Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding !
Review: Far more than just a visual version of her smash CD, Charlotte Church's concert video goes behind the scenes to give us insight into the angel behind the voice. The picture that emerges is one of a completely likable and unpretentious young lady who, despite the worldwide attention she's received, remains largely unaffected by it all. The concert itself is spectacular, featuring Peter Robinson conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. Vocal support is ably provided by the London Symphony Chorus and the Welsh Male Voice Choir, and Ms. Church introduces Gwilym Evans, a fine male soprano (shades of Paul Miles Kingston?) for duets of her signature song, "Pie Jesu", and "When at Night I Go to Sleep". The closer is a real treat, the rousing "Men of Harlech", which wasn't on the CD but which will surely be considered for a future recording. All in all, a very fine production. Even a five-star rating seems too little.
Rating:
Summary: Charlotte Church is divine in her first solo concert
Review: I absolutely adore Charlotte Church. However much some people belittle her talent or claim she is being manipulated by people who are going to ruin her voice, she is a star of stars in my eyes. She truly does have the voice of an angel; it's the most beautiful voice I've ever heard. This DVD is a special treat indeed because it allows us to hear and see Charlotte at the very beginning of her professional career. She had already topped the classical charts with her debut album, and now, mere days after her thirteenth birthday, she gave her first true concert, backed up by the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus - and we can all be there time and again with the 5000 or so fans physically in attendance that night. The music is fantastic, Charlotte is as charming as she can be, and an inside look at her life at home and her preparation for the concert show us a perfectly normal child who just happens to have a magical voice.After a short introductory piece, Charlotte walks out on stage with no sign of nerves whatsoever. She brings a couple of friends with her, a white stuffed bear and a shaking critter whom she likens to her Dad before the show (as he was obviously more nervous than Charlotte was about her big night). Every trace of the adorable little child disappears once she stands before the mike, though. She leads off with Panis Angelicus, and the transformation from excited youngster to world-class soprano is amazing; while Charlotte always shows her love for what she does, she also reveals her serious commitment to each song in her whole demeanor. After each song, her youthful nature shines forth in smiles and laughs, but her seriousness never relents until the orchestra plays the final note of each song. She sings eleven songs in all in this concert performance, ten of which come from her Voice of an Angel CD, backed up by a huge orchestra and sizeable chorus. Her delivery of The Lord's Prayer is impeccable and soul-stirring, even more so in the light of the attack on 9/11 and another singer's moving rendition of the song during the national memorial service following the tragedy. Danny Boy is also a beautiful song; Charlotte's version of this song is respectfully somber but not quite as mournful as most renditions I have heard. The Welsh songs are particularly lovely, possessing a nature that really draws me into each song even though I have no idea what Charlotte is singing about. My Lagan Love, Suo-Gan, and Y Gylfinir (The Curlew) - one of the Three Welsh Bird Songs from her debut album - are quite magical. Her friend Gwilym Evans joins her for two songs: Charlotte's signature song Pie Jesu and When at Night I Go to Sleep; his high voice blends well with Charlotte's, but he appears far more nervous than Charlotte was. Charlotte's final song of the evening closes the night out in grand, exciting style, as the London Welsh Male Voice Choir joins her in a stirring rendition of Men of Harlech (the one song here that you won't find on her debut CD). The concert is fairly short, but it is followed by a wonderful look at the real Charlotte Church. We get visions of both her family and school life, showing Charlotte trying to juggle homework in between interviews for television, newspapers, and magazines from all over the world. She and her mother look to have a loving and fun relationship, and Charlotte is as proud of her family as they are of her. The little girl in her is clear to see, as evidenced by a huge stuffed animal collection and her innocent zest for life, and it is reinforced by her mother's descriptions of her sulking prowess. Charlotte is refreshingly normal and down-to-earth, and she makes it clear that she is singing and performing because that is what she loves and wants to do forever; in no way is anyone manipulating her into doing anything she doesn't want to do. The Voice of an Angel DVD is essentially Charlotte Church's coming-out party; she had proved to the world that she could sing like an angel, and with this concert she proved that she could perform in front of a large audience and not only blow the audience away with a voice of the rarest beauty but also display all the charms and poise of a true star while doing it. I don't see how anyone could watch this DVD and not love Charlotte Church.
