Search - Les Choristes: En Concert on DVD

A "Must Have" for those who loved the film, Les Choristes!

Rafael Nieto | 01/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those of you who loved Christophe Barratier's inspirational French Film, "Les Choristes" for this its music, this concert DVD is a definite MUST HAVE! The concert features all the songs performed from the film, plus various songs from composer Bruno Coulais' previous films and other traditional Latin & English choir songs. The performing choir is the "Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc" (Small Singers of St. Marc), the same choir that performed all the songs for the film's soundtrack. A total of 22 songs (plus 2 encore reprises) were performed in the concert, making this a fully loaded and worth the price DVD.

The lead performing soloist is non other than 14 year-old boy soprano Jean-Baptiste Maunier, who also played the pivotal role of the chorus boy in the film, who grew up to be a world famous conductor. The concert is conducted by Nicolas Porte, the choirmaster who guided actor Gérard Jugnot in playing the realistic role of choirmaster for the film.

In addition to the outstanding singing of the choir, the concert and DVD production is something to behold. The set design for the candle props and the subtle lighting effects set the mode for the music being performed. The cinematography and editing were splendid, where angle shots of the concert, close ups of the instruments being played and the solo performances make you feel like you are on the stage, during the performance. All in all making this concert not only a listening, but also a memorable visual experience.

The DVD also has its share of extras. It contains a karaoke feature for 3 of the film's signature songs, Vois Sur Ton Chemin", "Cerf-Volant" and the very haunting "Caresse Sur L'océan", where the solo part was memorably sung by Maunier. The song and its rendition in this concert is something you will remember for a long time to come.

The extras also include a very inspirational 10 minute backstage interview of the children's choirmaster, Nicolas Porte. Wherein he explains the background history of the choir and how much the release of "Les Choristes" has helped draw a new generation of children into garnering interest in singing choral music.

The Photo Gallery among the extras came as a surprise. Most Photo Galleries that I've seen in DVDs are usually nothing more than a bland compilation of still photos, no different from browsing photos off the internet. In this case, it was done so artistically, where you have the instrumental rendition of "Caresse Sur L'océan" playing in the background, while the photo gallery was being presented. It provides an emotional journey to the viewer of the choir preparing for the concert, the rehearsal process and the actual concert performance.

I have a huge collection of musical and concert DVDs and I consider this one of the best I've seen. Even for those who are not particularly interested in listening to choral music, will probably be enjoy watching this. Although this concert cannot be directly compared to Barratier's film, I personally found the experience of watching this concert DVD more memorable than the movie itself.

It's a pity though that this DVD has not been (at least not yet) given its due marketing exposure. Many fans of the movie are probably not aware yet of this concert DVD and neither probably are many lovers of choral music. I just happen to stumble on this DVD by accident. Not having even heard about DVD from anyone, I just thought of getting it for my son, who has recently joined his school choir. I was never prepared nor expected how much of a profound effect this concert DVD had on me. I have since recommended this DVD to several of my friends and they have likewise enjoyed it almost as much as I have. Now that this DVD is being sold through Amazon, this became my chance to write a review and share my experience of it.

Rest assured, you won't regret watching it! A definite 5 star rating!"

A MUST HAVE!!

Ste M. Kontozanis | Pireus, Greece | 01/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those who adored the French film "Les choristes", buying this DVD En concert is ABSOLUTELY a must have.
For me and my four children, this dvd is one of my most treasured ones. The children of the choir of the Saint mark are absolutely divine. Their angelic voices sound through your very soul just to remind to all of us that there are still very simple but very powerfully nice things in this world.
I only hope I get more cds or dvds with them singing.

Without any sevond thoughts, BUY IT!
"