I adore doing this kind of "original vs. rearrangement" thing on here, so, uh...here we go again
You know the drill: choose which is better, and give me your reasons for it. If you say "rearrangement" for a song that's been rearranged more than once, please remember to say the name of the album your favourite rearrangement comes from.
This time around, we have:
Danny Boy (originally from
Celtic Woman, rearranged for the
Songs from the Heart concert special, the
Believe tour,
Emerald - Musical Gems,
Voices of Angels and
Ancient Land)
Amazing Grace (originally from
Songs from the Heart, rearranged for
Emerald - Musical Gems, the
Destiny concert special,
Voices of Angels and
Ancient Land)
Fields of Gold (originally from
Songs from the Heart, rearranged for
Ancient Land)
May it Be (originally from
Celtic Woman, rearranged for the
Homecoming and
Celebration tours)
Nella Fantasia (originally from
Celtic Woman, rearranged for the
Homecoming and
Celebration tours)
My opinions:
Danny Boy:
Songs from the Heart rearrangement. Nothing to say, just acapella is an absolute gem to listen to.
Amazing Grace:
Emerald - Musical Gems rearrangement. I especially like how the bagpipe solos at the start and end of the song are a little longer, and just when you think nothing gets any better, there's such a gentle piano and orchestral accompaniment which gets more powerful and blends in beautifully with the piping and drumming as the song reaches its peak.
Fields of Gold: Original. While the
Ancient Land version does well with giving the song an "acoustic" feel, I still can't picture myself in a meadow listening to the song without the majesty of the uilleann pipes that pop up in the original.
May it Be: Original. In my opinion, I think no other arrangement is able to overcome the impact of those distant drums at the start of the song, but that doesn't really mean that I don't like them
Nella Fantasia: Original. The only qualm I have about the rearrangements is that the oboe solo doesn't get included, and to quote my opinion when it came to Schubert's Ave Maria, Mairéad C. does well when it comes to giving this song an operatic feel, but nothing can ever beat Chloë.