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Our Review

Absolutely, positively magnificent! For those who enjoy male a cappella ensembles, seasonal music really does not get any better than Chor Leoni's incomparable Yuletide Fires! This album is perfection from stem to stern; even the contemporary "fire" gracing the cover is very cool.

Chor Leoni means the "choir of lions" in Greek and Italian, respectively, and these lions should take great "pride" in their stunning achievements here. I love a cappella music, but was not previously familiar with this award-winning ensemble.

Yuletide Fires contains 23 tracks (almost 70 minutes of music!). The pieces range from Gregorian and Sarum chants to contemporary Canadian carols, providing an excellent mix. About half of the numbers are fairly well-known, including personal favorites such as "Huron Carol" and "Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen" (both are fantastic here!). Although the music is mostly a cappella, accompaniment appears on several numbers, and the chants frequently feature haunting bells at the start. And the album is not just about the males; a lovely soprano (Siri Olesen) appears on two cuts, including "Stille Nacht." Chor Leoni's rendition of "Rise Up Shepherd" is especially rich and moving.

I applaud Chor Leoni on this marvelous seasonal offering! Yuletide Fires should light a fire under listeners to find out more about this remarkable ensemble.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)

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From the liner notes:

Diane Loomer, C.M./Artistic Director

First Tenors: Tancho Baes, Pete Chamberlain, Stephen Cropper, Tom Ellis, Steve Froese, Ken Hollett, Mark MacDonald, Cliff Reinhardt, Hyo Shim, William Ting, Stephen Wright

Second Tenors: Jordan Black, Justin Burwood, James Carter, Gavin Grandish, Choji Hayashi, Bruce Hoffman, Ray Horst, Mike Jackman, Ryan Kett, Jim Knight, Ted Steiner, Einer Teng

Baritones: Joseph Anthony, Roy Campbell, Doug Graeb, David Love, Greg Martin, Shawn Mattas, Rob McAllister, Les Nerling, Erik Oun, Daniel Sheinin, Shad Turner, Stephen Wright

Basses: Paul Birch, Steve Castle, Garth Edwards, James Emery, Ed Friesen, Barry Honda, Dick Loomer, Graham Lord, Henri Lorieau, Chris Moore, Jonathan Ng, Larry Nickel, Bob Rankin, Peter Rohloff

Producer/Editor: Jonathan Quick
Recording Engineer: Don Harder

Soloists/Instrumentalists:
Steve Maddock (baritone): 5,19,21,22
Siri Olesen (soprano): 13,18
Ray Horst (tenor): 7,20
Cliff Reinhardt/Bruce Hoffman/Greg Martin: 10
Roy Campbell (portative organ): 10
Amy Stephen (harp): 7,13,22
Ken Cormier (rehearsal pianist)
Mad Pudding:
Andy Hillhouse (guitar): 3
Boris Favre (bass guitar): 3
Cameron Wilson (violin): 3,22
Norah Rendell (B flat whistle): 3

Contemporary Canadian carols, English luck-visit songs, Gregorian chant, cantiques traditionnels, German lullabies, somber Russian motets. This contrasting array is a small sample of the vast spectrum of music sung throughout the Christian world to celebrate Christmas (Noël, Navidad, Jul, Weihnacht). Chor Leoni and their internationally known conductor, Diane Loomer, have searched the choral world for seasonal pieces for men's voices, some written especially for "the lions," and tried to capture the style of these contrasting works from the corners of Christianity. We hope you will forgive us if we have added a bit of "Chor Leoni" flavour to the recipe. You may not find all of your favourite carols, but we hope this recording brings you a wider appreciation of the way in which this special day is celebrated by Christians and their choirs throughout our shrinking globe.

From the Web site:

What do Gregorian chant, German lullabies, English luck-visit songs, Russian motets, and contemporary Canadian carols have in common? They are all part of Chor Leoni's Christmas CD, Yuletide Fires. Instead of simply recycling the same old hackneyed carols, Diane has sought out some of the lesser-known gems of the Advent and Christmas repertoire, such as the serene Sarum chant "Letabundus" or the haunting Appalachian carol "As Joseph Was A-Walking." However, lest you think that everything will be unfamiliar, we should add that there are some old favourites on the disc, but in new guises: Robert Sund's stunningly beautiful arrangement of "Silent Night" for soprano and male chorus is almost worth the price of the disc on its own!

When asked about the CD, Artistic Director Diane Loomer said, "Much of the CD is quiet, peaceful, and serene. Its intent is to calm and encourage listeners to relax into Christmas, let them escape from all that Christmas is hyped up to be and rarely is. Our hope is that Yuletide Fires will allow listeners to slip into surroundings of beauty, grace, and balanced quietness."

Yuletide Fires was voted the Outstanding Choral Recording of 2003 by the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors, and won a Western Canadian Music Award as the 2004 Outstanding Classical Recording.

Chor Leoni

Yuletide Fires

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Track List