Christmas Dinner

Track Listings

1. Peter Tchaikovsky: Pray

2. Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons "Winter": II. Largo - Budapest Strings,

3. Francesco Manfredini: Concerto Grosso Per il Santissimo Natale: I. Past

4. Christmas Piano Dreams: Ave Maria

5. Christmas Flute and Harp: Adagio in B Major - Janos Balint, , Deborah Sipkai

6. Festive Christmas Brass: Symphonic Sacrae I (Sonata Piano Forte)

7. George Frederic Handel: Messiah: Pastoral Symphony/Duet: He Shall Feed - Max Emanuel Cencic, ,

8. Johann Sebastian Bach: Christmas Oratorio: Choral: "How Shall I Receive - Concerto Köln, , Frankfurt Vocal Ensemble

9. Camille Saint-Saens: Christmas Oratorio: No. 9 Quintet and Chorus: "Con - Dresden Kreuzchor, ,

10. Peter Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: Chocolate [Spanish Dance]/Coffee [Ar

11. Peter Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1, "Winter Dreams": II. Adagio Cantabil - Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner

12. Peter Tchaikovsky: Wlatz of the Snowflakes

Tracks:

The Nutcracker: Overture - Philharmonia Orchestra/Michael Tilson Thomas
The Nutcracker: Dance Of The Sugar-Plum Fairy - Philharmonia Orchestra/Michael Tilson Thomas
The Nutcracker: Arabian Dance - Philharmonia Orchestra/Michael Tilson Thomas
The Nutcracker: Chinese Dance - Philharmonia Orchestra/Michael Tilson Thomas
The Nutcracker: Trepak-Russian Dance - Philharmonia Orchestra/Michael Tilson Thomas
The Nutcracker: Dance Of The Reed Flutes - Philharmonia Orchestra/Michael Tilson Thomas
The Nutcracker: Waltz Of The Flowers - Philharmonia Orchestra/Michael Tilson Thomas
March Of The Toys - Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy
Little Suite: Minuet In G Major - Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy
Little Suite: Musette In D Major - Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy
Little Suite: Bist Du Bei Mir - Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy
Little Suite: March In D Major - Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy
What Child Is This? (Greensleeves) - Jean-Pierre Rampal/Alexandre Lagoya/Michel Legrand/London Symphony Orchestra
Troika (From Lieutenant Kije Suite) - Los Angeles Philharmonic/Michael Tilson Thomas
Overture - Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy
And The Glory Of The Lord - E. Power Biggs/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Charles Groves
Pastoral Symphony - Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy
Lift Up Ye Heads - E. Power Biggs/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Charles Groves
Hallelujah Chorus - Percy Faith And His Orchestra

Average customer rating:

Christmas music review
Love it!
Great diversion from the usual Christmas tunes
High School Band Recital
Finally holiday music just right for dinner time.

Holiday Dinner
The Yultide Lounge Band
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Lounge | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

Under $7 | Today's Deals | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
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Martinis & Mistletoe
Christmas with the Rat Pack
Under the Mistletoe
Ultra-Lounge Christmas Cocktails, Pt. 2
Wonderland: Cool December

ASIN: B00006K0A4
Release Date: 2002-10-15

Album Description

Sit down at a table at the Tiki Swing Lounge and feast on holiday treats. Smooth sounds conjure images of a time when lipstick-soaked cigarettes competed with tiny paper umbrellas to grace fingertips.

Customer Reviews:

Christmas music review.......2007-07-14

As an avid Christmas Music lover, I'm so used to the original songs sung by 1940s, 50s and 60s artists. So It was kind of a let down to hear this band sing all these songs, but then again - it wasn't as bad as it could have been. It's good party music, at the very least.

Love it!.......2004-11-16

I bought this CD just a few days ago! I love it!!! We listened to it while we put up the tree and it was the perfect background music!!!

Great diversion from the usual Christmas tunes.......2003-11-19

I bought this CD along with "Mistletoe & Martinis" and "The Gift"...all performed by the same group and I think they are all really great CDs, a nice diversion from the usual songs we hear at Christmas time. They take your normal Christmas songs and Jazz them up a bit...they're sure to be hits at your Christmas parties...they were at mine!! I highly recommend this CD along with the other two!!

