Customer Reviews

Star of Wonder, Music for the Season

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I must admit that I was a member of S.F. Choral Artsists and sang on this recording, which was made in 1985, I believe. It's become a favorite of many friends who enjoy a capella choral singing. We recorded it in the lovely St. Ignatius Church on the campus of University of San Francisco, which happens to be on a very busy bus line. We could not record until after midnight because the sounds of the bus could be heard inside the wonderful cathedral with its incredible reverberation. The Reference Recordings folks were using the high-tech digital mastering technology and planned to issue the recording on something new called a CD, an original one of which I have, as well as the traditional LP which was the original big seller. So, after work each day we'd get together to have dinner and practice in the early evening, and then about midnight begin recording until 5am, for several nights straight. One of my fondest memories is recording the gorgeous Wilcox arrangement of "What Child Is This?" about 4am. The sense of the still of the night sounds still comes through on the recording, as does the somehwat ghostly "Happy New Year" at the end of the "Deck the Hall." It's nice to see that is is still available, and I hope folks enjoy it.

"Star of Wonder" is a lovely CD of Christmas-themed music, some familiar and some new. If you enjoy beautiful a cappella singing and love Christmas music, you will want to own this CD. The ensemble is superb, and the soprano sound has a pure, chrystalline, single-voice quality that is quite unique. While most of the singing is unaccompanied, some pieces are enhanced by the evocative quality of a flute, handbells or harp. This CD is a joyful discovery.