Of the hundreds of releases the AMG Classical writers reviewed in 2008, here are some specifically suited to the festive season and which will provide you with hours of enjoyable listening.
 
Profil’s reissue of its 1976 recording of Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël is a solid presentation of an extremely appealing work. Scored for five soloists, chorus, strings, harp, and organ, the oratorio lies within the capabilities of good church and community choirs, and could easily find a place in the repertoires of groups looking for an alternative to Messiah to celebrate the Christmas season. It’s warmly, but not gushily Romantic, with gratifying vocal and choral writing, and both harmonic and contrapuntal richness and variety. Much of it resembles what Mendelssohn might have sounded like had he lived long enough to adopt a late-Romantic idiom. Several of the movements are strongly memorable, particularly the Prelude and “Consurge, Filia Sion” (with their nods to Bach’s Weinachtsoratorium); the duet “Benedictus;” and the trio “Tecum principium.” One of the standouts of this performance is the organ of Hans-Joachim Bartsch, whose sensitive playing and colorful choice of registration is especially striking. The choral singing and orchestral playing of Bachchor and Bachorchester Mainz, conducted by Diethard Hellmann is top notch — full and warmly nuanced. Sopranos Verena Schweizer, Edith Wiens, alto Helena Jungwirth, and tenor Friedrich Melzer sing beautifully, but bass Kurt Widmer is a little hooty. The sound is adequate, but is sometimes slightly distant. With a running time of less than 40 minutes, the CD could have used some filling out, perhaps with a few of the composer’s many excellent liturgical choral works. – Stephen Eddins
Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noël - Tecum principium
 
 
David Willcocks’ 1972 recording of A Ceremony of Carols is a classic: a straightforward version of the piece, one that forgoes any fanciness of tempos and allows the music’s simplicity and sophistication to work their own charms. The Procession and Recession are refreshingly brisk, and “This little babe,” which some conductors take at a tempo that seems intended to put the listener into a state of nervous anxiety for the welfare of the young singers, is instead shapely and musical. “Balulalow” is also taken at a speed that emphasizes its gracefulness and serenity. Willcocks has the benefit of young soloists (as well as the choristers of King’s College, Cambridge) with sweet, pure, strong voices that are absolutely in tune, something that cannot always be taken for granted in performances of this piece. Osian Ellis plays with wonderful clarity, and the harp is miked so that its delicate traceries are cleanly audible. St. Nicolas is a larger piece, requiring more extended performing forces, including mixed choir, girls choir, two pianos, orchestra, and tenor and treble soloists. The dramatic cantata, which was premiered at the opening of the 1948 Aldeburgh Festival, is stylistically eclectic, full of rousing choruses, intense solos, and intriguing orchestral colors. Robert Tear’s tenor is very similar to Peter Pears’ in its timbre and effect, so it will be pleasing to listeners who like Pears’ voice and annoying to those who don’t. Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields plays with fervor and dramatic energy. EMI’s sound is nicely spacious and resonant. – Stephen Eddins
Britten: A Ceremony of Carols - Balulalow

 
 
The Chapter House Choir of York Minster is not one of Britain’s venerable cathedral choirs, but was founded in the late ’60s as part of a fundraising effort aimed at restoring the great structure. The Chapter House Choir is a mixed-gender adult group with 36 members. The sound is tonally accurate and burnished to a clear state equidistant from the pure and voluptuous ends of the spectrum. The program includes one of the group’s trademarks, which is that the members fall silent vocally from time to time and pick up handbells, performing original compositions in that medium. It’s a sprightly break in a sequence of choral pieces that are accompanied by organ or nothing at all. There are also organ solos by Bach and Herbert Howells. The choral music itself is notable for mixing hoary classics like the Coventry Carol and other traditional pieces with music of the English cathedral school of the late 19th and 20th centuries (Howells’ Here Is the Little Door is a forgotten charmer), contemporary crossover pieces by the likes of Rutter and Tavener, and even the American folk carol I Wonder as I Wander. The results as a whole exemplify the jolly old English choral tradition to the hilt without being in the least precious about it, and that’s something to celebrate next holiday season. The choir’s expertise extends to hiring engineers who know how to work in the York Minster space, and text intelligibility is good. – James Manheim
Howells: Here Is the Little Door
 
