Customer Reviews

Christmas With the Cambridge Singers

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So often during the Christmas season we hear Christmas songs sung at church on the radio or in a mall or resaurant and we know something is missing, altered or not quite right about them. I suppose all the arrangers out there assume that people are tired of traditional arrangements and won't record carols unless they are somehow contemporized or something. In the meantime, the spirit of the original compositions is diluted or lost.

This Cambridge Singers recording provides fulfillment for our longing to hear pure, melodic and reverent interpretations of great carols and songs of the Christmas season. The melodies, melodic rhythms and harmonies have not been corrupted as in 99% of recorded music you will hear during the season and the full-orchestra accompaniment is divine.

I agree with the other reviewers regarding "What Sweeter Music". It is beautiful, uplifting and pure. This collection of carols and songs will turn your heart to God and your mind to higher thoughts. Maybe you had to work a little to find this CD but it will be worth it. This is the way Christmas is supposed to sound.

John Rutter is able to evoke a sound from a choir like no one else I've ever heard. There is a beauty and ethereal quality to his choral work that is absolutely captivating. This is especially true of his own compositions, which on this recording consist of Angel's Carol and What Sweeter Music.

My wife and I eagerly await each new John Rutter release, and we've yet to be disappointed. This CD is certainly no exception.

John Rutter brings us another beautiful Christmas CD! I purchased two Christmas recordings of the Clare College choir (also conducted by John Rutter) and they were so beautiful I ordered this about a week later. I was not disappointed, and if you love beautiful, heavenly Christmas music, you won't be either! Some of my favorites were "Angels' Carol", "O holy night", and "What sweeter music", but there isn't a bad song on this album. I plan on playing this music year-round. I've gotten to the point that I am able to recognize John Rutter's sound on the radio (and I'm not a music expert). The gentle yet vibrant voices are very unique and frequently bring tears to my eyes.

Not to sound like a commercial for them, but thanks to Amazon.com's superb referral and list system, I was lucky enough to find The Cambridge Singers for the first time this holiday season. I'm a huge fan of the King's College Choir and others in that vein, but The Cambridge Singers have a sound and style that is, while similar, all their own, and absolutely *glorious*. Simply put, this is Christmas choral music at its finest. And without even hearing them -- aside from the few "samples" on their Amazon.com pages -- I have two more of their Christmas CDs on the way to me as I write this.

There are a few Christmas standards here, such as "Joy To The World" and "Ding! Dong! Merrily on High", but there are also lesser-known jewels like "Somerset Wassail" and "The Shepherd's Farewell". And if your favorite Christmas carol is, like mine, "O Holy Night", you won't find a better recording of it anywhere than the one you hear on this disc; it's stunningly beautiful, with all three verses of the carol sung, unlike most interpretations that are out there today.

If you're a fan of choral music, just go ahead and buy this disc; you *won't* be disappointed.

This recording is delightful. John Rutter's interpretations and compositions are transcendent for a 20th century sacred conductor and composer. Each piece exudes love of music and of God. Bravo!

I fell in love with the selection ' what sweeter music' a few years ago when Volvo used this song for a commercial for their cars. It remains my very favorite Christmas music cd and I have a lot, believe me. I love Christmas music. This music brings me to my knees.

Like hockey players value how much time they get on the ice in a game, one way to judge our cds is how often we play them.

Each year I add to my growing massive Christmas collection. Some rarely anymore get more than one spin, but this collection lead by the talented Rutter got spun quite a bit.'

I fell in love with his composition, "Angels' Carol," and could not play it enough or get it out of my head. What a gorgeous song! Thanks, john.

I love choral music, I love Christmas music and I love this CD. I'd give it 10 stars if I could. John Rutter is, by far my favorite contemporary choral composer and he conducts every bit as well as he composes.

The choir has a beautiful sound--much cleaner than any Robert Shaw influenced choir, and far less reedy than some English choirs can be.

The carols are a wonderful mix of Rutter's own compositions--the lovely "Angels Carol," "What Sweeter Music" traditional songs, "Joy to the World," "Silent Night," and others I had never heard before such as the happy "Somerset Wassail," and the breathtaking "Sussex Carol." I can think of no more joyous Christmas music, than this version of the "Sussex Carol."

Another highlight is "'Twas in the Moon of Wintertime," an English translation of a carol the 16th century French Jesuits taught the Iroqois. I had heard this as a child, and was pleasantly surprised to find it here.

I sincerely thank the Cambridge Singers, the City of London Sinfonia and John Rutter for providing one of the highlights of the Christmas holidays for me.

This is one of my Desert Island disks. Buy it. You'll never regret it.

I enjoyed every song on this album, but one in particular, "What Sweeter Music", touched me so deeply that it brought tears to my eyes.This is a new carol to me, and words cannot express how much I like it! These are not the same carols as every other album will have. And Amazon delivered it very quickly!

The Cambridge Singers have made several Christmas albums, and all of them are top notch. This particular one was done in 1989, and has several songs in honour of the Nativity. Their performance was done at one of their regular recording spots, the Great Hall of University College School, London.

--Music--
The music here consists of 21 carols, motets and oratorio choruses. These range from the great 'For unto us a child is born' of G.F. Handel's oratorio 'Messiah' to well known familiar Christmas carols to folk/traditional tunes from France, Canada, Basque, Germany, and England. Composers represented in addition to Handel include Britten, Victoria, Adam, Mason, Sweelinck, Sceidt, Adam, Berlioz, and Cambridge Singers' director, John Rutter, who provides two of his own compositoins, 'Angel's Carol' and 'What sweeter music'.

This is a beautiful recording, with the Cambridge Singers presenting grand voices and good spirit in honour of the Christmas holiday. There is tenderness, vibrancy and light in these songs that remind one both of the power of the Christmas miracle as well as the family emotions that holiday seasons draw forth.

--Liner Notes--
One thing that this has is a brief description of John Rutter and the group itself - it may sound strange to say, but many of their CDs lack these important pieces. This also includes an introduction to the CD, a listing of the tracks with composer, arranger and lyrics. Where lyrics are in other language, an English translation is provided.

--John Rutter--
Rutter was born in London and educated at Clare College, Cambridge. This was where his career as a composer, arranger and conductor began. His early work was with groups at King's College Chapel at Cambridge as well as the Bath Choir and Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked for the BBC providing music for educational series such as 'The Archaeology of the Bible Lands', until in 1979 he began forming the Cambridge Singers, and has continued a remarkable career of performance and recording as their director ever since.

--The Cambridge Singers--
The Cambridge Singers are a mixed choir of voices, many of whom were members of choir of Rutter's college, Clare College, Cambridge. While they specialise in English and Latin liturgical pieces, they have a wide range of recordings that span from modern compositions (including a remarkable requiem by Rutter) to English folk songs of the Middle Ages. Many are former members of the choir of Clare College and other Cambridge collegiate choirs (hence the name, Cambridge Singers). In the quarter-century since the founding, the Cambridge Singers have produced an impressive body of recordings.

Their performance is a wonderful gift for the season.