Customer Reviews

Festival of the Heart

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
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In my fervor to find new Xmas music early one Yuletide season several years ago, I stumbled across this album and bought it simply because I liked the cover art. Little did I know as I went thru the check-out that I was purchasing what was one of the most fabulous Xmas albums ever produced! Boswell has taken a turn at creating a Chip Davis like Xmas album but instead of total synths he use a wide array of unusual old world instruments. There are no vocals. His arrangements are phenomenal and he even throws in 2 original compositions which are quite nice. His treatment of The Little Drummer Boy is out of this world. If you love Xmas music you will LOVE this album. This is probably the best kept secret in Xmas music since Franz Gruber wrote Stille Nacht for his church's own use.

John Boswell's "Festival of the Heart" is one of the best Christmas albums I've ever heard. Primarily a piano album, Boswell adds synth and bells, and is joined on some of the tracks by guitar, percussion, English horn, and flutes. Boswell keeps his treatments of the carols fairly traditional and dignified, but somehow breathes fresh life into all of these songs, making them new again. As a piano teacher, the onslaught of Christmas music everywhere I go, plus listening to carols in all states of wonder and disarray all of my working days for about eight weeks a year have dramatically reduced my enjoyment of holiday music. So, it is a joy to find an album that reminds me of why this music means so much to people and why it continues to endure and enthrall no matter what the world is going through during the holiday season. All of the selections on this album are of more serious nature (as opposed to "Up On the Housetop" or "Frosty the Snowman"), and would provide an elegant backdrop to a holiday dinner or get-together or an evening of tree-trimming. Don't just relegate it to background music, though. This album needs to be savored again and again, allowing it to bring Christmas peace and tranquility. The sixteen tracks include two Boswell originals, and all of them are so good that I can't pick a favorite. Guaranteed to delight!

This recording is a rare jewel that is incredibly worth discovering, experiencing, and sharing with anyone who wants to feel in a true spirit of christmas. Every cut exudes warmth, beauty and serenity. This CD has regularly accompanied the Christmas season in our family for years now and it never gets tired. By the way, everyone who has been turned on to this CD that we know feels the same way we do. If you're going to buy one Christmas CD, I can't recommend enough that it be this one.

This can be played year round but has added joy and intelligent music to my home for the past 2 holiday seasons. All his albums are balm for the soul. S. Reed

A college roommate gave this to me knowing I was a music buff. Long forgotten, I rediscovered it when we moved last year. This album is tenderly beautiful and somewhat haunting also. Words cannot describe this album. Have a listen. The beauty lies in simplicity, getting the authentic sound without being overproduced.

I have had this CD for years, and it remains my favorite Christmas collection of music. It is the first CD that I play during the holidays. It was a happy accident that I bought this recording.

I first heard "Festival of the Heart" about five years ago. In that time I have never grown weary of it. Some tracks are well done and pleasant. Some are notable. A few are of profound beauty. Boswell has given us something quite special.

Seventeen years after its release and after over ten years in my own >100-CD Christmas collection, this album holds a special place in my heart year after year. An instant mood-setter, Boswell's performances here are heart-warming, understated and highly musical.

Like the other reviewers, I am a true believer in this album. It is a hidden gem - unknown to many, but a favorite of those who own it. I recieved this CD as a gift many years ago, right around the time of its release, and I have to this day never found an album that so tastefully captures all that is Christmas. The arrangements, all piano-centered, are intimate and intuitive - an appropriate array of instruments serve the pieces they accompany, whether it be a rustic recorder for "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", a lilting guitar for "O Holy Night", or the utterly brilliant percussion section of "Little Drummer Boy". Boswell's simple, unobtrusive idiom provides the perfect complement to the holiday season, leaving plenty of room for the listener to live and/or reminisce in his or her own Christmas traditions.

It was my good fortune to hear this disc playing during it's inaugural season while shopping in the studio of an artist who was also a Hearts Of Space dealer. The shop owner was kind enough to let me sample all of the tracks knowing full well that I would purchase it and other discs even if I didn't by one photo or piece of pottery. It has been my favorite Christmas album ever since and I have given it as a Christmas present on numerous occasions. For Christmas music I like The Carpenters, Mannheim Steamroller, Handel's Messiah (various performers), the original "Now That's What I Call Christmas" (haven't listened to/purchased the others) and Mariah Carey so my tastes are probably a little stuffy for some.

As this album is sacred music with an acoustic piano as the primary instrument, it tends (with some exceptions) toward the mellow side. It is wonderful to listen to while decorating the tree or sipping a hot drink (or shopping for art and photography gifts) but the performances are so fine that you can easily become absorbed in them when there are no other distractions.

Fortunately for you, you can listen to samples of the tracks at Amazon and not have to rely on whatever feeble descriptions I might concoct. I recommend listening at minimum to the samples of "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Little Drummer Boy" to get a sense for the variety on this disc. Of course, if you have the time, listen to all of the samples.

If you want choirs, orchestras, pop, rock, R&B, or Christmas love songs, look elsewhere. If you like "traditional" Christmas melodies and fine keyboard performance, you won't be disappointed in this selection,it might even become your favorite Christmas album.