This past September, Celtic Thunder filmed its Christmas concert in
Poughkeepsie, NY. Since that’s only a state away, I seriously considered
going, but the timing just didn’t work out. Instead, I bought the DVD
and watched the festive presentation of these lads from Ireland and
Scotland in the comfort of my living room. Celtic Thunder released two
versions of a Christmas album in late 2010. This DVD incorporates every
song from those albums, along with a couple of others. Plus, you have
the fun of watching them as well as listening.
Neil Byrne, who
has been with the group as an instrumentalist from the beginning but has
recently been highlighted as a vocalist, starts things off with a
jaunty rendition of It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas that ends with a cheeky wink and an extra emphasis on the word “heart”. Later, he also gets When You Wish Upon a Star to himself, and though I wouldn’t normally call that a Christmas song, it fits in well and gives the program more balance.
Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly and Damian McGinty all sing songs with a romantic edge here. Keith gets stuck with uber-annoying Last Christmas, but he changes it up and makes it sound a little less whiny, and he’s in his element with All I Want for Christmas Is You, which allows him to do those vocal runs he loves so much. Both of Ryan’s songs have a sultry edge to them. The smoky jazz of Let It Snow is enjoyable, but as he repeats the whole thing again, I can’t help feeling like the song could use another verse or two. On Baby, It’s Cold Outside,
he and Belinda Murphy have a flirtatious rapport that feels playful
rather than creepy, which is how that song usually strikes me.
But of the purely romantic songs, Damian’s energetic Our First Christmas Together,
a Rat Pack-ish Phil Coulter original, is my favorite. It’s got a fresh,
cheerful tone to it that captures the exuberance of young love. There’s
also a charming moment in which he shares the spotlight with a little
girl who’s clearly a big fan. Damian also puts his stamp on Winter Wonderland;
his rendition has become the definitive version for me, and it’s extra
fun on the DVD because there’s a fake snowfall to accompany it.
George Donaldson’s songs convey more of a sense of general goodwill. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
captures the childlike excitement of the season, and it also allows him
an opportunity to jump in with the band and do a little kick line. Going Home for Christmas,
another Coulter original, feels particularly personal, since George,
the only married man in the group, seems to battle homesickness more
than the others. The instrumentation is fantastic in this one, as is the
sense of giddy anticipation that George puts into his performance.
But
Paul Byrom is the one who stands out to me most here, which is a little
funny considering the fact that when I first began listening to the
group, I was slow to embrace him. When it comes to solo numbers, he
bears the weight of the religious part of Christmas all by himself. His
operatic style is perfectly suited to Ave Maria, which he performs beautifully, but Christmas Morning Donegal
is the moment on the DVD that really gives me goosebumps. This Coulter
original starts out soft and mysterious, building to the magnificent
chorus, which joyously recalls the wonder of a childhood Christmas
morning. A local boys’ choir adds gorgeous harmonies, and the chimes and
pipes add to the sense of enchantment in this song that makes such
marvelous use of Adeste Fidelis. I was already really looking to
this performance, and then, the day that I received the DVD, I found out
that Paul was leaving the group, so this really feels like his swan
song, even though he will be featured on the next Celtic Thunder
release, which was recorded last year.
Then, of course, there are the group numbers, which have a magic all their own. These include a densely harmonic version of Silent Night, part of which is in Gaelic, and an a cappella rendition of Amazing Grace that is hands-down the most gorgeous version of the song that I have heard. They also perform Christmas 1915, the compelling World War I ballad included in their second album, and Neil, Keith and Ryan perform Hallelujah, which really isn’t Christmassy at all but still sounds awfully good. The concert ends with It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year / We Wish You a Merry Christmas,
the medley used to heavily promote the album on television. It’s peppy
and playful, and you probably get to see more personality from the lads,
particularly in connection with each other, during this song than at
any other point in the concert.
Of course, this isn’t really the
time of year to be buying Christmas DVDs, but when you do get the urge
to start listening to Christmas music again, I recommend this highly.
It’s only about an hour long, but it really does feel like a complete
program, and there’s a balance to it that neither of the CD releases
quite achieves. I didn’t make it to Poughkeepsie to see this live, but
I’m glad I can watch it at home whenever I want.
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