Customer Reviews

Christmas Star: Carols for the Christmas Season

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Once again, John Rutter works his choral magic with the Cambridge Singers and turns out another extraordinary collection of Christmas carols. All the popular ones are here, the only down side being that there are no carols composed by Rutter himself. There is one bonus, in effect, hearing the Rutter choral treatment applied to The Christmas Song by Mel Torme and Robert Wells. It's never sounded better.

A first rate disc with wonderful selections and beautiful singing. You can close your eyes and pretend as if you are in a cathedral listening the the choir.

I love this CD. The voices are so pure and beautifully blended. Rutter's arrangements are brilliant. It's really hard to pick a favorite, but I do love "All My Heart This Night Rejoices." Absolutely wonderful! Anyone who appreciates good choral music should get this CD and make it part of your holidays.

When John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers released their CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL recording in October of last year, a number of people commented on the number of relatively unknown and often quite exotic carols included. Perhaps given the number of earlier holiday releases they had previously released, they were obliged to search a bit farther afield (and those would be snow covered fields for the most part) for their newest collection.

A CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL is chock full of delicious holiday surprises, but this earlier recording (officially released in the 1997, but actually recorded in 1981) is equally captivating, even thoughlisteners will know most of its selections by heart, mainly because they have them all IN their hearts. (One notable exception and something of a hint of the "diversity" to come on later releases is the apparent American Indian hymn "'Twas In the Moon of Wintertime." But even in the case of the holiday standards, one has to keep in mind that with choral music, it's all about the arrangements. And is there a better, more original choral arranger on the planet than John Rutter?

It's something of a cliche to say that a new arrangement of a familiar composition causes the listener to her it with "new ears," but I can't help thinking just that when listening to this beautiful record. There's little that's actually flashy about these arrangements: they are quietly inventive and serve to honor the spirit of the original carols rather than "reinvent them."

New ears for Christmas, hmm. Not a bad gift at all.

Rutter's settings of traditional Christmas carols give new life to some old favorites. The orchestrations are lovely, and the a capella selections will make you feel like you have the world's best English carolers standing on your doorstep. This CD includes many standard carols, and a few lesser-known ones, like the gorgeous "All My Heart This Night Rejoices," which in my opinion deserves to be revived to familiarity. Also, the Cambridge Singers' performance of "The Christmas Song" is one of my favorite versions of that song...very lush! This CD is always a staple in my music rotation during the holiday season.

How can I say this - if you have absolutely zero Christmas cds and want to build a nice collection, this is the one you should buy first.
From the robust and cheery "Good Christian Men Rejoice" in the opening track til the end this disc is full of wonderful arrangements, a few esoteric picks, and all around good Christmas cheer.
Whether you are sitting at home and want to feel the Christmas spirit and yet want to have more musical substance than the local radio station, or hosting a party that needs a nice soundtrack, this cd will satisfy your needs.

At last, an album of Christmas music that includes nearly all the great old carols, beautifully arranged for choir, organ and orchestra, plus a few less well known but charming tunes. The recording quality is excellent and curling up with the CD in front of the fire during the season evokes wonderful English Christmas images. Only one small caveat: the arrangement of "Joy to the World" attempts to turn the hymn into a chorus from a Handel oratorio. Yes, it's a Handel tune and it probably seemed like an interesting idea on paper, but the high concept overwhelms the piece and spoils it. That's a small complaint in the face of so much lovely music, however. You'll be listening to this one for many Christmases to come.

I first heard John Rutter's arrangements at my mother's Lutheran church and found them haunting, beautiful and uplifting. This CD lives up to my expectations. After listening to relentless commercialized Christmas music in the stores (beginning the day after Halloween, I believe?), the traditional carols on this cd are so refreshing to the ears. A very beautiful CD!

John Rutter has captured the essence of the Christmas season perhaps more than anyone else. He leads his own Cambridge Singers to conduct his own arrangements as well as his own original carols, both of which are about as good as they come. This CD, featuring him and the choir back in their early days, could hardly make for a brighter Christmas. One of the trademarks of the Cambridge Singers is that they never sound burdened, always light and full of joyful spirits. Beyond all the delights, of course, there lies a strong choral mastery in Rutter, and that's also in evidence. I see Rutter as the ultimate man to lead Christmas disc: as knowledgeable as they come while still containing contagious enthusiasm.

You shouldn't be content with just one Rutter Christmas album, but there are a few things that single this one out. The singers' have innocence and freshness that is displayed even more than usual. It's tough to listen without being swept away by the beauty of the sound. As I've said elsewhere, there are almost no other choirs that can make the classic carols sound as remarkable as this group. Even when the carols are sung in simple four part harmony, the involvement with which this group sings keeps your full attention. Rutter doesn't include any of his own compositions on the disc, unfortunately, but given his skill as a director, it's hard to complain.

You can't own too many Rutter Christmas albums, but if you had to have just one, this one would be near the top.

This CD has amazing vocals. My favorite is "I Wonder as I Wonder", but all of the songs are good.