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DVD Review - The Eden String Quartet
- 12/28/06
- 6
The Eden String Quartet is a quartet composed of four members of the Miller family of Oakland, Illinois and a new DVD by Franklin Springs Media tells their story. Krista Miller and Megan Miller Goff play the violin, Therese Miller the viola and Leah Miller the cello. Having played for many years and having received training from highly qualified instructors, they play exceptionally well. The DVD combines documentary segments with a live concert.
Songs the quartet plays include classical compositions by Mozart, Bach, Pachelbel and Vivaldi as well as a selection of hymns such as "Amazing Grace," "Come Thou Fount," "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" and "Before the Throne of God Above" (which, in my opinion, is done beautifully and which sounds simply stunning when played by a string quartet).
As with previous Franklin Springs Media productions, this one is of professional quality and is exceptionally well made. The audio and video quality are both top-notch. And, like other Franklin Springs productions, this one celebrates a godly family and, not surprisingly, one that chooses to homeschool their children and is eager to defend their decision to the cameras! The Miller family does seem to exemplify many godly qualities and has raised their children to honor the Lord and to love their fellow man. I have little doubt that this DVD can serve as encouragement to others as they witness the faithfulness of this remarkable family.
It should be noted that while the DVD claims to include extras, the only true extra or bonus feature is a slideshow of photographs taken during production of the film. The other features, though helpful, are simply the ability to have all the documentary segments play without the music segments or all the music segments without the documentary.
You can read more about the DVD or watch a trailer here, read more about the quartet here and keep up with the family through their blog here.
You may also be interested in these other Franklin Springs Media productions I have reviewed: The Peasall Sister - Family Harmony and A Journey Home.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I write books and blogs for fun while doing web design and consulting for a living. I worship and serve at 
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Comments (6)
Hmmmm...
I ordered a copy of this DVD to give to my sister for Christmas. We watched it as a family on Christmas Day.
I agree with your assessment about the sound and filming quality. It was wonderfully produced and filmed. The full length recorded concert was a lovely feature. I will have to go back and relisten to the rendition of, "Before the Throne of God Above."
Thank you for reviewing this remarkable DVD for your readers.
~Lydia
My 16yo violinist daughter and I enjoyed watching the trailer for this DVD and perusing the Miller sister's site. I think that their site presents a beautiful picture of a Christian family living and making music for the glory of God and I do believe that their DVD will be an encouragement and a blessing, particularly for their target audience, Christan families.
However, my daughter brought up another side to consider. While the Miller girls are fine musicians, they really are not exceptional in the broader world of accomplished musicians (judging only from the trailer clip, in which a couple mistakes are noticeable). My daughter mused that it used to be only the musicians the likes of whom the Miller girls studied under who made Cds. But with today's marketing power, many more musicians are able to enter the market.
I make this point not to belittle the efforts of the Miller sisters or to suggest that they shouldn't have made this DVD/CDs. However I do think that Christian artists must work much harder in their area of expertise so that they can enter into and influence the extremely broad and professional non-Christian world of music.
Desert Mom
Dear Desert mom,
Given the fact that you have not seen the film, and given the fact that the trailler clip is a live performance, I think its unfair to say that the Miller sisters are not that great overall.
I would suggest that you actually watch the film and then decide. I think you will see that they are indeed very good and professional in their playing ability.
Bill,
Perhaps you are right that I should not have commented without watching the the entire film. No doubt I would have enjoyed it as you notice that I did comment that we enjoyed the trailer. I don't think that I said that the Miller sister's were not that great overall. I said that they are "fine musicians", however "not exceptional in the broad world of accomplished musicians."
I tried my best to affirm the musical contribution of the Miller sisters while at the same time proposing that there may be another position for Christian artists to take, that of further developing their musical skills before making a CD/DVD and touring. Not a position for every Christian musician, to be sure, but one, I think Christian artists should consider. My own daughter is "very good and professional" in her playing ability. Indeed, she has played professionally. I tell you this only to give some context for my comments.
Again, the Miller sisters seem to me lovely Christian women, sharing their talents for God's glory so no slight was intended. I just wanted to present another side of the musical coin.
desert mom
It's probably appropriate to note that these girls as well as the other Franklin Springs film subjects are not producing these DVDs to necessarily showcase their abilities as fine as they are. I believe that the primary goal is to showcase exceptional Christian homeschooling families. So, while perhaps Christian musicians should develop themselves to that "exceptional" level before recording or touring as a testimony--I agree that "Christian" art often falls short in comparison to secular standards, although Christian artists once held that top standard. I think that it is important to look at the goal of this production. It has been a great inspiration to our homeschooling family to see the level of excellence overall of these DVD subjects.