Finally, a Christmas album that passes Deb’s test! Yes, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is indeed here (it’s on the second disc) with plenty of other wonderful traditional Christmas music. No “Jingle Bell Rock” on this album. If you’re looking for plenty of wonderful Christmas music, this 2-CD collection will deliver all the sounds of Christmas you could want! GRADE: B+
TRACK LIST
Disc 1
O Holy Night – Budapest City Orchestra
It Came upon a Midnight Clear – Budapest City Orchestra
The First Noël – Budapest City Orchestra
The Sussex Carol – Budapest City Orchestra
Twelve Days of Christmas – Budapest City Orchestra
Silent Night – Budapest City Orchestra
We Wish You a Merry Christmas – BBC Philharmonic
In the Bleak Midwinter – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
O Little Town of Bethlehem – BBC Philharmonic
Once in Royal David’s City – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
O Come, All Ye Faithful – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Kyrie – Laurent Slaars
Ding Dong! Merrily on High – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Good King Wenceslas – Timothy Norris
While Shepherds Watched – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Away in a Manger – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
In dulci jubilo – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Panis angelicus – Libera
1st movement – Il Giardino Armonico
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy – Alexander Lazarev
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas – Budapest City Orchestra
Disc 2
Joy to the World – Joel Cohen
God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Angels from the Realms of Glory – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Hallelujah – Nikolaus Harnoncourt
The Holly and the Ivy – BBC Philharmonic
Go Tell It on the Mountain – Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
March – Alexander Lazarev
O Tannenbaum – BBC Philharmonic
I Saw Three Ships – BBC Philharmonic
When Christ Was Born of Mary Free – Carleton Wetherington
Adam Lay y-Bounden – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
The First Nowell – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
We Three Kings of Orient Are – Taverner Choir
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
I Sing the Birth – Rodolfus Choir
Noël sur les instruments – William Christie
Nouvelles, nouvelles – Joel Cohen
Chantons Noël, menons joyeuse vie – Joel Cohen
The Three Kings – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
O Thou that Tellest Good Tidings to Zion – Marjana Lipovsek
3rd movement – I Solisti Veneti
Yes! Wonderful music and it passes the Deb test! But I feel the “Downton Abbey” connection is tenuous at best (a marketing ploy at worst), which, IMHO as a non-DA fan, is not a bad thing.
Deb, some of the singers on CHRISTMAS AT DOWNTON ABBEY are actors in the series. Marketing, indeed! But there’s plenty of great music here.
The very definition of a classic Christmas album.
Patti, you’re absolutely right! These CDs have an impressive Track List!
The Downton Abbey gimmick aside, this sounds like my kind of Christmas album. (No “I Wonder as I Wander,” but I can’t expect an Appalachian carol on such an album.) I won’t buy this but I’m tempted to sneak into your house in the middle of the night and steal your copy,
Jerry, good luck finding anything in my house this time of year! Diane is “transitioning” from Fall stuff to Christmas stuff. And we have a ton of Christmas stuff! There are boxes everywhere! But everything should be settled this weekend. We’ll listen to Christmas music while we’re decorating the house for Christmas!
So you finally passed the Deb Test. I agree, the Downton tie-in is tenuous, but if it gets them attention it can’t hurt, right?
Jeff, I’ve seen tons of DOWNTON ABBEY stuff: cook books, clothing, posters, etc. The holiday marketing machine is running full tilt!
Tell me about it. Our local Disney-owned ABC affiliate is running STAR WARS “news” stories every single night on the so-called newscast as if they were real news and not advance product placement and advertising. Star Wars ice cream! Star Wars clothing of every kind!
How this is news, no one bothers to even try and explain.
Jeff, I’m already experiencing STAR WARS fatigue.
I have to confess I never could get into Downtown Abbey, though I’m sure it is a very worthy show. Also confess I’m right now (in spurts) watching Titanic for the first time. The length of it put me off, but with the DVR, I do about 20 minutes at a time. I’m sure by the last hour I’ll be rapt and watch it all.
Maggie, TITANIC is great!
Jackie can’t believe you are watching it in such small pieces.
I could do without “The Twelve Days of Christmas, but the rest is good. I have Choir of King’s College, Cambridge album and it’s a favorite, so I have several of these songs already, as well as all of them by these or other artists, often multiple, multiple times. Plus Britten’s Christmas Oratorio, of course.
Rick, this 2-CD set seems to be cleverly crafted to include most of the “traditional” Christmas carols.
Jeff, those “news pieces” are media news of the media. It’s not just Entertainment Tonight anymore!
Rick, I agree. It’s not “news” it’s hype.
I’m not really are Xmas fan, but on my way from Germany to Hungary last Sunday I saw the signs to the little town of Oberndorf near Salzburg, where “Silent Night” was written, composed and performed the first time almost two hundred years ago:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Night
This reminded me of my childhood when Xmas was something special and really started on the 24th …
Now it’sso commercialised – even here in Hungary where people almost can’t afford it to buy all those Star Wasr memorabilia for their children – it’s a crazy world.
Wolf, I went to a JC PENNY store and on the door it said STAR WARS: GALACTIC OUTPOST. And, of course, there was tons of STAR WARS stuff to buy! Disney is going to make billions merchandising this film!
Bah! Humbug! If I want to hear Xmas music we have a radio or TV station that plays it 24/7!