Simply the Best Christmas Album

Adolphe Adam (Composer), Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Georges Bizet (Composer), Arcangelo Corelli (Composer), Louis-Claude Daquin (Composer), Cesar Franck (Composer), Franz Xaver Gruber (Composer), George Frederick Handel (Composer), Roger Harvey (Composer), Michael Head (Composer), Lee Holdridge (Composer), Herbert Howells (Composer), Charles Ives (Composer), William James Kirkpatrick (Composer), Hugh / Blane, Ralph Martin (Composer), Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Christmas Traditional (Composer), Antonio Vivaldi (Composer), John Francis Wade (Composer), Frank Wildhorn (Composer)

Product Details

• Composer: Adolphe Adam, Johann Sebastian Bach, Georges Bizet, Arcangelo Corelli, Louis-Claude Daquin, et al.
• Audio CD (August 21, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Erato
• ASIN: B00005MJ0G
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #160,353 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #53 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( H ) > Howells, Herbert
  #79 in	Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Composers > Ives, Charles
  #82 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( I ) > Ives, Charles

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
A rather presumptive holiday title, Simply the Best Christmas Album is an unqualified best--if you like classical, choral, and symphonic music. Marquee talent such as Placido Domingo, Natalie Cole, and Jose Carreras anchor the mix, abetted by the redoubtable London Brass, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Edward Higgenbottom & The Choir of New College, Oxford, and the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra. This two-disc, 36-piece set presents a broad spectrum of holiday pageantry that embraces familiar traditional works like The Nutcracker and more contemporary pieces from Sumi Jo and Linda Eder. From triumphant brass and angelic choirs to stirring string pieces and rich, lovely orchestral movements, Simply the Best sets an exquisitely festive mood. --Martin Keller

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the Best..., November 19, 2002

By A Customer

The minute I heard Thomas Hampson sing the first few notes of Adeste Fideles, I knew I had to have this album. It is a marvelous compilation of Classical Christmas favorites (excerpts from the Bach, Vivaldi and Corelli Christmas Concertos and The Nutcracker) and standard Christmas favorites, as well as some of the lesser heard Christmas gems.

The vocal power on this 2 CD set is amazing as well--Broadway star Linda Eder, Thomas Hampson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Jose Carreras, Chanticleer, and numerous others. I usually purchase one Christmas CD a year. This was it for me this year--make it part of your holiday collection.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Joyous surprises!, May 31, 2006

By	Ken Wyatt (Jackson, MI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Every once in awhile I run across an album that excells, not because of the shining brilliance of one artist, but because of the collective impact of several. Here, in this album, are some little-known gems from Christmas music literature. I was captivated by the lilting and primitive joy in "Jesus, the Light of the World," which I had never heard before. Then there is Chanticleer and its rendition of Charles Ives' "Christmas Carol," a classic too little known. There are others. If you look for unique renditions of familiar and unfamiliar Christmas music to enhance the joy of the season, this album is a must-buy.