When Jim Brickman invited The Tenors on stage during his concert something magical happened. The acoustic guitar strummed and they were into the late great Leonard Cohen’s quintessential song, “Hallelujah.” And that’s when they transform a beautiful song into an enchanting experience. This performance is enough to make the hair on your arms raise.
Formerly known as The Canadian Tenors, the group solidified their name as The Tenors in 2012. Jill Ann Siemens held an across the country talent search to find the four new voices that would make up the group.
The group perform songs that are a mixture of classical and pop, with one of their biggest hits being this interpretation of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
Some songs come out of songwriters in a flash of lightning that they quickly capture in a bottle. But “Hallelujah” was a different experience for Leonard Cohen. The Canadian singer, songwriter, poet, and novelist went through over 80 drafts of the song. During one mythical writing session, it is said Cohen was banging his head on the floor of his New York hotel room. Not exactly catching lightning, it was difficult work to create this modern classic.
And once Cohen released the song he continued to mold it with new lyrics and touches while he toured for years after. Many recording artists have covered the song, including John Cale, Jeff Buckley, and Allison Crowe. Each giving the song a personal interpretation. In this version, The Tenors show how they can lift the song to heavenly heights.
Leading into the second verse, Jim Brickman’s piano notes bring the performance to a rich new level. When played right, a piano can pull at your emotional heartstrings. The tone of the chords can shake your chest, and the single note can stop your pulse.
Brickman knows just when to bring in his piano. He raises the song to its angelic nature as The Tenors harmony reaches its full intensity.
Jim Brickman is a multi-Grammy Nominated songwriter and pop music pianist. Brickman has recorded six Gold and Platinum albums, including “Picture This” and “The Gift.”
His music style has been sometimes categorized as New Age, but Brickman works in many eclectic styles, making it hard to pin his music down.
Here onstage with Jim Brickman, are Victor Micallef, Clifton Murray, and Fraser Walters.
The Tenors have been performing across the globe with this lineup since 2009. They have recorded numerous albums that have gone multi-platinum including their exemplary Holiday album, “The Perfect Gift.”
Who are these handsome Canadians? The first to raise his microphone is Fraser Walters.
Born in Vancouver, BC, Walters is married to another talented singer-songwriter, Kelly Levesque. They can be seen traveling on the road between shows with their young daughter Hope.
Next up with the second verse, is Victor Micallef.
Born in Toronto, this Maltese-Canadian opera singer has performed with II Teatro del Maggio Musicale Florentino in Italy, The Orpheus Choir, and the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio.
Clifton Murray doesn’t just have an electric voice, he is also an actor.
You may have seen him in “She’s the Man,” “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” and “Smallville.”
Many comments express the love for The Tenor’s version of the song.
“This is by far the best version of this song that I have ever heard!”
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“Hands down, every word beats every other version I’ve heard.”
Take a listen and you might feel the same way.
Whether you know Leonard Cohen’s song or this is your first experience, check out the video below.
The song is so powerful and this performance by The Tenors is sure to excite your soul.
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