Rating: 
Summary: A distant shadow of a beauty
Review: Ok folks, I thought I`d just be fair here: First, I simply can`t understand why there is so many people outthere that are so extremely fond of this signer. Her voice sound very mature for her age, and she looks pretty average, too - at 14 or so, she allready looked like a young woman. While she had a distant (she looked already ruther mature than) foretaste of a child prodigy at her very first debut on this album, she eventually grow out of this status few years later. What could, *could* make her a slight point of interest, was the fact that she allready at 12 attempted to sing professional arias and songs thus being a child prodigy, is now no more. She growed up, and being in her 17`s, she doesn`t look like a child anylonger. Her voice and especially her technique, however, seem to be unchanged and that is, in my opinion, one of her gratest disadvantages up to date. Without a slightest exaggeration, her voice have a great portion of terrible shrillness, often forced and nasal notes, that are mostly harsh and unpleasant to the ear. While it`s true that it have some sort of mysterious freshness and purety about it, though ruther distant, it is at the same time obvious that her technique seem incomplete, her style outdated and weard - her voice, with few and infrequent notes of beauty and melowness, is mostly violently penetrating and uneven. It`s enourmous luminosity and harshness is striking to the extreme - and it gives more pain to the ears, ruther than satisfaction. To summoraze it all, I want to conclude saying that while I find the voice of Charlotte Church to be ruther curious and beautiful, at the same time, I find her technique poor at best and terrible in general - if she doesn`t change her technique, she may never have a right to claim that she sings in a true classic style. No way. Cheers.
Rating:
Summary: An Angel Indeed
Review: Charlotte Church will hopefully remain one of the voices of the future. She is a remarable talent proving that today's young people are capable of great things besides hip hop and rap. Without seeing her perform, it would be hard to realize that suck a magnificent voice came out of someone so young. She is the essence of youth untouched by the drugs, booze, and sex emulating from today's modern music culture. She is a refreshing change the stale, everybody sounds alike music of our supposedly dominate society.
Rating:
Summary: Charlotte Church -- Truly an Angel
Review: I've just watched this DVD, borrowed from a local library, on my 19" computer screen. My sound system is not the best but is quite respectable for its undistorted sound and frequency response. This review may not be couched in flowery language, but it is sincere and comes from the heart. Miss Church is everyone's darling -- a daughter, a sister, a schoolmate, a fellow performer -- and maybe in a few years, some very fortunate man's wife. She is professional in her presentations, yet she is the girl next door -- a well rounded, feisty, clean and lovely teenager with a well disciplined and self determined mind of her own. Her mother and the rest of the family are seemingly very nice people, musical and well educated. Every minute of this presentation was like a breath of fresh air. But most important is her voice. For a young operatic soprano she has an amazing resonant quality and very good breath and vocal control. It's true that at times she sounds just a bit pinched, but hopefully that will go away as her voice matures. Overall, she evokes mixed feelings, even tears. How can one so young and pure have such a powerful, clear and yet mellow voice? It is uncanny! Her facial expressions will not let you look away for a second. Her enchanting appeal comes on many levels. And her sacred numbers are worthy to truly glorify our Lord. The orchestra, director, choir, staging, her attire, the video and audio production on this disk are all superb. I am purchasing a copy here and now because this will stand as an inimitable benchmark in my DVD library, and I only wish everyone could enjoy this wonderful snapshot in time of Charlotte as I did. If you love music, quality sound and video, you'll be eager to obtain your own copy of this album. One last thing: I've been a sound engineer and designed audio equipment, recorded live performances, etc. I've believed all my life that sight and sound must go together to make a full A/V experience. Now, at the age of 65, I've seen this dream fulfilled. THIS IS THE WAY "AUDIO" ALBUMS SHOULD BE! I look forward to having many more deserving artists' perfomances preserved in the DVD medium. It has everything and eventually should be affordable to everyone. CDs have great sound but are only half the event; DVDs have it all.
Rating:
Summary: Youthful maturity - she truly has a voice of an angel!
