Our Review
Lo, How a Rose is Pamela Howland's third holiday CD (Carols for a Blue Christmas and December Classics are also reviewed on this site), and this talented artist has hit another homerun. In this case, Howland's "bat" is her piano; just consider her the MVP of this particular World Series.
Admittedly, piano instrumentals for the holidays are pretty commonplace and can be rather ho-hum. Lo, How a Rose, however, is uncommonly fine and is far more Ho! Ho! Ho! than ho-hum. First, I have to admit that this album had an edge the moment I read its title. As it so happens, I adore its namesake; "Lo, How a Rose" has to be one of the greatest Christmas carols in history. Any album constructed around that theme just must be a winner. Second, Howland does some of her own arrangements (on tracks 1-3, 11-12) here, her first foray into such work. The results only serve to heighten the personal intensity and intimacy that mark her CDs.
So, when the album opens with the incredibly beautiful "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming," Howland immediately draws me into her warm and welcoming spell. The first nine tracks are traditional holiday offerings, and these include such lovely pieces as "The Coventry Carol," "Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella," and "In the Bleak Mid-Winter." The remaining six cuts are more complex classical offerings by the Baroque masters.
Lo, How a Rose absolutely brims with highlights. Even the simplest moment resonates with multiple textures and radiant allure. For example, the straightforward children's number "Away in a Manger" becomes a sophisticated homage to the newborn king, with multiple waves of dramatic key changes. Howland also accomplishes the opposite feat; she makes the more challenging Baroque pieces utterly accessible. Her artistic rendering of "Adagio (Mvt. 3) is particularly impressive and moving. The elegant and exquisite "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Sleepers Awake)" is a terrific closer to the album.
Simply gorgeous! For those who enjoy enchanting piano music with a classical bent, Howland's Lo, How a Rose will produce no thorns this holiday season. Enjoy!
--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2004)
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From the liner notes:
Executive Producer: Pamela Howland
Recording Producer, Engineer, Editor: Evan Richey, Ovation Sound
Arrangements of tracks #1-3 & 11-12 by Pamela Howland
The selections on this disc evoke the weight, depth, beauty and mystery of the Nativity, helping listeners on a reflective journey from traditional carols through Baroque classics as they ponder the modern implications of an event that transpired 2,000 years ago.
The first nine tracks are traditional carols, melodies that conjure pastoral images of shepherds dancing while a babe is being rocked to sleep. The last six tracks are from Baroque masters who layer on additional complexity for listeners along the way.
These carols and classical selections weave a rich tapestry, celebrating themes as textured and profound as the music is soothing and complex. They strike deep emotional chords. Ponder the shift in keys, the changes in tempo, the simple in the intricate, and come away each time with new insights into the season and what it means today.
--Mike Massoglia
Pamela Howland
Lo,
How a Rose: Carols and Baroque Pastorales for the Christmas Season
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Label: HM Classics
Length: 40 minutes
Genre: Classical
Release: 2004
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming |
| O Come, O Come Emmanuel |
| Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella |
| Away In a Manger |
| Still, Still, Still |
| What Child Is This? |
| The Coventry Carol |
| We Three Kings |
| In the Bleak Mid-Winter |
| Pastorale Sonata in C Major, K. 513 |
| Pastorale (Mvt. 6) |
| Adagio (Mvt. 3) |
| Siciliano |
| Musette-Gavotte |
| Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme |