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Classical Carols: Jeffrey Biegel,
piano (Koch International Classics KIC-CD-7737)
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What a magical surprise! Just as you wonder
why a disc of Christmas carols begins with Debussy's Clair de Lune, the
sounds of “Silent Night” begin to emerge from the moonlight. Haydn,
Handel, Beethoven, Saint-Saens, Chopin, Brahms, Mozart – they're all here,
dancing along with Christmas carols. Arranger Carolyne M. Taylor has done
a marvelous job with this music, which Jeffrey Beigel interprets with the
gentlest and most loving of touches. Sometimes humor abounds, as in the
melding of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” with a sonata by Clementi.
Wonderfully recorded, this CD earns a most enthusiastic two thumbs up.
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The Christmas Spirit: The World's Favourite
Hymns and Carols (Decca 475 9177)
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Pavarotti, Sutherland, Te Kanawa, Price,
Tebaldi, Ferrier, King's College Choir – in short, the London/Decca stable
of star players – make mostly single appearances on these two discs of
tracks recorded 1952 - 1985. Want to hear how baritone Simon Keenlyside
sounded as a promising boy treble in The Choir of St. John's College,
Cambridge? You can here. This reissue of 1996 remasterings wears its age
quite well.
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Chanticleer: Let it Snow (Warner
Classics R2 284988)
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Well, here's a surprise. The famed male vocal
ensemble Chanticleer opens its latest holiday CD, not with an unaccompanied
vocal arrangement of pious Renaissance pronouncements, but with a retro pop
thing that features The Chanticleer Orchestra. Even Schubert's beloved “Ave
Maria,” performed much slower than usual in Joseph Jennings' arrangement,
receives the kind of silky accompaniment that would make Mantovani proud;
only at 3:13 do the voices finally join in. “Silent Night,” unnaturally
reverbed, gets another overly soupy treatment. “Dum dum dum dum… O Holy
Night” – is this Chanticleer or the Five Tops? For better or worse, the
quality of the tenors, male sopranos and male altos gives it away. Clearly,
someone had a concept, and Chanticleer ran with it. Some who run the other
way may find me leading the pack to the Andrews Sisters.
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Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker • Erich
Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (Telarc CD-80674)
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If you're going to indulge in music from
The Nutcracker, how about a recording in superb sound? Telarc of course
delivers the goods, its warm, clear, naturally detailed, enveloping sonics
and large dynamic range making for an instant recommendation. The repertoire
is of course perfect for Kunzel, who has this idiom down pat. Warmly
recommended. |
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Machet die Tore weit: Baroque
Christmas Cantatas from Central Germany (CPO 777 332-2)
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Featuring the Sashsisches Vocalensemble and
Bartzdorfer Hofkapelle under Matthias Jung, this lovely program features
rarely heard music by Schelle, Petritz, Elebach, Jacobi, Liebe, and Bessel.
This isn't the most rousing music ever recorded, but it is lovingly sung and
finely played, and will surely gratify baroque aficionados.
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Women In Chant: The Announcement Of
Christmas (Sounds True M1195D)
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The Choir of Benedictine Nuns of the Abbey of
Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, CT sing “the very first Christmas music the
world ever produced, which is still sung today in its original Latin form.”
The voices are neither perfectly blended nor always steady, but the
sincerity and devotion of these Sisters make the disc self-recommending. The
beautifully produced 64-page booklet, available in pdf form, includes
translations, copious photos, informative dedications to the women named by
St. Matthew in the Genealogy of Jesus, and a huge amount of historical
information. |
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Sweet Music of Christmas: University
of Texas Chamber Singers, James Morrow conductor (Koch KIC-CD-7698)
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Beautiful, beautiful singing from a first rate
choir, graced by Laura Koch's marvelous high soprano and a wonderful, airy
acoustic. The consistently gratifying repertoire ranges from French and
English Carols to fare by Rachmaninov, Praetorius, Warlock, and Part.
Despite what our President has to say, they must be doing something right in
Texas. Highly recommended. |
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Karolju Christmas Music from Rouse,
Lutoslawski and Rodrigo (RCA Red Seal 88697-11561-2)
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David Zinman conducts the BBC Symphony
Orchestra and Philharmonia Chorus in the world premiere recording of
Christopher Rouse's lovely Karolju. Written for Zinman and the
Baltimore Symphony in 1991, this marvelous, irresistible music is destined
to be performed hundreds of times over the next decade. Rounding out the CD
are Lutoslawski's Polish Christmas Carols and Rodrigo's Retablo de Navidid.
This music is so life-affirming, it could make the grinch whole stole
Christmas search for another profession. |
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Christmas Break: A Relaxing Classical
Mix (Telarc CD-80687)
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Telarc scores a 10 with this compilation from
pianist Michael Chertock, harpist Ylanda Kondonassis, the great Robert Shaw
Chamber Singers, guitarist David Russell, Martin Pearlman and Boston
Baroque, and the conditionally loving Mormon Tabernacle Choir. A total
winner, perfect for background at your holiday get-together.
