A mid-price reissue of the popular 'Fancies' album, collecting together John Rutter's best-known concert works. As well as the virtuosic 'Suite Antique' (for flute, harpsichord and strings), this disc contains the three choral song-cycles 'Five Childhood Lyrics' (for unaccompanied choir), 'When Icicles Hang' and 'Fancies' (both for choir and orchestra).

Classical Music

UNITED STATES ARMY FIELD BAND AND CHORUS: Sound the Bells (A

Classical Music

Features music of Irving Berlin, Leroy Anderson, Frank Loesser, and more, arranged for wind ensemble.

Jewels indeed. And the singing ain't bad either. This is another in a very satisfying group of recent Christmas choral discs that strive to offer some terrific, rarely recorded "gems" along with a welcome mix of familiar--but mostly not too familiar--pieces. Beginning with Bach's "Break forth, O beauteous heav'nly light" from the Christmas Oratorio, the program proceeds with hardly a breath to Richard Dirksen's earth-awakening setting of William Austin's poem Chanticleer (why isn't this piece performed more?) and goes on to blend more Bach (Wachet auf) with Howells (A Spotless Rose), Reger (Maria Wiegenlied), more Bach (Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern), Mendelssohn (There shall a star come out of Jacob), and a regular carol arrangement or two--Here We Come a-Wassailing (Rutter), Deck the Hall ( a jazzy 7/8 version by James McKelvy). Well, perhaps Elizabeth Poston's Jesus Christ the Apple Tree is getting a little overworked, but it's beautifully sung and this a cappella setting fits nicely into the overall program, which also includes organ and orchestra. Soprano Janice Chandler sings nice solo versions of He's got the whole world in His hands and Sweet little Jesus boy (with piano accompaniment), and there's a cute little twist on Away in a Manger, written by Edmund Walters--it begins with a countermelody, sung by the women, that's nothing like the original tune, which we don't hear until the end, hummed by the men's voices.


Organist J. Reilly Lewis treats us to a brilliant performance of Bach's chorale prelude BWV 615 (In Dir ist Freude), and another Bach piece, O Jesulein süss (harmonized by Martin Shaw) gets a tender and lovely a cappella rendition by the choir. This is a very well-disciplined ensemble--and it has to be in order for this many voices (around 100) to sing with such precision and clarity. (The liner notes list only sopranos and altos--I swear there are lots of men singing too!) The sound, optimally recorded in an ideal church setting, is excellent. [11/3/2000]
--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

Each Christmas season at Brigham Young University, more than 500 vocalists and instrumentalists celebrate the season in song. Handpicked from one of the largest private student bodies in the country, these students comprise four nationally and internationally acclaimed choirs and the highly praised BYU Philharmonic Orchestra.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Expanded Edition: This album contains new tracks that were not available on the original, limited release version, released on-demand in 2015

The essence of The King’s Singers has always been live performance. On Christmas Presence, the beloved acapella group gives the listener the experience of being at a live King’s Singers concert in one of the world’s most beautiful buildings, from the comfort of their own home. The program for this special holiday concert takes the listener through various ages and styles of music, from the Renaissance to the present day. A sublime accompaniment to the holiday season, the King's Singers open with sacred music, move through modern carols, and end with festive musical favorites.

-----

REVIEWS:

This live performance catches The King’s Singers in particularly fresh, spontaneous fettle, as their 50th anniversary approaches.

– BBC Music Magazine

Recorded live at King’s College, Cambridge in 2015, the King’s Singers are as alluring as ever. All is given with that familiar, deliciously fragile refinement.

– The Sunday Times (UK)

Dale Warland's group stands on more than 30 years of first-rate performances and acclaimed recordings, and this one from 2002 is a fine representative of its sound and singing style, and of its well-loved Christmas repertoire. It's a warm, unaffected, unforced sound colored by natural resonance rather than the excessive vibrato that defines so many American choirs. The ensemble's legato technique is exemplary, and while all sections of this professional choir are superb, the sopranos are particularly notable for their uniformly lustrous tone. The repertoire titles will be very familiar to Christmas choral music fans, although the particular arrangements may not.


Some of these lesser-known settings include Donna Schultz's Il est né, Kirke Mechem's Fum, fum, fum! and Patapan, and director Warland's own Huron Carol and O little town of Bethlehem (set to the Forest Green tune). There are several fine Stephen Paulus contributions--Gabriel's Message and Three Nativity Carols--along with Jan Sandström's delightfully spooky and increasingly popular version of Es ist ein Ros entsprungen. Traditional favorites such as Wilhousky's Carol of the Bells and Norman Luboff's Joseph Dearest also make welcome appearances, and the disc concludes with Malcolm Sargent's (yes, that Malcolm Sargent) simple and lovely arrangement of Silent Night. Harp, oboe, percussion, and bells add occasional strokes of color, and the sound is ideal. In other words, this is a solidly performed, well-recorded program of the old and new (often combined in the same piece) that will fit nicely into any Christmas music collector's library.
--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

The Cincinnati May Festival Chorus, the official chorus of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops, performs a capella traditional Christmas carols under the direction of Robert Porco. The May Festival Chorus has earned acclaim locally, nationally, and internationally for its musicality, vast range of repertoire and sheer power of sound. The Chorus of 145 professionally trained singers is the core artistic element of the Cincinnati May Festival as well as the official chorus of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops. Founded in 1873, the annual May Festival is the oldest, and one of the most prestigious, choral festivals in the Western Hemisphere. In this release, the Chorus performs sublime a capella arrangements of traditional Christmas hymns and carols.

