Every Christmas seems to bring a new crop of seasonal discs, most
following well-worn paths through the gigantic harvest of Christmas
music. Many indeed sound virtually interchangeable in their programmes
and style of performance. That’s fine and for many people Christmas
is a time to salute and celebrate the familiar, but if you want
something a little different but not too much so, then one or
more of these three discs from Germany, Holland and Sweden may
be just what you are after.
The first –
The Musical Advent Calendar – is based on the
excellent idea of including an item for each day of December before
Christmas. As in a real Advent Calendar the “pictures” are varied
but seasonal and, as in the best Calendars, they may sometimes
surprise but more often elicit a pleasant sigh of recognition.
I gather that this is the most recent in a series of discs produced
by South West German Radio, who broadcast individual items on
the appropriate days. They showcase a wide variety of choirs and
instrumentalists from the region with a strong emphasis on younger
performers. As a demonstration of the pool of talent available
in the region it is impressive. Maybe none of the individual performances
is truly outstanding but it is good to hear that such a wide range
of talented choirs, soloists and ensembles exists in the area.
In the booklet the item for each day is attributed to a particular
area, town or organization and presumably when they are shown
on SWR Television appropriate pictures are included. It would
have been good to have had something along those lines in the
booklet, although it does give brief background information about
the performers in German and English. Information about the music
is much sparser, however. The sixth track for instance is simply
described as an Allegro from a Concerto in C major by Vivaldi,
leaving the listener to guess which one has been transcribed (rather
well) for vibraphone and organ, and there is no indication that
track nine is in fact part of Bach’s Magnificat arranged (rather
ineffectually) for brass. As one of the features of an Advent
Calendar can be to surprise the viewer, or in this case listener,
perhaps this is no bad thing. I should also make the obvious comment
that the contents of an Advent Calendar should be opened one at
a time, not all at once as necessarily I have had to do. It is
nonetheless enjoyable to hear as a whole even if this is not its
main intention.
The contents of the disc do vary wildly in style and character.
There are many charming examples of children’s choirs in a variety
of music, items by very professional adult performers including
the SWR Vokalensemble of Stuttgart, items by German pop artists
singing Billie Holiday and Andrew Lloyd Webber idiomatically,
and instrumental items. The latter include both the oddest items,
such as the two I have mentioned already, and the most enjoyable,
including the recorders on track 4. Overall this is a very mixed
bag, obviously not intended for or suited to detached analytical
listening but perhaps ideal as background for a family party.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope that some enterprising British
company will take up the idea with a similar seasonal regional
collection. One other virtue of the disc is that part of the proceeds
from it will be used to support aid projects for children in South
West Germany.
Over the years I have heard far too many discs of Christmas carols
played or sung by every kind of choir, orchestra or band with
every conceivable effect thrown in however inappropriate they
may be. Too many have been the musical equivalent of eating too
much over-rich Christmas pudding with too much brandy sauce. If
you too have suffered from this kind of thing why not try a disc
of carols played on an unaccompanied viola da gamba, with a vocalist
joining in very occasionally. The idea may seem in principle to
be at best mildly eccentric, and given the melancholy dignity
of the instrument you might expect it to involve all the jollity
of an orgy in a temperance hotel arranged by the Wee Frees. However
what we get here is not merely unusual but also very enjoyable.
It is the sheer musicality of Ralph Rousseau’s approach that is
notable. Many of the mixture of English and Dutch carols are treated
very simply and allowed to speak for themselves, although a few
are allowed a freer treatment. My particular favourite is “White
Christmas” which starts with a slow phrase which might easily
begin a seventeenth century
Tombeau. When repeated however
it enlarges into the tune of the title. Pure and very musical
magic! Four carols have Lenny Kuhr, winner of the 1969 Eurovision
Song Contest, as vocalist. I must admit that her vocal tone is
not very much to my taste so that for me these are the weakest
parts of the disc, but even they are not unenjoyable. No texts
or translations are included for the vocal items and there is
less than 45 minutes of music but this is nonetheless one of the
most original and enjoyable Christmas recordings I have heard
for many years.
