Our Review
I have the opportunity to hear all of the latest arrangements of Christmas music, and there are marked differences from year to year as styles change. I enjoy watching and listening to the changes. But I also take comfort from traditional arrangements, and I always welcome a CD that chooses to pay homage to long-established genres.
Christmas Choral Classics is just such one: a delightful set of classic Christmas carols and songs. As conducted by David Temple, the Crouch End Festival Chorus bring energy and musicality to this time-honored style. Their vibrant sound is augmented by the City of Prague Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Paul Bateman. The Symphony adds depth to already sparkling vocals, giving the the work an air of expectancy and majesty.
I particularly enjoyed their well-tempered performance of Do You Hear What I Hear? and the poignancy of Walking in the Air, a song I hadn't heard before.
Listeners who enjoy the Ray Conniff Singers may find things to like about this disc.
--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2000)
No More
Crouch End Festival Chorus and the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
Christmas Choral Classics
Artist link
Label: Silva Screen
Length: 61 minutes
Genre: Choral
Release: 2000
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| Hark, The Herald Angels Sing |
| It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year |
| Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas |
| Winter WOnderland |
| Joy to the World |
| Gaudete |
| I Believe in Father Christmas |
| Do You Hear What I Hear? |
| The First Nowell |
| Ding Dong Merrily on High |
| Walking in the Air |
| The Twelve Days of Christmas |
| God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen |
| The Little Drummer Boy |
| White Christmas |
| O Come All Ye Faithful |
| Mary's Boy Child |
| Jingle Bells |
| Silent Night |
| Happy Xmas (War Is Over) |
| We Wish You a Merry Christmas |