Customer Reviews

O Holy Night / Luciano Pavarotti / Special Deluxe Edition (Decca)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For enjoying the spirit of the Christmas season, I rely on The Time Life Platinum Christmas Collection, "Treasury of Christmas I", 3 CD set of 36 songs by various artists, UPC 1130-11311-2. But for the MEANING of Christmas, only Pavarotti's renditions of these timeless, beautiful songs meet the challange. I've listened to others, from Il Divo to Carerras and Domingo, but none meld the scores, arrangements and precise delivery and have the same effect upon the listener. This is Pavarotti, the ultimate tenor, recorded at his best.

My wife and I love Christmas music, but this album is in a class by itself. It is opera, classical music, Christmas carols, and the most heartfelt and expressive personal expression of religious feeling. It is exalted and joyous, and to my wife and me, inexpressively beautiful. We're listening to "O Holy Night" as I type this on Christmas Eve, as we've listened to this album since its release, several times each year before and after Christmas. Each year, I discover new depths and new appreciation for songs that we maybe didn't hear as clearly previously.

Forget the aging Pavarotti singing with diminished voice into a microphone to packed arenas, handkerchief in hand. This was recorded in January 1976 in England when Pavarotti was in his prime, movingly expressing his deep religious feeling through magnificent music. The great opera conductor Kurt Herbert Adler of the Chicago Lyric Opera and then Music Director of the San Francisco Opera perfectly led the National Philharmonic Orchestra, along with the magnificent Wandsworth Boys Choir and London Voices led by Terry Edward. I should point out that this album is classical and operatic music, or beloved carols done in a classical or operatic style. You won't find "Frosty the Snowman", "Jingle Bells", or "A Chipmunk's Christmas" here.

Treat yourself to this album, and look forward to years of deepening appreciation and pleasure from it. It can become an integral part of your Christmas celebration, a special annual treat, as it's become for my family.

These are the great musical selections that only Pavarotti can do justice. To put them into the hands of someone else would be a disservice to both the composer and the listener.

I have many Christmas albums, but I have to say, this is the cream of the crop. How could you expect anything less from the greatest tenor of a lifetime? The entire CD is absolutely breathtaking. "Pieta, Signore" (Have mercy on me, Lord) - is one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs ever written, and there is NO ONE that can deliver it like the Great Man. There is a passion, sincerity, reverence, urgency and depth to his singing here that is just unsurpassed. You will come away KNOWING that he believed every word that passed his lips. This album does exactly what all holiday albums should do, which is make us feel, realize and honor the true meaning of Christmas.

If you're looking for a Christmas album to convey the spirit and meaning of the season, this is the one. I was completely blown away, yet humbled by this supreme compilation. Bravo, Maestro, bravo! And thank you...

Pavarotti is in his prime for this one and the selections are both touching and grand. Mille Cherubini, a tender lullaby, is my favorite but his Agnus Dei is rich and grand. The choral backgrounds are also very good. I bought the cassette when it came out in the 70's and I am thrilled that they reissued it as CD to grace my 2007 Christmas .

A friend gave me a gift of this album several years ago and while I am not a big fan of Christmas music albums generally, this one is special. I listen to it all the time--when I am feeling good, feeling sad, or need relaxation. Pavarotti's voice plus the Italian lyrics in the opera arias provide a wonderful listening experience. Highly recommended.

Outstanding selections. I bought CD to replace old vinyl of same music that warped over the years. Especially enjoyed Vienna Boys Choir in the mix. Nobody sings or will ever sing this kind of music like Luciano. RIP.

My favorite cut is "Gesu Bambino." It's a very difficult song to sing, and breathtaking on this recording.

Amongst the plethora of hokum that the recording companies pass on to us in the name of sacred/Xmas music using big name artists who barely seem to know why they are recording this music, Pavarotti's album shines out as a good example of the genre. Using various recordings throughout his career, the album features big Lucy working with various orchestras and conductors and the arrangements are well done.

I believe that Luciano far exceeded Caruso. His voice reached out to everyone, except for that unfortunate foray into the "Georgio" film.
He presented his music with a marvelous flair for detail. We shall miss him, so much.