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"Tim Janis: Celtic Heart" DVD WriteupI received my Celtic Heart DVD from PBS today!
Packaging and ContentsThe front DVD cover is really pretty. It's almost the same as the album cover, but the graphics are spread across more vertical space on the DVD cover. The backdrop of the album cover consists of a dark green hillside with majestic rocky peaks and a lake beneath a warm sunset or sunrise. Over top of the background is the title and the and the images of the principal performers: Eimear McGeown, Mairead Nesbitt, Lynn Hilary, Camille and Kennerly Kitt (The Harp Twins) and Tim Janis.
The back DVD cover has some photos from the concert of the principal performers, including singer Ella Roberts, who has a fantastic voice! There's also an image of nice green hillside. The back cover also has a little description of the PBS special and the track list. The colour of the text is very similar to the hillside background though, so it's challenging to read.
The DVD didn't come with a booklet inside.
I was actually a bit concerned when I first took out the DVD. The shiny side of the DVD looked like it had been mauled by a tiger or something. I can't imagine I caused that many scratches taking it out of the case. Fortunately, it didn't seem to affect the playback quality at all.
DVD ContentsThe video on the DVD looks fantastic! A few of the Celtic Woman DVDs had some pretty significant differences in quality between the PBS special / Blu-ray (full HD) and the DVD. The scenery and performers looked great on this DVD! There weren't a lot of long-range shots of the performers. But even the mid-range shots of the whole stage and the scenes of the performers on a rocky shore in Maine looked better than I was expecting from a DVD. Not nearly as pixelated or blotchy as the Songs from the Heart or Ancient Land DVDs.
The DVD includes all
16 songs from the PBS special in the same order.
But it also includes a satisfying assortment of bonus material!
As suspected, there are 3 extra songs on the DVD in the bonus material:
- The Ring of Brodgar (Lynn + Mairead)
- Light on the Sea (neither Lynn or Mairead)
- Spirit of the Trees (Lynn + Mairead)
The songs are on the CD as well and they're really pretty. My favourite of the three bonus tracks is Spirit of the Trees, which features the hauntingly beautiful humming of Lynn Hilary.
But there are also interviews with the lead performers, including:
- Eimear McGeown
- The Harp Twins
- Tim Janis and Mairead Nesbitt together, and
- TWO interviews with Lynn Hilary!
The interviews were all done at the venue in Maine. They were originally recorded for PBS rather than specifically for the DVD. They include portions where Jim Masters, one of the personalities for Connecticut Public Television (CPTV), urges the viewers to visit their website or pick up the phone and call their local PBS station to pledge their support. It wasn't the same interviews I saw on Detroit PBS (those were done in the PBS studio and only featured Tim and Mairead). But I suspect the interviews from the DVD were the ones that aired on the CPTV PBS special.
The information in the interviews was good, although not necessarily earth shattering, but there was more to the interview segments than the questions and answers. The interview segments had the soothing music from the PBS special playing in the background and had some scenes from concert inserted. The best part though, was the super-adorable way Mairead and Lynn came across in those segments. Mairead projected a lot of joy and enthusiasm. I loved Lynn's warmth and her charming hint of shyness.
P.S. No, the actual audience at the DVD recording wasn't one of the special features.
Overall ImpressionThis is a really good DVD! The music is soothing and absolutely gorgeous. The scenery is also very pretty and relaxing. The special features on the DVD were quite satisfying too. If you get any DVDs beyond the Celtic Woman group DVDs, this one needs to be near or at the top of your list (along with Chloë's DVD, Orla's two DVDs, and Feet of Flames). This DVD, its tranquil music, and its lovely landscapes.reminded me most of Chloë's DVD, my favourite of the solo DVDs. I hope you all have a chance to enjoy this fantastic DVD!
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