Customer Reviews

Christmas with Chanticleer (Featuring Dawn Upshaw)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This must be what the angels in heaven sound llike when they sing. The voices of Chanticleer blend so beautifully that it seems as if one voice is singing 12 parts. This album is a serious must have for all those who consider music an important part of the holidays.

There is one fly in the ointment though. No disrepect to Dawn Upshaw. Her voice is beautiful but we purists don't like to hear anyone sing with Chanticleer. We even find it difficult to adjust when instrumentation is used. Hearing a piano or flute throws us into a talespin. We just don't want anything to interupt the beauty of the voices. Let's face it, how many great groups are there out there who can sing without music let alone hold a note for more than 10 seconds without wandering off the note into oblivion!

The First Nowell is sung as it was meant to be sung when it is written so long ago. Lovely harmony but not over done or severly complicated. Most of the beauty is in the message it gives. No need to over sing it.

Die Stimmes des Kindes (The Voice of the Child) is gently sung to perfection with an other worldly, etheral quality. A haunting but gentle, sweet, harmony sings the last line here, "Ein schlafend Kind! (A sleeping child), they sing (Almost as wonderous as the child Himself. Almost!) of the Christ child. Countertenors above while the basses support them as they sing a final "o still!" I literally could not move as it ended. In a trance, I somehow found my remote and hit the replay button again and again. How in the world can this music be written by mere humans? Hmmmmmm, not of this earth, you think?

The Three Kings is something I haven't heard before. The music, written by Healy Willan in 1928, includes text from a poet named Laurence Housman (1856-1959). I thought I was going to hear a new rendition of "We Three Kings." WRONG!!! As the kings arrive to the place that the star of Bethlehem lead them, the last line of the song invites the kings to "come in ye kings and kiss the feet of God." The countertenors sing angelic while the lower voices sing the parts of the kings (two three voice choirs SSA and TBB). I dare you to listen to it just once. You'll play it over and over. Sometimes you must do that with Chanticleer because the arrangements are so rich you want to make sure that hear everything that there is to hear. Listening to Chanticleer sometimes requires a sophisticated enough ear to get through all the layers but everyone can enjoy it to the fullest. Some folks might say it's too high brow for them but I strongly urge you to give it a try. Sit your kids down and turn off the hip hop stuff for awhile. It's a music lesson in a bottle!

The absolute highlight here is Distler's setting of "Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming", a fantasia based on the familiar tune. Dawn Upshaw's solo on the third verse is especially appealing.

Also especially notable is Healey Wilan's "The Three Kings" with its hushed, reverent opening building to an ecstatic climax.

And also especially appealing is the "Mary and the Baby Medley" which includes "What Child Is This" along with a traditional German carol and two African-American spirituals.

This medley then leads into a beautiful rendition of "Stille Nacht". Definitely recommended for those who love the more classical Christmas music.

Before receiving this CD for Christmas, I'd not heard much of Chanticleer. I attended a recital of Dawn Upshaw's this past summer, so when I saw this Christmas CD, I was intrigued. After giving it a listen, I am most impressed. This is a wonderful collection of traditional and not-so-traditional Christmas songs with arrangements familiar and new. As you can see from the track listing, Ms. Upshaw is featured in a handful of the songs on this CD-it's a nice balance between songs which include her voice and those which feature just the men of Chanticleer.
As for those songs which include Ms. Upshaw (esp. "This is the truth...", "Esta noche nace un Niño", and "Stille Nacht"), her voice sounds lovely, very pure & clear of tone. Especially on "Esta noche...", her voice reminded me of Kathleen Battle's (in tone quality, flexibility, etc.).
On every single track, Chanticleer's blend is superb. Their purity of sound makes the textures of the arrangements that much more clear. I loved the arrangement of "Coventry Carol" and "Stille Nacht", especially. It's a nice change from my Cambridge Singers CD's, and I would recommend it as a wonderful addition to any Christmas collection.

Chanticleer did it again. What a wonderful collaboration. Perfect tone, clear vertical structure, and fantastic interpretation of favorite and not-so-well-known pieces. Buy this.

This CD is quite excellent, but I've knocked off one star for a simple reason: Dawn Upshaw. It's not that her voice isn't beautiful, but gee whiz, I wanted to hear Chanticleer! I felt that in the songs she sang, she completely dominated them, so my favorite songs on the CD are the ones which Chanticleer sings without her.

I think my favorite on this CD was "The Huron Carol." I liked it because it is something different from the usual holiday fare (I'm getting awfully bored with most of what choirs usually sing for Christmas) and it expresses a completely different understanding of the miracle of Christ's birth. If you're looking for something new for a jaded Christmas music palate, this is certainly the CD to do it!