Review: I fortunately caught a sampling of Charlotte Church from a news-type broadcast and was immediately interested in hearing more from this young talent. I purchased the CD first and the video not long after that. The video is truly captivating from start to finish. The voice that comes from this sparkling 13-year old is... well, like an Angel! You tend to forget how young she is until her bubbly youth takes over between songs. The segments after her performance was about the best I've seen done on anyone. It puts you right into Charlotte's world and let you experience her life just as she sees it... through the eyes of her personal video camera. It's amazing how far this young girl has gotten while maintaining such a both-feet-on-the-ground, "typical teenage girl" kind of character. She's fun to watch and a joy to listen to. Charlotte is truly a captivating person with a remarkable voice and I highly recommend this video as well as her CD to anyone and everyone. I'm sure you'd agree that she truly has a Voice of an Angel!
Rating:
Summary: Concert video of Voice of an Angel is divine
Review: When Voice Of An Angel came out, people wondered just who Charlotte Church was. Despite being an ace singer, through it all, she was also a schoolgirl in Cardiff, Wales who has homework like everyone else, but who happens to be very talented and with some famous friends. Oh yes, and with more stuffed animals than I've had hot meals--(OK, maybe not that much, but you get the idea). Her televised concert at the Brixon Academy in London on 2-3 March 1999 is a visual triumph in terms of the red, blue, and yellow lighting that flash during her performance, and her red jacket and trousers outfit is a smart and stylish. The kid in her is there, as she puts two of her stuffed animals, a large white bear and a goofy-looking spider, as a kind of security and moral support. Given her performance in the concert, they should be paid overtime. Though not listed on the video box, here are the songs played in order. All but one are taken from her debut album. 1) Panis Angelicus Charlotte gets help from the London Symphony Chorus on this Cesar Francke composition. 2) The Lord's Prayer Yes, this is the "Our father, who art in heaven" done in song, and she has to ask the conductor who wrote it, to which he responds Albert Lamotte. 3) Mae Hiraeth yu y Mor (There's Longing In The Sea) In that song, the lights fan out behind her, giving her an angelic penumbra, and with her singing, she does have a voice of an angel. 4) In Trutina 5) Pie Jesu In her signature tune, she gets a guy her age, Gwillem Evans, to duet with her, and he does an admirable job, and has a good voice to match. 6) Danny Boy 7) My Lagan Love Again, the same penumbra lighting effect is done, making this a highlight. 8) Suo-Gan 9)Y Gylfinir (The Curlew) 10) When At Night I Go To Sleep 11) Men Of Harlech This is a climactic closing highlight, as it features the Welsh Male Voice Choir, smartly decked out in red tuxes, singing a stirring, traditional Welsh song. Those who have Voice Of An Angel who want to program their CD in order of the concert, follow this sequence: 2, 4, 15, 3, 1, 9, 10, 11, 14, 17. Then program her eponymous CD for track 16. After the concert, there's a behind the scenes prequel of the week before the concert, including interviews with Charlotte, her family, vocal coach, Sony Music rep, manager, leading up to rehearsal at the Brixon Academy. A stunning concert debut and the signs of things yet to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Misplaced Popularity
Review: Charlotte Church's current popularity clearly shows the public's general distaste in classical music. Any vocal pedagogist or singer, from watching this video, could sit down and write a substantial critique of everything the young Welsh soprano does wrong. The human voice is a fragile instrument indeed. Used properly, it can create a beautiful sound. Used in the manner of the young Miss Church, one will experience general fatigue and laryngitis in extreme cases. Hopefully, there is a pedagogue out there who can correct Miss Chruch's vocal issues, and help her to achieve the status that the public places her in. Otherwise, she will continue to develop techincal problems that will eventually prematurely end her career.
