Simply the Best Christmas Album

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
A rather presumptive holiday title, Simply the Best Christmas Album is an unqualified best--if you like classical, choral, and symphonic music. Marquee talent such as Placido Domingo, Natalie Cole, and Jose Carreras anchor the mix, abetted by the redoubtable London Brass, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Edward Higgenbottom & The Choir of New College, Oxford, and the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra. This two-disc, 36-piece set presents a broad spectrum of holiday pageantry that embraces familiar traditional works like The Nutcracker and more contemporary pieces from Sumi Jo and Linda Eder. From triumphant brass and angelic choirs to stirring string pieces and rich, lovely orchestral movements, Simply the Best sets an exquisitely festive mood. --Martin Keller

Tracks:

Adeste Fideles - Thomas Hampson
Ehre Sei Gott In Der Hohe (From Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio) - Tom Koopman
A Spotless Rose - Edward Higginbottom
Silent Night - Kiri Te Kanawa
O Joyful Children - Vienna Symphony
Festive Cheer: (Sleigh Ride/Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas/Jingle Bells/We Wish You A Merry Christmas) - London Brass
Glory To God (From Handel's Messiah) - Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Il Riposo - ...Per Il Natale (From Vivaldi's Christmas Concerto) - Il Giardino Armonico
O Holy Night - Sumi Jo
Noel Sur Les Jeux D'anches - Marie-Claire Alain
Panis Angelicus - Vienna Symphony
Jesus The Light Of The World - The Boston Camerata
In Dulci Lubilo - Chanticleer
Fallt Mit Danken, Fallte Mit Loben (From J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio) - Ton Koopman
Glory To Christmas - Moscow Liturgic Choir

Tracks:

The Nutcracker Suite (Opus 71a: Miniature Overture) - Alexander Lazarev
The Nutcracker Suite (Opus 71a: March) - Alexander Lazarev
The Nutcracker Suite (Opus 71a: Dance Of The Sugar-Plum Fairy) - Alexander Lazarev
The Nutcracker Suite (Opus 71a: Trepak, Russian Dance) - Alexander Lazarev
The Nutcracker Suite (Opus 71a: Dance Of The Reeds) - Alexander Lazarev
Away In A Manger - London Brass
Christmas Stays The Same - Linda Eder
O Tannenbaum - Thomas Hampson
Pour La Nuit De Noel (Concerto Grosso Op.8 - Third Movement) - I Solisti Veneti
A Christmas Carol - Chanticleer
Agnus Dei - Vienna Symphony
O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Jouko Harjanne
We Wish You A Merry Christmas - Kiri Te Kanawa
Entre Le Boeuf Et L'ane Gris - Maitrise Saint-Pierre Aux Liens De Bulle
Christen, Atzet Diesen Tag (From Bach's Christmas Cantata, BWV 63 First Movement: Coro) - Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Jung
The Holly And The Ivy - Vienna Symphony
The Little Road To Bethlehem - Edward Higginbottom
Schliesse, Mein Herze (From Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Third Cantata: Alto Aria) - Ton Koopman
The Four Seasons, Winter (From Vivaldi's Four Seasons - Second Movement) - Progretto Avanti
Hallelujah (From Handel's Messiah: Part II/Chorus) - Nikolaus Harnoncourt

Amazon.com

A rather presumptive holiday title, Simply the Best Christmas Album is an unqualified best--if you like classical, choral, and symphonic music. Marquee talent such as Placido Domingo, Natalie Cole, and Jose Carreras anchor the mix, abetted by the redoubtable London Brass, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Edward Higgenbottom & The Choir of New College, Oxford, and the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra. This two-disc, 36-piece set presents a broad spectrum of holiday pageantry that embraces familiar traditional works like The Nutcracker and more contemporary pieces from Sumi Jo and Linda Eder. From triumphant brass and angelic choirs to stirring string pieces and rich, lovely orchestral movements, Simply the Best sets an exquisitely festive mood. --Martin Keller

Customer Reviews:

Joyous surprises!.......2006-06-01

Every once in awhile I run across an album that excells, not because of the shining brilliance of one artist, but because of the collective impact of several. Here, in this album, are some little-known gems from Christmas music literature. I was captivated by the lilting and primitive joy in "Jesus, the Light of the World," which I had never heard before. Then there is Chanticleer and its rendition of Charles Ives' "Christmas Carol," a classic too little known. There are others. If you look for unique renditions of familiar and unfamiliar Christmas music to enhance the joy of the season, this album is a must-buy.

Simply the Best..........2002-11-19

The minute I heard Thomas Hampson sing the first few notes of Adeste Fideles, I knew I had to have this album. It is a marvelous compilation of Classical Christmas favorites (excerpts from the Bach, Vivaldi and Corelli Christmas Concertos and The Nutcracker) and standard Christmas favorites, as well as some of the lesser heard Christmas gems.