Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. I Wonder As I Wander - Emily Van Evera
2. Villancico De Navidad - John Williams
3. O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
4. Children's Prayer From Hansel And Gretel - Bernstein
5. Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming - Andre Previn
6. The Coventry Carol - Eileen Farrell
7. Good People All, This Christmastide - Andrew Parrott
8. Watts's Cradle Hymn - Martin Neary
9. Pastoral Ad Libitum - Largo From Concerto Grosso In G Minor Op.6 No.8 'Christmas Concerto' - Richard Kapp
10. O Tannenbaum - Rita Ford Music Boxes
11. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - Eileen Farrell
12. Largo From Concerto In F Minor For Violin And Orchestra, Op.8 'L'Inverno' (Winter From The Four Seasons) - Zukerman, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra
13. Ave Maria - Ayako Shinozaki
14. Pie Jesu From Requiem, Op.48 - Andrew Davis
15. Ich Steh' An Deiner Krippen Hier (I Stand Here By Thy Crib) (Choral) From Christmas Oratorio, BWV248 - Helmuth Rilling
16. Lullay My Liking - Gregg Smith
17. What Child Is This? (Greensleeves) - London Symphony Orchestra
18. O Come, O Come, Emanuel - Philadelphia Orchestra
19. Silent Night - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
20. Wiegenlied 'Guten Abend, Gut Nacht' Op.49, No.4 - Helmut Deutsch

Disc 2:

1. Hallelujah Chorus From Messiah, HWV - Philadelphia Orchestra
2. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Philadelphia Orchestra
3. Cantique De Noel (O Holy Night) - Wiener Symphoniker
4. Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Philadelphia Orchestra
5. Carol Of The Drum (Little Drummer Boy) - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
6. Deus IN Adjutorium From Vespers Of The Blessed Virgin - Canadian Brass
7. Laudemus Te From Gloria In D Major, RV 589 - La Grande Ecurie Et La Chambre Du Roy
8. German Dance, K. 605, No.3 'The Sleigh Ride' - Bernstein
9. Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly - The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble
10. Hark! The HErald Angels Sing - Andrew Parrott
11. Gesu Bambino - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
12. O Come, All Ye Faithful - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
13. The First Noel - Philadelphia Orchestra
14. Ding Dong! Merrily Oh High - Anthony Newman
15. March From The Nutcracker Ballet, Op.71 (Act I) - Philadelphia Orchestra
16. I. Allegro (Exsultate) From Exsultate, Jubilate, K.165 - Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra
17. Canzon Septimi Toni No.2 - Philadelphia And Cleveland Brass Ensembles
18. Die Menge Der Engel (The Hosts Of Angels) From Historia Der Geburt Jesu Christi/History Of The Birth Of Jesus Christ, SWV435, 435A - Barockorchester Stuttgart
19. Joy To The World - The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble
20. Once, In Royal David's City - The Chestnut Brass Company
21. O Sanctissima (O Du Frohliche) - Philadelphia Orchestra
22. Angels We Have Heard On High - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
23. Magnificat From Magnificat In D Major, BWV243 - Helmuth Rilling

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #113940 in Music
• Released on: 2002-10-01
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered

Customer Reviews

Not ultimate, but truly classical
Good mix of the expected ("Silent Night", "O Come All Ye Faithful", etc) and the unexpected (the Vivaldi Gloria, Gabrieli, Schutz). Kudos to the Sony team for uniform clarity & quality of sound, despite source material from 1959 through 1998. Word to the wise: the performance of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" credited to Marilyn Horne is actually by Eileen Farrell from her excellent "Carols for Christmas Eve" release. No disrespect to Ms Horne, who is well represented by two performances with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. If you're truly a classical music fan but don't mind a traditional carol or two, this is an excellent buy.

Pretty good, though maybe not 'ultimate'
If you love Christmas as much as I do, you will probably enjoy this album. It features plenty of standard favorites - especially sung by the MoTab, who seem to be a holiday staple. I probably wouldn't pay $17.95 just to hear songs like 'The Little Drummer Boy' of 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas.'

What makes this compillation interesting is the liberal sprinkling of less traditional - or, anyway, less well-known - classical pieces. Vivaldi's 'Gloria', Corelli's 'Christmas Concerto', and the opera 'Hansel and Gretel' all make an appearance. The standout, in my mind, is the ethereally beautiful 'Watt's Cradle Hymn,' which I have never seen or heard anywhere else - that one song alone makes this album worth a listen.

Breathtakingly beautiful!
Over and over we played "Die Menge der Engel" - - it is stunningly beautiful! The loftiness of the voices, wonderful.

We loved the boys/children's choruses on many of the other pieces on the album. Duets by Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavorati - - magnifico!

It is a pleasant compilation of traditional favorites and awesome classical pieces that are worth listening to again and again.