| Audio CD Release Date:
| October 31, 2000 | | Studio:
| Sony | | Composer:
| Adolphe Adam, John Francis Wade, Vittoriano Benvenuti, Johannes Brahms, Christmas Traditional, John Newton, Irving Berlin, Franz Xaver Gruber, Fermin Maria Alvarez, John / Ono, Yoko Lennon, Richard [1] Strauss, Katherine K. Davis, Walter Kent, Leroy Anderson, Felix Bernard, Placido Jr. [son] Domingo, Jose Feliciano | | Conductor:
| Steven Mercurio | | Orchestra:
| Vienna Symphony Orchestra | | Number Of Discs:
| 1 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 35 reviews |
|
Average Customer Review:
 ( 35 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 37 found the following review helpful:
great giftNov 05, 2000
I had already purchased the VHS and received the CD as a gift. This CD is a great addition to add to your collection if you are a Three Tenor's fan. The selections are mixed with pieces from various countries. However, the English selections I would have prefered Carreras and Domingo. I find Pavarotti not to be his best in this language. All three gave 100 % however, I would have enjoyed more individual performances than the program that was chosen. My favorite selections were Dormi O Bambino, Carol of the Drum, and Adeste Fideles. The John Lennon selection Happy Christmas/War is Over I have to get use to. Overall it is great holiday music to listen to when you cannot watch them on the VHS or DVD.
13 of 14 found the following review helpful:
 Wonderfully Different & Addicting! And All Your Friends Will Be Calling HOO-HOO!Aug 23, 2005
By Sunday
"SundayAtDusk"
First, let me state I don't listen to opera singers that much; thus, don't expect a hypercritical review here. (Really, is there ANY field of music that has more hypercritics than opera?) I got this CD simply because Columbia House had it on sale for $2.99, and I wanted some new Christmas CDs.
I found the CD delightful beyond words. It has some beautiful versions of well-known Christmas songs, as well as songs I've never heard before. "Carol of the Drum" and "War Is Over" are my two favorites, with "Sleigh Ride" a close third.
Sure, there is some tripping over of words by these three great opera stars...but that makes it even more enhancing in my opinion. Pavarotti was particularly amusing when he was singing: "And all our friends are calling 'HOO-HOO'!" (Watch the DVD for Carreras' reaction to that one!) And let's not forget Pavarotti singing: "I'll be home for Christmas. You can PLAY on me."
The children's chorus is great, the Vienna Symphony is great...and, once again, buy or rent the DVD so you can get the full affect of this astounding Christmas concert...the music, the lights, the colors, and the marvelous Steven Mercurio conducting it all.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
it's good but perhaps not greatDec 07, 2000
By Ray Barnes
Anyone who is a fan of The Three Tenors will find this CD indispensable. I share other reviewers' concerns about the inaccuracy of Pavarotti's English, and I would add his German is not that much better. The recording is quite rich and well detailed, although as mentioned elsewhere the singing has too much forte and not enough mezzo voce. The orchestral playing of the Vienna Symphony is respectable as is the conducting of Steven Mercurio. The contributions of the Gumpoldskirchner Spatzen Children's Choir are very distinguished indeed and quite a pleasant surprise. I was somewhat dissapointed with the very minimal documentation in this recording, which has little more than several photos of the Tenors in various parts of the Vienna Konzerthaus. Considering the price of this issue there should have been some translations of the songs which were not rendered in English. I also feel the performance of John Lennon's Happy Christmas, done in an arioso style with a rather questionable orchestral arrangement, did not add to the progamme but rather detracted from it. It was regrettable that track was not performed solely by the excellent choir. Taken as a whole, it remains an enjoyable issue.
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 Is this last 3 Tenors to be produced live?Dec 08, 2000
By Paul Tarrant
An avid fan of the the 3 Tenors format and the tenors themselves, I was a little disappointed in this long overdue production of Christmas Music. While many of the more cherished traditional numbers (Ave Maria, Silent Night, etc.) brought a warmth and gratitude for the these men and their talent, some of the other offerings were less than expected. The Jingle Bells arrangement can only be categorized as "a waste of great talent." If you are a fan and have seen the video, then you must get the CD. The CD's producers obviously "assisted" the recordings compared to the video's poor presentation. Mr. Pavarotti shows some weakness in what is normally his forte -- power. Mr. Carreras seems to attempt a "coloring" of his vocal talent when normally his diction and technique are beyond any dispute. Only Mr. Domingo shows his emotional warmth and strength as well as his command of the English idiom. For Christmas music "philes", this CD is still a must have. And for those 3 Tenor fans, this could well be the last to have.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
buy itSep 20, 2003
By shimmlez dimmlez fimmlez
BUY THIS ALBUM FOR THE GREATEST ITALIAN OPERA VERSION OF O HOLY NIGHT! it makes me cry :(
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