It’s getting to that time of year, Music Man readers, when you are probably hearing songs like ‘Carol of the Bells’ all the time, right? Indeed, ‘Carol of the Bells’ remains one of the most popular Christmas carols, its stunning vocal melodies and arrangements ensuring that it remains featured in both big-budget movies and on millions of playlists worldwide every single Christmas.
Whether you have heard ‘Carol of the Bells’ once or one hundred times, however, we guarantee you have never heard it in the way it was recently performed by Andre Rieu, his full orchestra and choir, and Ukrainian soprano Anna Reker. Performing on a stunningly decorated stage, Reker sang the lead vocal in her native Ukrainian, the language in which the carol was originally written. The song was instantly transformed from a mere festive tune into a moment of solidarity and unity with her native country at this time.
Even Andre Rieu himself looks delighted as Reker sings, her warm, soaring vocals filling the huge auditorium and leaving many of those lucky enough to be in attendance in tears. Viewers on YouTube have also described how emotional the rendition made them feel: “I’m Ukrainian and I couldn’t stop crying,” wrote one particularly emotional viewer after watching the video of the performance.
Viewers will likely not be surprised to learn, meanwhile, that this performance of ‘Carol of the Bells’ was not the first time Anna and Andre had performed together onstage and left the audience with a memory that would last a lifetime. Check out the video below, for instance, which shows them delivering a fun and energetic orchestral rendition of the popular song ‘Those Were The Days’ back in 2014.
Everyone knows the name Andre Rieu, and following this latest rendition of ‘Carol of the Bells’, we can only hope that everyone now knows the name of Anna Reker too! Her soaring lead vocal in Ukrainian transformed the carol from a festive moment into a heartwarming tribute, and we have no doubt the video of her performance is one that fans are going to be returning to for many Christmases to come.
Andre Rieu’s moving performance with Ukrainian soprano Anna Reker transforms ‘Carol of the Bells’ into a powerful moment of solidarity and seasonal beauty. If you were moved by this rendition and want to explore more from Rieu, Reker and the full performance, check the useful links below.