A Lark Ascending Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 (edited) Although recommendations pop up in other threads I don't recall a Christmas specific classical thread (if there is one I'm happy to have this one torpedoed). Lots out there. What do you especially enjoy? Some of my regulars: A fair bit of Easter in the Handel, but... Edited November 29, 2012 by A Lark Ascending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted November 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 You already mentioned my two staples, the Messiah and Christmas Oratorio...Not the most unique or imaginative, but so it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 Corelli's Op. 6 Concerto No. 8, "Christmas Concerto", along with the rest of Corelli's Concerti Grossi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted December 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2012 (edited) Strongly recommend Honegger's 'Une Cantate de Noel' to Xmas music lovers who don't know it. A 25 minute piece in two parts, the first extremely dark and brooding with absolutely no tinsel. The way the light comes in in the second part, built round a childrens choir singing the carol 'Il est né le divin enfant,' weaving in and out of other themes ('er ist ein ros entsprungen') is pure Christmas. There's another recent version on this disc that I've not heard; but the couplings are better known Honegger - more spring like! Edited December 1, 2012 by A Lark Ascending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted December 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2012 Here's a lovely new disc. Mainly choral but some nice organ interludes, largely unfamiliar more recent songs and carols: 1. Haflidi Hallgrimsson: Joseph and the Angel 03:43 2. Anthony Piccolo: I look from afar 06:19 3. Thomas Hyde: Sweet was the song 02:08 4. Mark-Anthony Turnage: Christmas Night 02:46 5. John McCabe: Mary laid her child 02:22 6. Malcolm Williamson: This Christmas Night 03:07 7. Matthew Martin: I sing of a maiden 02:29 8. Thomas Hyde: Improvisation on 'Puer natus' 05:16 9. Judith Bingham: Tu creasti Domine 04:02 10. Richard Allain: Balulalow 01:51 11. Mark-Anthony Turnage: Claremont Carol 04:09 12. Howard Skempton: There is no rose 02:39 13. Gabriel Jackson: Hush! my dear 03:30 14. Peter Maxwell Davies: Fleecy Care Carol 02:58 15. Cecilia McDowall: Of a Rose 02:49 16. Geoffrey Bush: 'Twas in the year that King Uzziah died 03:05 17. Elisabeth Lutyens: Nativity 05:56 18. Edmund Rubbra: Let us securely enter 02:19 19. Kenneth Leighton: O leave your sheep 04:15 20. Kenneth Leighton: Veni Redemptor (A Celebration) 10:17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted December 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2012 (edited) The version of 'Frosty the Snowman' (three rehearsal out-takes also included) displays such sublime artistry. Such tone! Such touch! Edited December 8, 2012 by A Lark Ascending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted December 9, 2012 Report Share Posted December 9, 2012 Jesus! (I saw that Rite of Spring box today, btw ...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted December 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2012 Jesus! Is this a reference to the box, the 'now where did I leave my monocle look' on Klempy's face or the dire quality of my photoshopping skills? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdavenport Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 The version of 'Frosty the Snowman' (three rehearsal out-takes also included) displays such sublime artistry. Such tone! Such touch! The Klemperer is too slow. I much prefer the foreboding of the Schuricht and the bombast of Toscannini.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 Jesus! Is this a reference to the box, the 'now where did I leave my monocle look' on Klempy's face or the dire quality of my photoshopping skills? Sorry for the late reply ... it was a refence to all of that and then some But back on topic: I'm making some classical x-mas gifts this year ... mom will get Schubert. The "Winterreise" by Christine Schaefer and "Die schöne Müllering" by Fritz Wunderlich (in my humble opinion she urgently needs that as an upgrade to the Fischer-Dieskau recording she has - it's really worlds apart). And mère ubu's mother will get some Gould doing Bach - I gather that's not a popular notion around here, but what do I care, I love it. Oh, did I misunderstand the topic here? Not the thread title though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted December 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 (edited) The version of 'Frosty the Snowman' (three rehearsal out-takes also included) displays such sublime artistry. Such tone! Such touch! The Klemperer is too slow. I much prefer the foreboding of the Schuricht and the bombast of Toscannini.. Get the Schnabel. Wonderful bouquet. Blackberry after taste. P.S. I would like to take this opportunity to withdraw the Rutter from the first list. I like some of Rutter's other pieces and greatly admire his commitment to writing music that people can just enjoy singing and hearing (as opposed to 'appreciating'). But the fast pieces in particular on the Xmas disc have something of the happy-clappy about them. Edited December 19, 2012 by A Lark Ascending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefan Wood Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 The version of 'Frosty the