A Season's Promise

Ned Rorem (Performer), New York Concert Singers (Performer), Stephen Paulus (Composer), Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (Composer), Virgil Thomson (Composer), William Bolcom (Composer), Libby Larsen (Composer), Morten Laurdisen (Composer), Joan Morris (Composer), Judith Clurman (Conductor, Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Ned Rorem, New York Concert Singers
• Orchestra: Judith Clurman
• Conductor: Judith Clurman
• Composer: Stephen Paulus, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Virgil Thomson, William Bolcom, Libby Larsen, et al.
• Audio CD (September 5, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: New World Records
• ASIN: B00005O4UH
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #366,577 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The towering tree at Rockefeller Center, midnight mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Bing Crosby singing White Christmas—these are among the core snapshots of an American Christmas. A holiday that fuses the sacred and secular, high-gloss entertainment and deep spiritual meaning, Christmas in the United States is built on longstanding rituals at the same time as new riffs are continually being invented. It has its own distinct identity, and in one of the most culturally diverse societies on the globe, a Christian holiday has risen as the country’s most prominent.

The striking array of works conducted by Judith Clurman on this recording open a window onto the many facets of a contemporary Christmas. Most of these compositions were first performed at one of the annual Christmas-tree-lighting ceremonies at Lincoln Center, where Clurman has directed music-making since 1992, and many were commissioned for those events.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful affirmation of American invention, September 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Season's Promise (Audio CD)

Judith Clurman knows how to work with singers, and the sound of her chorus is sumptuous on this CD. Just what you might want to have playing as the family is gathering for the holidays. And in a time of questioning and re-examination of what makes us Americans, the fact that this CD represents a wide variety of American composers doing their best to connect to beloved traditions makes this CD a winner. Hats off to New World for making a CD the record companies never would have...