the middle of the song, a bagpipe appears on the upper stage, greeted by applauses as if they were in Scotland! A choir first, then Chloë Agnew, start "Green Grow the Rushes" and she is joined by Lisa Kelly and a choir, that keeps them company during the rest of this nice sweet song. "You'll Never Walk Alone", another well known song, groups all three vocalists, each as a soloist at the beginning and Máiréad behind them; later, the adults and children's choirs jump in, creating another magic moment in this great concert. As you would expect, this number was followed by an extensive standing ovation. "Smile", a famous song composed in the 1950s on a musical theme of Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" (1936) is interpreted by all vocalists, who start a cappella, soon joined discretely by Máiréad. If you missed "A Second Journey", rush to your local store, buy it and see the outstanding a cappella interpretation of the immortal "Over The Raimbow", created by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" in 1939 and wonderfully interpreted by Suzan Erens in André Rieu's "The Flying Dutchman". Once again, this number was followed by a standing ovation. After "Smile", "Walking the Night" is a languorous song. Lisa Lambe opens it, followed by Chloë. "A Spaceman Came Travelling" starts with drums and is interpreted by Lisa Lambe with a choir. Lots of drums and dancing fill this song full of movement. "Ave Maria", Schubert's immortal melody, is mostly interpreted by Chloë as a soloist in the original Latin version. Hard core opera aficionados will argue that Chloë does not have (yet) the power of Maria Callas, Jessye Norman, Barbara Hendricks, Carmen Monarca, Carla Mafioletti, Renée Fleming or Sarah Brightman, to name just a few among the best known sopranos. So what? When the adults and children's choirs jump in from time to time, they create a great atmosphere and the audience gave a well deserved standing ovation at the end. Máiréad plays "Mná Na Héirean" with David at the piano. This starts very slowly but soon becomes a fast melody with the tap dancer we previously saw. If you like tap dancing, you may see Arthur Duncan, one of the masters in this field, during "The Lawrence Welk Show", which is broadcasted every Sunday at 7 pm on PBS Channel 2 in Miami. "The Parting Glass" is the last number, interpreted by all three vocalists. They start a cappella, then Máiréad joins them, then the orchestra starts discretely, joined later by bagpipes and the movement goes crescendo to the end. I was disappointed to see that their usual last number, a masterpiece written by Rolf Loveland and Brendan Graham and made famous by Josh Groban titled "You Raise Me Up", which concluded their first, second and fourth concerts, was no longer there: "I am strong when I am on your shoulders, you raise me up to more than I can be" is the leitmotiv of this great composition. This song "You Raise Me Up", which rightfully concluded all of Celtic Woman's previous concerts except for "A Christmas Celebration", always reminds me of "The Portrait of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde, which I studied with my French students in the "Grand Paris" during several years: Our French translation said: "Aimer, c'est se surpasser". "Loving, is transcending oneself" Although I still think that "A New Journey" is Celtic Woman's masterpiece (how could you get any better after you have attained perfection?), I don't regret the purchase of this excellent DVD which contains 21 very good songs, most of which I had never heard in any of the languages that I speak, with several magic moments that I already pointed out in the above synopsis.

