Customer Reviews

A Medieval Christmas

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is not a "run of the mill" Christmas CD. These pieces were written hundreds of years before Christmas Carols became popular. Plainsong chant and insturmental excellence abound. This cd even has medieval drumming. I listen to this one all year around.

Renz and his gang come up with great pieces that anyone can love, and they bring real spirit to it. Their concerts in NY are always a lot of fun. Check out their Ren. & Baroque Christmas CDs, too.

I bought this out of curiosity,not being especially drawn to medieval music,and have become captivated by the haunting melodies and unfamiliar harmonic progressions.The performances and recording are honest and excellent and,yes,track 20 is a tad cheesy,but not enough to cause me to skip over it.I think it was an attempt to close the proceedings on an upbeat,lighter note.I truly love this recording and highly recommend it.

"A Medieval Christmas" avoids the kitsch, ducks the obvious, steers clear of "Holly and the Ivy" and "Greensleeves," and actually provides what the title says. The scholarship involved in the choice of material is sound, and the performances are terrific. While the oratorio piece may not be everyone's favorite, I find the elaborate and delicate musical counterpoint of this pre-baroque instrumentation so lovely that I play the disk year round.

DO listen to track 20 before you buy. There's an earnest fellow shouting the story of bethlehem with a background of presumably-medieval singing. Please understand; he is *not* singing. He is *speaking* in a very loud voice in English. With a good deal of reverb. It sounds like something that might occur at a beloved children's christmas celebration somewhere, where the kids *really* love the show. ... Of course they don't actually; at least, *I* wouldn't've; I'd've been cringing in ashamed embarrassment. ... The CD is just annoying, and I can turn it off, and pass it on to some innocent victim....

I note that there is *no hint* of this shouting fellow on the CD program; it just says "stella nuova" which I'm sure is what he's shouting about (it's in reverberated English)....

The rest of the music is not that bad -- a little too much reverb perhaps -- but track 20 is really awful. You are warned....