A Gala Christmas in Vienna
A Gala Christmas in Vienna or Christmas in Vienna V is a DVD released in 1998. Plácido Domingo, Sarah Brightman, Helmut Lotti and Riccardo Cocciante perform traditional, European and American Christmas songs in Vienna, Austria. The orchestra was the Vienna Symphony, conducted by Steven Mercurio.[1] The CD album of the concert reached No. 26 on the Austrian charts. It also charted in Germany, Belgium (in both Flanders and Wallonia), and the Netherlands.[2]
A Gala Christmas in Vienna / Christmas in Vienna V | |
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Directed by | Humphrey Burton |
Starring | Plácido Domingo Sarah Brightman Helmut Lotti Riccardo Cocciante |
Distributed by | Sony Music Entertainment |
Release date | 24 November 1998 |
Running time | 74 min. |
Cast
- Plácido Domingo as Himself – Tenor
- Sarah Brightman as Herself – Singer
- Helmut Lotti as Himself – Singer
- Riccardo Cocciante as Himself – Singer
- Steven Mercurio as Himself – Conductor
- Wiener Symphoniker as Themselves
- Gumpoldskirchner Spatzen as Themselves
- Marlies King as Herself
Track listing
A CD of the songs was also released.
CD
- "Christmas Prologue" (medley of traditional tunes)
- "Deck the Halls"
- "The Closing of the Year" (from the Toys film score)
- "Tu scendi dalle stelle"
- "Walking in the Air"
- "Adeste Fideles" ("O Come, All Ye Faithful")
- "Away in a Manger"
- "An Old-Fashioned Christmas"
- "First of May"
- "Il Re Gesù" (by Plácido Domingo Jr.)
- "Fröhliche Weihnacht überall"
- "Cantemos Rapaces"
- "Christmas Is Here Again" (by Roger Whittaker)
- "Child in a Manger"
- "Angels from the Realms of Glory"
- "Another Christmas Song" (by Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull)
- "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"
- "Happy Christmas (War is Over)"
- "Silent Night" (in 5 languages)
- "First of May" (Studio version) – (Bonus track)
Reception
Entertainment Weekly gave the video a C+, writing that "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", and cautioned "but when Domingo bellows over Trevor Horn's bombastic The Closing of the Year, and Brightman attempts to rock on Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, they're just schlockin' around the Christmas tree."[3]
CD chart performance
Chart[2][4] | Peak position |
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Austria | 26 |
Belgium (Flanders) | 42 |
Belgium (Wallonia) | 27 |
Germany | 33 |
Netherlands | 56 |
References
- staff. "Gala Christmas in Vienna (1997)". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- "DOMINGO / BRIGHTMAN / LOTTI / COCCIANTE - CHRISTMAS IN VIENNA V (ALBUM)". Norwegiancharts.com (with world wide chart information).
- Cannon, Bob (4 December 1998). "A Gala Christmas in Vienna (1998)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
- "DOMINGO / BRIGHTMAN / LOTTI / COCCIANTE - CHRISTMAS IN VIENNA V (ALBUM)". UltraTop: Official Charts for Francophone Belgium (with other chart information) (in French).
External links
- A Gala Christmas in Vienna on IMDb
- Jolly, Marvin. A Gala Christmas in Vienna at AllMusic. Retrieved 1 January 2015.