- Orchestra: Taverner Choir, Taverner Players
- Conductor: Andrew Parrott
- Composer: Traditional, Michael Praetorius, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Edmund Pascha
- Audio CD (2 Oct 1995)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Veritas
- ASIN: B000005GGX
- Other Editions: MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 380,611 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I wanted this recording from the moment I heard Thomas Greatorex's arrangement of Adeste Fidelis on the radio when the CD was first released. How refreshing it is to hear this lovely old carol sung with such joy, instead of sounding like a funeral dirge as it usually does. Most of the other pieces on the CD will be unfamiliar to people who don't listen to radio stations that broadcast music by the likes of Beethoven, Mozart, etc. I do, but I still expected most of it to be unfamiliar. However, to my surprise I found I knew many of the tunes, even if not in their present context. One such is the melody used by the Spanish composer and Benedictine monk Joan Cererols in SERAFÍN, QUE CON DULCE HARMONÍA. This is truly astounding music. He uses the same tune for the refrain as for the stanzas, yet the effect couldn't be more different. In the refrain the lyrics remind the angels who are paying court to the new-born Life that He will die in pain, and the stanzas deal with Nature's reactions to the birth, focusing especially on the Star of Bethlehem:
In a stable, blessed though poor,
now shine with renewed affection
a moon lighting up the heavens
and a sun embellishing his feet.
and
A night of time so infinite
must needs have twice as many lights,
and so two suns rise
to bathe the gate of Bethlehem in light.
(Translations from the CD booklet.)
Another piece on this album that will quickly become a favourite is John Foster's WHILE SHEPHERDS WATCHED THEIR FLOCKS BY NIGHT. As another reviewer comments, this is music of Handelian proportions. It is also very "catchy". I can easily imagine the singers wanting to sway from side to side (like the choir in the Whoopi Goldberg film Sister Act)!
There are seven items on the CD by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, whose music never fails to be tuneful and instantly enjoyable. Michael Praetorius is also a name well-known to early music lovers, and his MAGNIFICAT SUPER "ANGELUS AD PASTORES" is bound to please. Like one other reviewer, I found GLORIA by Edmund Pascha the only one that didn't really appeal. Maybe a knowledge of the language would help, because GLORIA is a retelling, with a different slant, of the angel coming down to tell the shepherds of the birth of their Saviour.
After becoming only slightly acquainted with this CD, I found myself completely uninterested in other recordings I have of Christmas carols, mostly by opera singers and various well-known modern choirs, in 20th century arrangements. This CD will reward even those unacquainted with early music if they care to put in a little listening effort.
In a stable, blessed though poor,
now shine with renewed affection
a moon lighting up the heavens
and a sun embellishing his feet.
and
A night of time so infinite
must needs have twice as many lights,
and so two suns rise
to bathe the gate of Bethlehem in light.
(Translations from the CD booklet.)
Another piece on this album that will quickly become a favourite is John Foster's WHILE SHEPHERDS WATCHED THEIR FLOCKS BY NIGHT. As another reviewer comments, this is music of Handelian proportions. It is also very "catchy". I can easily imagine the singers wanting to sway from side to side (like the choir in the Whoopi Goldberg film Sister Act)!
There are seven items on the CD by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, whose music never fails to be tuneful and instantly enjoyable. Michael Praetorius is also a name well-known to early music lovers, and his MAGNIFICAT SUPER "ANGELUS AD PASTORES" is bound to please. Like one other reviewer, I found GLORIA by Edmund Pascha the only one that didn't really appeal. Maybe a knowledge of the language would help, because GLORIA is a retelling, with a different slant, of the angel coming down to tell the shepherds of the birth of their Saviour.
After becoming only slightly acquainted with this CD, I found myself completely uninterested in other recordings I have of Christmas carols, mostly by opera singers and various well-known modern choirs, in 20th century arrangements. This CD will reward even those unacquainted with early music if they care to put in a little listening effort.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
More Christmas music delights from Andrew Parrott
30 Nov 2008
Format:Audio CD
It's a shame this disc is out of print--it's one of my favorites. The more familiar Charpentier In Nativitatem--very nicely done--is joined by a truly obscure and totally charming Czech-language work as well as some rousing early American Christmas tunes. A great choice for fans of early Christmas music. Be sure to check out Parrott's two Carol Albums and the Boston Camerata's Christmas releases.
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