Christmas With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Hybr) [Hybrid SACD - DSD]

Felix [1] Mendelssohn (Composer), Mykola Dmytrovich Leontovych (Composer), John Jacob Niles (Composer), Christmas Traditional (Composer), Geoffrey [Composer] Shaw (Composer), Barlow Bradford (Composer), George Frederick Handel (Composer), Franz Xaver Gruber (Composer), Craig D. Jessop (Conductor), Orchestra at Temple Square (Orchestra), John Longhurst (Performer), Diana Walker (Performer), Robert Breault (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: John Longhurst, Diana Walker, Robert Breault
• Orchestra: Orchestra at Temple Square
• Conductor: Craig D. Jessop
• Composer: Felix [1] Mendelssohn, Mykola Dmytrovich Leontovych, John Jacob Niles, Christmas Traditional, Geoffrey [Composer] Shaw, et al.
• Audio CD (October 23, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B00005NQI0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,200 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Joy to the World (theme by Handel)

2. Carol of the Bells

3. I Wonder As I Wander

4. Quelle est cette odeur agréable? (Whence is that goodly fragrance?) (Fr

5. Masters in This Hall

6. The First Nowell (English)

7. How Far Is It to Bethlehem? (Children's Song of the Nativity) (Tune: St

8. Pat-a-Pan (Burgundian)

9. What Shall We Give to the Babe in the Manger?

10. One December Bright and Clear

11. Fantasy on What Child Is This? for chorus & orchestra

12. Hark! the Herald Angels Sing (adapted by W. H. Cummings from Mendelssoh

13. Jesus, Jesus, rest your head

14. Angels From the Realms Of Glory

15. Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht (Silent Night)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is this the best Christmas album ever recorded?, December 28, 2005

By 

Bryan Leech "Bryan" (Melbourne, VIC, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas (Audio CD)

There have been so many Christmas albums over the years, when I saw this I thought 'Oh no, not another one?' Then I looked at the track titles and saw that this was something different. Among the traditional carols there were many unfamiliar titles (I say this as a foreigner - some may be better known in the USA than in Australia). I decided to buy the SACD version of this release. What a revelation! Where do I start?
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is famous for producing very enjoyable choral recordings, usually with a religious theme, but frankly, on an international scale, they do not rate with the best (compare them with some of the better UK symphonic choirs, which is how the Tabernacle choir must be categorized, to see what I mean). But on this album, they have placed themselves well and truly in the international arena. Every aspect of their singing is, to me, perfect - diction, phrasing, musical expression, ensemble, and of greatest importance, a total involvement with and perfect expression of the words and the music. They don't sing about Santa Claus; they sing about the true meaning of Christmas, and mean it. And you really hear how well they sing in the few 'a capella' sections - musical moments that are unsurpassed.
Then there are the arrangements. These express everything from the implicit grandeur of God coming down to earth, through to the greatest tenderness of the simplicity of his birth as Jesus. All the orchestrations and choral arrangements are completely fresh and unhackneyed, ranging from the most exquisite harmonies through to extraordinarily bold key changes - the people who did these arrangements are amongst the best in the business.
Then there is the program. This ranges from fresh arrangements of old favourites (sample the fantasy on 'What Child is This?'), to an exploration of the most beautiful unfamiliar songs and carols you will ever hear.
Finally the engineering. Telarc are famous for the audiophile standards of their recordings, and this is one of their best. The SACD fully utilizes the multiple channels, without resorting to gimmickry. If ever there was a 'you-are-there' recording, this is it.
In summation: no matter how many Christmas CDs you own; buy this one too. The CD version works well (and remember, if you buy the SACD version - Telarc SACD-60552 - it will play on an ordinary CD player as well), but if you have the equipment to play the multi-channel SACD, you will get an even more rewarding experience.
All the above may sound over the top, but, as you may have gathered, this release has had a massive impact on me at every level. It is a prize in my collection. The greatest Christmas album ever? Quite possibly.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MTC's Best Christmas Album Yet, October 25, 2000

By 

"salemdale" (Salem, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas (Audio CD)

I've had a bootleg tape of the concert from which this CD was created and am very excited to finally have an excellent quality recording of an excellent collection of Christmas music. It is past time for the mass audience to become acquainted with the arrangements of Mack Wilberg and Barlow Bradford.

The album is a good combination of the well-known/expected, and lesser-known/refreshing. For example, Angels from the Realms of Glory, a somewhat lesser-known text, is set to the tune of the familiar Angels We Have Heard on High, and Wilberg's arrangement makes it all new and launches the Glory in Excelsis Deo refrain to heights not far from that star and those angels over Bethlehem.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My new favorite Christmas album, December 4, 2001

By 

"kimandrob" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas (Audio CD)

What a step forward for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! Under the hand of their relatively new conductor, Dr. Craig Jessop, their choral technique really shines on this album. Made up entirely of volunteers, earlier recordings have often showed a lack of polish and precision in the singing, but this new recording demonstrates just how world-class the current choir is. And the spirit and enthusiasm they have always conveyed is stronger than ever.

Dr. Mack Wilberg's settings (10 of the 15 tracks) clearly defend his title as one of America's greatest living choral arrangers. Especially wonderful is the lesser-known carol, "What Shall We Give to the Babe in the Manger." Wilberg's stunning reharmonization and sensitive orchestration give the song tremendous power and emotion.

The album is a good balance of traditional favorites and more obscure songs, of energetic show-stoppers and tenderly restrained reflections. The sound quality is state-of-the-art.

In a time when I so often sense a lack of real spirituality or humility or genuine expression from other classical recordings, this one seems to me to be a very real effort to worship through music. How I wish that I could find more albums like this.