Ultimate Classical Christmas Album of All Time

Product Review

Title Tracks for Ultimate Classical Christmas Album of All Time

• 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
• 21. Hallelujah Chorus From Messiah, HWV - Philadelphia Orchestra
• 22. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Philadelphia Orchestra
• 23. Cantique De Noel (O Holy Night) - Wiener Symphoniker
• 24. Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Philadelphia Orchestra
• 25. Carol Of The Drum (Little Drummer Boy) - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• 26. Deus IN Adjutorium From Vespers Of The Blessed Virgin - Canadian Brass
• 27. Laudemus Te From Gloria In D Major, RV 589 - La Grande Ecurie Et La Chambre Du Roy
• 28. German Dance, K. 605, No.3 'The Sleigh Ride' - Bernstein
• 29. Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly - The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble
• 30. Hark! The HErald Angels Sing - Andrew Parrott
• 31. Gesu Bambino - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• 32. O Come, All Ye Faithful - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• 33. The First Noel - Philadelphia Orchestra
• 34. Ding Dong! Merrily Oh High - Anthony Newman
• 35. March From The Nutcracker Ballet, Op.71 (Act I) - Philadelphia Orchestra
• 36. I. Allegro (Exsultate) From Exsultate, Jubilate, K.165 - Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra
• 37. Canzon Septimi Toni No.2 - Philadelphia And Cleveland Brass Ensembles
• 38. 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
• 39. Joy To The World - The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble
• 40. Once, In Royal David's City - The Chestnut Brass Company
• 41. O Sanctissima (O Du Frohliche) - Philadelphia Orchestra
• 42. Angels We Have Heard On High - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• 43. Magnificat From Magnificat In D Major, BWV243 - Helmuth Rilling

Customer Reviews

 (11 customer reviews)

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful

Pretty good, though maybe not 'ultimate', October 7, 2004

Joni (Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Classical Christmas Album of All Time (Audio CD)

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.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful

Not ultimate, but truly classical, November 18, 2003

Boojidad (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Classical Christmas Album of All Time (Audio CD)

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.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

Breathtakingly beautiful!, January 14, 2007

Deborah Moore "Gopher Fan" (St. Paul, MN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Classical Christmas Album of All Time (Audio CD)

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.