A Feast of Carols

Randol Alan Bass (Conductor), National Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Luretta Bybee Derek Jacobi (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Luretta Bybee Derek Jacobi
• Orchestra: National Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Randol Alan Bass
• Audio CD (November 21, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Kodanja Records Ltd
• ASIN: B0000ZQTGE
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,863 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Gloria!

2. A Feast of Carols (Gloucester Wassail Carol / Il Est Neé, le Divin Enfant / Veni, Emmanuel / The Holly and the Ivy / God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen / We Wish You a Merry Christmas)

3. Glory to God (from "A Savior Is Born")

4. I Wonder As I Wander

5. The Night Before Christmas

6. White Christmas

7. A Symphony of Carols (Chanticleer / Pat-a-Pan / Fum, Fum, Fum / Stille Nacht / Still, Still, Still / Adeste Fideles)

8. Christmas Set of Three (Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas / Lovers on Christmas Eve / The Christmas Song)

9. Seasonal Sounds (Santa Claus is Comin' to Town / Here Comes Santa Claus / Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer / Frosty, the Snowman / Jingle Bells)

Editorial Reviews

The only Christmas album that every home must have features Sir Derek Jacobi naratting The Night Before Christmas. This recording represents the only complete collection of these Randol Alan Bass works that were originally commissioned by major US symphony orchestras. The renowned National Symphony Orchestra of London creates this collection with the Tallis Chamber Choir.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

RANDOL ALAN BASS ...
Mr. Bass has achieved an impressive array of performances by orchestras such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Active for more than two decades as an arranger, Mr. Bass is now focusing his talents on original compositions, largely due to the demand for his music. His transcription of Conquest of Paradise, can be heard on the April 30, 1996 release from the Boston Pops, Summon the Heroes which celebrated the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

SIR DEREK JACOBI ...
A brilliant English stage actor who has made occasional screen appearances. He studied at Cambridge and trained at the Birmingham Repertory Company until Laurence Olivier saw him perform and eventually invited him to join the National Theatre Company. Jacobi performed in a myriad of roles and was featured in the Olivier produced films of Othello (1965, as Cassio) and Three Sisters (1970, released here in 1974). He has also been featured in The Day of the Jackal (1973), The Odessa File (1974), The Medusa Touch (1978), The Human Factor (1979), Enigma (1982), Little Dorrit (1988), and the Kenneth Branagh films Henry V (1989, as the Chorus) and Dead Again (1991, in an amusingly flashy part). Jacobi won a Tony Award for his role as Benedick in "Much Ado About Nothing," and may be best known in the US for his stunning TV work in the BBC series "I, Claudius" and as Hitler in "Inside the Third Reich."

LURETTA BYBEE, Mezzo-soprano ...
American mezzo-soprano Luretta Bybee has proven herself to be an artist of remarkable range and versatility in her performances throughout the world in a wide variety of repertoire. International recognition came early in her career when she sang the title role in the world tour of Peter Brook's La Tragedie de Carmen. Bizet's heroine has since figured heavily in Ms. Bybee's schedule, having taken her to several companies both in the U.S. and abroad and marked her debut at New York City Opera as Carmen.

ABOUT THE MUSIC ...

GLORIA! ... This particular setting of the "Gloria" text makes use of multi-metric rhythmic patterns reminiscent of the dance music found in much of Eastern Europe. It contains moments of bittersweet lyricism and much fanfarish brass writing as well; these qualities have made it a frequent inclusion on Holiday programs, both in church and in the concert hall. The work was especially composed for performances of the New York Pops Orchestra (Skitch Henderson, conducting) and the Texas Christian University Choirs (Christmas, 1990.)

A FEAST OF CAROLS ... There are six carols included in the arrangement, set out as follows:

Gloucester Wassail Carol
Il Est Neé, le Divin Enfant
Veni Emmanuel
The Holly and the Ivy
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
We Wish You a Merry Christmas

The orchestral opening introduces all 6 themes and there follow extended arrangements of the various carols, connecting one to the other in rhapsodic fashion.

I WONDER AS I WANDER ... This traditional Appalachian folk song was collected in North Carolina in July, 1933 by John Jacob Niles and published shortly thereafter in his 1934 Songs of the Hill-Folk. This most plaintive and serene of carols is here cast in a stark, glassy setting for solo mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra. The arrangement retains the simple, questioning quality of the original tune while making effective use of modern orchestral forces for subtle color and text-painting.

GLORY TO GOD ... This short choral setting of the famous biblical nativity text comprises a single movement of th

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Christmas album, April 16, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: A Feast of Carols (Audio CD)

If you like orchestral Christmas music, this album is a must. Performed masterfully by the National Symphony Orchestra of London the album includes the modern American Christmas standards as well as a sampling of less well known Christmas classics from overseas and the past. It is unusual in that it is conducted by the arranger of the pieces, so we can be sure we are hearing the arrangements exactly as intended. This album should be in everyone's collection to be played every holiday season. Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Christmas carol recording, January 3, 2007

By 

Edward Pierce (Tulsa, OK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Feast of Carols (Audio CD)

This is a fine recording of Randol Bass music. I have used his arrangements for several Christmas programs and have found them to be both well constructed and rewarding in performance. For those wishing to use choral-orchestral arrangements of traditional Christmas music, these carols are among the best and are very well performed on the recording.

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for Christmas, December 30, 2009

By 

Jeffrey Shaull (West Chester, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Feast of Carols (Audio CD)

This disc is a collection of arrangements and original compositions by Randol Alan Bass. Gloria is a work for the ages. I have listened to it over and over. (If this were an LP, I would have worn it out by now!) Glory to God comes from a cantata. It is a good work, but does not stand by itself. However, it does make me interested in the complete cantata. Twas the Night Before Christmas is a fresh look at the classic story. This work is on a par with Mr. Bass's setting of Casey at the Bat.

The remainder of the disk is filled with Christmas arrangements. Mr. Bass's approach to arranging and instrumentation is so refreshing and moving. He is the Robert Russell Bennett of our time.

The orchestra and chorus are fantastic and are led by the composer/arranger. Mr. Bass has truly outdone himself with this outstanding collection. I recommend it to everyone!