 | Christmas with the Robert Shaw Chorale
Buy used from: $12.98 Hard to find, but worth the effort: ALL the best Robert Shaw Chorale Christmas music in one HUGE compilation.
|
 | The Many Moods of Christmas (1963 RCA Victor Version) Robert Shaw Chorale and Orchestra by Robert Shaw Chorale
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $5.95 Robert Shaw re-recorded these arrangements in the 80s, but the original is the one to own. I usually prefer my choral singing without orchestral backup, but this album is an exception.
|
 | Sir Cristemas (Christmas) : Carols Newly Composed and Arranged by The Elizabethan Singers
Buy used from: $2.96 Sophisticated, haunting arrangements of carols by 20th century composers, exquisitely sung. This album has my all-time favorite arrangement of "Silent Night."
|
 | Christmas with Chanticleer (Featuring Dawn Upshaw)
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $9.75 Chanticleer at their very best. Distler's variations on "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" are ravishing.
|
| Our Heart's Joy: A Chanticleer Christmas by Christmas Traditional
Buy used from: $22.43 An earlier Chanticleer Christmas album, and full of favorites like "Riu Riu Chiu" and a gorgeous arrangement of "Silent Night". If you've never heard it, Biebl's "Ave Maria" will blow you away!
|
 | O magnum misterium
Buy new: $12.98 / Used from: $31.42 Interesting mix of chant and modern carol arrangements, in superb performances. Leighton's "Lullay thou little tiny child" is outstanding.
|
 | Christmas by Singers Unlimited
Buy new: $8.97 / Used from: $6.95 Singers Unlimited's vocal style can seem a bit cheesy, but still a sentimental favorite,
|
 | The Story of Christmas by The Swingle Singers
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $13.62 Odd to hear actual words from the Swingle Singers, but these are beautiful and interesting arrangements of familiar and unfamiliar carols, and hard to beat for sheer virtuoso close-harmony singing.
|
 | Christmastime by Swingle Singers
Buy new: $8.97 / Used from: $6.90 Swingle Singers in their more familiar scat-singing mode -- retro Christmas music at its best.
|
 | Hodie - An English Christmas Collection by The Sixteen/Harry Christophers
Buy new: $12.00 / Used from: $11.44 One of the best recordings of modern English carols. A particular favorite is "Make we Joy."
|
 | Carols Around the World
Buy used from: $10.00 Seldom-heard arrangements in spare 4-part harmony. Some uneven performances, but don't miss the rousing "Uns ist ein Kind geboren."
|
 | This Is Christmas by Alfred Burt & The Jimmy Joyce Singers
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $38.04 Great retro arrangements of these beloved sentimental carols -- perfect to bake Christmas cookies by!
|
 | Nog by The Blenders
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $7.96 A little too much of the "boy band" sound, but some great arrangements, and some genuinely funny moments.
|
 | The Little Drummer Boy
Buy new: $8.47 / Used from: $3.93 Some classics on this one, including the title cut.
|
| Christmas with the Norman Luboff Choir by Norman Luboff Choir
Another sentimental favorite, with some great arrangements. Worth getting for the arrangement of "A la Nanita Nana" alone.
|
 | Now Is the Caroling Season by Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $59.39 Another must-have for your 50s/60s Christmas celebration.
|
 | Christmas Night: Carols of the Nativity
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $8.74 This has most of the outstanding Christmas selections from earlier Cambridge Singers albums, but alas, not all. Still, the performances are among the best of the best.
|
| Due Seraphim: Angel Songs for Christmas
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $7.49 An uneven album, but with some lovely things. Skip the first four and final four tracks, and concentrate on the more contemporary pieces, like Lister's fleeting but beautiful "Christmas Hymn."
|
Listmania!
