Welcome back to day 4 of the Pentatonix Pentathlon! This quickly became one of my all-time favorite PTX songs upon listening and analyzing -- what do y'all think of this awesome arrangement?
Another comment on "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" -- the iconic video was shot and edited by FifGen Films, the same small video production company that also did the videos for "Daft Punk Medley" (also a Grammy-winner), "Love Again", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", "Radioactive", "Can't Hold Us" and more. They've also done videos for Peter Hollens, Lindsey Stirling, and Home Free, among others. And two of the original staffers of FifGen went on to form their own musical group, The Hound & The Fox.
Grammy number 2 for them! It's a classic! You might enjoy the live performance by Kevin and Matt "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy Reimagined" which samples the original recording while Kevin plays electric cello and beatboxes, and Matt plays a full drum kit and sings a bit. I always enjoy your analysis! I've seen them perform it twice in concert and it got an enthusiastic standing ovation both times.
Loving the Pentatonix X-mas series you're doing. I'm guessing you've already filmed all or most of your reactions for these, but I'm REALLY holding out hope that you have, or will, react to their cover of the Fleet Foxes song "White Winter Hymnal". It's SO beautiful!
If the story is true, Avi brought the idea of doing this piece to Ben Bram, and the two of them arranged the majority of it. Avi was indeed an opera/classical voice major at Mt. Sa Antonio College, where he was in 3 of their vocal groups - the Chamber Choir, Singcopation (award-winning), and the all-male, often comedic Fermata Nowhere, which became the first community college a cappella group to win the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). There Avi won the ICCA Award for "Best Rhythm Section" for his performance with Fermata Nowhere, which was a first for a vocal percussionist not an actual beatboxer..
If you've ever watched PTX's live Singapore cover of Imogen Heap's "Aha!", you know that they opened it with a classical lead-in, using the beginning of Bruckner's "Christus Factus Est", a piece Avi had performed with the MtSac chamber choir just several months before being recruited into PTX. Here's the full piece, and you can see young Avi in the back row, about 4th from the left with a lot of hair and full beard. Obviously, judging by the use of the piece in "Aha!", "Christus Factus Est" really stick with him. ua-cam.com/video/BIn-wM5sVM0/v-deo.html
This has been a fun series. This is short when played straight through but there is so much to unpack here. Thanks for taking the time to do that. Avi’s and Kevin’s performances in this song cannot be praised enough. He and Kevin undergird the performance so solidly. They were all hitting the notes perfectly. 🎉
Wow... honestly, I wasn't sure what kind of reaction you could do with a song without words... but day-um! That was incredible!! So much to unpack in the performance!
Such a delight going through the golden oldies of Pentatonix at Christmas with you. The songs may not be as polished as their work today, perhaps, but there was something so raw and genuine about those young singers forging a new path in music. It's great to hear you analyze what Avi is doing in the arrangements, since it really takes one to know one, and it's a treat for those of us who have a special affinity for Avi's voice. Thanks for sharing your expertise with us.
I don’t know if you’ve managed to interview Avi yet. If not, when you do, could you ask him about his high school choir education? After PTX won The Sing-Off, his hs choir director posted about him on a choral website forum. He said that when Avi walked into his classroom as a freshman, his voice had just dropped the previous summer. He recognized the talent that just showed up. He said he definitely started creating more bass-centric arrangements and also made sure to get Avi some specialized coaching. For example, he had a workshop for everyone including a one-on-one session for Avi with Trist Curless, then of M-Pact and later of Manhattan Transfer. (Trist also worked as a sound engineer for at least one of Pentatonix’s concert tours.) The director had Trist teach Avi how to effectively use a microphone as a bass singer.