Classical Music

THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS by Canada's own Quartetto Gelato is a 12-track collection of classic and timeless holiday songs set to lush arrangements. It provides the perfect musical backdrop to the festive season, sure to spark the excitement that holidays are just around the corner. For over a decade, Quartetto Gelato has been a dazzling ensemble that has enchanted audiences and critics worldwide with their exotic blend of musical virtuosity, artistic passion and charismatic anecdotes. Classical in training - eclectic by design - Quartetto Gelato not only thrills listeners with it's multi-instrument mastery, but also offers the bonus of a brilliant operatic tenor.

If you are a lover of Christmas music—carols, popular songs, and all manner of medleys and clever arrangements of such—and you miss this extraordinary recording by the first-rate Dallas Wind Symphony, then your holiday listening stands to be just a bit more dull, less festive, and more ordinary than it could have been. This is a terrific program, in exemplary sound, that not only celebrates the Christmas music tradition but exemplifies the best of the wind ensemble genre, with its unique sonorities and long tradition of both originality and sense of playfulness and humor on the part of composers and arrangers.

The program opens with the obligatory fanfare—suitably titled Festival Fanfare—a nifty arrangement by John Wasson commissioned by the Dallas Wind Symphony, not surprisingly a showpiece for horns, full of familiar Christmas tunes. A decent but kinda square Sleigh Ride follows, along with a straightforward arrangement of Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring that beautifully exhibits the colors and rich textures of a first-rate wind band.

Among the highlights: my favorite, a celebration of the much-maligned minor mode—DWS saxophonist David Lovrien’s Minor Alterations: Christmas Through the Looking Glass, a “recasting” of favorite Christmas songs and carols (and even snippets of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker combined with Deck the Hall!) into a wonderful medley of minor-key madness (along with some melodic and rhythmic twists) that definitely calls for repeated listening. Another standout is The Christmas Song, with its fine alto sax solo by Donald Fabian, swingingly accompanied by the ensemble.

The big “classical” work is an arrangement simply called Russian Christmas Music, which apparently draws its sources from “Russian folk and Eastern Orthodox church music”. At almost 14 minutes, it’s by far the program’s most substantial entry, and it does show a wider range of technical virtuosity and different aspect of interpretive awareness than required in most of the other works, even if Alfred Reed’s arrangement begins to seem a bit long for the material after about 10 minutes. Never mind; any drift of attention is quickly recalled front and center with the concluding Christmas And Sousa Forever—the title giving away the concept. Wait until you hear how arranger Julie Giroux juxtaposes excerpts from such Christmas favorites as Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker with The Stars and Stripes Forever (and a couple of other marches)—not to mention the way she accompanies Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer with that famous piccolo solo! It’s tempting to use that well-worn line, “if you buy only one Christmas CD this season, this one should be it”—but I won’t; I’ll just say that if by chance it is the only one, you won’t be disappointed.

-- David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

The sublime Calmus Ensemble has recorded a selection of the most beautiful Christmas carols from all over the world exclusively for this CD collection. Containing carols from Denmark, Germany, England, France, Ireland, Croatia, North America, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Sweden and Spain as well as "Silent Night" in several languages, the holidays just got a bit more cozy with this beautiful collection of songs and the worthy "Liederprojekt" which contributes to children's music education has another valuable addition to it's discography.

Crary is as well known to smooth jazz fans for his solo release, "Thunderation" as he is to the bluegrass community as a world class flatpicker. Holiday Guitar mixes these styles flawlessly for a Crary Christmas tour de force. Highlights include "Santa Baby," "Silver Bells," "The Little Drummer Boy" and much more.

Classical Music

Classical Music

The world-class vocal ensemble Chicago a cappella does Christmas choral music fans a real service by daring to create a program entirely of contemporary (primarily within the last 20 or so years) works that defy the usual and predictable holiday concert choices that guarantee instant audience familiarity and gratification (not that there's anything wrong with those beloved, treasured standards!). Most of the works featured here require a bit more-than-usual attention from listeners--the composers and arrangers obviously approached such common texts as "What sweeter music", "Il est Né, le Divin Enfant", "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", "Noël nouvelet", "I wonder as I wander", "Lo Yisa Goy", and "The Huron Carol" with an idea to say something that hadn't already been said. And they do--splendidly. Then we have entirely original pieces by Stephen Paulus (Splendid Jewel--from a 14th-century Italian text), Gwyneth Walker (The Christ-child's Lullaby--inspired by a traditional Hebridean song), Richard Proulx (Prayer of the Venerable Bede--from a text found on the wall of Galilee Chapel in Durham Cathedral), and Danish composer Per Nørgård (En stjerne er sat--a dialogue between the Angel and the shepherds).

