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Post by milewalker on Feb 7, 2008 19:14:08 GMT
Hi Dave, In the case of this particular song, in my opinion, raw power counts....while there is little bad to say about Hayley's version, for this reason, as well as the fact that the arrangement allowed her to shy away from some high notes, I have to say I still prefer several other live versions of this song over this one. Jon Hi Jon, well I certainly don't praise Hayley performances for the sake of it but I have to disagree with you there. I've heard plenty of "raw power" versions including the Celine/Josh and Celine/Andrea duets but I've preferred Hayley's more delicate version with the choir, ever since I first heard it. The emotion Hayley puts into this performance more than makes up for any "lack of power" for me, although I have some doubts about the sound mix for TV (also, the broadcast audio quality and camerawork were slightly amiss, in places). Anyway, vocal power is greatly overrated in my book, or perhaps it's just because I prefer the sound of Hayley's voice to Celine and the others.  I do have one criticism though - it seemed to be a slightly abridged arrangement - or some of the other arrangements are extended, I wanted it to last longer. I'd love to hear a Hayley duet of it too. Cheers, Dave Hi Dave, De gustibus non est disputantum, I guess Actually, as you might have already surmised, I had the Groban/Church version of the song in mind above. Celine doesnt really do it for me either, most of the time. I should hasten to add that I do have one CD from her as I do many artists. Power per se isnt a strong preference of mine either - but I think it does confer one advantage. When used discretely it can give a singer more interpretive range. A lot of people equate vocal power with passion and the reason for this is valid enough - after all even in conversation we tend to raise our voice when upset or excited, and soften our voices when meditative or intimate.. As it happens - while I disagree with most people most of the time about this, interpretive skills (more accurately, the perceived lack of them) are the main thing about Hayley which still draws mainstream criticism. There is nothing wrong with Hayley's version of this really - beyond the "cheating" allowed in the arrangement. I did think the choir was a little weak - and for that reason would have preferred an actual duet as well. Jon |
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Post by James on Feb 8, 2008 0:13:24 GMT
Thanks for posting this Dave i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifHaving never heard this song before, I can't really comment on the comparisons with other singers. All I can say is that Hayley sings it exquisitely. That's also a nice dress I haven't seen before (and I have absolutely no idea about clothes!) In the case of this particular song, in my opinion, raw power counts.... The emotion Hayley puts into this performance more than makes up for any "lack of power" for me... Anyway, vocal power is greatly overrated in my book, or perhaps it's just because I prefer the sound of Hayley's voice to Celine and the others. Power per se isnt a strong preference of mine either - but I think it does confer one advantage. When used discretely it can give a singer more interpretive range. A lot of people equate vocal power with passion I would argue that although important, many people confuse powerful singing with great singing. To my mind the most glaring deficiency with singers on these popular "talent" shows is that many go all out for power and really get shown up in the quieter parts of the songs where they struggle for control and sometimes with tuning. They use the power as a cover for lack of voice and breath control. Where Hayley's voice has such an impact emotionally is in the absolute clarity and control she has from the quieter (almost whispered) notes through to the "belting out" parts of songs right across her vocal range. Similarly Mariah Carey had the same control from quiet moments to the crescendo moments - think of her performing Without You which is an often massacred song and amateurs fall down on the verses and bridge rather than the chorus which is the "power" part of the song. Dynamics are something that I find sadly lacking in much of modern music, maybe partly due to the compression on many records. Listen to any great singer or instrumentalist and they have that extra control and feeling over when to accentuate notes and whenn to hold back rather than playing or singing at one volume. Listen to the dynamics of Segovia's guitar playing or Lang Lang's performance (of Liszt) at last year's classical Brits to hear what I mean. We know Hayley will never have the power of some traditional opera singers, but that is not where her best attributes lie. She has sufficient power to sing over an orchestra, but more importantly has control as well. I can't wait to see more of this concert Dave.  Cheers, James |
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Dave
Administrator
HWI Admin
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Post by Dave on Dec 21, 2008 16:09:16 GMT
I can't wait to see more of this concert Dave. 8-)Cheers,James Hi guys, OK... it's the time of year for Christmas Presents sooo... Here is a sequence of three complete songs by Hayley from December 2006... with a magical appearance by some very special guests from halfway through. At least one of these three complete Christmas song performances is new to the forum and possibly, to the entire Internet. Do not miss this! Hayley Christmas 'medley' from Christmas Presence 500kbps (9 mins, 38MB, 560 kbps full-frame windows media video). Hayley Christmas 'medley' from Christmas Presence 1mbps (9 mins, 70MB, 1mbps full-frame windows media video). The quality is quite good even on the 500K version, considering the bitrate, but the bigger 1mbps is better. If you play it in Windows Media Player, it may look better if you adjust the contrast and brightness (View - enhancements - video settings). I may post a 2mbps DVD quality version later, for those who can handle the h.264 encoding - but the file will be 146 MB! Merry Christmas everyone!  Dave |
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Post by Karsten on Dec 21, 2008 17:10:38 GMT
Hi Dave, Many thanks for the upload; It played fine with WMP 9  So don't hesitate regarding the very large version. Merry Christmas, Karsten |
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Martin
Global Moderator
HWI Management Team
Posts: 3,339
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Post by Martin on Dec 21, 2008 17:12:04 GMT
Many thanks Dave, three wonderful performances to add to the ones I also downloaded earlier this year.