I generally love your reactions to PTX, but I feel like these Christmas pentathlon reactions in particular have been super locked in to the bass and for my own personal taste, I much prefer more balanced reviews that talk about all members roughly in equal measure. I couldn't believe you didn't once mention Mitch's breath control or tuning in Carol Of The Bells, for example, studio recording or not. Sir Hairless did a partial transcription of the music and his lines are crazy! Kirstie's high not in First Noel went unmentioned as well. You're a professional so I'm sure you took it all in, but it would have been nice to have more variety in the reaction. I, for one, would have loved to hear your thoughts on Mitch's breathing technique in Carol, which is still baffling to me 12 years after it was released. Your reaction to O Holy Night last year was a fantastic example of appreciating every single one of them for what they bring to the piece. It goes without saying that you're entirely free to do whatever you like in your videos, it's wonderful to hear your insight and I understand focusing on the bass so much considering your own background. But just in case it's useful going forward, I thought I'd leave my two cents! :)
For what its worth, I recorded these videos over a year ago, when I generally focused more on bass because that's how my channel started. Thanks for the comment though -- I will keep this in mind going forward
So, yeah. Avi was always the star of this one. Insights excellent as always. I still have no idea what you voice reactors mean with half the terms, although my voice seemed to be entirely made up of passagios when I was in church choir.😅
Sei stato grandioso a fare la recensione di questo brano. E poi parli di Avi Kaplan che me lo sogno la notte! 😂 É il mio cantante preferito oltre oceano 🎉
This was their second grammy. Did voiceplay get their idea from this, because this wzz early ptx and so definitely before acapella really started gaining momentum because of these 5.
Was it VoicePlay? Pentatonix released it in 2014, and I can't find it by VP. (Which is no nevermind to me, as I don't think they hold a candle to PTX.)
@@nolaknowles9888I agree, I absolutely do not like vp arrangements. To me they always get off track on the core progressions of the songs they cover (great example is the "short" of When you wish upon a star....uuuggh😫) Personally I don't think they've improved much from their sing off days. Also the way they randomly throw in bass parts stick out like a sore thumb to me.🤷
Since Pentatonix released Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy in 2014 and VoicePlay released Halo Theme in 2021, it is fair to say Pentatonix did not get the idea for their video from VoicePlay. Though I was initially puzzled by Peter's reference, I think he was simply indicating the videography on Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy is similar to that on Halo Theme, without actually implying Halo Theme came first--only that he had seen Halo Theme first. The Halo Theme can be watched here: ua-cam.com/video/SLSzMDHyZ3g/v-deo.html
i think he might have recorded these last year and then didn't get them uploaded in time for Christmas. i seem to remember him talking about it on one of his other 2023 reactions. Could certainly be remembering wrong though.
Peter, I'm a subscriber and generally like your reactions for you knowledge and informative, BUT you just took a video of only 2.30 minutes into a 21.30 commentary...honestly that just downgrades the entire video experience by stopping and being largely repetitive of information that most people have no interest in such excessive conversation. You can do much better !!
Guess I'm not most people since I loved all the commentary. I'm very familiar with Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy already, it's Peter's commentary I come for.
Eh, if I want to hear the whole song I have it on my phone, or I can watch the original video on UA-cam. I personally enjoy listing to someone with knowledge I don't have break down something I already enjoy. Just my 2c.
For this particular song, I respectfully, feel differently. I didn't once fast forward through his commentary (which can be very normal for me). I was interested in every part of the information that Peter relayed. I imagine that I can't be the only one. I do see your perspective, but on this one, I was very interested!
Yeah, if I want to listen to the song or watch the video, I listen to the song or watch the video. Commentary is and should be the primary purpose of reactions like this -- that's what takes what could be a straight-up copyright violation into education and fair use. I really appreciate his commentary, particularly because I don't know a lot about bass singing and it's genuinely educational.
Welcome back to day 4 of the Pentatonix Pentathlon! This quickly became one of my all-time favorite PTX songs upon listening and analyzing -- what do y'all think of this awesome arrangement?
Note- Avi just informed his fans that he has gone independent so it might be easier to get an interview with him.
Another comment on "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" -- the iconic video was shot and edited by FifGen Films, the same small video production company that also did the videos for "Daft Punk Medley" (also a Grammy-winner), "Love Again", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", "Radioactive", "Can't Hold Us" and more. They've also done videos for Peter Hollens, Lindsey Stirling, and Home Free, among others. And two of the original staffers of FifGen went on to form their own musical group, The Hound & The Fox.
This song won them a Grammy. That's how incredible they are.
A group with no instruments sings a song with no words!
Grammy number 2 for them! It's a classic! You might enjoy the live performance by Kevin and Matt "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy Reimagined" which samples the original recording while Kevin plays electric cello and beatboxes, and Matt plays a full drum kit and sings a bit. I always enjoy your analysis! I've seen them perform it twice in concert and it got an enthusiastic standing ovation both times.
Avi is always extraordinary, but still he surprises me in this. His "dooms" in the very beginning - what a unique tone!! Thanks for a great analysis!
