Of the hundreds of releases the AMG Classical writers reviewed in 2008, here are some
specifically suited to the festive season and which will provide you with hours of enjoyable
listening.
Profil’s reissue of its 1976 recording of Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de
Noël is a solid presentation of an extremely appealing work. Scored for five soloists,
chorus, strings, harp, and organ, the oratorio lies within the capabilities of good church and
community choirs, and could easily find a place in the repertoires of groups looking for an
alternative to Messiah to celebrate the Christmas season. It’s warmly, but not gushily
Romantic, with gratifying vocal and choral writing, and both harmonic and contrapuntal richness
and variety. Much of it resembles what Mendelssohn might have sounded like had he lived long
enough to adopt a late-Romantic idiom. Several of the movements are strongly memorable,
particularly the Prelude and “Consurge, Filia Sion” (with their nods to Bach’s
Weinachtsoratorium); the duet “Benedictus;” and the trio “Tecum
principium.” One of the standouts of this performance is the organ of Hans-Joachim
Bartsch, whose sensitive playing and colorful choice of registration is especially striking.
The choral singing and orchestral playing of Bachchor and
Bachorchester
Mainz, conducted by Diethard Hellmann is top notch — full and warmly nuanced. Sopranos
Verena
Schweizer, Edith Wiens, alto Helena Jungwirth,
and tenor Friedrich Melzer sing beautifully, but bass Kurt Widmer is a
little hooty. The sound is adequate, but is sometimes slightly distant. With a running time of
less than 40 minutes, the CD could have used some filling out, perhaps with a few of the
composer’s many excellent liturgical choral works. – Stephen Eddins
Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noël - Tecum principium 
David Willcocks’ 1972 recording of A Ceremony of
Carols is a classic: a straightforward version of the piece, one that forgoes any fanciness
of tempos and allows the music’s simplicity and sophistication to work their own charms.
The Procession and Recession are refreshingly brisk, and “This little babe,” which
some conductors take at a tempo that seems intended to put the listener into a state of nervous
anxiety for the welfare of the young singers, is instead shapely and musical.
“Balulalow” is also taken at a speed that emphasizes its gracefulness and serenity.
Willcocks has the benefit of young soloists (as well as the choristers of
King’s College, Cambridge) with sweet, pure, strong voices that are absolutely in tune,
something that cannot always be taken for granted in performances of this piece. Osian Ellis plays
with wonderful clarity, and the harp is miked so that its delicate traceries are cleanly audible.
St.
Nicolas is a larger piece, requiring more extended performing forces, including mixed choir,
girls choir, two pianos, orchestra, and tenor and treble soloists. The dramatic cantata, which
was premiered at the opening of the 1948 Aldeburgh Festival, is stylistically eclectic, full of
rousing choruses, intense solos, and intriguing orchestral colors. Robert
Tear’s tenor is very similar to Peter
Pears’ in its timbre and effect, so it will be pleasing to listeners who like
Pears’ voice and annoying to those who don’t. Academy of St.
Martin-in-the-Fields plays with fervor and dramatic energy. EMI’s sound is nicely
spacious and resonant. – Stephen Eddins
Britten:
A Ceremony of Carols - Balulalow
The
Chapter
House Choir of York Minster is not one of Britain’s venerable cathedral choirs, but was
founded in the late ’60s as part of a fundraising effort aimed at restoring the great
structure. The Chapter House Choir is a mixed-gender adult group with 36 members. The sound is
tonally accurate and burnished to a clear state equidistant from the pure and voluptuous ends of
the spectrum. The program includes one of the group’s trademarks, which is that the members
fall silent vocally from time to time and pick up handbells, performing original compositions in
that medium. It’s a sprightly break in a sequence of choral pieces that are accompanied by
organ or nothing at all. There are also organ solos by Bach and Herbert Howells.