Well, I finally got to see Celtic Woman's new show, "Believe" on PBS. I really liked it! It was a great show that's beautifully done. The dvd of "Believe" is viewable, not as bad as I thought it would be. I'm not an expert, as some viewers are, when they say it's not clear. I'm hoping they'll present us with a blue ray next time. There's always hope... I do miss the beautiful Celtic Women, Lynn, Alex, Maeve and Orla, but these three ladies, Lisa K, Lisa L. and Chloe did a magnificent job. Mairead takes fiddle playing to a whole new level and is always a joy to watch. Lisa Lambe, the new Celtic Woman, has a beautiful voice, blending well with Lisa Kelly and Chloë Agnew. They sang some popular Irish songs, along with the old classics. I'm blown away by how these three amazing singers with Mairead's fiddle playing kept the show going without any feelings of something is amiss. I loved how Mairead played "The Foxhunter and "Mná na hÉireann",("Women of Ireland). The dresses were so beautiful! Love the bagpipes, there's more of them this time. A Riverdance Irish Tap Dancer, Michael Gallagher. is also in this show which makes it an added appeal, especially when he taps when Mairead plays "Mná na hÉireann". Very cute and entertaining! "Believe" is filmed for the first time in America at The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA. So, paying tribute to this charming theatre that's so famous for its broadway musicals, Chloe and Lisa Kelly sang, "I Dreamed a Dream". Lisa Lambe sang, "Circle of Life", who is joined later by Chloe and Lisa with the back-up group of singers. Very beautifully done! I loved it when Lisa and Chloe sing "The World Falls Away" and Lisa Lambe joins in at the end, all three skip across the stage to finish the song These four Celtic Woman give high entertainment which makes you want to sing along. I loved Lisa Lambe's "A Spaceman Came Traveling". She puts her all into the song and is not afraid to move around on the stage. Her dress flowed as she danced and twirled to this song. Chloe's "Ave Maria" was resung by her more matured voice, and she did another amazing job. She didn't do too bad at age fifteen either when she sang another style of this song. Lisa again gave it her all when she sang "Follow on" and "The Water is Wide. She still my favorite and will always be. Here is a list of songs that will be on the dvd or the cd of "Believe". *1."Awakening"--Lisa Kelly, Chloë Agnew, Lisa Lambe with Máiréad Nesbitt (Opening song) *2."Nocturne" sung by Chloe Agnew accompanied by Mairead. (A winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995) *3."Sailing" sung by Lisa Kelly, Chloe Agnew, Lisa Lambe accompanied by Maraid Nesbitt. *4."The Foxhunter" played by Mairead Nesbitt which was very entertaining! *5."The Water is Wide" sung by Lisa Kelly accompanied by Mairead Nesbitt (This is a folk song of Scottish or English origin.) *6."Bridge Over Troubled Water" sung by Kelly, Agnew, Lambe with the choir,'The Gwinnett Young Singers'. (This is a Paul Simon's song, he wrote it) *7."Black is the Colour" sung by Lisa Lambe (A Scottish folk song) *8."Follow On" sung by Lisa Kelly *9."Ave Maria (Schubert)" sung by Chloe Agnew *10."Téir Abhaile Riú" sung and danced by Lisa Kelly, Chloe Agnew, Lisa Lambe with Mairead Nesbitt and Michael Gallagher with his Irish tap. *11."You'll Never Walk Alone" sung by Lisa Kelly, Chloe Agnew, Lisa Lambe with Mairead Nesbitt and "The Gwinnett Young Singers". *12."A Spaceman Came Travelling" sung by Lisa Lambe (A popular Christmas song in the UK) *13.A tribute to Broadway sung by Lisa Kelly, Chloe and Lisa Lambe (Songs sung are "I Dreamed a Dream" & "Circle of Life" *14."A Woman's Heart" sung by Lisa Kelly, Chloe Agnew, Lisa Lambe (This is an Irish song composed by Elenor McEvoy.) *15."The Parting Glass" sung by Lisa Kelly, Chloe Agnew, Lisa Lambe with Mairead Nesbitt (This is a very popular Irish song and the last song they sung for this concert) *16."Green Grow the Rushes" is sung by Chloe and Lisa Kelly. This is a Irish folk song sometimes sung as a Christmas Carol. *17."The World Falls Away" sung by Chloe and Lisa Kelly with Lisa Lambe coming in at the end. *18."Mná na hÉireann" is played by Mairead with Michael Gallagher joining in later. *19."Smile" sung by Chloe, Lisa Kelly and Lisa Lambe with Mairead (Cappella) *20."My Heart was Home Again" sung by Lisa K. and Lisa L. *21."Walking the Night" sung by Chloe and Lisa L. All I can say is, these are some amazing songs that Lisa Kelly, Lisa Lambe, Chloe and Mairead perform so well. It's well worth the money to see and listen to them whenever you want in the privacy of your own home.

This DVD is brilliant. The quality is superb and the show is vibrant. I have followed CW right from the start when Chloe Agnew's singing was somewhat subdued. In this show, she bursts out and reveals that she truly does have a beautiful and strong voice. Lisa Kelly is fantastic as always whilst newcomer Lisa Lambe blends beautifully with the other two. Her rendition of "Black Is The Colour" is wonderful as it is not an easy number to sing. Mairead is also her usual self and gives two great solo performances. The audience was so impressed with the girls that they received standing ovations after every number - something that I have not seen at a concert before. As a fan from the beginning, I think that this is at least equal to any other of their concert DVDs and I thoroughly recommend this.

Saw so many reviews of the performance as seen on PBS - great, but now have received and watched the actual DVD and I can't get over how much is delivered. Sure, I wish it were Blu-ray (after all I watched a bit of the PBS broadcast in 1080p high-def.), but when you get into the concert you stop looking for detail in eyelashes. There are 22 songs. (A Tribute to Broadway is listed as a song, but actually is made up of two: I Dreamed a Dream and Circle of Love.) With the DVD at $12.99, that's $0.59 per song. Use your remote's "skip to next chapter" button if you don't want to hear and/or watch a particular one. If you own their New Journey DVD and thrice-played it or more, then this is a refreshing set of new songs, extremely well done. I Believe that if you came across this DVD as your first introduction to Celtic Women, you'd be wowed with the amazing performances and staging, along with the quality and variety of songs.

彼女達の声に癒やされています！

Difficile descrivere le sensazioni che danno la musica e il canto di queste ragazze irlandesi; sono voci e musica che ti entrano dentro e a volte ti sciolgono a volte ti eccitano ma sempre ti danno un senso di "Bello"

lovely

Ce groupe féminin est un enchantement tant par les voix que les chorégraphies. Aurons nous le plaisir de les voir en France en 2016???

Es ist immer wieder ein ganz besonderer Genuss den Celtic Woman zu zu hören. Musik mit sehr viel Gefühl, teilweise alte gälische Stücke sehr gut arrangiert von David Downes im Wechsel mit Broadway Melodien oder traditionellen britischen Titeln. Dazu die Stimmen der Mädels, in diesem Falle von Cloe Agnew, Lisa Lambe und Lisa Kelly, im Wechsel mit der virtuellen Geigerin Mairead Nesbitt. Tanz, Bewegung, Stimme, Gefühl, Freude, Glück alles in Perfektion vorgeführt, dazu noch "Riverdance" Einlagen und Scotish Warpipe Spiel machen die DVD zu einem echten Erlebnis. Fast so gut wie ein Original Konzertbesuch dieser MusikerInnen die Ihre World Tournee dieses Jahr mit Lisa Lambe, Susan Mc Faden, Mairead Carlin und Mairead Nesbitt bestreiten.