There’s a nice, varied crop of Christmas recordings out, from pop to Palestrina, most of them very nicely done. Here are my thoughts on a small selection, starting with the local produce:
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
TORONTO
TORONTO CONSORT: Navidad (Marquis)
David Fallis and his group of historically informed singers and instrumentalists has dipped into the deep, dance-filled well of the Spanish and Latin American villanescas (a sort of popular part-song) to draw out 17 favourites from the 16th and 17th centuries — all centred around Christmas. The best known, one the Consort has performed many times over the years, is “Riu, riu chiu,” attributed to Bartolomeo Cárceres. It’s great work all ’round, and the music is guaranteed to set a listener’s toes a-tapping.
For details and track samples, click here.
VICTORIA SCHOLARS: O Night Divine
This 18-member male chorus founded by alumni of St Michael’s Choir School and led by the school’s artistic director Jerzy Cichoscki marches towards its 20th anniversary with a gorgeous collection of mostly sacred music, recorded with the help of two special guests (and Choir School alumni) tenor Michael Schade and baritone Stephen Hegedus.
Seven of the 18 carols and songs are beautifully arranged by Cichocki. The choir is as clear and balanced as a naturally bottom-heavy men’s chorus is ever going to get and William O’Meara is a fine accompanist.
However, the audio balance between soloists, choir and piano is not to my personal taste, placing each in a completely different relationship to the microphone. Otherwise, this is a wonderful album for anyone who likes to savour the more contemplative, devotional side of the season.
For album details, click here.
Here are the Victoria Scholars in Katherine Davis’s arrangement of Carol of the Drum:
TAFELMUSIK: Messiah
You can find my recent review of this excellent recording here.
MONICA WHICHER & JUDY LOMAN: Lullabies and Carols for Christmas (Naxos)
Harp master Judy Loman and soprano Monica Whicher’s Christmas album has been out for two seasons. In case you haven’t heard it — or about it — Loman’s arrangements of familiar carols are beautiful, and Whicher’s rich voice and artistry complete this quiet pageant with grace and elegance. You’ll find the details and samples here.
ST THOMAS’S CHURCH: The Flower of Jesse
One of Toronto’s fine Anglican choirs (well, two, actually) sing works well-known and not, interspersed with organ solos. The largely contemplative pieces are nicely chosen by longtime music director John Tuttle, and directed with great care. This album, now already three years old, hasn’t lost its appeal as an antitode to the hurlyburly of the season. You’ll find the details here.
VICTORIA
PINNACLE BRASS QUINTET: The Earth Shall Ring!
These brass players, all associated with the Victoria Symphony, have been working as a quintet for three years. They recorded 14 familiar Christmas pieces for their début album last fall, but I received the CD too late to review it last year. The arrangements are solid, and the balance of the instruments is good. The playing could use a slightly lighter touch overall, but the album should appeal to fans of that traditional Christmas brass sound. My favourite track is “We Five Kings.” All the details are here.
MONTREAL
VALERIE MILHOT & ANTOINE BAREIL: Autour de Noël (Analekta)
These two graduates of the Conservatoire in Trois-Rivières are high-profile soloists in Quebec. Their collaboration on seasonal music is enchanting for the Analekta label, largely to violinist Antoine Bareil’s evocative, effective and, ultimately, quite simple, arrangements.
The 12 tracks range from the expected — starting with the American tune to “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” to the unusual, including Ferrucio Busoni’s Christmas Night medley from 1908 (the composer’s name is misspelled on the website as well as on the back cover of the CD case).
There are two nice original compositions by Bareil on the disc: the rustic Trois jours avant Noël, and an atmospheric set of variations on the 19th century french carol, Entre le boeuf et l’âne gris. There is also one strange escapee from another album, “Are You Going to Scarborough Fair?” but it makes for a nice break.
You’ll find details as well as track samples here.
Here’s the promotional video from the recording session (in French, unfortunately):
UNITED STATES
APOLLO’S FIRE: Sacrum Mysterium
Toronto soprano Meredith Hall, whose seven-year-old Oikan Ayns Bethlehem album with Montreal’s La Nef is one of my personal Christmas listening staples, has reprised many of these Celtic treats with Cleveland period-performance ensemble Apollo’s Fire. Together with members of La Nef and baritone Jesse Blumberg, the singers and instrumentalists under the direction of Jeannette Sorrell have woven a Christmas Vespers service on their latest album, which comes with a bonus DVD.
You’ll find all the details here.
I still haven’t received a copy for review, but based on a series of YouTube clips available for viewing here, it looks and sounds wonderful. Here is their version of “What Child is This?”. The lute is being played by Montrealer Sylvain Bergeron:
DALLAS WIND SYMPHONY: Horns for the Holidays (Reference Recordings)
This upbeat album of 12 wind-orchestra arrangements of secular and sacred is nothing short of spectacular. The arrangements themselves are clever and rich. The musicianship is impeccable. I don’t think it’s possible to imagine more highly polished brass-instrument playing, all led with absolute confidence by wind band master-conductor Jerry Junkin.
My favourite piece on this album is Minor Alterations: Christmas Through the Looking Glass, a medley arranged by Dallas Wind Symphony sax player David Lovrien that puts an attractively twisted minor-key slant on some favourite tunes.
For all the details, click here.
VINCE GUARALDI TRIO: A Charlie Brown Crhistmas (Fantasy/Concord)
Jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi left us in 1976 but lives on in his beloved score for a 1965 CBS television special called A Charlie brown Christmas.
Earlier this year, the Library of Congress recognized the music as being of special cultural and historic significance. It has just been reissued in a nicely remastered recording and nice accompanying booklet. Just like art music, jazz has disappeared from TV, and that’s too bad — especially when it was once done this well. You’ll find all the details here.
ENGLAND
THE SIXTEEN: Palestrina, Vol. 2 (Coro)
Conductor Harry Christophers continues his remarkable work with a cappella vocal ensemble The Sixteen in this second volume of music by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1954). Just released on the ensemble’s own Coro label, this album is anchored on a Mass setting celebrating Christ’s Nativity, as well as several other pieces — motets, hymns and canticles — drawn from the Advent-Christmas portion of the church calendar.
I find that Palestrina’s exquisitely crafted music can often sound a bit dull. But Christophers and his choir have worked extra hard to breathe some extra air into the polyphony, giving the sound a freshness that hopefully mirrors the exuberant spirit that must have surrounded the composer as St Peter’s Basilica rose and was finished around him.
For more details on this disc, click here.
And here is a background video on the making of this album:
JOHN ELIOT GARDINER: Bach Cantatas for Christmas (SDG)
The great English conductor John Eliot Gardiner, the English baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir celebrated Christmas 1999 with live performances of eight cantatas by J.S. Bach written for the season. The recordings that came from these concerts, which kicked off a series of live performances of all of Bach’s cantatas in honour of his 250th birthday, have been reissued on the Monteverdi Choir’s own label SDG (Soli Deo Gloria) in a 6-CD box that collects a motet and 22 cantatas for three days of Christmas, the Sunday after Christmas, New Year’s Day, the Sunday after new Year’s and for the Feast of the Epiphany. The package includes a thick booklet, but not the full texts. You’ll find the details here.
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
