Christmas – four CDs and a DVD.
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Christmas
Around The World -
Christmas organ music from Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain,
Hungary and America SHEVA COLLECTION SH025 [67:58]
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This is fine music – not all of it that commonly heard. It is
performed with feeling and without distracting showiness. Organists
looking for inspiration to break away from the seasonal standards
should seek out this disc.
The first six tracks are meditative-introspective though the
Brahms stands out in this company as lively; even more so the
Walcha Den die Hirten lobten sehre and the Daquin Noel.
The Dandrieu takes us back to the meditative as does the rather
sweetly Sibelian and confidingly pastoral Dubois. For me the
latter and the Bossi are amongst the discoveries here. If, having
been lulled, we are drifting off then the clarion Franck and
Monza put paid to that tendency. A darkness inhabits the sable
introspection of the Lloyd Webber Interlude while an agreeable
complexity and richness suffuses the Stanford out of which a
brassy and ringing triumph surges skywards. Stanford is a composer
the organist has championed to superb effect these many years.
The Liszt is light-filled and delightful. I had never heard
of Zachow, Carr or Wilbur Held. Held is the musician behind
the final richly stocked Six Carol Settings.
One can hear the dry wooden action of the instrument from time
to time as in the romantic Berlioz and fast-flowing Tallis.
Its regularity sits ill with the essentially idyllic Ireland
and Held’s take on O Little Town of Bethlehem. Each track
is preceded by a pleasing hollow metallic resonance and when
some tracks end that resonance cuts off like a cliff edge as
at the end of tr. 23. Details of the instrument’s manual and
pedals stops are given. Sheva Collection have addressed criticism
of earlier issues by choosing text size of user-friendly size.
The note is in Italian and English.
Allowance being made for the prominence of the instrument’s
mechanical action this is a most attentively thought through
and executed collection.
Andrew Morris has also listened to this disc
Christopher Howell's survey of Christmas related organ music is a well constructed antidote to the more familiar musical fare associated with the festive season. Although hardly as international as the disc's title implies, the programme of European and American organ works uses national contrasts to enlightening effect. Howell presents groupings of German, French, Italian and a little American music with each set drawn from several centuries of work, all performed on the organ of the church of San Lorenzo in the Italian village of Lessona, west of Milan.
Seven German chorale-preludes begin the disc, and Buxtehude's In dulci Jubilo is an excellent introduction. Its gently contrapuntal lines set the tone for many of the German contributions, and the Pachelbel chorale-prelude that follows is an airy and gradually mounting example of the same discipline. Zachow's Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland is a personal highlight as it sets the same chorale melody used by J. S. Bach in one of my own favourite cantatas, No. 62. The limitations of the instrument and recording become apparent in the Bach and Brahms items which follow, with the recorded sound being too distant for quiet detail to register fully. These quieter passages are sometimes hampered by the rather noisy action of the instrument itself and the sagging pitch of certain pipes results in some uncomfortable cadences.
Of the French items, Daquin's genial dance-like variations contrast with Berlioz's peaceful Sérenade agreste à la Madone which holds some unexpected harmonic corners. This, coupled with Theodore Dubois's plaintive Noël variations, highlight these French composers' preoccupation with atmosphere, rather than the interest in form and process pursued in the earlier German works. This French selection is completed with Franck's brief Vieux Noël, a minor key processional with a regal flavour.
A pair of Italian works surprise through their initial similarity and subsequent departure. Carlo Monza's Pastorale is set in a number of contrasting sections, the last of which matches closely the character of Marco Enrico Bossi's Musette, despite the latter having been composed a century later. The surprise is Bossi's intriguing departure into a central section of impressionist harmonies and repetitive motifs.
Thomas Tallis's Natus est nobis is the earliest music on the disc and inaugurates the British section. William Lloyd Webber's appealingly gloomy Interlude on The Coventry Carol recalls Dubois's Noël in tone while John Ireland's organ transcription of his own The Holy Boy is one of the most free-flowing and appealing works on the disc, though it is compromised by the same tuning problems heard earlier in the recital. Another highlight follows in the form of Stanford's At Christmastide, which carefully disguises the familiar O come all ye faithful with flowing and overlapping scales until it can be contained no longer.