High School Band Recital.......2003-08-03

I purchased this CD based on (1) It's price (2) the other review I
read. With all due respect for the other reviewer, I would be embarrassed to put this on for a party, dinner, etc. I really wanted to like this CD, but I just would not recommend it. It sounds like the corner neighborhood band, or a band at a local lodge event. Save your money....I'd buy one of the many 'Ultra Lounge' CD's...I think you will be much happier!

Finally holiday music just right for dinner time........2002-11-05

"Smooth Christmas Favorites for Entertaining" is the perfect subtitle for this album. It's nice to see and original concept for a Christmas album for a change. These all new recordings are exactly what the turkey ordered!

Average customer rating:

Great premiere recording of Hindemith's last opera
At Long Last, Hindemith & Wilder's American Masterpiece (albeit in German)

Hindemith: The Long Christmas Dinner

Manufacturer: Wergo Germany
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Hans Werner Henze: Ein Landarzt / Das Ende einer Welt - Rundfunkopern
Aulis Sallinen: The King Goes Forth to France
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Florencia in the Amazon

ASIN: B000B7G04W
Release Date: 2005-12-13

Customer Reviews:

Great premiere recording of Hindemith's last opera.......2006-01-17

Schott/Wergo's complete Hindemith project was nudged closer to completion with the release of the last Hindemith opera, heretofore unrecorded. The previous reviewer's review was comprehensive, to which I hereby refer the interested Amazon buyer for basic details. No point reinventing the wheel.

There isn't much in the way of stage action, which means that what stage action there IS is freighted with significance -- in fact, ultimate significance for the most part, since family members are literally entering and leaving the stage of life itself (birth and death). The departures are rendered poignantly, but without sappy sentimentality. Death of family in an intimate setting is an intricate thing to pull off musically. It is interesting, in this connection, to note the use of spoken words at the end of both this opera, and a work written a third of a century later, Michael Torke's "Strawberry Fields." It's as if both composers recognized that the story had come to a point where the music had to be stripped all the way back to silence, and the singer to straightforward (albeit emotionally potent) speech.

Clever harmonic/contrapuntal variations on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" frame this opera. The opening version sets a tone of promise, while the coda version is more deeply invested in emotional profundity without excessive orchestral weight. It works beautifully. The treatment of the cantus firmus is reminiscent of the coda in the finale of Hindemith's 1962 Organ Concerto, and given that work's later composition date, it's easy to discern that the influence flowed from this opera into the later concerto.

Throughout the opera, we're drawn (expertly, one might add) into the family drama of which we become, for a brief season, a part. Of note is the beautiful vocal writing for multiple voices on track 8, with a gently insistent orchestral background nudging the melodies forward into ever more beautiful convolutions. Genius.

Value for the dollar? Well, if we consider that the recording of John Adams's Pulitzer-prize-winning "On the Transmigration of Souls" has only 25 minutes of music on the entire CD, this one-act opera (at just over 47 minutes) doesn't seem so bad. Still, the Wergo list price is hefty at over $24, meaning that pound for pound, this CD has substantially the same value as the Adams CD. Are we entering an age of more expensive recordings? If so, will that marginalize composers like Hindemith? Consider that the same conductor who premiered this opera (Marek Janowski) also conducted the world premiere recording of Hindemith's "Die Harmonie der Welt," which is a 3 CD set now selling in the low $40 range, new. If that's any indication, perhaps we MIGHT expect the price to fall on this CD. Then again, maybe not. It took a couple of years for the bigger opera to fall in price. So, time will tell. But if you're going to acquire this work anyway, why wait? Unless, of course, you're hoping to see a release in the original English. But I'd suggest that if the German version doesn't sell, there'd probably be little motivation for any label to bring out an English version of a weak-selling work. Let's hope, then, that this sells well, since it is uniformly excellent.