 
This collection of Christmas music isn’t very well identified on its cover, but it makes a fine choice for the holiday season or any other time. The program consists of music composed in German-speaking countries in the 17th century. Heinrich Schütz and Michael Praetorius are the best-known composers represented, but most of the music comes from the generations after them, from the middle and later parts of the century. It is, for the most part, thoroughly Italian in style, with the exception of the Lutheran chorales that weave their way through it. These semi-dramatic treatments of various aspects of the Christmas story are mostly for two sopranos, and they’re an ideal match for the pair of Britain’s Emma Kirkby and Sweden’s Susanne Rydén. Kirkby is one of the veterans of the early music vocal scene. Her voice has lost none of its liveliness, but it has a thicker quality than before. It makes an intriguing contrast with Rydén’s more silvery instrument. The music for the most part avoids the virtuoso quality of Monteverdi’s high monodic style; it depends more on interpretation and consistency of tone, both areas in which these singers excel. The booklet notes by Bell’Arte Salzburg conductor Annegret Siedel effectively set out the expressive dimensions of this music. Even those who don’t speak the languages of the music will find a lot to enjoy here, however. – James Manheim
Geist: Uns ist ein Kind geboren
 
 
The title An Australian Christmas tells the basics about what to expect from this album: a collection of Christmas carols by Australian composers, performed by Australians. The listener would not know until after hearing this disc, though, just how delightful these carols are. The most substantial contribution is an artlessly simple, melodically memorable set of 15 carols by William G. James, written around the mid-20th century, to texts by John Wheeler. They are accessible, tuneful, and without being imitative, recognizably Christmas-y; many of them could unobtrusively slip into any collection of traditional carols. Wheeler uses local imagery to give the carols a geographical specificity that sounds quaint, but charming to Northerners; Christmas takes place during the Australian summer, and the texts reflect that very different sensibility about the holiday. The pieces by Ross Edwards, Elliot Gyger, Stephen Whittington, Malcolm Williamson, Anne Boyd, and Peter Schulthorpe, many names familiar to international audiences, are more demanding both of their performers and listeners; these are pieces difficult enough to require a fairly proficient choir and have more of the sound of late 20th century British choral anthems. The final third of the album is devoted to 12 Wassails and Lullabies, which use traditional medieval carol texts in new settings by Andrew Ford, scored for voices and percussion. It’s the most challenging work on the album, but its haunting atmosphere and inventive orchestration give it an immediate appeal. The Sidney Philharmonic Motet Choir sings with unmannered elegance and infectious fervor. The album should be of interest to anyone looking for unfamiliar carols that still evoke a Christmas-y mood. – Stephen Eddins
James: The Three Drovers
 
 
Admirers of Harry Christophers and his exemplary choral ensemble The Sixteen will no doubt have the highest expectations for this 2008 Coro release of George Frederick Handel’s Messiah, especially because the group is almost ideal in size, sonority, and technical mastery to render this work in the best period performance style. Even the most demanding listeners will not be disappointed in this recording because Christophers’ scholarship is impeccable, and he leads the performance with sharp Baroque rhythms, brisk tempos, vivid interpretations, and a great flexibility in instrumental combinations, which gives the music greater richness through doublings of the stings with woodwinds and supplies a pleasantly varied basso continuo. The four vocalists — soprano Carolyn Sampson, alto Catherine Wyn-Rogers, tenor Mark Padmore, and bass Christopher Purves — are all seasoned Handelians, and their arias are eloquent in expression and beautifully delivered with a tasteful modicum of ornamentation, but no more than that. The most thrilling highpoints are the glorious choruses in which The Sixteen sounds utterly seraphic in its pure tone and pristine in its transparent lines. As if this extraordinary performance of Messiah was not enough to compel purchase, the special edition set includes a bonus CD that offers attractive excerpts from Coro’s numerous Handel titles. This set is highly recommended for aficionados of recordings of Messiah and newcomers alike. – Blair Sanderson
Handel: Messiah - For Unto Us a Child Is Born
 
 
It’s a pleasure to be able to recommend a collection of Christmas music without reservation. This album (as the title suggests) features favorites from the German-speaking world, so some songs may be unfamiliar to English-speaking audiences, but the arrangements are so tasteful and charming and the performances are so sophisticated while being natural and unmannered that only the most unadventurous traditionalist is likely to find fault with the selection. The CD features an attractive mix of familiar sacred songs, chorales, and carols, in addition to the less well-known fare. The arrangements, by a variety of composers, respect the character of each piece while avoiding clichéd conventionality. Eckhard Weyand leads the chamber ensemble Collegium Instrumentale Stuttgart and the Stuttgarter Hymnus-Chorknaben, a choir of men and boys, in performances that are warm, pure and unaffected, ideally suited to the folk-like nature of the music. Hänssler Classic’s sound is clean and nicely atmospheric. – Stephen Eddins
Praetorius: Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
 