Liszt's jaunty Die Hirten an der Krippe leads into the final national pairing on the disc, of which Wilbur Held's American take on some familiar and some less familiar carol tunes throws up some surprises. Best of all is his urgent and unconventionally harmonised version of God Rest You Merry Gentlemen which concludes a thoughtfully programmed recital of unfamiliar Christmas music.
Andrew Morris
A refreshingly unfamiliar programme of Christmas music for
organ.
I
Saw Three Ships - Manor House String Quartet MANOR HOUSE MUSIC
002 [69:27]
Manor House Music
Potently recorded these carols are said to be 're-creations'
rather than arrangements. There are no voices. Warmth is not
in short supply and the sound emerges from the speakers with
thrumming impact. Gabriel's Message, We Three Kings
of Orient Are, The First Nowell and In the Bleak
Midwinter put out as much heat as an old three bar Belling.
Ding Dong Merrily On High is brusquely and joyfully Graingerian.
While Shepherds Watched seems rather overdone – obscured
rather than illuminated. The Holly and the Ivy has a
Smetana-like bustle and a deliciously pointed counterpoise.
For my taste Silent Night goes far too fast to catch
the lullaby calm but it is lovingly played. Deck the Hall
is, at least to my ears, redeemed of its saccharin by a
wonderfully tart arrangement. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
and Angels From the Realms of Glory have that dignified
Aus meinem leben tang which in each case intensifies
the melody. In Dulci Jubilo swings along with rough pizzicato.
The Mozartean-accented strains of O Come, All Ye Faithful
and Away In A Manger add repose but Here We Come
A-Wassailing has a more slender blade and this time a happy
choice of swift tempo. Personent Hodie evokes the frosty
chapel world of viols and monasteries. It is superbly done.
The Coventry Carol and Once In Royal David's City
are done with a Dvorák-like shiver and a catch in the throat;
loved it. The two Noels have that peculiarly liquid ‘auncient’
French atmosphere. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel wheezes with
radiant atmosphere. The Wexford Carol/Irish Carol Medley
most skilfully taps into the Gaelic diaspora tradition reflected
in the music chosen by Ken Burns in his superb American Civil
War epic.
Christmas
Spirit
- works composed and arranged for brass quintet Mainstreet Brass
MSR CLASSICS MS1325 [68:05]
MSR Recordings
Is that a haze of breath arising around the players. O come,
O come Emmanuel, Once in Royal David's City and In
the Bleak Midwinter are played with tender feeling. The
brass sound has a finely judged vocal quality and often a roseate
Medieval rasp as in Joseph Lieber. Richard Price’s arrangement
add a modern touch to Once in Royal David's City. Ding
Dong! Merrily on high, on the other hand, seems a shade
robotic in its machine-like deliberation and a similar effect
registers in Deck the Halls. A Christmas Carol has
A. Danson as the narrator of the tale of Scrooge and of his
redemption through terror. The brass score is modern-lyrical
and Danson matches the story with his not too precious English
accent. Quite naturally, Joy to the world is zesty and
Handelian. There’s a commercial stratum here as well and this
can be felt in Deck the Halls, the swinging Go tell
it on the mountain and in Frosty the Snowman as well
as the unbuttoned Rudolph and Santa in which the famous
Reindeer and the famous beard meet and jam. The trajectory of
these titles describes an arc from snowy medievalism to shopping
mall. Very atmospheric recording.
A
Family Christmas Royal
Scottish National Orchestra/Christopher Bell SIGNUM SIGCD202
[68:58]
alternatively
CD: MDT
AmazonUK
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Sound
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This is a full-fat orchestral celebration recorded in tirelessly
rapturous sound – engineering team take a bow. It starts with
a lavish Leroy Anderson confection that, with a smile, tracks
skilfully from tin pan alley to traditional favourite carols.