At Long Last, Hindemith & Wilder's American Masterpiece (albeit in German).......2006-01-08

It's been a long wait for a recording of Paul Hindemith's last opera "The Long Christmas Dinner" (1960-61) but it's been worth it. It confirms what those of us who have pored over the piano-vocal score these many years suspected: it's a masterpiece, and along with "Mathis der Maler" Hindemith's best dramatic work. The composer's collaboration with American writer Thornton Wilder, who fashioned the libretto from his famous 1931 one-act play, was a happy one on both sides, and a successful match-up dramatically, theatrically and spiritually. Only Hindemith's death in 1963 prevented the pair from collaborating on a projected companion piece based on Wilder's "Pullman Car Hiawatha."
Wilder's play presents 90 Christmas dinners in the life of an upper-middle-class American family somewhere in the Middle West or West in the form of one continuous meal; flanking the stage are two doors representing Birth and Death, and characters - a total of 11 - arrive and depart as the years roll on. (In the opera, optional doublings of 3 of the roles emphasizes the circularity of family life.) Themes familiar from Wilder's "Our Town" are much in evidence: the mysteries of passage of time and memory, the obliviousness of the living to the preciousness of each moment of life. The tone, with its combination of the comic (even satirical) and the compassionate, finds an ideal match in Hindemith's music, which can acommodate both. And Wilder, following the composer's detailed scenario, reshapes his play into a real libretto, with a good deal of new writing (especially in the "set pieces") - worthy of study by would-be librettists.
Hindemith's score is wonderful, from the prelude which sends "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" through a kaleidoscope of harmonic and orchestral treatments, to the trademark bustling neo-classical idiom (for once ideal to represent the surface energy of every-day life), and to the most affecting and beautiful element in the piece, the ensembles. There is a charming duet for 2 newlyweds, 2 magical trios in which time seems to slow down or stand suspended, and above all the climactic sextet, as a young World War I soldier about to return to the Front (and his death) observes 5 family members as they chatter at their holiday meal. Here Hindemith and Wilder achieve in music something of the profoundly poignant epiphany in the 3rd Act of "Our Town."
Hindemith set Wilder's text in English (as he had Walt Whitman in "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd")and made his own German performing translation; what we have here is "Das lange Weihnachtsmahl," not "The Long Christmas Dinner." Although the German version is done with skill and sensitivity, and is of course "authentic" (as the booklet puts it), it's to be regretted that the premiere recording doesn't use the original English, especially as 2 of the 8 singers are Americans. Let's hope that someone will follow up with an English-language recording, and reclaim the piece as the "American opera" it is. That said, this is an excellent performance, with fine playing by the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin under Marek Janowski's first-rate direction, well-cast throughout with attractive voices, and with outstanding work from soprano Ruth Ziesak (Lucia/Lucia II). [My only quibble: given that Hindemith set the name "Lucia" with the accent on the first syllable, shouldn't it be pronounced "LOO-see-uh" rather than "LOO-chee-uh"?] Complete libretto in German, English & French.
Highly recommended.

John Gracie-Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Average customer rating:

The way Christmas music should be sung!

John Gracie-Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
John Gracie
Manufacturer: Maple
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Pop | Imports | Stores | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
ASIN: B00004NS0E
Release Date: 1996-10-15

Tracks:

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Winter Wonderland
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Away in a Manger
Angels We Have Heard on High
O Holy Night
Silver Bells
O Come All Ye Faithful
Cape Breton Christmas Morn
Silent Night
White Christmas
Children's Christmas Medley: Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells

Album Description

John Gracie's voice was meant for Christmas carols! It is consistently stated that John Gracie will surely put you in the Christmas Spirit. John also knew how to produce a Christmas album to instill the Christmas spirit,this CD is intimately produced with the prominent instruments being John's voice and the nylon-string guitar. He's added some nice production touches with the music box feel on Away in a Manger, the trumpet on God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, the cello on O Holy Night, the saucy fiddle on Winter Wonderland and his own children singalong on the Children's Medley. John sings the melodies as they were written. He says why change songs that have remained in our hearts for hundreds of years. The song that makes people go out and buy this CD is the John Gracie original, Cape Breton Christmas Morn, written around his own memories of growing up with his family in Cape Breton Nova Scotia. People say they can relate to the lines that talk of Mom baking pie'! s with a love that's found deep in her eyes and the image of Dad in his big chair as friends come to call. John wrote this song while his Dad was dying of lung cancer, so there is no doubt that people can sense the love and emotion that comes from the lyrics and melody of this John Gracie favourite. Fans comment that it's like having John in their living room, the sound is so intimate. This album is guaranteed to be your favourite for the Holiday Season!

