3 comments about Herbert Von Karajan - His Legacy for Home Video: J.S. Bach - Violin Concerto in E Major.

1. Although this is about as far from an authentic Bach performance as you can get (the performance notes acknowledge this), it is impossible not to like the performance here, especially the Magnificat. File this performance as a big, late Karajan, symphonic Bach performance, and pick up Gardner's version when it comes out as an antidote. The only bad thing about the DVD is the hopelessly pompous performance notes. Highly recommended.



2. I found this DVD a delightful treat, and it has become one of my favorites. First and foremost, I am a fan of J.S. Bach, and Herbert Von Karajan. One of the bonus's here is watching the performance of Sophie Ann Mutter with this legendary conductor and the Berlin Philharmonic - in her mid-twenties. Another bonus is watching Mastro Karajan not only in his usual conducting role, but also playing the harpsichord in both pieces. Even though I have never heard the compliment of full orchestra in a Bach concerto before, I don't think Mr. Bach would have minded, and I considered it an exciting departure. The Magnificat was exceptional and if you have some good sub-woofers, you'll pick up the low 50hz organ notes that accompany this piece.

   The video was excellent as with most of the Sony productions, and the audio was stupendous. This was a live performance and it is about as Deutsche as it can get. Here we have a German conductor, a German violinist, conducting and playing with a German Orchestra for Germans.




3. Purists close your eyes and ears for this one. If you are one of those people who need to have 300 year-old music performed on 300 year-old instruments by 300 year-old people (OK, I exaggerate), you will hate this performance. The Berlin Philharmonic at the peak of their "Karajan sound" capabilities throw the full weight of their symphonic splendour at this Bach program. I love it in its own right. Karajan was never known or liked for his baroque conducting, in fact he was despised for his interpretation of the Brandenburg concertos, but this is still a great, great recording, especially with the exceptional Rias Rundfunkchor performing Bach's Magnificat. Real goose-bump stuff. And we need not talk about the untarnished skills of the young Ann-Sophie Mutter playing in perfect harmony with her great menthor's conducting. If you have a Gardiner or a Hernoncourt or a Herrwhege recording of these pieces at home: go ahead, get this one, it's a guilty pleasure, but it works.
   As for sound and video quality: all DVDs from this Karajan series are exceptionally good considering that the original material was recorded 20some years ago. They leave nothing to be desired.

5 comments about Davey and Goliath Vol. 3 - Learning About Forgiveness.

1. I remember seeing Davey and Goliath episodes as a child over 30 years ago. It is a pleasure to get these for my own children. The simple stop-action films continue to capture attention - even in this age of CGI. I highly recommend this product and I am thrilled with the simple moral messages children learn from these stories.



2. I remember watching these shorts as a little girl. I bought this volume primarily for "Christmas Lost and Found," which I remembered fondly, but found myself watching some of the other sequences and enjoying them. I particularly like that, although love of God is frequently mentioned, the real emphasis is on being a good person and doing good deeds, not pushing a particular religion.



3. I loved these as a child, watching them on Sunday morning and then going to church afterwards. Wonderful memories, simply wonderful. I can't wait to get every episode on DVD and relive them all.
   UPDATE: I will be buying the holiday specials as well, they would be good additions.



4. I REMEMBER VIVIDLY GROWING UP WITH DAVEY AND GOLIATH. TWO 15 MIN. EPISODES EVERY SUNDAY MORNING STARTING AT 6 A.M. ON CH. 7. THE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL ALONG WITH THE NEW YEARS SPECIAL WAS GREAT AS WELL. HOPING TO GET THE EASTER SPECIAL ABOUT DAVEYS GRANDMOTHER PASSING AWAY ON DVD. I HAVE VOL. 1,2,AND 3. EXCELLENT VIEWING EVEN TODAY.



5. Davey and Goliath are a favorite from my childhood. Thaey were produced b the Lutheran church but there is not "religion" taught in these wonderful stories. Just good family moral values that our children need more than ever. Things like loving your neighbor, telling the truth, giving to others being better than getting all for youself. And admit it who doesn't love the fact that Goliath the dog talks. These are classics and all children should see them starting at a young age.

4 comments about Davey and Goliath's Holiday Spectacular.

1. This item is set to release 10/18/2005. But also scheduled to release in October/November, 2005 are Volumes 2, 3, and 4. What isn't clear so far, is that the Holiday Spectacular IS Volumes 2, 3, and 4 in one package, according to the distributor's website: Starlight Home Entertainment. So save your money and just buy this one 3 disk set. You get 18 15-minute episodes, plus three 30-minute Holiday-themed episodes (Halloween, Christmas, New Years) for a total of 6 hours of viewing.