 
In the world of the recorder, Michala Petri is the superstar of the late-20th and early-21st centuries. She’s equally at home in her instrument’s mostly Baroque traditional repertoire, new music, and crossover material. In her Christmas album, she largely focuses on carols from her native Denmark, but also includes a generous selection of more familiar pieces. These include arrangements of Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen; Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring; Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme; the Pastorale from Messiah; the Schubert and Bach/Gounod versions of Ave Maria;[/AMGID] a movement from The Four Seasons, and Silent Night. A number of arrangers, including Petri herself, contributed to the album, and while all the arrangements are fairly traditional, there’s a nice variety of styles represented, from straightforward settings giving the melody to the recorder, to more elaborate and virtuosic sets of variations. The diversity of approaches, and Petri’s use of a variety of recorders, makes for a nicely diverse collection. Her playing, from the simplest folk tunes to the most demanding variations, is impeccably tasteful and beautifully expressive. The Danish Radio Sinfonietta, led by Henrik Vagn Christensen, provides nuanced support. Hänssler’s sound is clean and bright. The collection should be attractive to anyone looking for traditional-sounding Christmas music from off the beaten track. – Stephen Eddins
Bach: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme
 
 
The Cambridge Singers, founded and conducted by John Rutter, is joined here by the Farnham Youth Choir and the Royal Philharmonic in a collection of Christmas music that includes an assortment of traditional and newly written carols, folk songs, and orchestral holiday pieces. The CD would be of interest to anyone looking for an album of upbeat Christmas fare, who’s open to some unfamiliar but highly appealing new selections. The most familiar carols, O come, all ye faithful, and Hark! the herald angels sing, are presented in attractive arrangements by Rutter and David Willcocks. Rutter is also responsible for most of the arrangements and orchestrations on the CD. Among the new pieces, Rutter’s Ave Maria, Bob Chilcott’s The Shepherd’s Carol, and John David’s Born on a New Day are especially attractive. Delius’ orchestral Sleigh Ride is a fun foray into obscure repertoire, but Nigel Hess’ A Christmas Overture, a medley of traditional carols, is of little interest. The performances are splendid — the singing throughout is fresh, spontaneous, spirited, and unmannered — and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra plays with polish, but also with a sense of fun. Sopranos Elin Manahan Thomas and Clara Sanabras and mezzo-soprano Melanie Marshall offer lovely solo versions of several of the carols. The sound is warm and clean. – Stephen Eddins
David: Born on a New Day
 
 
Founded in 1976, the Folger Consort has primarily focused on music of the Renaissance, but also branches out forward and backward through history. In this collection of music for Christmas, the Washington, D.C.,-based ensemble includes Medieval and Renaissance vocal and instrumental works. The program is divided into sections based on geography and date: 11th century southern France, 13th century England, 14th century Italy and Spain, and 15th century England. The stylistic and emotional range is also broad, from an intensely earnest and passionate a cappella solo to boisterous carols accompanied by a wonderfully noisy instrumental consort. The mixture of genres and styles works beautifully; the juxtaposition of such diverse repertoire is astonishing and often exhilarating. Much credit goes to the extraordinarily high quality of the performances. Soprano Johanna Arnold, the purity and clarity of whose voice is ideal for this repertoire, is featured on many of the tracks. Her performance of In sapencia, from the Codex Las Huelgas, is a virtuoso turn; the deep feeling she conveys is a single unaccompanied line is a refutation to any claim that early music is necessarily “dry.” The inventive deployment of instruments gives every work a distinctive and attractive color. The album should be of interest to any fan of early music, and to anyone looking for Christmas music that reaches beyond the standard carols. The sound is nicely atmospheric and resonant. – Stephen Eddins
Codex Las Huelgas: In sapencia
 
 
Carus’ release Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Noël - Christmas Cantatas includes not only cantatas, but a generous assortment of the composer’s instrumental carols. Organist, composer, and conductor Kay Johannsen leads the vocal group solistenensemble stimmkunst and the instrumental Ensemble 94, both of which he founded, in elegant, lively performances of Charpentier’s music for the Christmas season. While none of this repertoire is recognizably “Christmas-y” by modern standards, these are gorgeously expressive middle Baroque pieces that should be of interest to anyone with a genuine interest in Christmas music beyond the traditional standards. The cantatas are brief, usually 10 minutes or shorter, scored for soloists, chorus, and instrumental ensemble. They are broken into many small sections of contrasting character, with a varied mix of voices and instruments in each. The noëls, or carols, are delightful instrumental miniatures scored for a variety of small ensembles. The performances of the soloists, chorus, and instruments are above reproach: sensitive to period practice, sung and played with exquisitely pure tone, and in a spirit of quiet exuberance that beautifully conveys the joy of the message of the season. Carus’ sound is clean, warm, and intimate. – Stephen Eddins
Charpentier: A la venue de Noël
Charpentier: In festo purificationis
 
