Christmas Star
In 1997, this recording became the most successful first-year release in Collegium history. Mastered from an original 1981 digital tape, once thought lost forever, it is actually the first-ever recording by The Cambridge Singers. It contains 22 Christmas songs, including The Christmas Song, written by Mel Tormé…. More >>
$7.26
Christmas Star
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I am very pleased with the CD, I have been looking for those hymns for quite some time. Thank You.
Rating: 5 / 5
I listened to selections that were provided before purchasing this classical Christmas CD. It arrived well before Christmas, and I enjoyed it so much. The Cambridge singers provided magical background for my entire holiday season, and I plan to begin a collection of their works.
Rating: 5 / 5
This CD has amazing vocals. My favorite is “I Wonder as I Wonder”, but all of the songs are good.
Rating: 5 / 5
When John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers released their CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL recording in October of last year, a number of people commented on the number of relatively unknown and often quite exotic carols included. Perhaps given the number of earlier holiday releases they had previously released, they were obliged to search a bit farther afield (and those would be snow covered fields for the most part) for their newest collection.
A CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL is chock full of delicious holiday surprises, but this earlier recording (officially released in the 1997, but actually recorded in 1981) is equally captivating, even thoughlisteners will know most of its selections by heart, mainly because they have them all IN their hearts. (One notable exception and something of a hint of the “diversity” to come on later releases is the apparent American Indian hymn “‘Twas In the Moon of Wintertime.” But even in the case of the holiday standards, one has to keep in mind that with choral music, it’s all about the arrangements. And is there a better, more original choral arranger on the planet than John Rutter?
It’s something of a cliche to say that a new arrangement of a familiar composition causes the listener to her it with “new ears,” but I can’t help thinking just that when listening to this beautiful record. There’s little that’s actually flashy about these arrangements: they are quietly inventive and serve to honor the spirit of the original carols rather than “reinvent them.”
New ears for Christmas, hmm. Not a bad gift at all.
Rating: 4 / 5
Rutter’s settings of traditional Christmas carols give new life to some old favorites. The orchestrations are lovely, and the a capella selections will make you feel like you have the world’s best English carolers standing on your doorstep. This CD includes many standard carols, and a few lesser-known ones, like the gorgeous “All My Heart This Night Rejoices,” which in my opinion deserves to be revived to familiarity. Also, the Cambridge Singers’ performance of “The Christmas Song” is one of my favorite versions of that song…very lush! This CD is always a staple in my music rotation during the holiday season.
Rating: 5 / 5