Three CDs. Let the festivities begin with this tremendous collection of 66 timeless Christmas classics from throughout the 1950s-1990s, wrapped up beautifully in this 3CD compilation! Opening with Brenda Lee's 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree', CD1 sets a joyous scene with familiar favourites including, Andy Williams with 'It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year', The Crystals with 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town', Frank Sinatra & The B. Swanson Quartet with, 'Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!' and Bobby Helms with 'Jingle Bell Rock', perfect for a sing-along at a party or whilst you decorate your tree! CD2 kicks things off with Wizzard's sensational perennial favourite, 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday', followed by a fantastic trio of '70s Christmas number ones from Boney M., Johnny Mathis and Mud, as well as the legendary voices of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Louis Armstrong and The Commanders. This disc also showcases much-loved seasonal songs which are not necessarily festive themed from, Boyzone with 'Father And Son', The Flying Pickets with 'Only You' and Frankie Goes To Hollywood with 'The Power Of Love'. Then settle down for the ultimate cosy Christmas evening with the magical soundtrack of CD3, featuring cherished masterpieces including, Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas', Nat King Cole's 'The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)', Ella Fitzgerald's 'O Holy Night', Johnny Cash's 'Little Drummer Boy' and Elvis Presley's 'The First Noel'. This collection is not only the ultimate gift for yourself or loved ones, but the essential soundtrack for all of your festivities!
Following the success of their 2023 digital EP, Rutter Orchestral Carols, the Choir of Kings College, Cambridge, releases a new album for Christmas 2025, featuring a selection of arrangements and original works for choir and orchestra under the direction of Daniel Hyde. Recorded in the beloved Chapel of Kings College Cambridge, All the Stars Looked Down sees the choir performing alongside Britten Sinfonia once again, and includes beautiful orchestral arrangements of Christmas carols by John Rutter alongside a selection of both well-loved and lesser-known carols by the great choral composers who have influenced him, including Philip Ledger, David Willcocks and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Woven throughout the album are works that are especially meaningful to the Choir and it's community and the albums title track, John Rutters All the Stars Looked Down, is dedicated to the late Sir Stephen Cleobury.
It is not uncommon to find discographic compilations in which one composer is at the centre of the selection of works. However, the fact that this edition focuses not on one composer but on a specific work in three different recordings is remarkable - and justifiable. At the centre is the studio recording of the 'Christvesper des Dresdner Kreuzchores' RMWV 7 from the Lukaskirche in Dresden (better suited for recordings than the Kreuzkirche) from 1993 under the direction of Gothart Stier. It is accompanied by the Eterna recording from 1964, also made in St Luke's Church, in which excerpts from the Christmas Vespers are heard under the direction of the composer and Kreuzkantor Rudolf Mauersberger. What is striking about this disc, which was very popular in the GDR, is the altered order of the individual pieces compared to the complete original work. The only audio and video document recorded in the Kreuzkirche is the MDR television recording from 2003, which gives an impression of the annual performances of the work in the designated church.
Deluxe edition in lavish packaging and an extensive booklet lovingly furnished with full-color pictures, including complete vocal texts. This recording from 1974/1975, which was highly praised by the specialist press, unites outstanding soloists (Arleen Auger, Annelies Burmeister, Peter Schreier, Theo Adam, Michael Wittig) with the Dresdner Kreuzchor and the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra (first trumpeter is once again Ludwig Guttler). Under the direction of Martin Flamig, the ensemble reaches top form here. Radiant chorales, yet with great attention to detail, and powerful arias characterize the recording, which also leaves little to be desired in terms of recording technology. A well-balanced overall sound, clear weighting of vocal solos and orchestral accompaniment. The members of the orchestra deserve to be mentioned individually, as each instrument is excellently cast.
Take time in the summer to think about the winter, country folk would say. That is just as true of CD albums compiled to celebrate the happiest days of the year. In this record-breaking sultry summer, Ludwig Guttler has been giving some thought to how to celebrate the 200th anniversary in 2018 of this global song appropriately. "It is one of the first carols I learned to play on the accordion, a present I was given for Christmas after my fifth birthday," recalls Ludwig Guttler, who remembers that when he was a child, everybody sang along. In fact it took him a long time to understand how anybody sitting in church could stay still to the sound of "Stille Nacht". In addition to the best recordings from his gigantic catalogue, there are also recordings that have not yet been publihed: Guttler has arranged "Silent Night, Holy Night!" for his brass ensemble, clad each of the six verses in an instrumental garb of it's own and recorded it in the summer in Zwettl in Austria.
On the snow-swept island of Skiathos, a miraculous Christmas Eve unfolds. Weaving together spoken word with song, this recording brings to life To Christ, at the Castle by the Dostoevsky of Greece, Alexandros Papadiamantis. Papa Frangouli and his flock brave treacherous seas and cliffs to reach a neglected sanctuary, where they kindle fires that illuminate ancient frescoes. But as the Divine Liturgy begins, shipwrecked sailors cry for rescue, demanding another act of courage. Composed by Kyriakos Kalaitzidis following the eight modes of Byzantine chant and sung in rhyming, fifteen-syllable Greek verse by author Vasiliki Nevrokopli, Christmas at the Castle tells an epic story: how a broken promise and unexpected adversity lead to redemption and celebrations of unforeseen grandeur on Christmas Eve.