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P.D.Q. Bach & Peter Schickele: The
Jekyll & Hyde Tour (Telarc CD-80666)
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For those who long for an alternative to pious
fare about King Jesus, P.D.Q. Bach presents a decidedly unblessed
alternative that begins with a toast to an about-to-be-decapitated King. The
master's hilarious introduction to the Four-Next-To-Last Songs is
worth its weight in gold. Put this on before your Christmas dinner blessing,
and your dilemma of what to do with those sanctimonious relatives you'd
prefer to never see again may finally be resolved. That is, unless they love
classical music, in which case they may tell you to stop the blessing and
turn up the volume. Fabulous. |
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The Ultimate Classical Christmas
(Sony Classical 88697-14332-2)
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Why bother with a fancy cover, when you've got
opera stars Pavarotti, Domingo, Carreras, Horne, von Stade, Battle;
instrumentalists Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Wynton Marsalis and guitarist John
Williams; and the Vienna Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra on one disc? If
you don't know any of these artists, this disc of recycled material will
provide ear-opening happiness for those who aren't sticklers for classical
correctness. |
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Roderick Elms: Festive Frolic (Naxos
8.570793)
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British composer Roderick Elms writes and
arranges lovely stuff that gets widely performed in the U.K. After hearing
this disc, one hopes it will receive many airings in the U.S. as well.
Stephen Bell conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Peter Broadbent's
Joyful Company of Singers, with fine contributions from tenor Mark Wilde and
organist Stuart Nicholson. Though this disc can't match Telarc or Sony/BMG
for sound quality, it is still a joy.
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Noels: French Carols of the 18th
century on instruments • Les Boreades de Montreal (Atma ACD 1 2118)
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Thank God, after Lord knows how many sugary
Christmas CDs, here's one that features spicier fare, wonderfully performed
on authentic baroque instruments. The four players of Canada's Les Boreades
do a wonderful job with music by Dandrieu, Corrette, Daquin, and Balbastre.
Highly recommended. |
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Handel: Messiah • London Symphony
Orchestra Sir Colin Davis (LSO Live SACD LSO0607)
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Captured in high-resolution surround sound,
here's Sir Colin Davis singing along with his orchestra in a live recording
that features modern instruments. The star soloists Susan Gritton, Sara
Mingardo, Mark Padmore (a superb Handelian whose recent disc of Handel arias
is far preferable to Ian Bostridge's overly affected account), and Alastair
Miles show their familiarity with period practice and embellishments.
There's even a bonus DVD that highlights favorite hits and includes an
interview with Sir Colin.
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Sacred Music: Von Bingen, Vivaldi,
Bach, Mozart (Naive 4-CD 22186 05126)
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This unbeatable collection includes four
previously released, highly lauded CDs variously containing three Bach
cantatas (180, 49 & 115), Mozart's Mass in C Minor, four works by Vivaldi
(Gloria, Magnificat, and Concerti rv 128 & 563), and 12th century
Gregorian chants by Hildegard von Bingen and Herrad von Landberg. The
performers are amongst the best in this label's stable: Concerto Italiano (Rinaldo
Alessandrini), Discantus (Brigitte Lesne), Accentus, and such superb
soloists as Sandrine Piau, Christoph Pregardien, and Andreas Scholl. Those
who do not already have these recordings in their collection are urged to
grab this box while it's available.
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Michael Praetorius: Christmas Vespers
• Apollo's Fire Baroque Orchestra (Koch KIC-CD-7673)
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Selections from three collections by
Praetorius published between 1612 and 1621. Performed on period instruments
by Apollo's Fire (The Cleveland Baroque Orchestra), along with Apollo's
Singers & Apollo's Musettes directed by Jeannette Sorrell, the music is
predictably beautiful. Lovers of this repertoire need not hesitate.
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The Christmas Collection: The
Sixteen, Harry Christophers (CORO 3-CD COR 16054)
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The Sixteen have won so many awards over the
years for their impeccable choral singing that those who do not know their
work are encouraged to dive in head first. The first CD in this box set,
A Traditional Christmas Carol Collection, was recorded in 1991, and
reissued in 2006 on CORO, the ensemble's own label. There's nothing
surprising about the arrangements, other than the fine singing. Hodie: An
English Christmas Collection, recorded 1990 and 1992, contains 20th
century works by Howells, Britten (A Ceremony of Carols), Warlock, Tavener,
and Leighton. Finally, Christus Natus Est: An Early English Christmas,
is a livelier affair, with the fuller sound that befits a recording from
2004. This box by itself could fulfill all your Christmas needs. Highly
recommended. |
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40 Most Beautiful Christmas Classics
(Warner 2-CD 2564 69737-9)
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Once past the hackneyed “most, best, finest”
title, one discovers superb performances from the likes of Dawn Upshaw &
Chanticleer, Sumi Jo, Jose Carrerras, Placido Domingo, Thomas Hampson, Choir
of New College Oxford, etc. In short, this recycled compilation showcases
some of the finest artists and forces that Erato, Warner, Teldec recorded in
holiday repertoire between 1963 and 2001. I waxed ecstatic about some of
these performances the first time around, and welcome them again.
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- Jason Victor Serinus
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