Over and over we played "Die Menge der Engel" - - it is stunningly beautiful! The loftiness of the voices, wonderful. We loved the boys/children's choruses on many of the other pieces on the album. Duets by Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavorati - - magnifico! It is a pleasant compilation of traditional favorites and awesome classical pieces that are worth listening to again and again.
Pretty good, though maybe not 'ultimate':
If you love Christmas as much as I do, you will probably enjoy this album. It features plenty of standard favorites - especially sung by the MoTab, who seem to be a holiday staple. I probably wouldn't pay $17.95 just to hear songs like 'The Little Drummer Boy' of 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas.' What makes this compillation interesting is the liberal sprinkling of less traditional - or, anyway, less well-known - classical pieces. Vivaldi's 'Gloria', Corelli's 'Christmas Concerto', and the opera 'Hansel... more info
Not ultimate, but truly classical:
Good mix of the expected ("Silent Night", "O Come All Ye Faithful", etc) and the unexpected (the Vivaldi Gloria, Gabrieli, Schutz). Kudos to the Sony team for uniform clarity & quality of sound, despite source material from 1959 through 1998. Word to the wise: the performance of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" credited to Marilyn Horne is actually by Eileen Farrell from her excellent "Carols for Christmas Eve" release. No disrespect to Ms Horne, who is well represented by two performances with the Mormon... more info
Tracks:
I Wonder As I Wander - Emily Van Evera
Villancico De Navidad - John Williams
O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Children's Prayer From Hansel And Gretel - Bernstein
Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming - Andre Previn
The Coventry Carol - Eileen Farrell
Good People All, This Christmastide - Andrew Parrott
Watts's Cradle Hymn - Martin Neary
Pastoral Ad Libitum - Largo From Concerto Grosso In G Minor Op.6 No.8 'Christmas Concerto' - Richard Kapp
O Tannenbaum - Rita Ford Music Boxes
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - Eileen Farrell
Largo From Concerto In F Minor For Violin And Orchestra, Op.8 'L'Inverno' (Winter From The Four Seasons) - Zukerman, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra
Ave Maria - Ayako Shinozaki
Pie Jesu From Requiem, Op.48 - Andrew Davis
Ich Steh' An Deiner Krippen Hier (I Stand Here By Thy Crib) (Choral) From Christmas Oratorio, BWV248 - Helmuth Rilling
