Customer Reviews

Kathleen Battle: A Christmas Celebration

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If you could only have two Christmas CDs, Kathleen Battle's "A Christmas Celebration" would definitely be one (and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" would be the other.)

While Battle has been known to be a temperamental diva (leading to a quasi-banishment from operatic roles), her pretty, soaring soprano is without peer. So good is her voice that I would consider several of the cuts on this disc to be definitive performances, not only of Battle's repertoire, but of all performances ever of that song.

Case in point would be her rendition of Gounod's "Ave Maria". Haunting and stunning at the same time, it's as if the angel itself were singing. "Mary Had a Baby" is another fabulously rendered, gospel-tinged beauty.

One of the other strengths of the collection is the sheer breadth of carols and hymns. Modern, traditional, and ancient songs are here. Common carols and more unusual ones appear. Among the less heard songs are "Fum, Fum, Fum!", "Marie Wiegenlied", "Zither Carol", and "Rise Up, Shepherd". Stylistically and internationally, Battle runs the gamut, too, making the album wonderfully cosmopolitan. In all, between the stand-alone songs and the medleys, there are twenty-five selections in almost sixty-three minutes of recording time.

Leonard Slatkin, long of the St. Louis Symphony, conducts the Orchestra of St. Luke's, and is ably backed by The Boy's Choir of Harlem and others. The sound is rich and full, the mic work impeccable. The recording itself is DDD and shows it. Despite being recorded in 1986, everything is fresh today.

You cannot go wrong with this CD. It is one of the best Christmas albums ever recorded and a great way to get into the spirit of Christmas.

I have to say that this is my all time favorite Christmas record. I've listened to it annually for years (usually starting around October and I sometimes play it at other times as well.) The choral arrangements are wonderful and the orchestra & conducting are perfect. And I can't think of a single singer, past or present, to rival this crisp, clear, bright soprano. After hearing Ms.Battle, most other singers are a disappointment. No one delivers like this singer does. I doubt even angels sound better.

In a world where disturbing things are all too common, Christian scripture guides us to dwell on that which is lovely. Kathleen Battle's blessed voice is most certainly one of those lovely things.

I bought this CD in the early 1990's, and I am here to buy it again because I have worn out the original with scratches, etc. I only listen to it during the Christmas season, but I enjoy it enough to hear it all year.

The 'Christmas Celebration' CD should be enough to convince you to also purchase Kathleen's 'A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert'. Ms. Battle's wonderful soprano voice is joined by that of the mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, and the blending is more than memorable. There are a couple of songs which are on both CD's, but you'll want to hear both. In fact, the video of the PBS special is also available, and I recommend buying all three. You won't regret it.

Some of my favorite selections from 'Christmas Celebration' include 'Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabelle' and 'Fum, Fum, Fum', both of which are from a culture different from my own. I found such glimpses into unfamiliar favorites to enhance my own enjoyment of the Christmas season, as long as all of my traditional American favorites were included. They were. "I Wonder As I Wander" and "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful" are there among the other favorites.

This CD's music is the kind that sets a wonderful Christmas mood. It can establish memories that say "Christmas" in the memories of children for life. Along with other classics like 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' and 'The Nutcraker' (from your favorite orchesta) and George Winston's 'December' and a few others, you will slowly be able to assemble a Christmas music library that will stay with you for life.

If there is one performer I miss hearing on a regular basis, it is Kathleen Battle. Anytime I knew that she'd be in a Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast, I knew it would be a performance to remember and more often than not, I was correct. She has a light voice that reaches the upper reregisters with ease and has as a gorgeous sound. She not a regular at many opera houses these days, and in likelihood, if she still did perform on the world's opera stages, we'd be hearing critics say her voice was not what it once was, but thanks to her recorded legacy, her voice will, always have that youthful, energetic sound.

Overall I believe that Ms. Battle performs better in complete opera recordings than recital albums, but most of her recital recordings are of at least good quality and this Christmas collection is outstanding. She handles all of the works with apparent similar ease, but since the recording is so varied, this is a compliment to her skill as a performer. She begins and ends with "O Come All Ye Faithful" where she does a few vocal acrobatics but it's never overdone. Each time I think of what the bets part of the collection is, my mind changes. She brings her skills from the operatic stage in her renditions of "O Holy Night," "Gesu Bambino" (only Pavarotti sings this better, but it's a very close second), and "The Zither Carol" which sounds so much like something that could come from the mouths of Oscar from UN BALLO or Zurbinetta from ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, two of her signature roles. The music from the African American Spirituals tradition and American background are well done and the accompaniment of the Harlem Boys Choir, used to great advantage here adds so much.