Customer Reviews:

The way Christmas music should be sung!.......2000-11-06

This Christmas album gives you the Christmas Spirit, John Gracie has the voice to sing Christmas music. It is so intimate, the melodies are sung the way they should be sung and I love the selections, everyone should have this CD in their home at Christmas, I am a big John Gracie fan!

Average customer rating:

Christmas Dinner

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000A41CEE

Sleep in Heavenly Peace: The Glory of Christmas

Average customer rating:

Sleep in Heavenly Peace: The Glory of Christmas

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Christmas Dinner - Elegant Saxophone Quintet

Average customer rating:

My favorite Christmas CD

Christmas Dinner - Elegant Saxophone Quintet

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000CONK5Q

Product Description

Track Listing: 1. I'll be home for christmas 2. Christmas time is here 3. What child is this? 4. Let it Snow 5. Have tourself a merry little christmas 6. O Christmas Tree 7. Happy Holidays 8. The Christmas song 9. What are you doing New Years Eve? 10. Silver Bells 11. Merry Christams baby 12. I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus 13. Winter wonderland. 14.White Christmas

Customer Reviews:

My favorite Christmas CD.......2006-08-14

I first spotted this CD at Wal-mart beneath a CD sampler that listed many different (cheap) albums. Pressing the button, "What Child is This?" began to play. I've always enjoyed the song, but I found this rendition to be amazing (odd, since I'd never really liked Jazz music). Immediately I knew I had to buy the CD (even though it was February). I was not disappointed. This album is great when you're putting up decorations, having a Christmas party (I'll be hosting my first this year), or cleaning up around the house! I listen to it all year round and it never fails to put me in a good mood.

Average customer rating:

Christmas Dinner (Meijer)
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Fisher Price
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Average customer rating:

Christmas Dinner & Cocktails
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
ASIN: B00006K0BU
Release Date: 2002-10-15

Average customer rating:

Christmas Dinner for Two
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Allegro Corporation
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
ASIN: B000A29FFE
Release Date: 2003-08-05

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Shawn Desman [Import]

Variations: Song of the Rain God / Song of Earth

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Gracious

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The Sweet Look And The Loving Manner - Trobairitz, Love Lyrics and Chansons de Femme from Medieval France / Wishart, Sinfonye

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Verdi/Sibelius: String Quartets

To Duke and Basie

Volare! - The Very Best Of The Gipsy Kings

Somos [Import]

Starlight Theatre

Jazz at the College of the Pacific

1. Peter Tchaikovsky: Pray
2. Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons "Winter": II. Largo - Budapest Strings,
3. Francesco Manfredini: Concerto Grosso Per il Santissimo Natale: I. Past
4. Christmas Piano Dreams: Ave Maria
5. Christmas Flute and Harp: Adagio in B Major - Janos Balint, , Deborah Sipkai
6. Festive Christmas Brass: Symphonic Sacrae I (Sonata Piano Forte)
7. George Frederic Handel: Messiah: Pastoral Symphony/Duet: He Shall Feed - Max Emanuel Cencic, ,
8. Johann Sebastian Bach: Christmas Oratorio: Choral: "How Shall I Receive - Concerto Köln, , Frankfurt Vocal Ensemble
9. Camille Saint-Saens: Christmas Oratorio: No. 9 Quintet and Chorus: "Con - Dresden Kreuzchor, ,
10. Peter Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: Chocolate [Spanish Dance]/Coffee [Ar
11. Peter Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1, "Winter Dreams": II. Adagio Cantabil - Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
12. Peter Tchaikovsky: Wlatz of the Snowflakes