Rating:
Summary: Opera Spice¿s First Solo Concert
Review: Charlotte's voice is even more spectacular when she is singing in concert. And who could not love a singer who introduces her Teddy Bear to the audience? It was so cute and made you realize how young she actually was when she sang at her first solo concert. Here she takes center stage for the first time, makes jokes that the audience loves and declares that various songs are of unknown origin. She is quite the personality and I had to just laugh when she declared that the Men of Harlech were looking so "posh" in their matching suits. By watching her in concert you will be able to see the contrast between her teenage personality and her angelic and almost adult presence when singing for an audience. It is as if an angelic force pervades her very being. She could be as ancient an angel as one who first sang for God at the beginning of time. Within her is a beautiful soul which radiates throughout her being when she is on a stage. I noticed how while practicing her songs she seems much more shy, but she comes alive completely onstage. There are times when she does seem under the spell of her own voice. Not only does Charlotte take on some complex songs for her age, she sings each song as if she has always known these songs. In fact, she started singing at a very young age and has a very musical family. The beauty of her voice has the power to bring
a grown man to tears. Songs in this Concert which are also from the Voice of an Angel CD include: Panis Angelicus
The Lord's Prayer
Mae Hiraeth yri y Mor
In Trutina
Pie Jesu
Danny Boy
My Lagan Love
Suo-Gan
Y Gylfinir
When at Night I Go to Sleep In this DVD, you get to see behind-the-scenes footage and glimpses of her life. Everyone in her life seems to just come alive in a new way when they are around her. It is as if the light in her being also flows to everyone around her. Of course, she was also a very young Welsh schoolgirl at the time who was known to pout and have disagreements with her mom. She is very human and yet has been blessed with an amazing talent. We forget all about how human she is when hearing her sing her signature tune, Pie Jesu. Especially while surrounded by candles and an amazing orchestral accompaniment. The sheer confidence everyone places in Charlotte was part of what impressed me. Part of the beauty of her voice is the innocence. She is truly a natural. In a way, it is unfair to compare her to anyone else. She is unique. This is a child who took charge of her own future at a very early age. In this DVD you will see how she actually started her career by her own actions. It is not her mother pushing her, but rather encouraging her to be the best she can be. They show Charlotte and her mother laughing and it does seem they have a very good relationship. "I was watching Richard and Judy and they said they were looking for talented kids. No one was around so I phoned up." "The producers said I had to sing down the phone. So I did 'Pie Jesu,' and that was it. I was invited on the show! Mum and Dad were the last to find out!" -Charlotte Church I look forward to seeing her acting in the 2003 release of "I'll be There," which is a comedy. She actually made her acting debut in the UK TV drama 'Heartbeat'. Charlotte's biggest ambition is to sing in her favorite opera - Madame Butterfly -at La Scala in Milan. You know, this Welsh soprano might just do it one day. After all, she has already had a concert at The Megaron in Athens. At 17, she has seen so much success. I can only imagine a wonderful future for this motivated young star. She was born Feb. 21, 1986. Also look for: Charlotte Church - Enchantment (From Cardiff, Wales) (2001)
Charlotte Church - In Jerusalem (2001)
Dream a Dream: Charlotte Church in the Holy Land (2000)
Christmas Glory from Westminster (2000)
Charlotte Church: Prelude - The Best of Charlotte Church (2002)
Enchantment
Voice of an Angel
I'll be There CD
Voice of an Angel Audiobook
Voice of an Angel: My Life (So Far) Sometimes in this world where we live with tragedy and sorrow day after day, God does something miraculous. He gives us a Charlotte Church.
Rating:
Summary: Touches the Soul
Review: Charlotte Church is an accomplished young teen who truly reaches audiences of all ages and across all musical spectrums. SONY Music and Public Broadcasting (PBS) accomplished quite a coupe in feting her in such a forum ... and we thank them ! Despite her several years of stardom, visibility and international acclaim, we're embarassed to say it was the PBS broadcast of late that brought her to our attention and made us instant and enduring fans. Since hearing this 'voice of an angel' six months ago, we cannot travel far nor relax in our home without yearning for the magical sounds of Charlotte's voice ... with apologies to no one, we heartily believe she has a very special, God-given, unique musical touch. A handful may critcally assess the breadth of her classical training or question the maturity of her voice, however we shall be forever grateful for the blessing that is the voice of Charlotte, an accomplished woman whose wonderous voice touches our heart and most assuredly has taken residence there forevermore.
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