With so many Christmas collections from the world of opera available, choosing one can be difficult, but this is one collection that has proven to be a joy for almost fifteen years and will continue to give holiday pleasure for years to come.

My favorite Christmas recording. Her renditions of Mary's Cradle Song and Gounod's Ave Maria are stunning.

I love Kathleen Battle's voice, and to get such a great collection of beautiful sacred music, it was like a dream come true. She sings many traditional carols like Holy Night, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night, which is possibly my favorite here, you may think you have heard this song so many times, but Kathleen's voice really shines in it. Her English diction is so incredible, you can understand every word, which is not something many opera singers can achieve. Her singing is always so natural and lovely. Many other songs are oustanding on this album, I love the two version of Ave Maria and the Italian song Gesu Bambino. If you are looking for a really beautiful collection of Christmas music, this album is a great choice.

I probably have 50 Christmas albums. I love many of them. This is my favorite. Leaves me astounded and breathless every time I enjoy it.

...or any time of the year. If you would like to have angels all year round, then listen to this all year round! Its to beautiful to only listen to around Christmas time!

This is the absolute best collection of Christmas music available today. It is the first CD we play each holiday season!

I'll make my point at the very beginning, if you could only buy one CD of classical Christmas music, this would be the one to purchase. Acclaimed soprano Kathleen Battle recorded this in 1986 when she was at her vocal peak. Words are inadequate, and forgive me if I wax poetic here, but this is close to the glorious music I would expect the winged seraphs and cherubs to make around God's throne in heaven on Christmas Day. Each note is a perfect jewel soaring upward, luminous and immaculate in its artistry.

Almost all of the traditional classic European Christmas carols are represented such as" "Oh Come All Ye Faithful ", O Holy Night" "Away in the Manger", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing ", "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" and "Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem", all magnificently done. The bonus for me was the addition of the French, Spanish, German, Italian and Czech carols to which I was introduced for the first time. These were "Un Flambeau, Jeanette, Isabelle", sung in charmingly dignified French, "Fum! Fum! Fum" in swiftly rushing Spanish, the tender "Maria Wiegenlied" from Germany, "Gesu Bambino" representing Italy, and "The Zither Carol" based on Czech folk music, with the lyrics tripping lightly off Ms. Battle's tongue. A medley of well known English Christmas carols is also included "I Saw Three Ships", "The First Nowell" and "The Holly and the Ivy", all a treat to the ear.

America is not neglected however; Ms. Battle has three selections that have Appalachian, and African-American origins, and unlike some opera singers she is able to bring her voice down so the simple melodies and lyrics are not overwhelmed by the sheer power and volume of an operatic register. This trio, well chosen and executed, is " I Wonder as I Wander", "Mary Had a Baby" and "Rise Up, Shepherd", all rendered with a clarity and restraint that heightens the effectiveness.

I have two personal favorites that are conjure up specific memories whenever I hear them. The first is the quintessential religious Christmas Carol, Franz Gruber's "Silent Night". About 10 years ago, a week or so before Christmas I was driving home from work in a very stressed, agitated state that was job related, and I had this CD playing. When Ms. Battle sang "Silent Night" first in English, then in the original German, the purity and sensitivity moved me profoundly. The tension started to drain out, as a feeling of peace enveloped me, I got my sense of perspective back, and knew I could resolve my work problems, which I did. More than that, the intimacy of her singing gave me the sensation as if I were there at the stable; vivid, joyous images were in my mind's eye, and the wonder of the moment made a couple of tears spill down my cheeks. The second is a more somber recollection, Gounod's "Ave Maria", Ms. Battle's peerless rendition, so exalted and sublime was played at my beloved father-in-law's funeral. This was the one piece of music he had requested, and since we all wanted to give him the best, we all chose her version to be played in the church. Again the shimmering beauty of her voice like Baccarat crystal moved my to tears, but was also a balm to my wounded spirit. By the way, Schubert's "Ave Maria" is also represented on the CD, and is just as gorgeous.

New York Choral Artists and the Boys Choir of Harlem give splendid support to Ms. Battle, and the Orchestra of Saint Luke's with Leonard Slatkin as it's superlative conductor. The true spirit of Christmas in all its joy and wonder shines in an incandescent brilliance in this august album. For me, it wouldn't be Christmas without it; I hope it will become a Christmas tradition for you as well.