2. Amazon has posted the contents of the 3 individual DVDs that comprise this set, but they haven't duplicated that information here so I will. This set will contain the following episodes:
   "The Zillion Dollar Combo", "Good Neighbor", "The Wild Goat", "Big Apple", "Ready or Not", "Kum Ba Ya", "Officer Bob", "The Runaway", "Lemonade Stand", "Bully Up A Tree", "Doghouse Dreamhouse", "Jeep In The Deep", "A Diller A Dollar", "Boy In Trouble", "Who, Me?", "Who's George?", "Rags and Buttons" and "The Dog Show", as well as the 3 aforementioned holiday specials: "Halloween Who-Dun-It", "Christmas Lost and Found", and "New Year Promise".
   
   Quite a lot of episodes for the money, definitely a good deal.



3. i remember getting up t 6 a.m. on a sunday morning and watching at least two fifteen minute episodes of this classic childrens show. great dvd package.



4. I never missed this as a child. When I found it on DVD I was so excited. Got it for my God children. Very good morals that never get outdated. The anamation is still cool today. They are digitally remastered and much beter than I remember on TV Great for children to learn right from wrong and it doesn't preach any certain religion even though the Lutheran Church produced them. Lessons on being kind to one another, telling the truth, Minding your parents, Not stealing. What American children need before so much super heros and violent cartoons.

No comments about The Flight Before Christmas.

5 comments about Harry Connick Jr. - Harry for the Holidays.

1. I bought this CD -Harry Connick Jr. - Harry for the Holidays and I love it. The music is to die for and makes you feel warm, loved and special for the upcoming Holiday Season. A remake of "This Christmas" originally sung by the late Donnie Hathaway made tears well-up in my eyes. It's jazzy, soft and unique as Harry takes this song to a new level. The first song "Frosty the Snowman" is a big-band song, with a big-bang sound. It's a fun rendition of all Frosty songs. Harry has the charisma and knows just how to do it when he sings, "I'll Be Home For Christmas." Get this for the Holidays and buy it for the special people in your life they will thank you for seasons and seasons to come.



2. I'm a Connick fan, and think his Christmas CD's are great. But this was disappointing. Very short for the money, but I guess it was a TV show.



3. This DVD may be shorter than any true Harry fan would like, but is still Harry and the Band at their best, as always. Anyone who loves Harry's music will love this DVD. If you have seen Harry in concert, you will miss his great banter with the crowd, as they've cut it out. This is absolutely worth the money, and a must-have for fans of Harry and the Holidays!



4. As a Harry Connick, Jr. fan, I already had good expectations for the DVD before buying it. Having purchased the "Harry for the Holidays" CD quite some time ago, I had put in that corner of my mind where I keep the memory for good records. I really love the choice of standards and the renditions, not to mention the original compositions from Harry's musical vault. However, I have also experienced some let-downs along the way, given the unconventional musical path Harry has trodden in the last ten years or so (Star Turtle would be, in my opinion, a remarkable flop).
   With that scenario in mind, I harbored some misgivings about the consistency of the performances, because sometimes Christmas specials are anything but special. Yet, as I went through the songs, my doubts vanished and I just got carried away by quality of the arrangements, specially those of Auld Lang Syne, in which both Harry and Marc Anthony prove how a very traditional, melancholic song can be transformed into an upbeat work of art. Way to go, guys.
   I definitely recommned this DVD.



5. I love Harry, I love this DVD, was disappointed the Xmas CD wasn't the actual songs on the Christmas DVD with guests and all, but it is awesome anyway. His version of Blue Christmas is better on the DVD than on the CD. That Trio needs to release "Silent Night" from the DVD and record more together! The harmony is so fabulous it makes you cry!
   Of Course, I would like Row, Row, Row Your Boat if Harry sang it!

2 comments about A Clay Aiken Christmas.

1. This is a wonderful, family-orientated dvd for the beautiful holiday of Christmas. You can get right into the Christmas spirit by putting this in, lighting up your tree and drinking hot cocoa. There is a variety of holiday songs sung by a variety of talented singers. This is not a dvd that will disappoint. It would make a great Christmas gift for anyone - those who are huge fans of the singer Clay Aiken and those who just enjoy Christmas carols.



2. I just received my Clay's Christmas Special DVD from Amazon and I couldn't wait to watch it.
   
   The verdict?
   
   The wait was worth it.
   
   I have one complaint about this Christmas special. It is way too short. I would have loved to see more of Clay, Barry, Yolanda Adams, and Clay, Clay, Clay!
   
   And what happened to Megan? I would have loved to watch and hear her sing.
   