Loving the Pentatonix X-mas series you're doing. I'm guessing you've already filmed all or most of your reactions for these, but I'm REALLY holding out hope that you have, or will, react to their cover of the Fleet Foxes song "White Winter Hymnal". It's SO beautiful!
If the story is true, Avi brought the idea of doing this piece to Ben Bram, and the two of them arranged the majority of it. Avi was indeed an opera/classical voice major at Mt. Sa Antonio College, where he was in 3 of their vocal groups - the Chamber Choir, Singcopation (award-winning), and the all-male, often comedic Fermata Nowhere, which became the first community college a cappella group to win the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). There Avi won the ICCA Award for "Best Rhythm Section" for his performance with Fermata Nowhere, which was a first for a vocal percussionist not an actual beatboxer..
If you've ever watched PTX's live Singapore cover of Imogen Heap's "Aha!", you know that they opened it with a classical lead-in, using the beginning of Bruckner's "Christus Factus Est", a piece Avi had performed with the MtSac chamber choir just several months before being recruited into PTX. Here's the full piece, and you can see young Avi in the back row, about 4th from the left with a lot of hair and full beard. Obviously, judging by the use of the piece in "Aha!", "Christus Factus Est" really stick with him. ua-cam.com/video/BIn-wM5sVM0/v-deo.html
Before joining Pentatonix, Kaplan was already an accomplished a cappella artist, using styles including jazz and opera.
Merry Christmas to all. Compliments of all those who have served and are serving our country. Enjoy the music and the holiday.
This has been a fun series. This is short when played straight through but there is so much to unpack here. Thanks for taking the time to do that.
Avi’s and Kevin’s performances in this song cannot be praised enough. He and Kevin undergird the performance so solidly. They were all hitting the notes perfectly. 🎉
One of my favorites!
I believe They earned a Grammy for this arrangement!
Yes...their second one. 1st was Daft Punk, 3rd was the collab with Dolly Parton...Jolene.
🩵🖤🩵🖤 Pentatonix won a Grammy for this one!!😊😊
Wow... honestly, I wasn't sure what kind of reaction you could do with a song without words... but day-um! That was incredible!! So much to unpack in the performance!
Such a delight going through the golden oldies of Pentatonix at Christmas with you. The songs may not be as polished as their work today, perhaps, but there was something so raw and genuine about those young singers forging a new path in music. It's great to hear you analyze what Avi is doing in the arrangements, since it really takes one to know one, and it's a treat for those of us who have a special affinity for Avi's voice. Thanks for sharing your expertise with us.
I LOVE AVIS VOICE ❤ AND YOUR VOICE TOO😊
Looking forward to this one !
Did not disappoint! Awesome!
I don’t know if you’ve managed to interview Avi yet. If not, when you do, could you ask him about his high school choir education? After PTX won The Sing-Off, his hs choir director posted about him on a choral website forum. He said that when Avi walked into his classroom as a freshman, his voice had just dropped the previous summer. He recognized the talent that just showed up. He said he definitely started creating more bass-centric arrangements and also made sure to get Avi some specialized coaching. For example, he had a workshop for everyone including a one-on-one session for Avi with Trist Curless, then of M-Pact and later of Manhattan Transfer. (Trist also worked as a sound engineer for at least one of Pentatonix’s concert tours.) The director had Trist teach Avi how to effectively use a microphone as a bass singer.
thank you for catching up and making up for lost time, been waiting for a long time lol
Lol I love how he called Mitch a tenor 😂😂😂
Who would have thunk it! Classical music, A Capella, no words = Grammy. This was their first Grammy winner.
No, it was the 2nd one. Daft Punk was the 1st one, and the 3rd one was Jolene with Dolly Parton.
I performed this version in high school with my choir. it was SO fun
Thanks so much for a very informative and Awesome Reaction!
Great analysis Peter!
