Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Magic Forest - Ensemble
2. Joy to the World - Liz Story
3. Yesterday's Rain - W.G. Snuffy Walden
4. Skating - George Winston
5. O Holy Night - The Angels of Venice
6. Joy Ride - Mark Snow
7. 4 Variations of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
8. Little Drummer Boy
9. Bittersweet - Jim Brickman
10. Medley: Sweeney's Buttermilk/The Ships Are Sailing/Jerry's Chickens - Paddy Glackin, Mícheál Ó Domhnaill
11. Nigh Bethlehem - George Winston
12. First Noel - Sean Harkness
13. We Three Kings - Janis Ian
14. What Child Is This? - Michael Hedges

Disc 2:

1. This Christmas - Jeffrey Osborne
2. Christmas Wish - Tuck & Patti
3. Winter
4. Your Love - Jim Brickman
5. Gift - Peabo Bryson, Roberta Flack
6. Silent Night - Hiroshima
7. I Wish I Could - Peabo Bryson
8. Black Diamond - Russ Freeman, The Rippingtons
9. Esawayo - Samite
10. Snow Is Lightly Falling - Nightnoise
11. White Spirit - Uman
12. Ice Palace - David Arkenstone
13. Stars to Share - Samite
14. Santorini - Yanni
15. Mr. Moto's Penguin (Who'd Be an Eskimo's Wife?) - Mark Isham

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #70509 in Music
• Released on: 1999-09-14
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Soundtrack

Amazon.com
We've come to depend on Windham Hill's annual Winter Solstice collections as a relief from the glut of traditional Christmas tunes, but this double CD, Winter Solstice on Ice, slips. The soundtrack to an A&E ice skating special, the first disc follows the Winter Solstice formula, mixing original tunes inspired by the season and inventive covers of traditional Christmas fare. Brian Keane starts it off with an imagistic number called "Magic Forest," featuring the Angels of Venice, Samite, and others. The L.A. Guitar Quartet provides a novel, minimalist dissertation on "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," and Janis Ian surprises with an intimate, guitar and synth-string reading of "We Three Kings." But the second disc starts with over-the-hill R&B crooners like Jeffrey Osborne, Roberta Flack, and Peabo Bryson, then shifts into a sampler of Windham Hill artists. It has little to do with the Winter Solstice theme, even if they are among the best songs on the disc. --John Diliberto

Customer Reviews

Tired of the Umpteenth Playing of "The Christmas Song"?
I have more than 200 Christmas albums in my music collection. [Hey, it's my favorite time of the year!] And the Windham Hill "Solstice" series is among my favorites. The double-disc "On Ice" is no exception. [If you're wondering about the post-Christmas review, I can also be something of a cheapskate and I get most of my Christmas music half price during the week after Christmas.]

This album is the musical companion to the A&E special "Winter Solstice On Ice." The two discs are mostly divided into instrumental (disc 1) and vocal (disc 2) tracks with both discs presenting a variety of both contemporary and traditional songs.

Disc 1 highlights include Liz Story's lovely "Joy to the World," George Winston's playful "Skating" (from Linus and Lucy), the LA Guitar Quartet's "4 Variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," and the late Michael Hedges stately reading of "What Child Is This."

Disc 2 highlights include Tuck and Patti's "Christmas Wish," Hiroshima's take on "Silent Night" with its harp-like koto, and Samite's "Esawayo."

This is Christmas music so enchanting that you'll want to play it all year long. RECOMMENDED

Kenny G lovers, Disc 2 is for you
Definitely not the best in the Winter's Solstice series, this is a mixed bag at best. Disc I is much like the others; if you like others in the series, you'll like these instrumental pieces. Disc 2 is disappointing; it's a collection of songs reminiscent of what you'd get on a "Light (or Lite) Hits" pop radio station. The songs are unremarkable, and the voices are a distraction. For my money, Winter's Solstice 5 is the best so far, but this does not meet that standard.

The Best Solstice Yet
I have purchased "Solstice" CD's in the past and I truly think this is the best. I love to hear a completely different mix of Christmas music on a CD. This is a relaxing and refreshing mixture of various artists. I know that I will probably listen to the 2nd CD all year round. A true winner in my book.