Lesley Garrett: Live at Christmas
December 2003 Reviewed by: Rad Bennett Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Lesley Garrett made something of a splash in the 1990s with a series of recordings for Silva Screen Records, which sought to popularize the art of the prima donna. In these sets, Garrett would mix familiar opera arias with songs from stage and screen. The CDs all featured provocative covers and titillating titles, such as Soprano in Red and Soprano in Hollywood. One was simply called Prima Donna. The singing was quite good but certainly not in the league of such divas as Kiri Te Kanawa and Joan Sutherland. Garrett was wise, then, to have a "gimmick."

Now, six or seven years later, a lot has apparently changed. The singing on this holiday disc is of the first rank. Garrett tosses off such potentially treacherous material as the "Alleluia" from Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate, as so much child’s play, and brings lustrous Julie Andrews-like purity to favorites like "O Holy Night." She is probably one of the few singers alive who can switch from material like that to "Baby, It’s Cold Outside" and not sound like she is slumming. Her range and virtuosity are absolutely mind blowing. As if that was not enough, she obviously loves singing. Her many smiles are not forced. There is a joy in her artistry that seems to touch everyone around her.

Garrett could carry a complete evening by herself, but she has invited some impressive guests for this concert. Opera tenor José Cura is on hand, sounding better than ever, as well as virtuoso trumpet player Guy Barker. He and Garrett pair for a very unusual arrangement of Purcell’s "Come Ye Sons of Art," which starts out straight then veers off into jazz. It seems strange on paper but the ploy actually works. South African soprano Sibongile Khumalo joins Garrett for an original take on "The Little Drummer Boy," which features African drumming. It's a stirring rendition that might eclipse all others you have heard.

Most concerts of this sort are done as afterthoughts, with minimal rehearsal. They usually demonstrate a lack of preparation, containing mistakes and uncertainty. Not so here. Everything is spot perfect under maestro Ellis’s baton. There is not one musical glitch anywhere to be found.

The concert was held in a large hall that has a very wide stage. Three huge projection screens left, center, and right show appropriate images that change frequently, and there is quite an intricate lighting design as well. If you have a 16:9 set, you will appreciate the long shots that show the entire stage. The video picture has enough detail to show all the set changes with absolute clarity. It also has excellent color.

The sound is brash but not too brittle, very close up, with good separation. The 5.1 mix puts a little reverberation and a lot of audience in the surrounds, and firmly anchors the featured singers center front. The aforementioned "Little Drummer Boy" sounds particularly exciting.

There are no extras, but there are black-and-white interludes where Garrett and the other artists give a little insight into the concert. However, Garrett’s singing is the thing here. If you only buy one holiday title this year, make it this one. You will not be disappointed.

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