December is a time of anticipation. We wait and we hope – veni, come! The songs on this album encompass many nuances and moods – from joy and jubilant celebration to deep melancholy and longing. They move between folk tunes, English carols and traditional Christmas songs from different times and parts of the world, between Bach and Ives, Bulgaria and Norway. Several of the songs refer to the passing of the year, the cycle of nature and rhythms of daily life: lullabies for peace of mind and comfort, and songs about surrendering ourselves to the unfathomable and unknowable in the midst of our everyday concerns: the stars will always shine in the sky – and dawn will come. In others, we meet the little child born in a stable – vulnerable and yet immensely powerful.

In the nine years following the release of ‘Rós – Songs of Christmas’ [BIS-2029], the Norwegian Soloists’ Choir’s annual Christmas concerts under the leadership of Grete Pedersen have become a cherished tradition in their native country. They are joined on this recording by folk musicians Sondre Meisfjord and Marco Ambrosini and by their long-standing collaborator, the fiddler and composer Gjermund Larsen, who also appeared on the choir’s previous Christmas album.

James Jordan writes: “I think when life challenges us, our common human tendency is to look toward the stars for wisdom and answers, for the abundances and peace that sometimes one’s focus toward the heavens brings to us. Looking toward the stars and the heavens often clears our vision so we can feel authentically with our hearts. Carols during Advent and Christmastime seem to also embody that spirit of mystical searching for hope and wonder. And perhaps there is no better musical spiritual entry point for all of this than chant. So, this recording leads you musically through the journey, from simple chant to stories in the carols. And all of the music on the album reflects our hope for the future as we climb a crooked ladder leading to, hopefully, a brighter new time for our beloved Westminster college, and our lives beyond the pandemic. Our desire is to see a glimmer of light behind what seems a very closed door. This album offers music for personal reflection, with the hope that these sounds can provide for each of us “scattered” new light.”

2021/22, a cultural season unlike any other, brings the 30th anniversary of Cypres. Musical renewal and reinvention is of the essence for any record label in today’s environment. An enterprising spirit; a constant quest for newly composed works; firm roots in the local musical landscape; representation of prestigious names and advocacy of young talent: all these are elements that constitute our particular creative formula. Now that we are 30 years old we can confidently take pleasure in sharing our musical philosophy with you. This fifth album in our anniversary series offers a real Christmas odyssey, a journey through time in search of our childhood memories: Tino Rossi for some, Jingle Bells for others. Composer and arranger Aldo D. Platteau has carefully selected the most beautiful existing Christmas carols and assembled them into a fresco of Seven popular and traditional Christmas scenes for choir, soloists and instrumental ensemble. These musical pictures allow us to reconnect with our traditions and give us the intimate conviction that there is a magical dimension to life - the magic of Christmas!

Peter Schreier is one of the legendary tenors of the twentieth century. Throughout his 60-year career and even after his passing, he has been celebrated by listeners, friends and colleagues, especially as Bach interpreter and Lied singer. To celebrate the Christmas holiday, he devoted himself to a selection of carols by the four great song masters of the late Romantic period: Peter Cornelius (1824- 1874), Joseph Haas (1879-1960), Max Reger (8173-1916), and Hugo Wolf (1860- 1903). From well-balanced, melodic and, above all, singable tunes to challenging piano parts, they offer a wide variety of emotional statements and subtle detail, not least through the interpretation of these two sensitive artists.

Shortly before Christmas, when more than 25,000 people flock to the stadium for the big Advent concert and hundreds of thousands of TV viewers take their seats in their living rooms, that's when Christmas really begins for many Dresdeners. What began in 2015 as part of the celebrations for the anniversary of the world-famous Dresdner Kreuzchor has now become one of the biggest and most beautiful Christmas events in Germany: flanked by stars from the international music world, one of the best boys' choirs in the world presents the most famous Christmas melodies in classical and modern arrangements. The new album captures the unique atmosphere of this special event on double album and brings it into the living room. The album features long term acquaintances of the Adventskonzert as well as new musical partners of the Kreuzchor: In a duet with the choir, rock legend Peter Maffay enchants with his Tabaluga hit "Nessaja - Ich wollte nie erwachsen sein" ("Nessaja - I never wanted to be grown up"), while Finnish star soprano Camilla Nylund brings the atmosphere of Scandinavian Christmas to Germany. Tenor Klaus Florian Vogt, at home on all stages of the world and also a guest on the album, is featured with "O holy Night" and "Adeste fidelis". Musical and soul accents are set by Sabrina Weckerlin, who adds another facet to the special genre mix. The same goes for Finnish trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth and her very own Christmas sound. The Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke, read by Samuel Koch, rounds off the new studio album.

