First, before anyone complains about my opinion, I’m writing this reviews not only as a person who listens to Celtic Woman, but also as someone who’s bought tons of DVDs, and even has made some in her short career.
I’ve got my complete Celtic Woman DVD collection, of sorts…
– Celtic Woman
– Celtic Woman: Live at Slane Castle
– Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration
First, some facts on Amy relating to Celtic Woman:
– Saw them on a PBS (Public Broadcasting SOMETHING SOMETHING hahaha) in Canada
– Were in Vancouver, but missed them coz I had classes.
– Fiddling is cool, Amy thinks.
– Saw clips of the Slane Castle show, and bought the DVD.
– The 2nd DVD was the first in my collection.
Reviews
Celtic Woman – 2004
The first DVD is a 100-minute and a few live performance, though quite refreshing with the voices and harmonies – my main pet peeve is the stage. It’s so small and was so clustered for the performance, that the Women did pretty much nothing but STAND there.
Aesthetically, the women (and then kiddo, Chloe) looked alright, though it was funny how Meav got the really-tight-in-the-legs-dress and could barely walk. And I think she’s a giant. hahahaha!
Buahahaha, *laughs some more*
My favorite number is Si Do Mhaimeo i by Meav (Ni Mhaolchatha) – fun fun song, about a wealthy old widow who’s been pursuit by a young man, who’s interested in her…. to quote Meav “for whatever reason” *meav rolls eyes*
The nifty part of the DVD are the interviews that were included with all the Women – in there, you can actually learn how to pronounce Meav’s last name, and hear how all of them came into this music project and how they even got into music.
Technical aspects, the video is widescreen… though if it were fullscreen, the screen would be even MORE FULL! And the DTS sound mix or the 5.1 Dolby mix don’t sound much different.
This concert was obviously edited in such a way to showcase not only Celtic Woman, but the people behind Celtic Woman (meaning the producers) … you could say it’s a “love it because I made it” product.
Grade:
Visuals: 4/5
Music: 4/5
Extras: 5/5
Technical: 3/5
Overall: 16/20
Celtic Woman: Live at Slane Castle – 2006
Second concert DVD is another 100-minute and a few more of live performances in a gorgeous stage in Ireland. The concert has a few songs from the previous concert, but masterfully re-arranged like Orinoco Flow. In addition to an open and bigger stage, we get better scenic presence with added simple choreography, a new choir and the added voice of Kaylee Westerna, who was a replacement for Meav while she had her baby. So now, instead of a 4 harmony + a fiddle, we had 5 harmonies + a fiddler, which I love.
The concert begins with cinematic flare as The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun begins, and continues flowing like storytelling throughout the whole show. The concert includes many favorite numbers like Dulaman, Orinoco Flow, At the Ceili, Spanish Lady or Sing Out! and continues through the cinematic experience with Mo Ghile Mear, reminiscing of a battle cry and ends with a gentle version of Raise Me Up, a hopeful rendition of the Josh Groban (and also Westlife) tune. The perfect ending.
Extras on the DVD just include a Behind the Scenes mini-doc of how they put the show together. Fantastic watch for those interested in making events, and music concerts. This time around, it was obviously edited out to highlight Celtic Woman as scenic performers – brilliantly done.
The concert is shot on widescreen, with amazing warm hues and cool close ups on the leading ladies. The DTS sound mix on this DVD is fantastic! Really gives a whole new layer to the whole show watching it in this format.
Grade:
Visuals: 5/5
Music: 5/5
Extras: 4/5
Technical: 5/5
Overall: 19/20
Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration – 2007
Third concert DVD, this time around with a Christmas presentation in Dublin, which was shot just months back. The concert is a full Christmas celebration of pastel and cold hues, with only one repeated song. Panis Angelicus by Chloe Agnew, which she’s sung throughout the past DVDs. The concert begins with the almost prophetic Carols of the Bells, and sadly only 4 harmonies. Though, it still sounds great.
As always, the song listing includes Christmas favorites with a flare of Irish, like the Gaellic/English version of Silent Night that Meav does. Or the playful, yet now moody Little Drummer Boy that Orla and Chloe sing. My favorite number has to be the closing number they did on a Christmas popular tune, Let It Snow!, which they have turned into a Jazzy/Blues/Cabaret sort of number, very different to their Celtic performances – this one exploded with loads of funk, and flavor with those bits of simple yet fun choreography. As Chloe explained, “something different for us, but loads of fun”.
Extras are not included in the DVD, unless you count the CC (Closed Caption) that they’ve added to the disc. I mean, it is great to get the lyrics and sing along, but that something extra is what makes things special.
The show was shot on widescreen, though it seems distorted at times. Biggest pet peeve was the video editing, as it kept taking me away from the performance.
Grade:
Visuals: 5/5
Music: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Technical: 4/5
Overall: 16/20
