Renee Fleming sings "The Holly and the Ivy" Tradicional

[reeceandre98]

They r mining the words do ya really think that woman at the start Is really singing at that pitch?

[cheekylange]

Such a bad voiceover.

[robertocasitenore]

Brava!!!!...e bravi!!!!

Roberto.

[raigekimaru]

I heard Renee on Prairie Home Companion a few days ago and I thought she was a black contralto gospel singer before they said who the singer was! Renee's got soul

[45WOODY]

I love Renee Fleming and don't like to nit-pick, but don't the choral voices sound much more mature than how the children standing around her would actually sound?

[petitemusicienne]

I think it depends on the age of the singers and if they have had any voice lessons. For many years, the select high school choir had a rather mature sound.

[suzanneetmoi]

OK, I'll try to get my spelling right this time around! If you try not to become constrained in judging things by American standards, you'll find so much more enjoyment in life. Mainz Cathedral is in Germany-in Europe, sacred (despite the origins of this piece, it's now thought of in the standard "carol" rep) choral music is acccorded real respect and is performed with dignity. That explains why the children aren't grinning and mugging for the camera.

[gTwInZerZ]

i think shes mouthing the words.. :/

[Ilovechristmas001]

she is really not mouthing - there's a time delay because of the audio visual, which is why the music is ahead of her words. The children have the same prob - and no one is lyp synching! That's something that happens in the pop world, not the opera world.

[innocentxszx]

lol that is exactly what i was thinking. the children do not look happy at all. a smile can make a difference.

[SM1135ster]

my God those children don't look happy.

[operaandy]

Is that her daughter on the far left?

[CelticMusings]

I wish that everyone there looked as happy as she does! It's like they are lacking a lot of soul compared to Renee! Such a beautiful song!

[asdfopera]

They look like the children of the corn.

[violatione]

They get paddled if they make a mistake.

[Dacookstar]

Fleming is the only one who looks excited to be there, haha. She is awesome.

[natya73]

Lol Sorry about the mumbo jumbo in my previous post! :) I pressed "post comment" before I meant too! But you get the idea! Anyway, this song is very beautiful...

[natya73]

In reply to "MassimoofItalia"

Christian / pagan crossover is evrywhere when you know what to look for (easter symbols, valentines day). Any Non Christian native religion was dubbed Pagan and over time their freedom to practice their religon was symbols and customs wChristian practice because it was already at the core of the people.

[choirboy526]

the Christians chagned the meanings and symbols of these things previously used by pagans...

[Shanniquitie]

Christians purified them.

[organist08]

I have never cared for this song...that is, until I watched this clip. Brava Renee!

[mapaford518]

Exactly how I felt too. now I love it!!!

[TsarObezyanka]

I got to sing this for a play. I have a crap voice so I'm not looking forward to it lol.

[xxready2diexx]

This is the most unadulterated version I have heard since I was a child -- eons ago.

[medesdaddy]

This is the most pagan of all the Christmas Carols..Look it up on Wikipedia for an explanation.

[MassimoofItalia]

Actually... the Holly is symbolical to the Crown of Thorns Christ wore... the red berries symbolize the blood...

It doesnt seem pagan to me " The holly bears a blossom as white as lily flower And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to be our sweet savior The holly bears a berry as red as any blood And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to do poor sinners good The holly bears a prickle as sharp as any thornAnd Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ on

[ambrosius]

@medesdaddy seriously? Listen to the rest of the verses. Christians have always redeemed pagan traditions to serve the purpose of the Kingdom of Christ. Is not redemption a core doctrine of the Gospel? To reject this is not only wrong, but silly.

[smink8]

You try singing that beautifully without making a few strange faces...... she has a lovely voice full stop.

[absurdynka]

I think her facial expressions are great because they're not artificial ... althoug I've suspected she'll look more like Cecilia Bartoli (!) but she looks like the american movie star...

I can listen to "the beautiful voice" all the time :)

happy christmas :)

[jedmarum]

She's lovely and she sings beuatifully. Nice video clip.

Merry Christmas!

[absurdynka]

she sings better than she looks :) ... I'm loving it... gosh is there a record or sth? I mean mp3...

[trekkie2006]

well she sings like an angel cuz the woman is absolutely gorgeous..

[johnkemnetz]

She makes the funniest faces I've ever seen.

[ticklemebad]

Wonderful! I think she has a great voice, but she will really have to come with it to beat Denyce Graves and DEFIANTELY Jessye Norman...but she really sounds great though!

[trekkie2006]

her voice sounds so amazing.. so pure and rich.. she seems so happy singing with the kids..