December, Piano Solos: 20th Anniversary Edition [Enhanced, Extra tracks]

George Winston | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 16, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 1981
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Extra tracks
• Label: RCA Victor
• ASIN: B00005NNDO
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #908 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #1 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > General
  • #1 in Music > Indie Music > Pop > Adult Contemporary
  • #2 in Music > New Age > Instrumental

Track Listings

1. Thanksgiving

2. Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head

3. Joy

4. Prelude

5. Carol Of The Bells

6. Night-Part One: Snow

7. Night-Part Two: Midnight

8. Night-Part Three: Minstrels

9. Variations On The Kanon By Pachelbel

10. The Holly And The Ivy

11. Some Children See Him

12. Peace

13. A Christmas Song

14. Sleep Baby Mine

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: WINSTON,GEORGE
Title: DECEMBER
Street Release Date: 10/16/2001
Domestic
Genre: NEW AGE

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars from Solo Piano Publications, November 5, 2001

By 

Kathy Parsons (Florence, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: December, Piano Solos: 20th Anniversary Edition (Audio CD)

Even though "December" was recorded nineteen years ago, it is still by far my favorite George Winston album as well as an all-time favorite Christmas album. Recorded when "new age" music was barely emerging and Windham Hill was an experimental artists' label, this is one of a handful of albums that show just how good the music was when artists had more control of what went onto their albums. Art and innovation were more important than a quick buck, and "December" was able to be creative and original AND commercially successful. A true classic in the genres of new age music and holiday albums, this is a must-have CD. It includes Winston's arrangements of "Carol of the Bells", Pachelbel's "Canon in D", and "The Holly and The Ivy" as well as some lesser-known carols and several original pieces. This is an incredible album, and I give it my highest recommendation!

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite holiday "mood" albums, October 2, 2002

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: December, Piano Solos: 20th Anniversary Edition (Audio CD)

I have a hard time grasping that this album is 20 years old. But because these solo piano arrangements are classic holiday pieces, it never seems to age. In fact, I've had this for years, and I wore out a cassette tape of this before I replaced it with a CD.

The music is George Winston's solo piano arrangements of folk Christmas carols like "Greensleeves" and "The Holly and the Ivy", plus some classical tunes "Pachelbel's Canon" and his own compositions. My particular favorite is the usually-boring "Carol of the Bells," which is arranged wonderfully here.

If you like solo, modern piano and you like Christmas music, you might like this album as much as I do. I even play it when it's not Christmastime.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DECEMBER - always beautiful, now even better!!, October 24, 2001

By 

"wijic" (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: December, Piano Solos: 20th Anniversary Edition (Audio CD)

I'll admit I'm biased - I love all of George's CDs. But I have to say that for overall listening, December flows the best. The classics are all still here - Carol of the Bells, the Kanon, and my favorite, the Holly and the Ivy.

But the bonus tracks are interesting. A Christmas Song is simple and short. Sleep Baby Mine by Alfred Burt (who also composed Some Children See Him) is a very lovely song and fits in with the rest of the CD perfectly.

What I bought the CD for, however, was the sheet music. It's about time!! Just glancing over it, George's version of the Kanon looks complicated, but not impossible. Probably intermediate to advanced.

If you want to start listening to George Winston, start with this CD! Then try Plains.