It's a tribute to the power of the Christmas story and to its enduring, compelling fascination for composers that the best of them continue--more than 2000 years later--to devote their efforts to writing music to recognize and celebrate the birth of Christ. And we are fortunate to have choirs of this caliber to bring this music to us in a context that presents it most favorably and gives it a permanent presence in our listening repertoire.

Another of the disc's strengths is the sheer variety of music, from the Nigerian setting of the text "For unto us a child is born" by Christian Onyeji, to Rosephanye Powell's "spiritual-like" Who is the baby?, to Yemeni composer Chaim Parchi's alluring Chanukah tune "Aleih Neiri", arranged for choir by Zamir Chorale of Boston founder Joshua Jacobson. The nine singers of Chicago a cappella are absolutely right-on in every respect, and the sound is ideal. This is an unqualified success, a holiday treat, a musical bounty that will both challenge and enliven your Christmastime listening. Highly recommended!

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

Caroling is a tradition that goes back hundreds of years as a joyful part of the winter holiday season. Since the Eisenhower administration, the Singing Sergeants have been caroling at the White House each December for guests from around the country and throughout the world. In the spirit of that tradition, this album contains some of the band's favorites, including songs that tell the Christmas story, celebrate the Hannukah tradition, and inspire hope, peace and joy. All of the songs are performed in the a cappella tradition. Caroling, directed by Captain Chad A. Steffey, is dedicated to all of the men and women of the United States Air Force who are away from home during the holiday season.

Classical Music

Each year at Christmas, Gloriæ Dei Cantores celebrates the "dawn of redeeming grace" with a traditional candlelit Service of Readings and Carols, retelling the stories of Christ's birth that stir us with memories and hopes for peace and love. Just for a time as you listen to these carols and stories, let your heart fill with gratitude for our many blessings, and with goodwill toward others. Gloriæ Dei Cantores offers this recording with a prayer that the joy of the season brings you renewed hope and a fresh sense of wonder!

The world's favorite Christmas melodies in new arrangements for the cedar flute and Eaton's guitars. Ten carols including "What Child Is This?/Greensleeves," "I Saw Three Ships," "Angels We Have Heard on High," and "Silent Night" (with Navajo chorale).

KEISER Dialogus von der Geburt Christi. GRAUPNER Magnificat • Jürgen Ochs (ten, cond); Rastatter Hofkapelle (period instruments) • CARUS 83.417 (45:00 Text and Translation)


The appearance of a new recording of the works of Reinhard Keiser is for me a cause of rejoicing. The high quality of the operas that have been recorded gives testimony of a composer near the top rank of Baroque composers. This is my first encounter with one of Keiser’s religious works, and the Dialogus confirms the high opinion I hold of his ability.


Dialogus , written for performance in a Hamburg concert hall in 1707, survives only in a revised version, including the addition of chorales, and probably dates from Keiser’s period as Cathedral choirmaster. While the work is recognizably in the tradition of the north German cantata, it is leavened with the melodic and dramatic gifts of one of the Baroque era’s best opera composers. An additional feature typical of Keiser’s work is the varied instrumentation; none of the solo movements, whether aria, duet, or trio, have the same instrumentation.


The pairing of Keiser with Graupner on this disc is appropriate; they both wrote for the Hamburg opera in the first decade of the 18th century, and Graupner contributed several arias to one of Keiser’s greatest operatic successes, Der Carneval von Venedig . Graupner’s only Magnificat may have been written in support of an application for the position of Thomaskantor in Leipzig. The work is very appealing, vocally and instrumentally. Although Graupner’s work found favor in Leipzig, his Darmstadt employer refused to release him to accept the Leipzig appointment.


Rastatter Hofkapelle is, at least on this recording, a group of eight vocalists and 13 instrumentalists. Jürgen Ochs, the conductor, also serves as tenor soloist and chorister. The performances are generally accomplished, especially from the instrumentalists and the vocalists singing in concert. In their solo turns, however, they are somewhat disappointing. The solo music obviously taxes their abilities; they are able to get through their solo assignments, but we are aware that more-accomplished singers could have made more of this music. I do not want to put anyone off of purchasing this recording by suggesting that the solo singing is awful; it certainly isn’t that. It simply could have been better with more-accomplished vocalists.


Carus claims that both of these works are recording premieres, and I see no reason to dispute this claim. The short length of the program is a disappointment. There was plenty of room for another Keiser or Graupner work. Both of these works are well worth getting to know, and the recording has provided me with a great deal of pleasure.


FANFARE: Ron Salemi