The Best Carols in the World...Ever!

Stephen Varcoe (Performer), Simon Vaughan (Performer), Gareth Morrell (Performer), Felix [1] Mendelssohn (Composer), Christmas Traditional (Composer), William Billings (Composer), Henry John Gauntlett (Composer), Harold Darke (Composer), Richard Storrs Willis (Composer), William James Kirkpatrick (Composer), John Rutter (Composer), Franz Xaver Gruber (Composer), Lowell Mason (Composer), John [Composer] Goss (Composer), John Henry, Jr. Hopkins (Composer), William Walker (Composer), Herbert Howells (Composer), Reginald Jacques (Composer), Conrad Kocher (Composer), Anonymous (Composer)

Product Details

• Performer: Stephen Varcoe, Simon Vaughan, Gareth Morrell
• Composer: Felix [1] Mendelssohn, Christmas Traditional, William Billings, Henry John Gauntlett, Harold Darke, et al.
• Audio CD (October 4, 2005)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B00002438U
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #131,313 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Title makes a big claim, but it absolutely delivers..., December 2, 2006

By	Random McNasty - See all my reviews

This album provides 2.5 hours of excellent carols, from excellent choirs and soloists, and with great sound. I was worried that a compilation this large, and with such an extravagent title, would be B-side offerings, but that's not the case at all.

This isn't an album if you are looking for something "fresh and new." The arrangements are traditional, and even newer carols are done in a fairly conservative style. But that said, some of the pieces provide the best orchestration and voice arrangement I have ever heard. This is like the pinnacle of the classic English Christmas carol; clean, precise, glorious and celebratory.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 52 carols sung by 7 English choirs - brilliant, November 19, 2007

By	Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you love Christmas carols, you will find this to be a real treasure trove. This double-CD is compiled from various Christmas albums recorded by English choirs. Between them, they seem to have included every famous carol and a lot of obscure ones.

The seven choirs are the choir of King's college (Cambridge), the Bach Choir (London), the Clare College singers (Cambridge), the Temple Church choir (London), the Taverners choir, the Midiaevel Baebes and the Huddersfield choral society. A brief history of each is included in the liner notes.

Some of these carols are world famous including Hark the herald angels sing, The first noel, O little town of Bethlehem, Away in a manger, Silent night, Joy to the world, We three kings and O come all ye faithful.

Some others are famous in Britain but (judged on what I've seen of American Christmas albums) are not especially well known in America. These include While shepherds watched, Once in Royal David's city, In the bleak midwinter and The holly and the ivy. I have come across American covers of these songs - but not often.

There are yet other songs which are obscure even to me, but it's great to have them all in one collection. At the import price, it might look expensive, but what would you have to spend to get all these Christmas carols any other way?

If you enjoy Christmas carols, I doubt if you'll find a better collection anywhere, although a modified version of this compilation (Best Christmas Carols...Ever is also available with a different sequence and some different tracks. Really, there's not much to choose between them in quality, so compare the prices and availability and select accordingly.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Its time to be seasonal, December 15, 2005

By	J. Couper "Jez the Legend" (Lincoln, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This album contains traditional carols performed in a traditional way at the best quality. It is an excellent album to ensure the spirit of christmas is present and to bring the true meaning of christmas back. The double CD selection has all the golden favourites as well as not so wellknown carols to complete a very good christmas album. Merry Christmas to you all!