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The unique sound of these highly talented and trained young boys is incredible to experience. The program music was varied and absolutely wonderful. My husband and I along with our 20 year-old son and his date thoroughly enjoyed the evening of high-quality entertainment!
This is not your father's choir! Talent, range, versatility, precision...are but only a few of the ways to describe this choir and their performance. It was just simply a joy to behold and listen! The entire troop apparently consists of 100 members and their choir conductors. Four groups are currently touring, so we had 25 members in this show. Even when they did solos....their voices filled the chapel...imagine what 25 perfectly synchronized / harmonized voices sound like! In this two-part show, they performed many traditional Austrian pieces....and even some American, Indian, and even a Pakistani piece! They've apparently branched out with members playing instruments. There was even an audience participation piece where *we* sang...and they listened! This is one show not to be missed...you will not be disappointed!
What can one reasonably expect from a musical evening with 10-14 year olds? Answer: Not much great music but interesting. What should one reasonably expect from a musical evening with the Vienna Boys Choir? Answer: A lot of great music superbly performed. Sad to say, that wasn't this listener's experience. To put a fine point on it, in general, the group of 25 sounded tired and ragged, and annoyingly uneven in tone, ranging from the sweet and modulated to the harsh and brassy, especially in the form of one (too often featured) soloist in the soprano section; this is a choir, not a talent show. In that regard, the disparity of vocal talent among the choir's members in a group touted to be "One of the world's oldest and most famous," was especially disappointing. As for the music, on paper the program looked promising in its diversity, but only a few of the classical and Austrian folksongs delivered the anticipated cultural connections which this listener entered the hall expecting to hear in abundance. The director of this group of admittedly talented kids needs to listen a lot more to how his boys are delivering on their 500 years of history, and get someone else to perform the accompaniment. On a (more) positive note, it was reassuring to know that a significant portion of the high-ticket price was going to support some important international humanitarian efforts.
singing like you've never heard, by young boys who display an enormous amount of talent, dedication, and proficiency.
Because it was a show just before Christmas I had expected more uplifting Christmas music. Also, although their projection was good, there were times that I could not hear the soloist well. Amplification should be used but, perhaps, the venue could not support it.
I didn't know there were 4 touring companies - so there were only 24 boys. But their beautiful voices easily filled the venue! They sang as a group, did solos, duets, accompanied each other on the piano at times, and one played the trombone. There were also sight gags with good comedic timing. Choirmaster (in black tails) was excellent. Reperatiore was rich and deep, in several languages. It was both exactly what you expected, and everything you hoped it would be. Thank you, you very talented children. What a wonderful way to begin the Christmas week!
- the first thing I want to say is that I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth - a (relatively) small theater were we can get international talent locally without having to head out to NYC. However, the theater's acoustics were not well equipped for the boys' vocals. The hand drum nearly overshadowed the voices in the first number. I did find, however, when the individual boys stepped up closer to the edge of the stage, their voices were ever so much clearer and stronger. The stage area seemed to suck up the vocals like a parched sponge. - The boys were impressive and even more so when they got to the more difficult pieces. - They did not fair anywhere near as well when they did the more popular tunes. The final encore: "We Are the World" was a crowd pleaser but did nothing to showcase the voices. Again... okay, so you have to work the audience. Overall, I would have been happier had they gone more technical than popular but it was a marvelous evening and truly magnificent entertainment.
My family and I drove from Allentown, PA to see the choir perform. It was worth it. I expected a bigger choir, but this small group delivered quite a concert. Bravo!
While the event was a nice evening out for the holidays, both my wife and I felt that the lack of stage microphones resulted in a performance that was, at times, difficult to hear.
They are simply amazing. There voices are perfect and what a vocal range! They sang for about two hours with about a 30 minute break. Mostly accapella with piano accompianment.. Tunes from all around the world including Christmas music. They sang in 4 different languages also. A must see!
