Track Listing

1. Christmas Oratorio, Op. 12: Prelude
2. Christmas Oratorio, Op. 12: Et Pastores Errant/Gloria in ...
3. Christmas Oratorio, Op. 12: Expectans, Expectavi Dominum
4. Christmas Oratorio, Op. 12: Domine, Ergo Credidi/Qui in Hunc ...
5. Christmas Oratorio, Op. 12: Benedictus, Qui Venit in Nomine Domine
6. Christmas Oratorio, Op. 12: Quare Fremuerunt Gentes?
7. Christmas Oratorio, Op. 12: Tecum Principium
8. Christmas Oratorio, Op. 12: Alleluia
9. Christmas Oratorio, Op. 12: Consurgo, Filia Sion
10. Christmas Oratorio, Op. 12: Tollite Hostias
11. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: Introduction
12. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: Willkumm, Jul!
13. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: Es Ist Kein Ros
14. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: Wann Hub Dies Kindlein
15. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: Bubaideli
16. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: Wie Tau Im Aprill
17. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: Der Kleine Knab
18. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: Intermezzo
19. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: In Kalter Wintersnacht
20. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: Frühlingschor
21. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: Adam Lag Gebunden
22. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: Hodie Christus Natus Est

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #99476 in Music
• Released on: 1990-10-11
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Budget recording - not very good, but the only one available
This bargain-basement recording has more than its share of shortcomings. A competent but uninspired performance of the Saint-Saens is by far the highlight. But Britten's _Ceremony of Carols_ is sung in German instead of the original Middle English, and it comes off as something of a fiasco.

The absence of liner notes means that you won't know what the choir or soloist is singing at any given time, so much of the subtle word-painting will be lost on most listeners. All vocal soloists are unidentified.

I've recommended this recording only because it is at present the only one of the Saint-Saens available. But it's high time for something better. Naxos, are you listening?

(Update, October 2008: The last paragraph was true six years ago, but thankfully it is no longer so.)

Competent but uninspired
There is nothing wrong with these performances other than they are uninspired, that they quickly become backgroung music you don't really hear. If you don't already know and like the Oratorio and Ceremony of Carols, these performances won't make you love them.

The real gem here is the Oratorio
I think this album is worth buying for the Oratorio alone. Saint-Saens' Oratorio is way too underrated and underperformed, and I hadn't heard of it myself until my fine arts program put on a production of it this semester. It's a small scale work written only for strings, harp and organ (and chorus and soloists of course), nevertheless it is absolutely gorgeous. Even the recitative is beautiful! My personal fav's are the Soprano and Baritone duet (in which the soprano hits a high C without shattering the windows), the Tenor, Soprano and Baritone Trio which in itself is one of the most beautiful and haunting pieces of music that I've heard, and the Quartet for Alto, Soprano, Mezzo, and Bass. I don't know anything about Britten's ceremony of carols, but I would still buy this album even if it were solely for the Oratorio. And regardless of what others have said, I think this particular recording of it is marvellous.