The Swedish male voice choir Orphei Drängar was formed in 1853
and has included Hugo Alfvén and Eric Ericson amongst their past
conductors. Its nearly eighty members manage to avoid those characteristic
faults of male voice choirs of sounding coarse when singing loudly,
sounding flat when singing quietly and overdoing the vibrato in
soulful passages. In fact they form a very fine musical instrument,
able to turn to the very different demands of a programme ranging
from Scandinavian works and arrangements of Swedish traditional
Christmas music, to earlier works, and at the end a mixture of
unfamiliar arrangements of familiar carols and Christmas music.
Clearly care has gone into the ordering of the programme so that
it is possible to listen to it continuously and feel some sort
of coherent progress. I particularly enjoyed the Scandinavian
items which include fine pieces by Nielsen, Palmgren and Lidholm
as well as the opening item, “Koppången”, an arrangement with
a solo soprano of a soulful fiddle tune to words describing a
country church at Christmas. The two arrangements by Staffan Lindberg
are of songs sung originally by Swedish boys around their villages
on Boxing Day. Both incorporate a splendidly wild sounding percussion
parts and the second also has brass slyly hinting at other carols.
The Sweelinck and Handel are enjoyable if far from authentic and
the Whitacre and Golovanov are sung with great finesse and sense
of line. The final selection of carols and Christmas songs is
varied and sung in interesting and effective arrangements.
I enjoyed all three discs in different ways. The Advent Calendar
is a good idea and delightfully varied even if the musical pleasures
may be spread a little thinly. Christmas on the viol is both amusing
and musically enjoyable. It would make a splendid present for
a dyed in the wool early music fan or for listening at those “Bah
humbug” times when suffering from an excess of commercial Christmas
cheer. The real winner for me, however, is the Swedish disc of
Christmas songs. Each item has been carefully chosen and is performed
to its best advantage. There are good reasons for buying any of
these but I would expect that this is to be one you are most likely
to return to future years.
John Sheppard
The Musical Advent Calendar:
1 “Mach hoch die Tür” St-Martins-Chorknaben Biberach; Johannes
Striegel (conductor) [2:05]
2 “A Clare Benediction” (John Rutter) Ulmer Spatzen Chor; Hans
de Gilde (conductor); Barbara Comes (Piano) [2:45]
3 “Let it snow” (Jule Styne, Samme Cahn & Chris Walden)
Paul Carrack (voice) SWR Big Band [2:30]
4 “Aria sopra la Bergamasca” (Marco Uccellini) Discorii Salonittieri
(Annabell Opelt & Lina Alirezania – recorders, David Göbler
– harpsichord) [3:57]
5 “O Happy Day” (Edwin Hawkings) Folklorechor Plochingen with
percussion; Hans-Günter Driess (conductor) [3:24]
6 Allegro from Concerto in C major (Vivaldi) Ulrich Weissert
(organ); Albrecht Volz (vibraphone) [4:01]
7 Méditation from “Thaïs” (Massenet) Christina-Anna Tsiakaris
(violin); Rena Tsiakaris (piano) [4:56]
8 “Ave Maria” from the Vespers Op 37 (Rachmaninov) SWR Vokalensemble
Stuttgart; Marcus Creed (conductor) [2:51]
9 “Esurientes” from Magnificat BWV 243 (J S Bach) German Brass;
Enrique Crespo (conductor) [2:41]
10 “Ihr Kinderlein kommet” (arranged Mathias Breitschaft) Mädchenchor
am Dom und St Quintin; Isabelle Müller (harp); Karsten Storck
(conductor) [4:14]
11 “God bless the child” (Billie Holiday & Arthur Herzog
Jr) Sarah Lipfert (vocal); Bigband Brass & Fun; Bernhard
Kölmel (conductor) [4:23]
12 “Es kommt ein Schiff geladen” Instrumental-Ensemble Chantal;