Even Adeste Fideles is made to square up to Sousa. Christmas
Alphabet introduces us to the choir who sing with just the
right infusion of caramel, vigour and soft-shoe smooch. More
of the same in the nicely rapped out The Little Drummer Boy
with delightful woodwind curlicues. Twinkle, Twinkle,
Little Star has a rather tasty collision with Star Trek
and the choir play their part alongside a breathy treble
solo. Back to Leroy Anderson for his Sleigh Ride performed
here with no-holds barred and with accelerator foot planted
right down. One of the joys of this sort of anthology is the
chance of discovery. I already knew Bob Chilcott’s work or some
of it. His Hey! Now is irresistible in its play with
Medievalism and frosty Mathias-influenced writing – reminds
me of This Worlde’s Joie and a little of RVW. Personent
Hodie is another traditionally-flavoured charmer in which
the harp buoys up the choir who are recorded with full lissom
tone. Victor Herbert’s March of the Toys from the musical
Babes in Toyland is from the same region as the dance
music of Waldteufel and Tchaikovsky. The Twelve Days of Christmas
by John Rutter rushes through the days up to the rapturously
golden rings. Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel is a Christmas
perennial and the two extracts - Sandman’s Song and Evening
Prayer – make for an operatic touch to the experience of
this disc. John Williams’ Somewhere in My Memory shows
this master tune-smith’s skills and his abilities to make any
orchestra billow and swell. Waldteufel’s Skaters’ Waltz is
romantic stately. Stable Carol by Vaughan Meakins recalls
an Austrian bucolic scene and the little ‘wow’ the choir adds
is enchanting. Philip Lane’s cherishable Sleighbell Serenade
makes a nice companion to Jingle Bells and various
other snowy sleigh-rides. Panis Angelicus is soupy and
is sung with aristocratic wonder. It makes for contrast. Blood
moves through the veins again with the swift-pulsed This
Little Babe. Daniel Harrison has the bells ring out in Christmas
Hope – a wonderful new carol. A touch of Hollywood here
but nothing at all amiss or miscalculated. The Penguin Song
by Stannard/Lucy W Rhu is a light-hearted quick-march offering
for the children and the booklet offers arm and dance movements.
Jingle Bells is sung with romping zest and a shout. Schneewalzer
by Thomas Koschat sways and waltzes amid a glistening vision
of Vienna.
A
Christmas Musical Tour – A Musical Journey - Austria / Switzerland
/ Germany 
NAXOS
2.110254 [57:29]
alternatively
CD: MDT
AmazonUK
AmazonUS
Naxos have cornered the market in DVD travelogues. This Christmas-themed
video - made in 1993 and presented here in 3:4 aspect - tracks
through picturesque churches, landscapes and street-scenes and
sets these images to extracts of seasonal music by Bach (Christmas
Oratorio and others) and Handel (Messiah). It’s done smoothly
without bumpy gear-changes. That said, each of the seventeen
chapters is preceded by a title-board telling you about the
location you are about to see and identifying the music to be
played. Those title sequences stay on screen for perhaps a mite
too long – certainly long enough for the watcher to note the
catalogue number of the CD carrying the music. Every piece of
music is from the Naxos catalogue. Fair enough that Naxos would
take the opportunity to use its own recordings and wish to promote
the related CDs.
Impressions crowd in. Sacred meets profane. The devotional and
commercial are juxtaposed just as they are for the now long
extended Christmas experience which seems to begin in October
these days. We see wintry street markets with haloed lights,
smiling children’s faces and kitsch goods brilliantly coloured
on the stalls. Those plastic Santas and Sendak-based street
carnival masks and costumes contrast with meditative countryside
snow-scenes. These are very well done. In fact we could have
done with more of these. Perhaps a bit of a cliché, but the
spangled early sun in chiaroscuro through the pines is beautifully
done. There are quite a few church interiors but the camerawork
is excellent with tracking and panning shots taken at just the
right speed to allow the viewer to take in the detail of the
crib scene and a host of gilded seraphim and cherubim. The camera
moves on before boredom sets in. One drinks in the flamboyance
of the Collegiate Church Ottobeuren. The music is aptly chosen
to match the images. Notable among the singers is are the wonderful
Helen Parker in He shall feed his flocks as is the lusty
singing of Heilige Nacht.
The booklet is pretty good. It identifies all the performers
for each chapter as well as catalogue numbers for the counterpart
CDs.