The choral music itself is notable for mixing hoary classics like the Coventry Carol
and other traditional pieces with music of the English cathedral school of the late 19th and 20th
centuries (Howells’ Here Is the Little Door is a forgotten charmer), contemporary crossover
pieces by the likes of Rutter and Tavener, and even the American folk carol I Wonder as I
Wander. The results as a whole exemplify the jolly old English choral tradition to the hilt
without being in the least precious about it, and that’s something to celebrate next
holiday season. The choir’s expertise extends to hiring engineers who know how to work in
the York Minster space, and text intelligibility is good. – James Manheim
Howells:
Here Is the Little Door
This collection of Christmas music isn’t very well identified on its cover, but
it makes a fine choice for the holiday season or any other time. The program consists of music
composed in German-speaking countries in the 17th century. Heinrich
Schütz and Michael Praetorius are the best-known composers represented, but most of the music
comes from the generations after them, from the middle and later parts of the century. It is, for
the most part, thoroughly Italian in style, with the exception of the Lutheran chorales that
weave their way through it. These semi-dramatic treatments of various aspects of the Christmas
story are mostly for two sopranos, and they’re an ideal match for the pair of
Britain’s Emma Kirkby and Sweden’s Susanne
Rydén. Kirkby is one of the veterans of the early music vocal scene. Her voice has
lost none of its liveliness, but it has a thicker quality than before. It makes an intriguing
contrast with Rydén’s more silvery instrument. The music for the most part avoids
the virtuoso quality of Monteverdi’s high monodic style; it depends more on interpretation and
consistency of tone, both areas in which these singers excel. The booklet notes by Bell’Arte
Salzburg conductor Annegret Siedel effectively set out the expressive dimensions of this music.
Even those who don’t speak the languages of the music will find a lot to enjoy here,
however. – James Manheim
Geist:
Uns ist ein Kind geboren
The title An
Australian Christmas tells the basics about what to expect from this album: a collection of
Christmas carols by Australian composers, performed by Australians. The listener would not know
until after hearing this disc, though, just how delightful these carols are. The most substantial
contribution is an artlessly simple, melodically memorable set of 15 carols by William G.
James, written around the mid-20th century, to texts by John Wheeler. They are accessible,
tuneful, and without being imitative, recognizably Christmas-y; many of them could unobtrusively
slip into any collection of traditional carols. Wheeler uses local imagery to give the carols a
geographical specificity that sounds quaint, but charming to Northerners; Christmas takes place
during the Australian summer, and the texts reflect that very different sensibility about the
holiday. The pieces by Ross Edwards, Elliot Gyger, Stephen
Whittington, Malcolm Williamson, Anne Boyd, and
Peter
Schulthorpe, many names familiar to international audiences, are more demanding both of their
performers and listeners; these are pieces difficult enough to require a fairly proficient choir
and have more of the sound of late 20th century British choral anthems. The final third of the
album is devoted to 12 Wassails and Lullabies, which use traditional medieval carol texts in new
settings by Andrew Ford, scored for voices and percussion. It’s the most challenging work
on the album, but its haunting atmosphere and inventive orchestration give it an immediate
appeal. The Sidney Philharmonic Motet Choir sings with unmannered elegance and infectious
fervor. The album should be of interest to anyone looking for unfamiliar carols that still evoke
a Christmas-y mood. – Stephen Eddins
James:
The Three Drovers
Admirers of Harry
Christophers and his exemplary choral ensemble The Sixteen will
no doubt have the highest expectations for this 2008 Coro release of George Frederick
Handel’s Messiah, especially because the group is almost ideal in size, sonority, and
technical mastery to render this work in the best period performance style. Even the most
demanding listeners will not be disappointed in this recording because Christophers’
scholarship is impeccable, and he leads the performance with sharp Baroque rhythms, brisk tempos,
vivid interpretations, and a great flexibility in instrumental combinations, which gives the
music greater richness through doublings of the stings with woodwinds and supplies a pleasantly
varied basso continuo. The four vocalists — soprano Carolyn Sampson,
alto Catherine Wyn-Rogers, tenor Mark Padmore, and
bass Christopher Purves — are all seasoned Handelians, and their arias are eloquent
in expression and beautifully delivered with a tasteful modicum of ornamentation, but no more
than that. The most thrilling highpoints are the glorious choruses in which The Sixteen sounds
utterly seraphic in its pure tone and pristine in its transparent lines. As if this extraordinary
performance of Messiah was not enough to compel purchase, the special edition set
includes a bonus CD that offers attractive excerpts from Coro’s numerous Handel titles.
