Julie Andrews: The Sound of Christmas

This is probably the best Christmas special I've ever seen! Julie Andrews, Placido Domingo, and John Denver were at their very best. The music soared and the pacing was perfect. I would dearly love to obtain a VHS or DVD of this magnificent production! The scenery of Austria, the cathedral where a portion of the concert was filmed, and the fantasy sequence left me enthralled. John Denver's skiing segment (while initially seeming out of place) turned out to be just right, because his light and airy musical style demonstrated the wonder and fun of Austrian winter sports. Julie's duet with Placido Domingo was musically perfect. The three-part harmony in the fantasy sequence lifted my spirit to new heights, while the waltzing of the "spirits" was lovely beyond words. There is nothing so graceful as a true Viennese waltz, and this scene was done to perfection.

The Sound of Christmas with Julie Andrews is a Christmas Classic. This is one of our family favorite Christmas television galas. This special included a wonderfully and gifted cast including Julie Andrews, John Denver, Placido Domingo, and the King's Singers. What a nice blend of music, scenery, and dancing! This program is not just "eye candy" for Christmas, it is also an emotional uplifting experience. ABC and Vanoff-Quinlan Ventures / Production Company has never made this available to the public. It came out in 1986 and shown the following year. How can you find out more on this? One way of viewing this Special is by going to YouTube and watch some musical scenes. There are also poor VCR copies on-line. There is also a related Musical CD featuring only Julie Andrews "The Sound of Christmas." The CD is a must for Christmas. There are all too many "Christmas" CDs that don't give you the feel of this blessed holiday and historical event! Julie's CD does and is fantastic.

Enough has been written about the content, and I agree with it. You'd just be best off watching the YouTube version. The DVD is about what you would expect if you put a camcorder in front of a TV. Grainy, commercials and all. The YouTube is low-def TV but is marginally better. Hopefully you have decent computer speakers. The music deserves that much. It is hard to get through the DVD but for the material I did.

ABC-TV's "The Sound of Christmas" is one of the last truly entertaining holiday specials. The stars shine, in particular Julie Andrews, with each performing musical numbers tailored for the vocal talents. Shot entirely in Austria utilizing locales featured in "The Sound of Music," the special is truly a visual and musical gem. Miss Andrews looks and sounds terrific. Her wardrobe is tasteful and flattering especially the silver lame show stopper she wears in the fantasy sequence. Surprisingly, the rapport between Placido and John Denver seems genuine and John's duet with Julie on "Edleweiss" is a joy. Other musical highlights include Placido's "Ave Maria," his duet with Julie on "Something New in My Life," the King Singers with Julie on "A Christmas Fantasy" and "The Twelve Days of Christmas," plus Julie's solos on "In the Bleek Midwinter" and "The Sound of Christmas."

"The Sound of Christmas" won 5 Emmy Awards.

ABC exercised their good taste in airing this special twice, originally in December, 1987 and again during the holiday season in 1989. Hopefully at some point "Julie Andrews: The Sound of Christmas" will be available on home video for all of us to enjoy over and over again.