Watch these Grant and it will help to allay the disappointment of last Friday.
Martin
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Post by I-H-F on Dec 21, 2008 17:33:02 GMT
Thanks for that Dave.
Did this concert feature alot of singers or just Hayley?
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Post by roger on Dec 21, 2008 18:04:48 GMT
That's a fine video Dave, thanks very much. Hi Irish Hayley Fan, Although I didn't go to this particular event, I was at another in the same tour in Swansea a few days earlier. I believe they were pretty much the same in which case Hayley was the only celebrity artist. Each concert in the tour featured a local school choir and the Christmas Presence Orchestra. Oh, and Hayley!  Roger |
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Post by thomas on Dec 21, 2008 22:11:57 GMT
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Post by grant on Dec 22, 2008 0:23:56 GMT
Superb Dave! I did adjust the contrast and brightness as you suggested but it didn't make any appreciable difference - not on my system anyway. It was fine just the way it was. Thanks for sharing. I went to Sheffield with a friend for the concert there - we both loved it. , especially introducing my (very nervous) friend to Hayley for the first time at the stage door and then driving home with her trying to figure out how such a huge star could be so down to earth! We've heard it all before but wonderful memories. Best wishes Grant |
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Post by Richard on Dec 22, 2008 8:32:12 GMT
Many thanks, Dave!  Both versions of the video played perfectly, but the picture quality was noticeably better in the second one. The Howell's Junior School Choir were wonderful, as was Hayley of course. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifMerry Christmas everybody! Richard |
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Post by Ross on Dec 22, 2008 8:51:12 GMT
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Post by loveyou on Dec 22, 2008 12:19:09 GMT
I can't wait to see more of this concert Dave. 8-)Cheers,James Hi guys, OK... it's the time of year for Christmas Presents sooo... Here is a sequence of three complete songs by Hayley from December 2006... with a magical appearance by some very special guests from halfway through. At least one of these three complete Christmas song performances is new to the forum and possibly, to the entire Internet. Do not miss this! Hayley Christmas 'medley' from Christmas Presence 500kbps (9 mins, 38MB, 560 kbps full-frame windows media video). Hayley Christmas 'medley' from Christmas Presence 1mbps (9 mins, 70MB, 1mbps full-frame windows media video). The quality is quite good even on the 500K version, considering the bitrate, but the bigger 1mbps is better. If you play it in Windows Media Player, it may look better if you adjust the contrast and brightness (View - enhancements - video settings). I may post a 2mbps DVD quality version later, for those who can handle the h.264 encoding - but the file will be 146 MB! Merry Christmas everyone! Dave LOVELY! LOVELY! LOVELY! Thank you! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif |
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bobc
New Member 
Posts: 9
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Post by bobc on Dec 22, 2008 14:26:07 GMT
Comet just posted this on the (so called) official forum ........it is simply wonderful !!
As a moderator on that forum, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank all of those (especially Comet) who bring over some of the great material you guys have here.
Looking forward to a continued great relationship with HWI going into next year with Hayley's renewed tour plans.
Merry Christmas !!!
Bob
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Post by Mark on Dec 22, 2008 18:23:47 GMT
Hi everyone This certainly brings back some happy memories for me in that I was at this actual concert - infact, its where I met Thomas for the first time. I was a supurb Christmas concert as you can see and some of you may recall that this was recorded for TV and shown just before Christmas 2006. There was also a plan to make the show into a DVD - alas this wasn't to be. Anyone that watched the show would have seen me and my family in the audience several times too i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifBob, your comment makes me realise that I havent posted much on the official site for a while. I did have a spell where I was posting a few pics and a short report with a link back to HWI, mainly after I had attended a concert. Once the concerts start again next year, I will do this again. Thanks Comet in particular for continuing to post on both forums. It make sense to share information that each forum has between us. Best wishes Mark |
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Post by gra7890 on Dec 23, 2008 8:47:35 GMT
Hi Dave,
Many thanks for the excellent video. The larger one downloaded in 5 mins 10 sec and played fine with VLC.
Best Wishes,
Graham
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