On Christmas Day: New Carols from King's Choir of King's College, Cambridge

Edward Grint (Artist), Thomas Ades (Artist), Richard Rodney Bennett (Artist), Sir Lennox Berkeley (Artist), Judith Bingham (Artist), Sir Harrison Birtwistle (Artist), Diana Burrell (Artist), John Casken (Artist), Robert Chilcott (Artist), Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (Artist), Jonathan Dove (Artist), Alexander Goehr (Artist), Jonathan Harvey (Artist), Robin Greville Holloway (Artist), James MacMillan (Artist), Nicholas Maw (Artist), Arvo Part (Artist), Stephen Harrison Paulus (Artist), John Rutter (Artist), Peter Sculthorpe (Artist), Giles Swayne (Artist), Judith Weir (Artist), John Woolrich (Artist), Stephen Cleobury (Artist), Philippa Davies (Artist), Cambridge King's College (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 4, 2005)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B000B66PO8
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #155,736 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This may not be appropriate easy listening for trimming the tree, but it is definitely a fine recording., December 28, 2005

By	James Ludwig (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is definitely not a CD of traditional Christmas Carols, but I feel it's a little harsh to claim that only two pieces on the entire recording are "melodic". Frankly, I don't even know what that means. To my ears all of the compositions here have what can be called a melody. Personally, I adore the "Fayrfax Carol" by Thomas Ades and cannot see how it would fail to fall under even the most close-minded definition of the word "melodic".

I agree with the previous reviewer that many of the pieces are harmonically abstract but, honestly, what do you expect from a CD of music written by contemporary composers for one of the finest choirs in the world? I would hope there would be no arrangements of "I Saw Three Ships".

If you're looking for a CD of traditional carols, there is no shortage of recordings. However, if you're looking for well-crafted, forward-thinking, modern compositions performed by a group on the cutting edge of choral music, look no further.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Latest from the King's College Choir, December 20, 2006

By	Ronald H. Clark (WASHINGTON, DC USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I am immensely fond of the various Christmas albums put out by the Choir of King's College at the University of Cambridge. They represent the English tradition at its finest. I especially like the variants of the 9 Lessons and Carols in which biblical lessons are interspersed with the choral renditions. This tradition relates back to 1918 and has been broadcast(and telecast) worldwide since 1928, so I am not alone in my appreciation. This album presents an entirely new body of music in that it contains newer and unfamiliar compositions, some of which have been commissioned in past years for this program. There are 15 selections on the first disk and 7 on the second disk. Like any selection, some of the cuts are better than others, but all are quite beautiful. Whether any will become classics of the caliber of the more established material remains to be seen. But with Stephen Cleobury in charge, as he has been since 1982, long-time fans of the Choir know that a solid and quite enjoyable musical package awaits--especially at this holiday time of year.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Flawless performance of unusual (though not always good) music, December 3, 2005

By	Peter D. Thompson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Choir of Kings College is one of the best in the world--so of course the recording will sound excellent. In fact, I own several recordings by Kings College and they perform their best on this one. The purity of the sound and superb diction are just unsurpassed. But the music is just not that good. It's often too harmonically strange, overdramatic, and, frankly, too modern.

That's not to say there is not good music--actually, some of the best pieces of music are on this recording. Highlights include: Chilcott's haunting "The Shepherd's Carol" (which is one of the only two melodic pieces on the entire recording), Part's energetic "Bogoroditse Dyevo", Dove's dramatic "The Three Kings", Rutter's typical, but comparatively good "What sweeter music" (the other melodic piece), Weir's majestic "Illumniare Jerusalem" and Woolrich's sublime "Spring in Winter". There are a few honorable mentions--Berkeley's "In Wintertime" & Goehr's "Carol for St. Stephen"--but the other half of the recording is pretty much awful. The choir & Stephen Cleobury sound good trying--but the composers haven't given them much of value to work with.

An interesting addition to a music lover's collection, but I can't imagine it being enjoyable to someone looking for Christmas carols.