Chanticleer is one of the finest examples of the sublime love of music, created musical perfectionists. A men's choral group, Chanticleer is a top ticket for excellence, either in concert or on disc. They have made more than ten, and their repertoire will open your ears. From Christmas music to Mexican polyphony, "Satin Doll, and soulful spirituals,Chanticleer caresses each work as a beautiful treasure, or crackling jewel. Soprano Dawn Upshaw, who has been touring with orchestras, adds a shimmering touch to the unusual variety of seasonal music on this CD. Her crystal clear tones fit beautifully with Chanticleer. It's a wonderful Christmas CD for your collection, especially if you need a touch of silver for contrast with your full-packed seasonal collection...Madge Bruner Hazen

CHANTICLEER INSPIRES ME TO REMEMBER 'THE REASON FOR THE SEASON'!

For nearly 25 years Chanticleer has performed a large and wide variety of music, from Gregorian Chant to the most modern fare. With its seamless blend of 12 male voices,ranging from counter-tenor to bass, the ensemble has earned international renown as "an orchestra of voices". Chanticleer was founded in 1978 by tenor Louis Botto, and was named after the 'clear-singing' rooster in Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales'.

This CD offers a wide variety of choral gems, some well-known; some traditional;some in French, in German; most in English. But all of them are performed with great skill as well as exquisite tone quality. Dawn Upshaw is an added plus on this disc.

Just commenting on a few of them that captured my interest:

"A Christmas Round: Today The Virgin". Sir John Tavener joined the Russian Orthodox Church in 1977 which had a tremendous impact on his compositions. The brief text for 'A Christmas Round' is from the Orthodox Liturgy for Christmas Day. 'Today the Virgin' is a strophic setting of a text by Mother Thekla, an Orthodox nun, who has provided him with the libretti for several of his major works. In typical Russian Orthodox style, a drone is employed in the bass, and the upper voices move in parallel fifths and octaves.

"Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" (Lo, How an ever-blooming rose).Hugo Distler combines an extensive use of rediscovered forms and genres,and a very effective use of word-paintings in his music. Based on the famous tune of the same name, his setting resembles a fantasia, finally submerging the theme in rhythmic complexity as the number of voice parts expands from 4 to as many as 8. The text for the soprano that is laid over verse 3 is taken from the 'Magnificat' (Luke I:46-55).

"Die Stimme des Kindes" (The voice of the child) Finnish composer,Jaako Mantyjarvi adopts influences from a number of styles and periods, fusing them into his own idiom. This gently-rocking setting for eight-part men's chorus uses lush tone clusters to impart a late-

Romantic sentiment.

THIS ALBUM IS A THINKING MAN'S JOY! We all love the familiar carols, but it's so refreshing to hear some new ones. This group is certainly reminiscent of the "King's Singers" who preceded them; both excellent in every way!!!!

If you are a Chanticleer purist and are turned off by the idea of someone else singing with them, I can tell you that you will miss out on a large number of some of Chanticleer's best recorded tracks ever by passing up this CD. The tracks with Dawn Upshaw are in the minority on this disc and (in my opinion) do not detract from the majority which are of Chanticleer only. Also, it must be stated that while some may still not be a fan of the concept upon listening, she performs wonderfully with them and even blends well at many points! I urge you to at least give it a chance.

Anyway, on to the music. This recording is literally overflowing with impeccably chosen arrangements and compositions, all of which encompass a wonderfully peaceful holiday ambiance. It is full of tracks which are worth the price of the disc alone. Joe Jennings' gorgeous arrangement of the Huron Carol and the wonderfully different arrangement of Noel Nouvelet are among the many highlights. However, Die Stimme des Kindes by the Finnish composer Mantyjarvi, is the crown jewel of this disc. It is a brilliant and extremely haunting piece of music full of gorgeous polychordal harmonies and it is performed with astonishing intensity and accuracy. Also to be found here is one of the very best gospel/spiritual arrangements Chanticleer has ever done: Jerusalem In The Morning will become an instant favorite for anyone.

As a long-time Chanticleer fan, I was anxious to experience this album. It is truly a wonderful collection of songs. From the classic renditions of familiar Christmas tunes such as "The First Nowell" and "Stille Nacht" to the intricately beautiful arrangements of "Suo Gān" and "Es ist ein' Ros' entsprungen," to upbeat songs such as "Beautiful Star of Bethlehem" and "Noel Nouvelet" -- the men of Chanticleer offer a showcase of their talents with this collection. It will easily become a favorite for those music lovers who appreciate not only the music of the season, but the beauty of the human voice.

I saw and met Chanticleer in person this past Christmas, while they were touring with the music from this CD, and it may be hard for those who do not know of Chanticleer and have not heard them, but they actually sound BETTER live. Of course, I prefer all vocal ensembles live, but the palette they have put together in this album is awe-inspiring. What a great ministry to Gospel through music of Christ's birth! This recording is so amazing that I guarantee that you will NOT want to stop listening to it.