Customer Reviews

A Renaissance Christmas / Cohen, Boston Camerata

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This cd is constructed as lessons and carols i.e. Biblical readings interspered between the music. This structures the music into seven parts: (1) rejoice, rejoice (2) behold the handmaiden (3) Jospeh is well married (4) the birth of Jesus (5) Herod and the Magi (6) the shepherds at the cradle and (7) the Good News.

Several of the pieces are well known - the Swedish Gaudete, Gaudete; the Catalan E la don don; the Spanish Riu, riu, chiu; Jospeh, lieber Joseph mein by Johann Walter; Es ist ein Ros'entsprunger by Michael Praetorius ... but the rendition and context of these pieces makes them sparkle as if new.

A minor complaint: Tau Garco, La Durundena is not provided with a translation of the words, merely a paraphrase with the comment that it is an obscure Catalan song on the nativity.

As usual, the Boston Camerata is well trained - the words are clear, the voices blend well and the instrumentation complements their performance.

This is an album that belongs in a basic Christmas collection.

A few years ago, while my belongings were in storage, among many, many other things that were stolen, I lost this CD and have been pineing away for another copy ever since. Of all the Christmas music available, this is the one I prefer to listen to the most, since for me, it embodies the true spirit of the season, and joy of man at the birth of the Savior. If anyone has ever lived in Europe for any length of time and been exposed to traditional European Christmas music, no matter if it was England, France, Spain, The Netherlands (my European home-away-from-home) or Germany, there is something on this CD to remind you of the earthy, closeness many people there still have to this most wonderful season. It is centuries and worlds removed from the "Ho Ho Ho", credit-card world we know so well in America, and for this reason and so very much more, I can personally recommend this most unique CD and commend those who have crafted it with a full and thankful heart.

There is nothing to criticize on this CD, along with its wonderful companions, Medeival Christmas and Baroque Christmas. The singing is absolutely masterful; the instrumentation is faithful to what would've been used during the time period for additional authenticity. The narration in the various accents, taken directly from the story of the nativity in the Bible, really strings the different songs togheter. The various offerings from around the world connects the listener to two thousand years of Christmas tradition. We are of Catalan descent, so we were especially pleased to find "Tau Garçó, la Durundena," an ancient Catalan madrigal, but my personal favorite is the reverent, perfectly realized "O Magnum Mysterium" (Oh, Greatest of Mysteries), which has to be one of the most beautiful Christmas songs ever written. I have heard this song performed by many choirs and madrigal groups, and this CD's version is by far the most beautiful I've ever heard.

The music on this CD is so timeless and rich in quality and history that I actually listen to it year round, but it adds a special sparkle to holiday celebrations in a way that "Jingle Bell Rock" can never hope to achieve. :) This series is a real gift to the music world and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

I have had this Cd isnce it was released and year after year it delights, amazes and fills my family's heart with holiday joy. Like other reviewers have said, I agree that the quality of this CD (along with the companion CDs a Medival Christmas and a Baroque Christmas) is truly a revelation. But what I love most is simply listening to songs that aren't as well known as other carols- it connects you to the past instantly and also makes you feel the real reason for the season. Simply gorgeous and heavenly.

Simply a delightful trip back across the centuries, long before the crass commercial exploitation of this glorious day on the Christian calendar. The polyphonic voices, the delicious syncopation on Spanish Renaissance masterpiece Riu Riu Riu ... Dios Guardo El Lobo de nuestra Cordera' ... the auld English and the period French, the virile sonority of the men's group, the angelic, soaring strains of the female group, the mystical union and then separation of the two, the feeling you get of proximity to the Divine when they sing accopela, the open mouthed wonder you will experience as your grateful ears take in the dainty, rhythmic accompaniment of tambourines and lutes and flutes ... ahhh!
It simply is not Christmas without this musical masterpiece.
You will catch yourself dancing a little jig as they sing about Joseph being well married or of the little girl innoncence of the futrue mother of the Christ child.
Mr. Cohen and his troupe travel the country every year developing their themes of Hispanic, French, Baroque and Renaissance Christmases ...
a journey for which we can all be uplifted!
John Leddy Colleyville TX

My mom bought this years ago and I still think it's wonderful music for Christmas. Definitely buy this album.

Fantabulous! This is millenial Christmas music, the sort that will endure long after the stuff Americans listen to has faded away. If you like real music, have a copy of this. If you like the first art, BC can't be beat. What a job! And, outside of a couple of tiny oversights, the accompanying text is very well done.

When people start to talk about Christmas music, this is the music that, for me at least, springs to mind. Something about the authentic sounds and instruments, and about the music itself, from a time before Christmaswas about malls, santas, spending money, and television commercials. The Boston Camerata has a Medieval Christmas recording that is also an excellent companion to this one.

This recording of Rennaissance Christmas carols is outstanding. With music you don't usually hear, it gives Christmas a fuller, sacred meaning while at the same time showing the fun-loving human side of the holiday.

These people are musical geniuses. This is our favorite Christmas album. It is so masterfully done, it is a joy and a rich experience to hear it over and over again. Hear it on a really good stereo for full effect. A true pleasure year after year.