Amazing performance. Bravo to all the young men in the choir.
It was difficult to get to Englewood from Doylestown, PA, but we made it and it was very much worth it. thoe boys are really amazing - beautiful voices and very great songs. Liked the conductor also in his tails - and we are from Denmark and always wanted our boy to bow like the boys did, but he never did :-) worth the long drive. Birte and Henning
The Vienna Boys Choir was just amazing!!! I have always wanted to see this show. I received it as a birthday present....it was the BEST! The voices were so extreme, that it made it so grateful to one's heart. The voices were heavenly, and so were the added talents of these young men. THEY WERE THE BEST!!! The Choirmaster, Manolo Cagnin was the most perfect person to lead the young men showing them how to give of their voices. You could SEE the music flow from their bodies to our hearts. If anyone has the chance to see The Vienna Boys Choir, please go, you will not be disappointed. The choirmaster could not have found a more suitable "job" in life to make himself feel so great. What a wonderful evening of music!!! I WAS THRILLED!
You can't help but love this concert. The twenty-five 10-14 year-old boys are cute and sing like angels, and their choirmaster has lots of charisma and musical talent. Their repertoire ranges from William Byrd to Mozart to Faure to Verdi to Johann Strauss waltzes, to folk songs from around the world. There were a few surprises, as the choir sang "The Rhythm of Life" and "We are the World" as two of their three encores. Delightful! I recommend this to every choral music lover.
What can one say about little boys with angelic voices. Impish smiles, sidelong glances at each other and the most amazing talent all in one place, on one stage. The Vienna Boys Choir is a must see for any lover of fine voice. The group remains professional in their overall performance. The fact that they are young boys, only embellishes the performance. There were moments of pure childhood, demonstrated for all to see. The audience becomes enraptured by the music and envious of the youth and fun.
Wow. Awesome. They're amazing. The choirmaster was having as much fun as we were. The boys were a team and also amazing individual performers. Incredible talent, including singing (of course) and musical instruments.
After my husband and I attend the Vienna Boy's Choir's Sunday evening performance, we left the auditorium in Raleigh with a clear understanding of why the Vienna Boy's Choir is globally respected. We were enthralled as we watched and listened to these young men. Their poise, pitch and professional presence spoke volumes about their dedication to their craft. The Choirmaster, who seems not much older then the young men who were singing, was charming and engaging and he and the boys seem to both like and respect one another. The already perfect for a Sunday afternoon program, was filled with touches which showcased a variety musical ( and some dancing) talent from the young men and was made even more fitting for the day by a soulful version of Amazing Grace. We loved it that, as accomplished as the Choirmaster obviously is on piano and violin, he never overshadowed the young men and we enjoyed the fact that the young men also accompanied on piano and the trombone. It was an afternoon of songs which created great harmony within the internal chords of all who were blessed enough to attend.
Ive waited several years to see these boys perform only to be extremely let down. Their performance was at best lack luster, the boys looked tired, bored and were constantly moving around playing with their shirts etc. There seemed to be no structure or discipline. The famed "sound" wasn't there, some times they were off key, i sat 3 rows back from the stage, complete center and could barely hear them at times. This was a complete waste of time and money. It seemed as if they were not having any fun or didnt enjoy what they were doing, it was almost mechanical, a "here we are, lets do this and get this over with" type attitude. If the Vienna Boys Choir are in fact better than what i have seen live, then perhaps they need to rethink what they do when on tour, because what i saw will only continue to hurt their reputation.
Really enjoyed the Vienna Boys Choir! Will definately do it again!
There were great moments with the choir--mainly when they performed classical music a cappella. Many of the boys got visibly tired during the performance and a few had issues with coughing (flu recovery or symptoms?). The conductor was first rate--energetic, passionate. Overall I was a little disappointed...I think since there were only 25 boys, they may have needed some additional microphones. The piano sometimes overshadowed them.