“In November 2020 I was asked by Em Marshall-Luck, Founder-Director of the English Music Festival to write a piece for her Christmas Garland concert at short notice. Having promoted a successful two-day festival in St Mary’s Church, Horsham, Em’s belief in the vital importance of offering live music-making during the COVID pandemic was stronger than ever. I decided to write a short, atmospheric piano piece Christmas Dawn, in support of her, the pianist Duncan Honeybourne, the festival and those who were willing to travel to Horsham to hear the music played live. Christmas Dawn is a simple, hymn-like tune presented first softly, with a simple chordal accompaniment. As it gains momentum, with more expansive piano figuration the tune develops and extends. A contrasting middle section with staccato quavers heralds the return of the theme in a full, joyful iteration, before closing softly again. I sent the score to my publisher and they suggested that the pianist Simon Callaghan record Christmas Dawn with an accompanying video, as a celebratory lockdown project at Wyastone Recording Studio that might cheer people up, given the uncertainties of Christmas this year. I hope the music and the video will give pleasure at a time when Christmas cheer is much needed.” (Richard Blackford)

Please Sir! (1916) is one of the first novels of the popular Hungarian author, Frigyes Karinthy (1887 - 1938), which tells his school years with a lot of humor and empathy. Endre Illes wrote: "All Karinthy's writings have the violent, blinding brilliance of a spluttering Christmas sparkler. He wrote several thousand sketches, hundreds of stories, a few novels and two volumes of poetry. He experimented with literary forms and techniques: plays, philosophical studies, anecdotes, reviews, articles. But no matter what he wrote, his message was always as fresh and sensitive as the first flash of the idea which inspired it. One could say that his real medium was the idea, the instant spark." The work is read here by P�l M�csai.

Ken Woods writes of this new release: “Have you ever been on a long journey with your family and, after hours in the car or on the plane, you were so bored you thought you just might go mad? Well, that’s what this record is for. Just when you’re about to say “are we there yet” for the 400th time, instead try saying “Mum, can we listen to Lubin again?” I promise, the car will feel like it’s going twice as fast once the music starts. Now, it may come as a surprise to you, but your parents get just as bored and fed up as you do, so we’ve made sure they’ll enjoy these stories just as much as their kids. Just in a different way – there are aspects to all five stories that we are pretty sure older listeners will connect with. My friend David, who wrote Lubin, from Chelm, got interested in creating new musical storytelling works because he was reading bedtime stories to his two little girls. Several years later, I started writing The Ugly Duckling for my kids when they were little for the same reason. It’s been great over the years to see thousands of young people at our concerts laugh at the exploits of Lubin, the hapless robbers in the Bremen Town Musicians or the grandiose Condessa Duck. But, if we’re able to put a smile on your face on a rainy afternoon at home, or help the trip to your summer holidays go a bit quicker, then we’ll all be very happy. Enjoy!”

During the Fifties of XX Century Herbert von Karajan performed several times in Italy where he often conducted RAI Orchestras presenting both classics of his repertoire as Beethoven Symphonies and less known XIX composers works as for instance Sutermeister Requiem. Some of these recordings were preserved in a precarious are completely lost but some of them thanks to passion collectors are saved and now after nearly seventy years are still available for audience; as for example these two amazing Beethoven Symphonies conducted by Karajan in Rome in 1952 Christmas’ Eve and here presented for the first time on album after a long and accurate physical and digital remaster work which allowed the elimination of many interferences and a strong reduction of background noises. This album is an exceptional proof of Karajan incredible talent made shortly before Karajan first complete recordings Of Beethoven Symphonies.

