Christmas with the Robert Shaw Chorale
This 2-disc collection features the full contents of the following albums: Christmas Hymns & Carols Vol. 1, 2 & The Robert Shaw Chorale: Benjamin Britten, A Ceremony of Carols, Festival Te deum, Rejoice in the Lamb…. More >>
Posted in 
Tags: 
This album consists of three previously released albums: Christmas Carols and Hymns, Vol. 1 & 2 and Britten’s Ceremony of Carols and Rejoice in the Lamb. The Britten is very well done, although I like but don’t love the material. However, the 48 carols and hyms, all done a cappella (voices alone) are sensational. The arrangements are imaginative without being too clever, and on one of the collections (I forget if it’s Vol. 1 or 2 of the Carols — I originally bought it in 1971 as “A Christmas Sing-In”) contains many lesser-known carols, including French, Spanish, Renaissance, and Baroque material. It’s in a very rich mono; the others are in stereo. (The album’s only downside is that this collection is split over the two CDs.) When you add in the lyric booklet that includes an interesting interview with the late Robert Shaw, the whole thing is quite a bargain.
Rating: 5 / 5