Track Listing

1. O Come All Ye Faithful
2. O Holy Night
3. Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabelle (Un Flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle)
4. Fum, Fum, Fum!
5. Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming (Es Ist Ein' Ros' Entsprungen)
6. Ave Maria - Barbara Allen, , Kathleen Battle
7. Gesü Bambino
8. Three English Carols Medley: I Saw Three Ships/The First ...
9. Away in the Manger
10. Silent Night
11. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
12. Marië Weingenlied (Mary's Cradle Song)
13. Zither Carol
14. I Wonder as I Wander
15. Mary Had a Baby
16. Rise Up, Shepherd
17. What Child Is This?
18. Ave Maria
19. Finale and Reprise: Veni, Veni, Emmanuel/It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1502 in Music
• Released on: 1990-10-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

Customer Reviews

Uplifting music by a superior soprano
If you could only have two Christmas CDs, Kathleen Battle's "A Christmas Celebration" would definitely be one (and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" would be the other.)

While Battle has been known to be a temperamental diva (leading to a quasi-banishment from operatic roles), her pretty, soaring soprano is without peer. So good is her voice that I would consider several of the cuts on this disc to be definitive performances, not only of Battle's repertoire, but of all performances ever of that song.

Case in point would be her rendition of Gounod's "Ave Maria". Haunting and stunning at the same time, it's as if the angel itself were singing. "Mary Had a Baby" is another fabulously rendered, gospel-tinged beauty.

One of the other strengths of the collection is the sheer breadth of carols and hymns. Modern, traditional, and ancient songs are here. Common carols and more unusual ones appear. Among the less heard songs are "Fum, Fum, Fum!", "Marie Wiegenlied", "Zither Carol", and "Rise Up, Shepherd". Stylistically and internationally, Battle runs the gamut, too, making the album wonderfully cosmopolitan. In all, between the stand-alone songs and the medleys, there are twenty-five selections in almost sixty-three minutes of recording time.

Leonard Slatkin, long of the St. Louis Symphony, conducts the Orchestra of St. Luke's, and is ably backed by The Boy's Choir of Harlem and others. The sound is rich and full, the mic work impeccable. The recording itself is DDD and shows it. Despite being recorded in 1986, everything is fresh today.

You cannot go wrong with this CD. It is one of the best Christmas albums ever recorded and a great way to get into the spirit of Christmas.

Christmas Celebration
I have to say that this is my all time favorite Christmas record. I've listened to it annually for years (usually starting around October and I sometimes play it at other times as well.) The choral arrangements are wonderful and the orchestra & conducting are perfect. And I can't think of a single singer, past or present, to rival this crisp, clear, bright soprano. After hearing Ms.Battle, most other singers are a disappointment. No one delivers like this singer does. I doubt even angels sound better.

Pure Joy
In a world where disturbing things are all too common, Christian scripture guides us to dwell on that which is lovely. Kathleen Battle's blessed voice is most certainly one of those lovely things.

I bought this CD in the early 1990's, and I am here to buy it again because I have worn out the original with scratches, etc. I only listen to it during the Christmas season, but I enjoy it enough to hear it all year.

The 'Christmas Celebration' CD should be enough to convince you to also purchase Kathleen's 'A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert'. Ms. Battle's wonderful soprano voice is joined by that of the mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, and the blending is more than memorable. There are a couple of songs which are on both CD's, but you'll want to hear both. In fact, the video of the PBS special is also available, and I recommend buying all three. You won't regret it.

Some of my favorite selections from 'Christmas Celebration' include 'Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabelle' and 'Fum, Fum, Fum', both of which are from a culture different from my own. I found such glimpses into unfamiliar favorites to enhance my own enjoyment of the Christmas season, as long as all of my traditional American favorites were included. They were. "I Wonder As I Wander" and "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful" are there among the other favorites.

This CD's music is the kind that sets a wonderful Christmas mood. It can establish memories that say "Christmas" in the memories of children for life. Along with other classics like 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' and 'The Nutcraker' (from your favorite orchesta) and George Winston's 'December' and a few others, you will slowly be able to assemble a Christmas music library that will stay with you for life.