Review and More

Our Review

What can I say? Since I am a Minnesotan, some might suspect a chauvinistic bias when I proclaim that the St. Olaf College Christmas Festival (an annual, well-loved Minnesota event for nearly a century) produces the most beautiful Christmas music on the planet, but those folks would be misguided. By all objective accounts, the St. Olaf College Christmas Festival does embody heaven on earth, and contrarians will be struck dead for contending otherwise. Awaken Our Souls, O God of Hope: Christmas at St. Olaf is the recording of the 92nd festival in 2003, and it's a winner on every level.

Of course, this is serious classical choral music, so if that genre does not suit your tastes, you should stop reading this review right now. If, however, splendidly-constructed classical presentations of holiday fare make you sit up and take notice, then you can hardly do better than the magnificent St. Olaf Christmas productions year after year after year.

This 2-CD set provides an hour and 45 minutes of exquisite entertainment. Although this is a live performance, the recording quality is excellent, the acoustics are first rate, and extraneous audience noise is at a bare minimum. It's like having the best seat in the house. Purists who prefer all classical music, all the time (that includes me), should know that the festival does include moments of narration (totaling about 5 minutes). More than 500 student musicians participate: the Chapel Choir, Manitou Singers, St. Olaf Cantorei, St. Olaf Choir, St. Olaf Orchestra, and Viking Chorus, performing both as individual groups and together as massed ensembles. All elements come together for a breathtaking experience. The massive liner notes helpfully set forth the lyrics for all pieces.

As for the musical content, it is difficult knowing where to begin. The musicianship is first rate throughout; this celebration of the Christmas experience does indeed "awaken our souls." For the most part, this is not background music; its exquisite intensity demands your attention. The St. Olaf Christmas Festival does not neglect the more serious holiday favorites--songs like "Away in a Manger" and "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful" find a comfortable place here. I was not familiar with perhaps 60% of the numbers, and that provided some exciting discoveries (for example, "African Noel" is a particularly winning piece).

So take that best seat in the house. Put Awaken Our Souls, O God of Hope on your audio system, then sit back and absorb nearly 100 years of holiday tradition at the St. Olaf College Christmas Festival. What bliss!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)

More

From the liner notes:

The 92nd Annual St. Olaf College Christmas Festival December 4-7, 2003, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota

For many people over the years, the celebration of the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany season has begun with the annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival, a cherished tradition of the college for nearly a century. The first festival in 1912 was a worship service in song for the college community, planned and directed by F. Melius Christiansen, founder of the St. Olaf music department. The festival continues as an outgrowth of Christian conviction and an expression of the rich musical heritage at St. Olaf, a college of the evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

The Chapel Choir, Manitou Singers, St. Olaf Cantorei, St. Olaf Choir, St. Olaf Orchestra and Viking Chorus perform both as individual groups and as a massed ensemble.

From the Web site:

Now under the artistic direction of Anton Armstrong, the St. Olaf Christmas Festival involves the five conductors and nearly 500 musicians from the magnificent St. Olaf Orchestra and five of the college's choirs -- the St. Olaf Choir, Chapel Choir, Manitou Singers, St. Olaf Cantorei, and Viking Chorus. Over 16,000 students, alumni/ae, and friends of the college attend the four performances given on campus in early December, and thousands of others tune in to public television and radio broadcasts across the country.

St. Olaf College Christmas Festival

Awaken Our Souls,
O God of Hope

Artist link

Track List