Our Review
Like a warm holiday gathering, Robin Spielberg's The Christmas Collection invites the listener to indulge at a table set with a feast of rich holiday morsels. Ms. Spielberg presents her delectables with an unhurried savoring of each one, giving the listener time to enjoy each course in her holiday banquet. Maybe that sounds a little gushy, but I was struck by the warmhearted style in evidence on this new CD. And if you thought that metaphor was over the top, read on.
Ms Spielberg's hands imbue her music with a sentimental accessibility and informality that belie its formal underpinnings. Setting an earnest tone with a delicate rendering of Carol of the Bells, she continues with a series of gentle heartfelt arrangements composed in a way to give currency to timeless values.
Of particular interest was her arrangement of Merry Christmas, originally performed by Judy Garland in the 1949 film In the Good Old Summertime. Her inclusion of Merry Christmas (written by Janice Torre and Fred Spielman) represents the unearthing of a rare find that often compels me to buy a record. I also enjoyed the unpretentious Wind through the Olive Trees, a song I hadn't heard.
So, by creating a warm sound and by including a couple of lesser-known works, Robin Spielberg has taken pretty much the standard set of Christmas carols and made them sound new.
--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2002)
More
From the liner notes: Robin Spielberg is a Steinway artist.
Robin Spielberg
The Christmas Collection
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Artist site
Label: playMountain
Length: 46 minutes
Genre: New Age
Release: 2002
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| Carol Of The Bells |
| O Little Town Of Bethlehem |
| Silent Night |
| Angels We Have Heard On High |
| It Came Upon A Midnight Clear |
| The First Nöel |
| Jingle Bells |
| The Coventry Carol |
| Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming |
| O Holy Night |
| Merry Christmas |
| In the Bleak Midwinter |
| Wind Through The Olive Trees |