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List Price: $9.98 | | Label: Sony
Salesrank: 52601
Released: October 16, 2001 |
| Our Price: $3.20 |
| Used Price: $0.49 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Our Favorite Things Track Listing:
1. The Christmas Song - Tony Bennett
2. O Holy Night - Charlotte Church & Placido Domingo
3. Do You Hear What I Hear? - Vanessa Williams
4. Jesus De Nazareth - Placido Domingo
5. Winter Wonderland - Tony Bennett & Vanessa Williams
6. Silent Night - Charlotte Church
7. My Favorite Things - Vanessa Williams, Tony Bennett & Placido Domingo
8. White Christmas - Tony Bennett & Vanessa Williams
9. Hacia Belen Va Un Burro - Placido Domingo
10. Through The Eyes Of A Child - Vanessa Williams
11. The First Noel - Tony Bennett & Placido Domingo
12. Somewhere In My Memory - Chorus
13. I Saw Three Ships - Placido Domingo & Vanessa Williams
14. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Tony Bennett
15. Hijo De Dios - Placido Domingo
16. I'll Be Home For Christmas - Tony Bennett & Placido Domingo
17. Joy To The World - Placido Domingo & Vanessa Williams
18. Angels We Have Heard On High - Tony Bennett, Vanessa Williams & Placido Domingo
19. Silent Night - Vanessa Williams, Placido Domingo, Charlotte Church & Tony Bennett
20. One More Year - Placido Domingo, Vanessa Williams
Editorial Review:
"Winter Wonderland," "O Holy Night," "The First Noel," and other ageless melodies from the Yuletide season: these are a few of their favorite things. But when the performers consist of Charlotte Church, Tony Bennett, Placido Domingo, and Vanessa Williams, these treasures emit a special glister of incandescent beauty. The program here comes from a live concert performance that was given in the lovely Konzerthaus in Vienna (a DVD version of the event, directed by David Mallet, is also available). We get to savor the unique style of each singer in solo or intertwining in various combinations--as a duet (Domingo and Church together is a highlight), as a trio (on the title track), and, in a superb encore of "Silent Night," as a quartet. Along with the favorite chestnuts are two new holiday songs by Jorge Calandrelli. This is the perfect stocking stuffer for anyone in love with beautiful singing. --Sarah Chin
Our Favorite Things Reviews:
Delightful 
2008-01-18 - An odd assortment of singers you never thought of putting together, come together to produce a truly delightful Christmas concert. The visuals are beautiful to look at as well.
Masterpiece
2007-12-28 - My favorite holiday music performed by top professionals and the gifted Charlotte Church. The amazing abilities of the featured artists supported by the magnificent orchestra and chorus make this an album that I wait all year to hear.
Was this collection of music drawn out of a hat? 
2007-12-02 - Maybe you had to be at the performance to appreciate it. Perhaps the concert itself, with the presence of these four performers, had some sort of flow and dazzle.
But this CD is merely a strange assortment of singers, songs, and stylings, in no particular order. For instance: Placido Domingo's Jesus de Nazareth (the reason I'm giving this three stars instead of two) - followed by Tony Bennett and Vanessa Williams warbling a swinging "Winter Wonderland." Which detracts from my enjoyment of both those pieces.
And then there are the inexcusable versions of "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "Silent Night," in which Tony Bennett's voice is just not up to the music anymore. It should have been obvious during rehearsals, and Bennett removed from the ensemble or given easier solos, or other songs selected. (And I still love him as a singer, just hate to see his aging voice be bested by the wrong music. In public.)
It is an odd little CD, as is suggested by the cover. I found it in a bargain bin and was puzzled by the selection of these four performers, and decided to buy it and find out how well it worked. I'm so glad I didn't pay full price.
a voice teacher and early music fan
2007-10-21 - ONE AT A TIME IF YOU PLEASE!!!!
This disc includes four of the best voices of our day, BUT they simply do not belong together in one program!!!!Somehow hearing 'O Holy Night' by two classical sounding singers following 'The Christmas Song' sung by a jazz-pop singer doesn't 'light my fire'. Now if you offered me a complete album of anyone of these singers, I probably would take it and enjoy it. Obviously, this is a money-making venture of the extreme sort; after all(say the great commercial powers) if you don't like Tony Bennett, then you have Placido Domingo etc. etc. etc. As I recall the same type disc was recorded 2 years ago (1998) with four diverse singers, Domingo again included.
Oh well, the individual contributions are, for the most part enjoyable, but you will notice I did say: for the most part.
Not Really Anyone's Fnest Hour
2004-11-23 - Placido Domingo has done several holiday concert special for PBS over the years. The ones I've seen usually pair him with Jose Carreras on the classical end and maybe one pop diva like Dionne Warwick or Diana Ross. That makes for a mixed bag, and maybe a few awkward moments when the vocal styles don't quite mesh. But with the visuals, the glitz and glamour of the stars usually make these spectacles enjoyable enough.
I've never seen the DVD version of this concert, which also aired of PBS, as I understand it. But I'll wager it works better with the visuals. As a pure listening experience, OUR FAVORITE THINGS comes up short. Domingo is really the only singer who is in top form for the occasion, and his Spanish language carols (probably unfamiliar to most American listeners) are a real treat. Tony Bennett, who has been fine in other recent broadcasts and recordings, sounds a bit hoarse here. He improves as the concert progresses, but he relies more on phrasing than chops and is at a disadvantage when duetting with Domingo. (On the other hand, Domingo's noticeable discomfort with idiomatic American English weakens his performance on tracks like "My Favorite Things" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas").
On the distaff side we have Charlotte Church and Vanessa Williams, whose work I am less familiar with. Church sounds a little nervous and out of her depth when duetting with Domingo. She has a pleasant enough voice, which I hope she does not subject to too much strain before reaching her potential. I am not an expert in these matters, but I have been told by classical singers that too much too soon can be disastrous for a developing voice.
Williams is less distinctive a pop singer than, say, Dionne Warwick or Diana Ross, who could at least begin to hold their own against the classical singers in those previous holiday concerts. She has her moments, but even her duet with Tony Bennett on "White Christmas" seems a bit strained.
Fans of the individual singers featured here may well want to purchase this CD, but (even without having seen it), I'm betting that the DVD would be a wiser purchase. With the visuals of Vienna, the concert hall, the gowns and the glitter, I'm guessing it holds up a bit better. Strictly on a musical level, though, this is none of the stars' shining hour.