   This Christmas special and the way it was done made the show somewhat more real, the behind the scenes, the chatting that took place between the performers, etc, allowed viewers to have a more intimate experience of the show.
   
   As Clay said he wanted us to sit back and enjoy the songs and he will show us how the show is made. This Christmas DVD did exactly that. A not so traditional format of a traditional Christmas show.
   
   I thought that using the choir as part of the audience was a brilliant idea. Seeing the audience standing up to become part of the performance for the last song - WOW and very neat!
   
   Clay looked confident among veteran singers like Barry and Yolanda and he is as always, a natural performer. Barry was right when he said Clay is the real deal!
   
   Get this DVD as Clay invites us to spend a special Christmas with him and his guests!

4 comments about Too Cool for Christmas.

1. Children under the age of eight may enjoy this. Over that age it stretches credulity to the point where it snaps completely. It's a morality tale that loses its way long before the ending in sheer disbelief at what you're seeing, at least if you've made it out of grammar school.



2. Finally a studly Santa. This movie is pure fun. I enjoyed this movie because it was really entertaining and and something different on the Xmas theme. George Hamilton is great as the new groomed but still gentle and kind Santa. Brooke Devin is delightful and the ending with Donna Mills a great twist. As for credibility, C'mon folks this is a Santa movie.
   
   Perhaps the ending had more meaning for me than others because I had the same story line happen to me with my little brother when I was 19. (Minus the ride with Santa)
   
   Lighten up this a great holiday movie.



3. I enjoyed this new take on the traditional Santa Claus tales. George Hamilton was a refreshing, familiar face to see in this updated version of teaching the Christmas Spirit to today's youth.



4. This movie lacks imagination the Santa is horrible. My kids thought this movie was boring and I lost them during family night to sponge bob. Save your money and time.

5 comments about Fireplace - Visions of Tranquility: Soothing Music and Natural Sounds.

1. Though not a total disaster, I thought the visuals were less than great. Shots move around too much and the background fireplaces are not that impressive.
   
   However, I do like the 'Christmas Goes Baroque' backgroung music, though it is better as an audio than when the distracting video is running.
   
   Overall, I'd suggest a different fireplace DVD.



2. I bought this DVD, despite warnings here that it was a "waste of money," because it was the only DVD that offered a wide screen mode. We have moved to an old house where the fireplace can no longer be used. It seemed like the perfect time to put a flat screen TV right where the fire screen would be. What fun! We bought an extra DVD player so that all we have to do is change the input and voila we have the fire because this DVD is always running on that second player. It is amazing how much having this DVD on in the background warms up the room (well, maybe it is all the electronics producing the heat). This is no longer a two-DVD set; the whole scene is now on just one dvd which can be changed to play fire crackle with or without music. We like the music selections, but we play the DVD so much that we get tired of what's on the DVD. Now we play other music on our stereo speakers while keeping only the fire crackle going on our TV speakers. We work at home and used to have a news channel running in the background; now we mostly have this. The change of perspective on the fire works well for our use because we don't sit and stare at it, but rather just glance from time to time while enjoying the fire's sound and ambience.



3. The view of the fireplace is not seen at all. The fire is more of a closeup of different angles / times. The picture quaility is good though. This DVD is not in widescreen. It is 1.33:1 (standard). The soundtrack / music is all classical music, which is ok with me, except the modern tunes. Please, "Jolly old St. Nicholas and Up on the housetop" is not what I would consider pieces to play in the classical style.
   
   The music is in either Dolby surround or DTS, and your sound options are: 1. Fireplace only, 2. Music only (in either surround)or 3. Music and fire (in either surround). The music is too pronounced in the foreground, if you were to turn the sound down because the music is "waking the kids up on x-mas eve", you wont hear the fire crackling.
   
   I would have perfered a fireplace from edge to edge, STATIONARY video and better mixed levels between audio and fire sounds.



4. The reason MOST people buy a video of a fireplace is either for kitch value or to actually replicate the exact view of a fireplace in action. In either case, you are expecting a continuous view/loop of a stationery framed image of a fireplace with a fire in it. A rectangular box containing a fire. This is not the case with this DVD. If you are looking for what I described above, this is definitely NOT the video for you. I truly feel the packaging and description are misleading, except maybe that they use the word "visions" plural.



5. This was a gift for my son. He had the original VCR tape and was always played on Christmas eve and Christmas day and then, it finally gave up the ghost! He was thrilled to have his ambiance back again and is very pleased with the quality.

No comments about Sabrina the Animated Series: A Witchmas Carol.

No comments about Christmas Crafts: Holiday Treats.