Our Review
WOW. It's hard to know where to start. It is rare to have so much raw passion and proficiency pumped into classical piano. This is no mousey little new age piano release; Valarie Alexandra Valois plays with heart and muscle, and there's no mistaking her incredible keyboard talent or her zeal for the task at hand.
Deck the Halls is amazing on many levels! For one thing, the album is huge, covering 29 pieces in almost 74 minutes. Her companion album, Joy to the World (see our review), is similarly exquisite, but comes in at less than half that length. The album begins and ends with two different versions of "Deck the Halls," providing two distinctive different approaches to the same tune. Although the album definitely leans towards ancient carols in a classical context, there is whimsy, too, with lighter fare like a honky-tonkin' "Fat Man on the Roof" and the very bluesy "Gloria in Blue."
Valois' playing absolutely demands the listener's attention. The technique is classical and complex. She bangs with forte passion, then coaxes the keys to a pianissimo hush. Her abilities are really quite remarkable--it is difficult to believe that one human being can produce the multiple layers of sound that emanate from her instrument. This is not casual background music for your quiet holiday dinner.
What a pleasure! Superb pianist Valarie Alexandra Valois can deck MY halls any old time! If you crave some classical piano excitement this Christmas season, then welcome Deck the Halls into your home, too--Valois will make you glad you did.
--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)
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From the liner notes:
Valarie Alexandra Valois, Piano
Produced, engineered, and mixed by Randy Wills Exceptions Studios
John A. Haefele, Piano technician
Pianist Valarie Alexandra Valois has played all over the world, to critical and public acclaim throughout her career. This is her first CD in a series scheduled for international distribution via Eroica Classical Recordings.
Legendary Italian pianist Maestro Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, her teacher and mentor, said of her: "This exuberant and exquisite creature possesses a profoundly deep and exalted spirit. . . She is an eagle among pideons--and she is simply the best."
Applause and high praise--lovely as they are--do not make this artist as happy as knowing she has nourished the hearts and souls of her listeners. She invites everyone to share in the celebration of this music, and hopes that all will be blessed, healed and inspired in this holiday season--and all year long.
Valarie Alexandra Valois
Deck the Halls
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Label: Eroica Classical
Length: 74 minutes
Genre: Piano
Release: 2001
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| Deck The Halls |
| Personent Hodie |
| O Come, O Come, Emmanuel |
| What Child Is This? (and) Away In A Manger |
| Sing We Now of Christmas |
| Go, Tell It on the Mountain |
| What Is This Lovely Fragrance? |
| While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks |
| O, How a Rose E'er Blooming |
| O Come Ye in Five |
| The Sleep of the Child Jesus |
| Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence |
| O Tannenbaum |
| Rise Up, Shepherds, and Follow |
| The First Nöel |
| Still, Still, Still |
| Silent Night |
| To A Virgin Meek and Mild |
| The Coventry Carol |
| The Little Drummer Boy |
| O Little Town of Bethlehem |
| Christmas Medley |
| I Wonder As I Wander |
| Gloria in Blue |
| Fum, Fum, Fum |
| God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen |
| The Holly and the Ivy |
| A Fat Man on the Roof |
| Deck the Halls |