The Celtic Tenors: Live in Concert (DVD)

The Celtic Tenors: Live in Concert (DVD)

What's in a name?

The DVD was actually released twice, under separate titles:

2002: Celebrate with the Celtic Tenors
2006: Celtic Tenors: Live in Concert

It features two former Celtic Woman members (well now they're former members ... the concert was recorded before Celtic Woman existed):
- Mairead Nesbitt
- Deirdre Shannon

For some reason, Deirdre is:
- Credited within the DVD as stage name "Deirdre Correa"
- Credited on the back cover of the DVD as her real name, "Deidre Gilsenan"

Why she didn't use her normal stage name "Deirdre Shannon" and why there was inconsistency in the credits, I'm not sure.

Deidre's brother Matthew Gilsenan is one of the Celtic Tenors.

Overview

- The concert was recorded in Germany.
- The group had released two albums prior to this DVD, but this was their "debut showcase" (first DVD)
- They perform traditional and contemporary Irish and Scottish songs, as well as classical opera and operetta tunes
- There's quite a few instrumental tracks featuring tapdancers
- The DVD format is 4:3 NTSC with 5.1 audio

Mairead and Deirdre

- The Butterfly (Mairead Nesbitt)
- Reels (Mairead Nesbitt)
- Time to Say Goodbye (Deirdre)
- La Danza (Deirdre is still on the stage for a few moments at the start of the song, but doesn't sing)
- Last Rose of Summer (Deidre)
- There Is No Night (Mairead Nesbitt)
- Ireland's Call (Mairead Nesbitt and Deirdre)

Mairead and Deirdre are actually standing next to each other on the stage during Ireland's Call. Little did they know they would be sharing the stage again in 2005 during the debut tour of Celtic Woman.

Deirdre sounds great, although I found some of her subsequent work even more impressive.

Mairead does move around the stage a bit while playing (and spins around a few times), though not as much as she did with Celtic Woman. She plays with enthusiasm though and she sounds fantastic.

Other Highlights

There were a few numbers that featured particularly good harmony, even though they didn't include Mairead or Deirdre
- Danny Boy
- Fare Thee Well Love
- Nella Fantasia
- Remember Me

The Celtic Tenors version of Danny Boy in this DVD is possibly the best non-Celtic-Woman version I've heard. I don't think any cover could ever touch the Songs from the Heart or Emerald versions, but the version on this is certainly exceptional.

Remember Me was well done and actually got a standing ovation.

Ireland's Call was well done, although I think Celtic Thunder performs that song the best.

I enjoyed the Irish dancing. There's quite a bit of it on the DVD.

There were a few German songs on the DVD, including a medley. That makes sense, given the DVD was recorded in Germany.

Overall

Overall, this is an enjoyable DVD and it has a number of spectacular moments. Personally, I don't enjoy male tenors as much as female sopranos, but I still thought this was a fun DVD and was well done, even the tracks that didn't include Mairead and Deirdre.

If you don't have the DVD yet:
- It does feature both Mairead and Deirdre in almost a third of the tracks.
- There are a several other numbers that are outstanding too.
- If Mairead or Deirdre is your favorite Celtic Woman or one of them is your life-changer, this is certainly worth getting.
- If you love all current and former members relatively equally, I'd suggest collecting all the Celtic Woman DVDs and all the solo DVDs first.
- But as soon as you start getting into fringe works (DVDs that include Celtic Woman members as guests rather than the principal performer), this should be near the top of your list.

Hope you enjoy!