For December/Christmas 2009 I whipped out some festive nougat musics for the Holidays, reaching out far and wide for my selections, from Russian and Ukrainian carols to Vince Guaraldi's famous soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Christmas, (and much more on the in-betweens). All of it was delicious, here's a program list with a few notes and favs:
1) The Choir of King's College, Cambridge - Christmas Carols From King's College, (1986) splendid recording and performance of trads and new carols I've never heard, examples: I Sing of a Maiden, Myn Lyking (Welsh perhaps?) Loved the lyrical quality of Once in Royal David's City and In Dulci Jubilo. Holly and the Ivy, prob one of my favorite carols with their treatment being the best I've heard so far, interesting that, according to my sources anyways, they for some reason cut out the last verse in their version, not sure why...lyrics:
The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir
The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flower
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Saviour
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir
The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir
The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas Day in the morn.
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir
The holly bears a bark
As bitter as any gall;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all.
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir
The holly and the ivy
Now both are full well grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir
oh can'st thou see-est the Christian/Pagan thematics? So why? Why did they omit this last verse?
Beginning with the solo voice of boy soprano (swapping with a tenor at times) for a couplet. more boy compatriots in on the second couplet, and the full chorus for the rest, which leads to a satisfying end, form AAAAA...etc. (on general scale)
2) Robert Shaw, Atlanta SO and Chorus - The Many Moods of Christmas (1963) PATAPAN! PATAPAN! PATAPAN! my first dosage of how Christmas carols can rock, had never heard Patapan before, must find out more...
This performance, as arranged by Robert Russell Bennett, and conducted by Robert Shaw is supposedly a classic(al) recording which many people favor, I'm the newest convert...
Check it out here.
3) Various Artists (and Choruses I would believe) - Christmas in Russia (1995) - Russian choral music has the ability to make the soul quiver, at least mine, has the knack of giving the so sought after "goose-bump" effect, and this CD is full of these moments, haunting, beautiful, sad, sublime, earthy, aspects of the Russian spirit (eh?), favs: The Virgin Gave Birth to The Son but honestly, it was all great.
4) The Taverner Consort & Choir - The Promise of Ages: A Christmas Collection - And as opposed to the Cambridge all male choir, this is (seemingly) an all female choir...nice, included is a very different and stirring version of Hark! the Herald, which isn't one of my fav carols (in its traditional setting), but with this version mmmmm...testify. Many more great ones. Check out the ladies here.
and the rest: (not that these were in any way inferior)
5) The Cambridge Singers - Christmas Star - Carols For The Christmas Season (1981)
6) Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
7) London Symphony Orchestra - The Nutcracker (?)
I'll have to revisit all this in the coming Christmas season 2010, more in-depth analysis...
