Renaissance Holiday

Mannheim Steamroller | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 6, 1998)
• Original Release Date: October 6, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: American Gramaphone
• ASIN: B00000AFTH
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,074 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #11 in Music > Miscellaneous > Holiday > Pop Instrumental & Easy Listening
  • #71 in Music > Rock > Progressive > Electronic
  • #91 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Noels

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not really Mannheim, but good anyway, December 20, 2002

By 

David W Troska (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Renaissance Holiday (Audio CD)

Okay, there's been some debate in these reviews about whether or not this is a Mannheim CD. It is a collection of works performed by various artists (some of whom have worked with Mannheim Steamroller.) Chip Davis, who is the creator of Mannheim Steamroller, assembled this collection and put it all on this one CD. Contrary to what some people are saying here, I wouldn't consider Chip Davis to BE Mannheim Steamroller. He's the creator, and the composer of their works, but he is merely one of several performers. For this to really be a Mannheim Steamroller album, you would need to have Chip, Jackson Berkey, Arnie Roth, Ron Cooley, Roxanne Layton, etc, etc all performing together. And the arrangements would all have to be done by Chip.

Okay, technicalities aside... There is some good music here, and none of it is duplicated from previous Mannheim CDs as one reviewer said. They all have a Renaissance flair, so some of the arrangements may sound like ones that were done before, but these are definitely different enough to be called new. If you enjoyed the Renaissance bits from the Mannheim albums, you will enjoy this album. On the other hand, if you prefer the electronic, synthesizer stuff from the Mannheim albums, you may be disappointed. Overall, I'd say this is a worthy edition to the Steamroller albums, even if it isn't technically a Steamroller album itself.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Holiday masterwork by Chip Davis of Mannheim Steamroller., December 11, 2001

By 

Doctor Mabuse "Evil Genius, King of Crime" (Seattle, Washington USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Renaissance Holiday (Audio CD)

Chip Davis, the arranger-conductor of Renaissance Holiday, IS Mannheim Steamroller. This particular album brings together Davis, his New Age synthesizers and various instrumental and percussive groups, with the great London Symphony Orchestra. With Renaissance Holiday, Davis surpasses the Mannheim Steamroller. This is Davis' most ambitious work in the area of seasonal music and a magnificent, glorious work of Christmas beauty.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Medieval Magnificence!, August 23, 2002

By 

Karen A. Decoster (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Renaissance Holiday (Audio CD)

Beautiful. This is wonderful, creative, medieval Christmas music - you name it, this CD has it. It's by Chip Davis, not Mannheim Steamroller, as some people assume. But don't be put off by that. Only Mannheim's 2nd CD can outdo this one by Chip Davis, who IS Mannheim Steamroller, by the way. I find that most folks - even those of fairly mainstream taste - find this type of stuff compelling and worthy of buying.