 
The three-disc set A Boston Camerata Christmas combines complete re-issues of the ensemble’s An American Christmas and Noël, Noël! French Christmas Music, 1200-1600, with a compilation from other of their recordings to form A Spanish Christmas. The “early” American music may have roots in other countries and cultures, but there is something in its straightforwardness and relatively unadorned nature that makes it stand out from early European music (aside from its age). It also is 180 degrees from the typical holiday fare heard in every retail outlet in America each December, making it seem all the more wholesome and full of genuine conviction. The early music of A French Christmas is similarly plain and pure sounding — even in its complex polyphony — with much stronger ties to religious rites of the season. The Camerata’s voices blend effortlessly, with perfect intonation, and although the recording was made in a church, it doesn’t have the cold, monastic sound of other discs of French polyphony or chant. Most of it is reverently vocal, and even the instrumental pieces here and there and the dances in the last section of the disc seem to treat the joy of the season with due respect. The music on A Spanish Christmas is no less skillfully performed than the French disc, but it feels freer, more personable, and more celebratory, especially when the musicians’ clapping provides the rhythmic impetus or the more rustic sounding instruments are used. Anyone looking for something different in the way of Christmas music will be well satisfied with this set. – Patsy Morita
Read: Sherburne
Sermisy: Noe, noe, magnificatus est rex pacificus
Zéspedes: Convidando está la noche
 
 
Finnish vocal duet Vox Silentii, which has been performing since 1992, specializes in monophonic medieval plainsong. Johanna Korhonen and Hilkka-Liisa Vuori have voices of exceptional purity and such an uncanny ability to blend that they can sound like they are singing with a single voice. Their combined tone occasionally produces ghostly but clearly audible overtones, and the effect is awe-inspiring. The unity they project also extends to their beautifully formed vowels, and even the subtle shifts in their diphthongs are perfectly matched. Their impeccable unanimity is highlighted at the rare moments when they break into two parts, with one voice singing a drone under the melody. The effect could hardly be more dramatic; it feels like a seismic shift of great magnitude. The album’s subtitle is “Medieval Chants for Christmas,” and all of the selections emanate a stillness and sense of wonder, sometimes hushed and sometimes quietly ecstatic. This album would make an excellent background for quiet meditation, but the subtlety and ravishing purity of the performances also reward close listening. Although there is no great variety in the moods presented here, the singers’ focused intensity keeps the music continually fascinating; there’s not a dull moment on the CD. The sound of the SACD is appropriately resonant and accurately captures the details of the performance and the acoustical characteristics of the church in which the recording was made. The singers are miked at a relatively high level, so listeners may want to lower the volume to keep some of the pitches from being too piercingly intense. – Stephen Eddins
Gregorian Chant: Puer natus est nobis
 
 
The soloists on EMI’s two-disc compilation of Christmas music are largely classical superstars. The singers most prominently featured include Roberto Alagna, Natalie Dessay, Rolando Villazon, Barbara Hendricks, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Thomas Hampson. Trumpeter Maurice André is the sole instrumental soloist, and the ensembles include the Vienna Choir Boys, The Sixteen, conducted by Harry Christophers, and the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, conducted by Stephen Cleobury. The repertoire consists largely of traditional carols, but includes other pieces, such as an austere motet by Poulenc, a song by Reger, and a number of popular American favorites, such as Jingle Bells, Sleigh Ride, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and Let it snow! The most successful selections are those that stand up well to the operatic treatment — the more “classical” sounding pieces, such as O Holy Night, and the more traditional carols. The operatic soloists tend to over-sing, treating the songs like impassioned arias. This is most disorienting in the popular selections like Sleigh Ride, in which Te Kanawa, Alagna, and Hampson, are manically animated. Soprano Hendricks is the most successful at adapting to the more relaxed idiom of the carols. The instrumental and choral selections also come off well. One of the most pleasant tracks is the gospel song, Good news, sung by a group identified only as Ladies’ Quartet. The arrangements are reassuringly traditional; there are no disruptingly innovative harmonizations. The booklet includes enough information for the listener to be able to track down the original album from which each selection was taken. This album should be attractive for listeners looking for mostly standard Christmas music, who are comfortable with the prevailingly operatic style of the singing. – Stephen Eddins
Adam: Cantique de Noël (O Holy Night)