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Birthday Concert for Pope Benedict XVI [DVD Video] |
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![Birthday Concert for Pope Benedict XVI [DVD Video]](/product/image/I/51Le22SEc-L._SL160_.jpg)
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 A Happy Event - and that's about all there is., June 5, 2008 |
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Happy birthday to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.
His Holiness chose a program that he loves - Mozart. Hilary Hahn and Gustavo Dudamel collaborated with the Stuttgart Symphony Orchestra in the Mozart Concerto No. 3 for Violin. Hahn displayed her pyro-technique, but, just as His Holiness, I went to sleep over this performance. Not so much because of Hahn, but that Dudamel totally failed to boost the icily technical interpretation of the piece by Hilary: he could DO NOTHING. The end result is a deathly boring Mozart (or rather, it wasn't Mozart, but a jamble of notes purely and accurately performed on the solo violin and orchestra). The other half is much better in that it has more life, though it is very evident that the entire New World Symphony was being interpreted in the way to make it sound almost like Also sprach Zarathustra's Introduction through and through. Well, being young is a great asset when it comes to criticisms. So three stars to the two youngsters. |
 the pope up close, May 29, 2008 |
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As a roman catholic this is a dvd I play over and over to see the pope so happy and enjoying the superb music young hillary is a delight to see and to listen to I would recomend this dvd to all no matter what there faith
Kevin Doyle |
 Not just for Catholic viewers, April 21, 2008 |
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Though I must confess that I AM a Roman Catholic.
This DVD records His Holiness' 80th birthday Concert in April 2007. The programme, so it says, was chosen by the Holy Father himself. The focus rightfully go to the two young musicians, but a considerable share of the camera also goes to the Orchestra itself. Hilary Hahn, the violin sensation from Curtis Institute who has in recent years yielded classical music's brightest stars (Hahn, Juan Diego Florez and Lang Lang),spends no time here to prove her impeccable virtuoso. Her delivery is clean and precise; her tone full and sumptuous. At times one yearns for a slightly less focused tone colour, especially in the slow second movement. The camera's focus on the predominantly female woodwind section of the Orchestra blends in well with the visual impact on Hahn, tastefully attired in a silk embroidered gown. The cadenzas are all Hahn's, showing her great respect for the occasion and love for the Pontiff. They are all rather long, but show off her virtuosity to great advantage. The star conductor, Venezuela sensation Gustavo Dudamel had a job competently done by giving the necessary orchestral backing in a way no more and no less. The showtime for the conductor comes in the second half. Dvorak's New World Symphony is passionately rendered, with the piece suiting the young star's conducting style to a T. The audience's elation is obvious, and the Concert ends in a high point with the Gabrieli's brass composition. |
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The Second Half of the Concert is Great, If You Can Make It Through the First Half Awake, March 7, 2008 |
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This DVD of the BIRTHDAY CONCERT FOR POPE BENEDICT XVI, featuring violin soloist Hilary Hahn and conductor Gustavo Dudamel is half good, half not so good. My favorite conductor, Dudamel, conducts for the entire DVD, but he stays very contained during the first half of the show and only lets loose during the second half.
This seems to be a DVD version of a German television show of the April 2007 birthday concert for the Pope's 80th birthday filmed at the Vatican, but it is perfectly suitable for any DVD player in the USA, and the picture and audio quality is excellent. The performance is uneven, with the first half being very slow and boring for my taste, but the second half is very good and what I was hoping for from this DVD. The first half starts out with two dignitaries speaking, then the music starts with a 5 minute song from 1597, from the composer Giovanni Gabrieli, which is pretty much all brass horns without a catchy melody. Next up is violinist and star, Hilary Hahn, who comes out to be the main attraction during 30 minutes of Mozart. This part of the concert is very subdued and boring to me. The orchestra usually has to remain quiet and restrained so that Hilary's single violin can be heard throughout the entire concert hall seating 7,000 spectators. It is a huge, polite crowd, with the Pope seated smack dab in the center of the orderly crowd. They often show the crowd, and you can see that people seem fidgety and the Pope seems to be fighting to stay awake at times. The first half of the concert is a real snoozer, like I said before. At last, Hilary leaves the stage and Gustavo gets to show his stuff without holding back, playing "From the New World" from Dvorak (a composition over 100 years old), which lasts for 45 minutes. This is the Gustavo Dudamel that I was hoping to see on this DVD! He is energetic and exuberant, and fun to watch as always, (though I have seen him a bit more intense on other TV and web video). The fourth section of this Dvorak selection, Allegro con fuoco, is 13 minutes long, and it starts out sounding a whole lot like the inspiration for John Williams' theme from JAWS, the movie soundtrack's famous music! Hmm. The concert ends as it began, with another Gabreli tune, this time from 1615, which is a bit more catchy than the opening song was. Then the Pope comes down to the stage and shakes hands with Gustavo and Hilary before giving his own short speech. I bought this DVD because it is the only DVD available showing Gustavo Dudamel in concert. If you like Gustavo Dudamel, then this DVD is worth the money. I got my money's worth concerning Dudamel, though you have to wait for the second half of the DVD for his best performance footage. I also like the Beethoven and Mahler CDs that are available from Gustavo Dudamel, so check those out, too! Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 Mahler: Symphony No. 5 |
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Classic Concert for Pope Benedict XVI, December 4, 2007 |
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On 2000, we visited The Vatican in Italy and we were enchanted by the peace provided by the visit. Every 25 years, 4 times per century, the holy doors are opened and those who get to walk through them have a special blessing. At the time, Pope John Paul was still alive and we heard his voice as he addressed a congregation of over 350,000 faithful followers visiting to get his blessing.
When we saw this DVD become available, filmed at the Vatican on April 16, 2007, we knew we would love to relive the experience of seeing such a magnificent place. The concert is in celebration of Pope Benedict XVI's 80th-birthday celebration and it incorporates words from our Holy Father saying thanks to all. Violinist Hilary Hahn and conductor Gustavo Dudamel of Venezuela delight us through great music, and we find that anyone watching this DVD will enjoy the superb rendition of classical music. A must see! |
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