Rob Barnett
Full Track Details
Christmas Around The World - Christmas organ music from Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Hungary and America
1) Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707) In dulci jubilo BuxWV 197 [1:54]
2) Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) Vom Himmel hoch, da komm: ich her [3:07]
3) Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow (1663-1712) Nun komm der Heiden Heiland LV 21 [2:41]
4) Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Wie schon leuchtet der Morgenstern BWV 739 [4:53]
5) Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Es ist ein Ros entsprungen op. 122/8 [2:30]
6) Max Reger (1873-1916) Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme op.135a/25 [1:50]
7) Helmut Walcha (1907-1991) Den die Hirten lobten sehre [1:42]
8) Jean-Francois Dandrieu (c.1682-1738) Puer nobis nascitur [2:00]
9) Louis-Claude Daquin (1694-1772) Noel [5:56]
10) Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) Serenade agreste 6 la Madone [3:22]
11) Theodore Dubois (1837-1924) Noel [4:54]
12) Cesar Franck (1822-1890) Vieux Noel [1:23]
13) Carlo Monza (c.1735-1801) Pastorale [5:03]
14) Marco Enrico Bossi (1861-1925) Musette [3:25]
15) Thomas Tallis (c.1505-1585) Natus est nobis [0:57]
16) W.S. Lloyd Webber (1914-1982) Interlude on the Coventry Carol [2:15]
17) John Ireland (1879-1962) The Holy Boy [2:43]
18) Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) At Christmastide op. 182/1 [2:04]
19) Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Die Hirten an der Krippe (In dulci jubilo) [2:44]
20) Benjamin Carr (1789-183 1) Variations to the Sicilian Hymn (O Santissima) [2:15]
Wilbur Held (1914) Six Carol Settings: 21) 1. Good Christian Men, Rejoice (In dulci jubilo) [1:17]; 22) 2. Of the Father:s Love Begotten (Divinum mysterium) [3:13]; 23) 3. From Heaven Above (Vom Himmel hoch) [1:15]; 24) 4. 0 Little Town of Bethlehem [1:40]; 25) 5. The First Noel [0:53]; 26) 6. God Rest You Merry [1:12]
Christopher Howell (organ)
rec. 23 Oct, 9 Nov 2009 Chiesa di San Lorenzo, Lessona, Piemonte, Italy. DDD
SHEVA COLLECTION SH025 [67:58]
I Saw Three Ships - Manor House String Quartet
1. I Saw Three Ships [2:37]
2. We Three Kings of Orient Are [3:37]
3. Ding Dong Merrily On High [2:56]
4. While Shepherds Watched [2:27]
5. The Holly and the Ivy [1:59]
6. Silent Night [3:47]
7. Deck the Hall [1:34]
8. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen [3:17]
9. In Dulci Jubilo [3:05]
10. Away In A Manger [3:50]
11. Here We Come A-Wassailing [2:20]
12. Personent Hodie [4:09]
13. Coventry Carol [3:54]
14. 2 Noels: Joseph Est Bien Marie [1:45]
15. 2 Noels: Laissez Patre Vos Betes [2:13]
16. In the Bleak Midwinter [3:09]
17. The First Nowell [2:20]
18. Once In Royal David's City [3:10]
19. Angels From the Realms of Glory [2:44]
20. Gabriel's Message [2:21]
21. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel [3:18]
22. O Come, All Ye Faithful [2:45]
23. Wexford Carol / Irish Carol Medley [5:59]
Manor House String Quartet (Vaughan Jones (violin), Louise Bevan (violin), Adrian Smith (viola), Julia Graham (cello))
rec. 16-17 August 2010, MBJ studios, Bermondsey, London
MANOR HOUSE MUSIC 002 [69:27]
Christmas Spirit - works composed and arranged for brass quintet
1. Once in Royal David's City by Henry John Gauntlett (arr. Richard Price)
2. Joy to the World by Lowell Mason (arr. Alan Danson)
3. In the bleak mid-winter by Gustav Holst (arr. A. Danson)
4. Ding Dong! Merrily on high by Traditional 16th century French carol, (arr. A. Danson)
5. Linus and Lucy - Christmas Time Is Here Vince Guaraldi, (arr. Kevin Long & Zachary Smith)
6. A Little Christmas Medley by Jonathan Smith (arr. for MSB by Jonathan Smith); O come, O come Emmanuel - Traditional / Rejoice and Be Merry (Gallery Carol); The Twelve Days of Christmas - Traditional
