Blog Tour - Home for the Holidays - Review and Giveaway

Summary from DeseretBook.com: As seen and heard by more than 80,000 people in the LDS Conference Center, Home for the Holidays is the live recording of The Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s 2012 Christmas concert. This year’s release features internationally acclaimed TV personality Tom Brokaw and Tony Award–winning Les Miserables tenor Alfie Boe.

The Choir also welcomed surprise-guest Gail “Hal” Halvorsen, the renowned Candy Bomber of World War II. Together with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, these three special guests delivered an unprecedented excitement to the stage that brought all in attendance to their feet more than once during the night.

Hailed as the performance that “may have topped them all” (Catherine Reese Newton, The Salt Lake Tribune) this year’s release is bound to be an instant success!

My Review: I love how the Mormon Tabernacle Choir puts these performances on DVD and airs them on PBS each year. It gives those of us who didn't get tickets a chance to view it, as well as those across the country. I had never heard of Alfie Boe before, but I have to say that his rendition of "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables is truly amazing. It's one of my very favorite songs from one of my very favorite musicals. I also really loved the bit with The Candy Bomber, Lt. Gail Halvorsen with his story told by Tom Brokaw. This part brought me to tears. I loved it! The choir is also amazing, I love the arrangements they do of the Christmas carols, Mack Wilberg's arrangements are nothing short of genius! This is another great performance that you won't want to miss!

I received a copy of the CD/DVD for review.

Purchase your own copy at Deseret Book: Online or In Stores.

About the Mormon Tabernacle Choir: The 360 members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir represent men and women from many different backgrounds and professions and range in age from 25 to 60. They reflect a medley of unique lives and experiences and are brought together by their love for singing and their faith. Their incomparable voices are the common chord that unites to form the choral group known all over the world as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir originated in the mid-19th century in Salt Lake City. As the Latter-day Saints moved west, Church President Brigham Young included musicians among members of the advance parties. Consequently, a small choir first sang for a conference of the Church in the Salt Lake Valley on August 22, 1847, just 29 days after the first group arrived. The origins of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir may be found in the desire and commitment of early converts to include appropriate music in both sacred and secular events.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has appeared at 13 world’s fairs and expositions, performed at the inaugurations of five U.S. presidents, and sung for numerous worldwide telecasts and special events. Five of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s recordings have achieved “gold record” and two have achieved “platinum record” status. The most popular was the Grammy-Award-winning 1959 release of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

For more information visit the Mormon Tabernacle Choir fan page on Facebook.

Giveaway: Deseret Book is generously allowing me to give one of the DVD's to a lucky reader of my blog, so don't forget to check out the Rafflecopter!  a Rafflecopter giveaway

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