 [Larger view] | Robert Shaw, Robert Shaw Chamber Singers - Songs of Angels - Christmas Hymns and Carols
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| Beautiful and Precise | |
| When I was a kid, we used to listen to this album every Christmas (on vinyl). We often contrasted it with a Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas album we also had, the Mormons good for rousing anthems, Robert Shaw for more intimate and moving and, I think, more beautiful evocations of the Spirit of Christmas. What continues to amaze me, and other reviewers have noted this, is the precision of the voices, of the diction, and the discipline of the dynamics. No voice standing out unless called for, all of them melding seamlessly into something so gorgeous I keep buying a copy each Christmas to give as a gift since it is my most precious thing to give (to those who love real choral singing, anyway). I listen to it, not as background "mood" music as if in a department store, but almost reverently, with headphones on and with complete concentration. It just takes me away. | |
| One of my favorites | |
| When I bought this album, I was looking for a classic Christmas album for a small ensemble. This fits the bill admirably. The music, arrangements and performers are all of the same caliber as Shaw's other recordings (such as The Many Moods of Christmas) but here we have the intimacy of a small ensemble, much more fitting to the music than the massive forces of the Atlanta Symphony Chorus. The arrangements are by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw, dating from the 1950's. We also have a number of magnificent solo voices, which are absent from the Robert Russel Bennet arrangements. The soloists are superb. If I had to pick a single Christmas album to see me through the holidays, it would be a difficult choice, but this would certainly be on my short list. | |
| The Most Beautiful Sounds I Have Ever Heard | |
| A fluid and seamless piece of heaven that transcends all classical and holiday music. This is an OUTSTANDING non-traditional Holiday CD!!! Many voices come together as one in these enchanting verses sung in languages other than English. It is just enough language mix to appease and intrigue the soul but not too much so that the listener does not understand the lyrics. For example, the English verse is sung then a verse in German and then back to English. Emmanuel is written this way. Other languages include French (Angels we Have Heard on High) and even Catalan which is a dialect of Spain. Several of the songs were not traditional Holiday songs (at least for my generation), yet they were intriguing to learn and now I feel I know them just like the traditional ones. This CD offers a healthy mix of traditional and non-traditional songs on this CD. If you can picture the most beautiful sounds you have ever heard you can come close to the joy this CD will bring you. It is February and I can't stop listening to it. You will not regret purchasing itâ¦the only regret you may have is not buying all of Robert Shaw's holiday CDs. I am writing this review to share the joy with you! |
![Carols from Trinity [Conifer]](http://shop0nline.com/image/B0000024F7.S.jpg)