I generally love your reactions to PTX, but I feel like these Christmas pentathlon reactions in particular have been super locked in to the bass and for my own personal taste, I much prefer more balanced reviews that talk about all members roughly in equal measure. I couldn't believe you didn't once mention Mitch's breath control or tuning in Carol Of The Bells, for example, studio recording or not. Sir Hairless did a partial transcription of the music and his lines are crazy! Kirstie's high not in First Noel went unmentioned as well. You're a professional so I'm sure you took it all in, but it would have been nice to have more variety in the reaction. I, for one, would have loved to hear your thoughts on Mitch's breathing technique in Carol, which is still baffling to me 12 years after it was released. Your reaction to O Holy Night last year was a fantastic example of appreciating every single one of them for what they bring to the piece. It goes without saying that you're entirely free to do whatever you like in your videos, it's wonderful to hear your insight and I understand focusing on the bass so much considering your own background. But just in case it's useful going forward, I thought I'd leave my two cents! :)
For what its worth, I recorded these videos over a year ago, when I generally focused more on bass because that's how my channel started. Thanks for the comment though -- I will keep this in mind going forward
So, yeah. Avi was always the star of this one. Insights excellent as always. I still have no idea what you voice reactors mean with half the terms, although my voice seemed to be entirely made up of passagios when I was in church choir.😅
Great reaction, and I love it when an informed reactor adds interesting analysis of what they are witnessing. Except, dammit, I learned stuff.
Sei stato grandioso a fare la recensione di questo brano. E poi parli di Avi Kaplan che me lo sogno la notte! 😂 É il mio cantante preferito oltre oceano 🎉
2023? Did you record this a year ago and save it?? You're amazing lol
Great reaction!
I sooooo hope you've chosen their more recent cover of O'Holy Night. My favorite piece them. Christmas music or otherwise.
Anyone remember the theme to "Underdog"? Something about the opening bass line reminds me so much of that.
This was their second grammy. Did voiceplay get their idea from this, because this wzz early ptx and so definitely before acapella really started gaining momentum because of these 5.
Was it VoicePlay? Pentatonix released it in 2014, and I can't find it by VP. (Which is no nevermind to me, as I don't think they hold a candle to PTX.)
@nolaknowles9888 agree. And I couldn't find it either.
@@nolaknowles9888I agree, I absolutely do not like vp arrangements. To me they always get off track on the core progressions of the songs they cover (great example is the "short" of When you wish upon a star....uuuggh😫) Personally I don't think they've improved much from their sing off days. Also the way they randomly throw in bass parts stick out like a sore thumb to me.🤷
Since Pentatonix released Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy in 2014 and VoicePlay released Halo Theme in 2021, it is fair to say Pentatonix did not get the idea for their video from VoicePlay. Though I was initially puzzled by Peter's reference, I think he was simply indicating the videography on Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy is similar to that on Halo Theme, without actually implying Halo Theme came first--only that he had seen Halo Theme first. The Halo Theme can be watched here: ua-cam.com/video/SLSzMDHyZ3g/v-deo.html
@Bonofox1 agreed. The only ones that come close to PTX are Home Free, but they still aren't quite on the same level. They bore me, honestly.
18:29
Wait.. are you saying your reaction to the song is done in 2023? Or their video was released in 2023? 👀
i think he might have recorded these last year and then didn't get them uploaded in time for Christmas. i seem to remember him talking about it on one of his other 2023 reactions. Could certainly be remembering wrong though.
i believe avi's mom is an opera singer
Peter im curious, when will you upload the rest of EPIC reactions? The final saga comes out on christmas day! 🎉😊
That was freat
You need to watch the full pentatonic concert live version
ua-cam.com/video/eWt-rET9pwg/v-deo.htmlsi=yfJQNyZQmKaLkikx
Wait... was this recorded a year ago but not released until today?
Peter, I'm a subscriber and generally like your reactions for you knowledge and informative, BUT you just took a video of only 2.30 minutes into a 21.30 commentary...honestly that just downgrades the entire video experience by stopping and being largely repetitive of information that most people have no interest in such excessive conversation. You can do much better !!
Guess I'm not most people since I loved all the commentary. I'm very familiar with Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy already, it's Peter's commentary I come for.
Eh, if I want to hear the whole song I have it on my phone, or I can watch the original video on UA-cam. I personally enjoy listing to someone with knowledge I don't have break down something I already enjoy. Just my 2c.
For this particular song, I respectfully, feel differently. I didn't once fast forward through his commentary (which can be very normal for me). I was interested in every part of the information that Peter relayed. I imagine that I can't be the only one. I do see your perspective, but on this one, I was very interested!
Respectfully disagree.
Yeah, if I want to listen to the song or watch the video, I listen to the song or watch the video. Commentary is and should be the primary purpose of reactions like this -- that's what takes what could be a straight-up copyright violation into education and fair use. I really appreciate his commentary, particularly because I don't know a lot about bass singing and it's genuinely educational.