Michael Hofmann (conductor) [2:29]
13 “Engel Gottes künden” (W A Mozart) Ensemble LaFillia; Martin
Ramroth (conductor) [4:20]
14 “I don’t know how to love him” (Andrew Lloyd Webber) Hélène
Lindqvist (soprano); Ariane Müller (piano) Patrick Wieland (guitar)
[3:58]
15 “Abendsegen” from “Hänsel und Gretel” (Humperdinck) Evelyn
Czesla (soprano); Even Maria Günschmann (mezzo-soprano); Christoph
Jung (piano) [1:39]
16 “Leise rieselt der Schnee” Kinderchor der Staatsoper Stuttgart;
Joannes Knecht (piano & conductor) [2:04]
17 “Virga Jesse” (Bruckner) Vokalensemble ’83; Bernard Leonardy
(conductor) [3:15]
18 “Was soll das bedeuten?” (Trad arr Siegfried Strohbach) Kammerchor
ex-semble Münchweiller; Christoph Hassler (conductor) [2:26]
19 “Hebe deine Augen auf” from “Elijah” (Mendelssohn) Konzertchor
Via Nova Koblenz; Michael Fuxius (conductor) [1:42]
20 “Es weidet seine Herde” from “Messiah” (Handel) Thomas Hammes
(trumpet); Christian Schmitt (organ) [4:19]
21 Largo from Winter from “The Four Seasons” (Vivaldi) Kyoko
Tanino (violin); Junger Kammerorchester Konstanz; Wolfgang Mettler
(conductor) [2:00]
22 “Inmitten der Nacht” (trad arr Karl Schnürl) Chor-Art Stuttgart;
Regine Eccard (conductor) [1:21]
23 “In dulci jubilo” (Buxtehude) Anze Ganzenmüller (soprano);
Ileana Mateescu (mezzo-soprano); Christian Rathgeber (tenor);
Danilo Tepsa (continuo) [3:05]
24 “Tu scendi dalle stelle” (Alfonso Maria de Ligouri) Marshall
& Alexander Kinderchor Päda-Sternchen; Pauline Floreani
(flute); Petra Fohr-Floreani (piano) [2:03]
On Christmas Night
1 “Il est né le divin enfant” (trad)
2 “White Chiistmas” (Irving Berlin 1888-1989)
3 “Nu zijt wellokome” (trad)
4 “On Christmas night all Christians sing” (trad)
5 “The first Noel” (trad)
6 “Sterren” (Lenny Kuhr)
7 “Midden in de winternacht” (trad)
8 “De herdertjes lagen bij nachte” (trad)
9 “Adeste Fidelis” (trad)
10 “God rest you merry, gentlemen” (trad)
11 “O herders verlaat uw bokskens en schapen” (trad)
12 “Whilst shepherds watched their flocks” (trad)
13 “This endris night” (trad)
14 “’t is geboren” (trad)
15 “Laat nu alle droefheid vluchten” (trad)
16 “The Lord at first did Adam make” (trad)
17 “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” (trad)
18 “Still, still, still” (trad)
19 “Jingle Bells” (John Pierpoint 1785-1866)
20 “Stille Nacht” (Franz Gruber 1787-1863)
Christmas Songs
1 “Koppången” (Pererik Moraeus b.1950) [5:15]
2 “Forundeligt at Sige” (Carl Nielsen 1865-1931) [2:30]
3 “Jul, Jul, Strålande Jul” (Gustav Nordqvist 1886-1949) [2:32]
4 “Hosiannah!” (Selim Palmgren 1878-1951) [3:05]
5 “Madonnans Vaggvisa” (Ingvar Lidholm b.1921) [2:25]
6 “Vittskövlevisan” (Trad arr Staffan Lindberg) [5:28]
7 “Staffansvisa från Orust” (Trad arr Staffan Lindberg) [2:42]
8 “Hodie Christus natus est” (Jan Sweelinck 1562-1621) [3:05]
9 “He shall feed his flock” (G F Handel 1685-1759) [4:33]
10 “Lux Aurumque” (Eric Whitacre b.1970) [3:59]
11 “Stille nacht” (Franz Gruber 1787-1863) [3:03]
12 “Dostóyno yest” (Nikolai Golovanov 1891-1953) [2:34]
13 “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” (Michael Praetorius 1571-1621)
[5:15]
14 “Joy to the world” (Lowell Mason 1792-1872) [1:24]
15 “Have yourself a merry little Christmas” (Hugh Martin b.1914
& Ralph Blane 1914-1995) [4:06]
16 The Christmas Song (Mel Tormé 1925-1999 & Robert Wells
1922-1998) [3:08]
17 “Hark! The herald Angels sing” (Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
1809-1847) [3:07]
18 “God rest you merry, gentlemen” (Trad arr Per-Henning Olsson)
[2:33]
19 “Tomorrow shall be my dancing day” (John Gardner b.1917)
[1:48]
HÄNSSLER CLASSIC 98.553 [74:33] 