7. Gloucestershire Wassail, 'Wassail, wassail all over the town!' English traditional (arr. Lawrence Eden)
8. Wexford Carol - 12th century Irish carol (arr. R. Price)
9. A Christmas Carol - A Dickens of a Tale by A. Danson (text: Owen Surridge)
10. Deck the Halls Welsh traditional carol, (arr. A. Danson)
11. Frosty the Snowman by Steve Nelson, (arr. Lewis J. Buckley)
12. We three kings by John Henry Hopkins Jr, (arr. A. Danson)
13. Go tell it on the mountain - American traditional (arr. L.J. Buckley)
14. Joseph, lieber Joseph mein - Johann Walter (arr. Shari Gleason-Mayrhofer)
15. Rudolph and Santa by J. Smith (arr. for MSB by J. Smith); Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Johnny Marks; Santa Claus is comin' to town by John Frederic Coots
16. Meet Me in St. Louis: Have yourself a merry little Christmas by Hugh Martin & Blane (arr. Tim Jameson)
17. We wish you a merry Christmas (16th century English carol, arr. Thomas G. Parriott)
Mainstreet Brass (Kevin Long and Donald Hughes (trumpet), Shari Gleason-Mayrhofer (horn), Bryan Hay (trombone), Allen Frank (tuba)) A. Danson (narrator); Richard Groller, Steven Mathiesen, Kevin Spear and Michael Vought (percussion)
rec. 27 Feb-1 March 2009. First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. DDD
MSR CLASSICS MS1325 [68:05]
A Family Christmas
1 A Christmas Festival by Leroy Anderson [6.02]
2. Christmas Alphabet by Buddy Kaye/Jules Loman [3.05]
3. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star - Traditional [4.54] (Roshni Mansfield (verse 1); Charlotte McKechnie (verse 2); Julie Aitken (verse 3))
4. The Little Drummer Boy by Simeone/Davis/Onorati [2.39]
5. Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson [2.41]
6. Hey! Now by Bob Chilcott [1.48]
7. Personent Hodie - Traditional [2.11]
8. March of the Toys from Babes in Toyland by Victor Herbert/Glen MacDonough [3.46]
9. The Twelve Days of Christmas by John Rutter [3.47]
10. Sandman’s Song and Evening Prayer from Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck [5.11]
11. Somewhere in My Memory by John Williams [3.02]
12. Skaters’ Waltz by Emile Waldteufel [6.47]
13. Stable Carol by Vaughan Meakins [4.40]
14. Sleighbell Serenade from Three Christmas Pictures by Philip Lane [3.01]
15. Panis Angelicus by César Franck [3.27] (soloist: Niall Docherty)
16. This Little Babe from A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten [1.28]
17. Christmas Hope by Daniel Harrison [2.54]
18. The Penguin Song by Stannard/Lucy W Rhu [2.24]
19. Jingle Bells by James Lord Pierpoint [1.56] (soloist: Charlotte McKechnie)
20. Schneewalzer by Thomas Koschat [3.04]
RSNO Junior Chorus
Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Christopher Bell
rec. 14-15 September 2009, RSNO Centre, Henry Wood Hall, Glasgow
SIGNUM SIGCD202 [68:58]
A Christmas Musical Tour – A Musical Journey - Austria / Switzerland / Germany
Austria: 1. Vienna: Christkindl Market 2. Silent Night Chapel, Oberndorf • 3. St Nicholas and Krampusse, Steyr
Switzerland: 4. Kreuzweg in Einsiedeln: Snow and Ice
Austria: 5. Christmas shopping in Vienna • 6. Vienna: St Peter’s Church
Switzerland: 7. Sihlsee • 8. Monastery Church, Einsiedeln
Germany: 9. Bavaria: Collegiate Church, Ottobeuren
Austria: 10. Salzburg and Hallein, Landscapes 11. Christmas Market, Salzburg • Advent Calendar, Steinbach 12. Weissensee • 13. Oriental Christmas Crib, Steyr 14. Vienna: Francesco Bassara – Adoration of the Magi 15–16. Christmas Crib, Linz Cathedral
Switzerland: 17. Cupola of the Monastery Church, Einsiedeln
NTSC 4:3; PCM Stereo / Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS 5.1; Region code: 0 (worldwide)
NAXOS 2.110254 [57:29]
Christopher Howell (organ) SHEVA 