Snowman' (three rehearsal out-takes also included) displays such sublime artistry. Such tone! Such touch! The Klemperer is too slow. I much prefer the foreboding of the Schuricht and the bombast of Toscannini.. Get the Schnabel. Wonderful bouquet. Blackberry after taste. To heck with them all. Scherchen's interpretations make Christmas sound like New Years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted December 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 Very low tinsel factor but can occupy the same space as the Bach Oratorio or the Messiah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted December 22, 2012 Report Share Posted December 22, 2012 Strongly recommend Honegger's 'Une Cantate de Noel' to Xmas music lovers who don't know it. A 25 minute piece in two parts, the first extremely dark and brooding with absolutely no tinsel. The way the light comes in in the second part, built round a childrens choir singing the carol 'Il est né le divin enfant,' weaving in and out of other themes ('er ist ein ros entsprungen') is pure Christmas. There's another recent version on this disc that I've not heard; but the couplings are better known Honegger - more spring like! The Honegger was always my fave. I've always wondered why he wasn't played that much, then I read an article on his activities in WWII, I guess that explained it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted December 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2012 The Honegger was always my fave. I've always wondered why he wasn't played that much, then I read an article on his activities in WWII, I guess that explained it. Didn't know that about Honegger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted December 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 Richard Strauss - Die heiligen drei Könige aus Morgenland. One glorious song that you tend to find in anthologies of Strauss orchestral songs or as an extra to the Four Last Songs. Deserves an outing of its own at Xmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted December 28, 2012 Report Share Posted December 28, 2012 As for Honegger, I hope the current banknotes' replacement will be re-scheduled for another while: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted December 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 Seasonal revival. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarThrower Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbzAknhjXvQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeline Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 Very low tinsel factor but can occupy the same space as the Bach Oratorio or the Messiah. that's my cup of tea, along with some old DG Archiv recordings of Praetorius' Christmas choral music (not in print - my LP copy is very old and showing its age more than I'd like). I also like some of the stock medieval/Renaissance xmas recordings that are in circulation, since they generally have a good variety of pieces and are so different than most other kinds of xmas music. Anonymous 4's On Yoolis Night (Harmonia Mundi) is worth checking out, so long as you know what'you're getting into. Paul Hillier and the Theatre of Voices (same label) have also done some interesting seasonal recordings.This album is also quite nice (on Harmonia Mundi) - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 You all can laugh, but Naxos has two or three CDs worth of Baroque arrangements for string chamber-orchestra iirc, of popular Christmas tunes (mostly all the traditional ones) and they are among our very favorites every Christmas, year after year for 10 years running. The arrangements are really great, and they've become THE way I prefer to hear those familiar Xmas war-horse themes. Even on repeat (my wife plays them a whole lot), they still never annoy me. I'm not even the biggest Baroque fan ever, but these things are great! Naxos also has a couple CDs worth of piano-trio arrangements of holiday favorites that are fun too. The Baroque ones came out in the mid-to-late 90's, and I think the piano-trio ones are from the early 2000's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeline Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 I think Naxos is a very good label! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted December 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 I like the idea of a Steve Reich Xmas album. 'Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the...Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all..., Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle...' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted December 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 (edited) Very odd! Early 20th C English Choral with a few famous Xmas songs woven in, some folk-yokely bits and a section that sounds like country and western! Boughton was a bit of a lad - sort of William Morrisish socialist but with ambitions to do a Bayreuth in Glastonbury based on his own operas. His festivals collapsed in the 20s. Something a bit odd in the recording - can't work out if it is the balance or some careless instrumental intonation. But makes a nice Xmas alternative. [i see Michael Hurd's book about Boughton and the Glastonbury Festivals is being republished in January - one I'd like to read.] Edited December 6, 2013 by A Lark Ascending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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