This set is highly recommended for aficionados of recordings of Messiah and newcomers
alike. – Blair Sanderson
Handel:
Messiah - For Unto Us a Child Is Born
It’s a
pleasure to be able to recommend a collection of Christmas music without reservation. This album
(as the title suggests) features favorites from the German-speaking world, so some songs may be
unfamiliar to English-speaking audiences, but the arrangements are so tasteful and charming and
the performances are so sophisticated while being natural and unmannered that only the most
unadventurous traditionalist is likely to find fault with the selection. The CD features an
attractive mix of familiar sacred songs, chorales, and carols, in addition to the less well-known
fare. The arrangements, by a variety of composers, respect the character of each piece while
avoiding clichéd conventionality. Eckhard Weyand
leads the chamber ensemble Collegium Instrumentale Stuttgart and the Stuttgarter
Hymnus-Chorknaben, a choir of men and boys, in performances that are warm, pure and
unaffected, ideally suited to the folk-like nature of the music. Hänssler Classic’s
sound is clean and nicely atmospheric. – Stephen Eddins
Praetorius:
Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
In the world of
the recorder, Michala Petri is the superstar of the late-20th and early-21st centuries.
She’s equally at home in her instrument’s mostly Baroque traditional repertoire, new
music, and crossover material. In her Christmas album, she largely focuses on carols from her
native Denmark, but also includes a generous selection of more familiar pieces. These include
arrangements of Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen; Jesu, Joy of
Man’s Desiring; Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme; the Pastorale from Messiah; the
Schubert
and Bach/Gounod versions of Ave Maria;[/AMGID] a movement from The Four
Seasons, and Silent Night. A number of arrangers, including Petri herself, contributed to the
album, and while all the arrangements are fairly traditional, there’s a nice variety of
styles represented, from straightforward settings giving the melody to the recorder, to more
elaborate and virtuosic sets of variations. The diversity of approaches, and Petri’s use of
a variety of recorders, makes for a nicely diverse collection. Her playing, from the simplest
folk tunes to the most demanding variations, is impeccably tasteful and beautifully expressive.
The Danish
Radio Sinfonietta, led by Henrik Vagn Christensen, provides nuanced support. Hänssler’s
sound is clean and bright. The collection should be attractive to anyone looking for
traditional-sounding Christmas music from off the beaten track. – Stephen
Eddins
Bach:
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme
The Cambridge Singers, founded and conducted
by John
Rutter, is joined here by the Farnham Youth
Choir and the Royal Philharmonic in a collection of Christmas music that includes an assortment of
traditional and newly written carols, folk songs, and orchestral holiday pieces. The CD would be
of interest to anyone looking for an album of upbeat Christmas fare, who’s open to some
unfamiliar but highly appealing new selections. The most familiar carols, O come, all ye
faithful, and Hark! the herald angels sing, are presented in attractive arrangements by Rutter and
David
Willcocks. Rutter is also responsible for most of the arrangements and orchestrations on the
CD. Among the new pieces, Rutter’s Ave Maria,
Bob
Chilcott’s The Shepherd’s Carol, and John
David’s Born on a New Day are especially attractive. Delius’
orchestral Sleigh Ride is a fun foray into obscure repertoire, but Nigel Hess’
A Christmas
Overture, a medley of traditional carols, is of little interest. The performances are
splendid — the singing throughout is fresh, spontaneous, spirited, and unmannered —
and the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra plays with polish, but also with a sense of fun. Sopranos Elin Manahan
Thomas and Clara Sanabras and mezzo-soprano Melanie Marshall
offer lovely solo versions of several of the carols. The sound is warm and clean. –
Stephen Eddins
David:
Born on a New Day
Founded in 1976, the Folger Consort
has primarily focused on music of the Renaissance, but also branches out forward and backward
through history. In this collection of music for Christmas, the Washington, D.C.,-based ensemble
includes Medieval and Renaissance vocal and instrumental works. The program is divided into
sections based on geography and date: 11th century southern France, 13th century England, 14th
century Italy and Spain, and 15th century England. The stylistic and emotional range is also
broad, from an intensely earnest and passionate a cappella solo to boisterous carols
accompanied by a wonderfully noisy instrumental consort. The mixture of genres and styles works
beautifully; the juxtaposition of such diverse repertoire is astonishing and often exhilarating.
Much credit goes to the extraordinarily(...)
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