Many thousands of miracles beckon, Peter Schreier promises already in the opening title of this unusual collection. There arises tense expectation. And already afterwards, a little Chopin piece, with which many a moderately talented piano student enraptured his relatives, is arranged and provided with the text by Ernst Marischka. In the 1930s it was a centerpiece from the musician's melodrama with the resonant name "Farewell Waltz". And what one can do with Chopin's etude, how one can ennoble this kitsch with a great voice, that Schreier shows and for that one absolutely needs tenor self-confidence. At the latest with "Granada" one sways gently along and is simply happy about this entertaining aberration of taste. The Gro�es Rundfunkorchester Berlin under Robert Hanell swings the castanets and otherwise beguiles with a canvas-wide sound in which one can let oneself drift. It doesn't always have to be Bayreuth! You can also sing beautifully at the sight of the Sierra Nevada. And who else takes those high notes so wonderfully? Schreier recorded this colorful bag not just at the end of his career, but right in the middle of it. Two years after his hit "Peter Schreier sings Christmas carols", the most successful classical music recording of the GDR, the singer again tries his hand at popular material, obviously mixing together his favorites from the not-so-serious repertoire. Operetta, melodious adaptations of well-known melodies, opera highlights, simply put: Romantic shreds of languor, which one gladly falls for in this interpretation, in order to perhaps bashfully wash out one's ears with simple baroque afterwards.

In the history of Spanish monarchy, the Royal Chapel is a fundamental entity for the establishment and dissemination of political and religious doctrine. It constitutes the heart of religious life centered around the kings. In the Royal Chapel, liturgical music plays an essential role as a means of legitimation of the catholic monarchy´s divine origin. In the 18th century, the life of the Spanish court was affected by the fire that razed the Real Alcazar on Christmas Eve of 1734, which also meant the destruction of the musical archive. The then maestro de música Francesco Corselli (1705-1778) had to face the challenge of reconstituting the archive and to provide the music needed for the celebration of liturgical functions, along with other musicians belonging to the institution. With this recording, music that was formerly exclusively intended for royalty is uncovered for the first time.

In German-speaking countries, carolers go from door to door every year between Christmas and Epiphany. They collect donations for children in need and, with their songs, carry the blessing of God into every house. Children and young people from choirs belonging to the German Pueri Cantores Choir Association have sung a total of 25 carols for this album, including established classics such as “Stern über Bethlehem”, but also surprises such as the “Sternsinger-Rap”. This release heightens the joyful anticipation of carol singing, making it easier to learn the new songs as well as motivating people to sing.

A 2021 GRAMMY Nominee for Best Immersive Audio Album!

The Norwegian Girls Choir and pianist Tord Gustavsen combine their talents in a programme of much-loved Christmas carols, leading the audience through expressive improvisations and quiet melancholy to glittering, ecstatic moments. Anne Karin Sundal-Ask directs the performances with attention to each individual singer and to the distinctive sound of the choir as a whole. The result is an uplifting, emotional encounter in which these radiant, young voices appeal to our very hearts. The Norwegian Girls Choir is an independent continuation of The Norwegian Broadcasting Company’s Girls Choir, which was established in 1947. The choir has long been a strong institution in Norwegian cultural life, and it has fostered a number of great singers, musicians and artists.

The aim of "Christmas songs" recorded by duo Thom Hell (vocals) and Andreas Ulvo (piano, synth) was to create something intuitive and with familiar and beloved Christmas songs; The performance should be unpretentious, contrary to how we are used to hearing holiday songs. In order to keep the nerve and spontaneity only one take of each song was made, with some overdubs where they later felt it was needed.

Andreas Ulvo (b. 1983), pianist and keyboardist from Eidskog in Hedmark. He has a master's degree in jazz and improvisation from the Norwegian Academy of Music. He is active with several own projects Andreas Ulvo ensemble, Eple Trio, Innlandet and his own solo project, with several releases. He has also worked with bands and artists such as Ingrid Olava, Mathias Eick, Solveig Slettahjell, Ellen Andrea Wang, Karl Seglem, and others. Thom Hell (b. 1976), is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist from Hånesin Kristiansand. Has released 8 albums as a solo artist and won 3 Norwegian Grammy Awards: 2 as artist of the year and 1 as pop composer of the year. Has worked as a producer and starring Jonas Alaska, Matilda, Jonas Fjeld and Marte Wulff. Thom Hell has also participated in several Norwegian Music TV shows.

Welcome to this live-from-the-stage retrospective recording through five decades of Christmas Revels productions, capturing the adventurous spirit and flavor of these legendary performances. Revels productions are rich smorgasbords of choral and solo singing, traditional folk dances and stories, children’s songs and games, and a brilliant brass ensemble. The selections on this 2-album Setare sequenced according to musical connections rather than by nationality or time period. A Russian non-sense song segues easily into an Appalachian hoedown, a 14th-century France art song into a 20th-century Cajun toe-tapper. It is our way of illustrating how vocal and instrumental styles – and the range of human experience that expresses itself through music – transcend geopolitical boundaries and find common ground in unexpected places.