Product Description

This year's edition of Placido Domingo's annual musical holiday concerts includes traditional international favorites as well as "Walking in the Air" from The Snowman, "Happy Christmas (War is Over)" by John Lennon and "First of May" by the Gibb brothers.
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: DOMINGO/BRIGHTMAN/LOTTI/COCCIA
Title: GALA CHRISTMAS IN VIENNA
Street Release Date: 09/29/1998
Domestic
Genre: XMAS CLASSICAL VOCAL

Track Listing

1. Christmas Prologue
2. Deck the Halls
3. Closing of the Year
4. Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle
5. Walking in Air
6. Adeste Fideles
7. Away in a Manger
8. Old Fashioned Christmas
9. First of May
10. Re Gesu
11. Frohliche Weihnacht
12. Cantemos Rapaces
13. Christmas Is Here Again
14. Child In a Manger
15. Angels From the Realms of Glory
16. Another Christmas Song
17. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
18. Happy Christmas
19. Silent Night
20. First of May [*]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17476 in Music
• Brand: DOMINGO/BRIGHTMAN/LOTTI/COCCIA
• Released on: 1998-09-29
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

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.

Customer Reviews

Christmas in Vienna V
Hi there

I read the rates here an I would like to explain something for all those who don't seem to know.

As I can see the album is beeing sold here as 'A Gala Christmas in Vienna'. But the original title of the CD is 'Christmas in Vienna V'. In Europe, Christmas in Vienna is a well known christmas concert which has been performed and shown on TV here 7 times since 1992, with Plácido Domingo as host and some guest stars every time, such as Diana Ross, Patricia Kaas, Dionne Warwick, José Carreras, Michael Bolton, Vanessa Williams and so on, and it is a cult for every christmas fan.

So by now there are seven albums, and this one here was the fifth, and in my opinion, by now the best volume.

Anyway, any wishes of having just Sarah and Placido on the CD or to have a double CD with studio versions and so an are completly irrelevant. It could not have been made in any other way since it is a live recording of the concert.

All in all, I love especially this edition of the series, and I really recommend this album.

Have a wonderful christmas time!

Still my favorite Christmas album
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.

a voice teacher and early music fan
FOUR FOR THE PRICE OF ONE; BUT WHO NEEDS IT!?

Herein we have four skilled vocalists who by themselves are most enjoyable, especially Brightman and Domingo. But together singing songs that are wildly different as are their voices is just painful.

Of course, we all know the reason: the commercial money-making powers that be are interested only in doing just that. And their logic we know is that four will sell better than one. NOT ALWAYS TRUE!!!!In fact, there are no two voices on this disc that blend well and somehow the Christmas Medley mixing 'Child in a Manger' with 'Santa Claus is coming to Town' I find downright offensive.

Buy it if you must,but I am certain that each of these singers have individual discs that are much more flattering to their voices.