A Christmas Festival
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Brand: RUTTER,JOHNComposer: John Rutter
Conductor: John Rutter
Performer: Melanie Marshall
Performer: John Anderson
Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Performer: Clara Sanabras
Performer: Elin Manahan Thomas
Performer: Andrew Williams
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2008-10-14
Music Label: Collegium
Product features:
- Christmas Music
- Compact Disk
- O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste fidelis)
- Gaudete Christus est natus (Piae Cantiones 1582)
- The Shepherd's Carol, for chorus
- Nos galan (New Year's Eve), carol (Welsh)
- I Wonder As I Wander (American)
- Ave Maria, for chorus & orchestra
- Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day (English)
- Rejoice and Be Merry, for chorus & orchestra
- El Noi de la Mare, carol (Catalan)
- A Christmas Overture, for orchestra
- Born on a New Day (after You Are A New Day)
- Magical Kingdom, for children's chorus & orchestra
- Mary's Little Boy Child, song
- Esta noche nace un Niño (Spanish)
- Norwegian Sleigh Ride, RT ix/3
- De Virgin Mary had a baby boy
- New Year, for chorus & orchestra
- I Wish You Christmas, for children's chorus, mixed chorus & orchestra
- Hark! the Herald Angels Sing (adapted by W. H. Cummings from Mendelssoh
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (for the film Meet Me in St. Lou
Music reviews of A Christmas Festival
Music Review: Cause For Celebration
Rating: 5 Stars
It's not surprising that when my local classical FM station (WMHT in Schenectady, NY in case you want to check out the online streaming version) was doing their annual fundraiser this December, they offered copies of John Rutter's new holiday release A CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL as one of its incentive gifts for pledges of $100. When it comes to choral singing, John Rutter's Cambridge Singers are pretty much the gold standard.
What actually was a surprise was learning that this is the new first holiday themed release Rutter has released in over TWENTY years. His Christmas recordings have been radio staples and personal favorites of my own for such a long time, that I hadn't even been thinking how long it had been since a new one had actually appeared.
On this release, the Cambridge Singers are joined by The Farnham Youth Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, making for a varied and often lively program. Almost any British choral society could easily get away with limiting their selection to the vast storehouse of classic English carols, and while Rutter is not hesitant to offer up same, his selection of the lesser known (at--I suspect--least to an American audience) "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day," demonstrates great originality and resourcefulness even on that front. But Rutter's wide ranging sensibility incorporates many more traditions here: the Welsh carol "Nos Galan" is better known in the English speaking world as "Deck The Halls" but Rutter restores the original Welsh text (actually a New Year's carol), which is sung beautifully by Elin Manahan Thomas.
Carols from the world over (with Spanish, Catalan, Caribbean songs numbering among the standouts) fill out most of the rest of the program, along with several John Rutter compositions ("New Year," "I Wish You Christmas"--and a gorgeous "new setting" of "Ave Maria"--that are almost certainly destined to become choral group standards--and perhaps, just plain ol' standards).
The release of Rutter's A CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL has made holiday shopping quite a bit easier this year. I KNOW what I'm getting everyone on my list for Christmas.
Description of A Christmas Festival
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