Nimbus Prima Voce: The Spirit of Christmas Past

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 1, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nimbus Records
• ASIN: B0000037KJ
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #208,561 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #6 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Ponselle, Rosa
  • #46 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Composers > Reger, Max

Track Listings

1. O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste fidelis)

2. Halleluja (Dir Herr!)

3. Cantique de Noël for voice & orchestra "O Holy Night"

4. Ave Maria, for voice & piano (after Bach's Prelude No. 1 from the Well-

5. The Oldest Christmas story

6. Coventry Carol (2): "Lully, Lulla, Thou Little Tiny Child"

7. Panis angelicus for tenor, organ, harp, cello & bass

8. O du fröhliche, o du selige, gnadenbringende Weihnachtszeit, carol (tun

9. Gesu Bambino

10. Le repos de la Sainte Famille

11. Schlafendes Jesuskind ("Sohn der Jungfrau"), song for voice & piano (Mö

12. Des fremden Kindes heil'ger Christ, Op. 33/3

13. Alleluja

14. Ellens Gesang III ("Ave Maria"), song for voice & piano, D. 839 (Op. 52

15. Mille cherubini in coro (after Schubert)

16. Maria Wiegenlied (Mary's Lullaby: "Maria sitzt am Rosenhag"), song for

17. Christmas Candle

18. A Star Was His Candle

19. A Visit from Saint Nicholas, poem ("'Twas the Night Before Christmas")

20. Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht (Silent Night)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Christmas album in years, November 15, 1999

By 

albertatamazon (Atlanta, Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nimbus Prima Voce: The Spirit of Christmas Past (Audio CD)

Hard-boiled stereo audiophiles may be scared off from this beautiful collection of Christmas-related songs and dramatic readings when they learn that they were recorded in mono sound between 1915 and 1942. But if they bypass this collection, they will cheat themselves out of a beautiful and fascinating album, and one of the finest audio remastering jobs I have ever heard. I don't know how Nimbus Prima Voce does it, but although the orchestra sometimes sounds rather dim and muddled, the voices ring through loud and clear, with virtually no surface noise. Many all-time greats are here--Enrico Caruso doing "O Holy Night" in the original French, John McCormack singing "O Come All Ye Faithful", and on and on. The singing styles are a revelation - these singers take their Yuletide material seriously, and deliver it with real passion, as if they meant every word, and weren't just rehashing old favorites. The program is a real potpourri, which includes traditional carols, classical Christmas music,and dramatic readings by Charles Laughton and Basil Rathbone. Laughton narrates the story of Christ's birth unforgettably, as if he felt he were performing Shakespeare; unfortunately, Rathbone is less successful at " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" - he tries to sound childlike, and Basil Rathbone cannot be cutesy-poo convincingly. The depth of many of the interpretations will astonish the listener--this is the only album in which I have heard the familiar "Lullay, Lullay, Thou Little Tiny Child" made to sound like the dirge it was meant to be- sung by the mothers of the soon-to-be-slaughtered babies to quiet them so that Herod's soldiers would not hear them cry. This is one of only two or three Christmas albums I couldn't do without, and one of the most original and moving ever done in this jaded, modern era of recording. Nimbus is to be congratulated.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Voices!, July 11, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nimbus Prima Voce: The Spirit of Christmas Past (Audio CD)

This is an incredible CD. All the greats of bygone years together on one CD. Best listened to in front of a fireplace on a cold December evening with good friends and Brandy. You'll be hard pressed not to shed a tear or two listening to this one.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Spirit of Christmas Past, February 17, 2008

By 

Jerry Saude "Shepherd" (Bismarck, ND United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nimbus Prima Voce: The Spirit of Christmas Past (Audio CD)

Beautiful Christmas songs sung by voices from long ago. Even though the original format of these recordings is ancient technology, the beauty of these artists is still there. It is a new treasure for my Christmas song collection.