The 99 Most Essential Christmas Masterpieces (Amazon Exclusive)

Various artists | Format: MP3 Music

Product Details

• Original Release Date: November 25, 2009
• Label: X5 Music Group
• Copyright: 2009 X5 Music Group
• Total Length: 5:56:31
• Genres:
  • Classical
  • Miscellaneous > Holiday
• ASIN: B002S34S82
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,665 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)
  • #4 in MP3 Downloads > MP3 Albums > Miscellaneous > Holiday

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 77 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great bargain, good performances December 11, 2009

By Virginia music lover

Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have a fairly extensive collection of classical music, and Christmas music as well. This compilation, featuring mostly little known groups, is charming. Yes, one can find better performances of many of these works, but that quest is only for the obsessive audiophile. The choral works are recorded clearly. One problem I've often had with recording by excellent groups such as the King's College Choir is that they sound like they were recorded in a cathedral (and perhaps they were) so there is a lot of music and enunciation lost in the reverberation. There are a few instances where I wish the tempos were faster, but on the other hand this is a set to listen to while relaxing around the fire. A nice bonus -- the music from the Nutcracker features lots of the lesser known (but still beautiful) tunes, not just the ones one normally hears in a suite. And the inclusion of the more serious classical pieces by Bach, Corelli, etc., is fitting and a great addition.

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice mix of Christmas and sacred classics plus orchestrated carols November 7, 2010

By T. Fisher TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:MP3 Music

This is a fine collection -- some of it genuine classical music written in celebration of the holiday, some of it traditional and popular Christmas music arranged for orchestras, choirs and the like.

There are also a number of tracks that really had nothing to do with Christmas originally, but still manage to stake a claim to the Christmas theme. These are mainly selections from sacred works whose lyrics, often in Latin, refer to the birth of Jesus Christ in various ways -- such as Mozart's "Ave Verum Corpus", César Franck's "Panis Angelicus", and many others featured here.

Finally, a few tracks have no claim on Christmas at all -- like Bach's Third Brandenburg Concerto, Pachelbel's Canon in D Major, or a selection from Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons". But no matter, these are good pieces that still fit adequately into the general mood of the set.

With only a few exceptions (such as a below par performance of Bach's "Air on a G String"), these are very good performances in good quality sound.

The track listing indicates that tracks 9-26 are the Nutcracker Suite (Op 71a), but it really these are the full Nutcracker Ballet (Op 71). These are the same recordings featured by the X5 group on its Tchaikovsky set, so if you have that one you'll be getting some duplication here. The same can be said for people with some of the collections of Baroque music, or of composers like Bach or Vivaldi.

For me, the bona fide classical tracks are more successful than the carols that have been dressed up for orchestra and chorus. The latter can sound very sugary in a way that music composed for classical performance usually does not. But that is a matter of personal taste, and yours may be different.

As with all these "99 Most Essential" sets from X5, bitrates are variable. Average rates for the tracks vary between 155 and 256 kbps, but only a handful are below 200 kbps. This collection is shorter than most of the sets in the series, at just 5 hours and 56 minutes. Total download size is "only" 582 MB.

I am always glad to expand my Christmas music collection, and this set is a terrific bargain at the special offer price. Recommended.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Collection! December 7, 2009

By Laura Borley

Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase

I stumbled on this collection and decided I would give it a try. I love it! There are songs for everyone. It's great background music for a Christmas party and it includes so many wonderful carols. Perfect for when you get tired of hearing the same old songs on the radio.