Christmas isn't Christmas without music to enrich the holiday proceedings. The questionis, which new CDs to buy? christmas flowers france recordings abound, and each offers a different style, medium or artist.
Thankfully, you can't go wrong with the three CDs that landed on my desk this year. Each will serve as pleasant background fare, and each will satisfy the most attentive listener.
The survey begins with pianist Jeffrey Biegel performing eclectic selections on "A Steinway christmas flowers france blogs Album: Piano Music for the Season." The recording is one of the first to be released on the Steinway & Sons record label, which was started last year. Steinway, the noted maker of pianos, envisions releasing four recordings a year that showcase Steinway artists, according to an online news release.
The venture is off to an auspicious start. In "A Steinway Christmas," Biegel applies a classical musician's sensibility and technical standards to one familiar tune after another.
He makes easy work of Andrew Gentile's dense and technically daunting arrangement of Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride," making a seemingly simple tune anything but. We hear what program notes describe as "swirls of flurries" and "a mighty shaking-off of snowflakes." Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" is transformed into a grand vehicle able to embrace wholly new material.
In the middle of "A Steinway Christmas," attractive solo-piano arrangements of several "Nutcracker" selections are heard. Biegel imparts them with rhythmic vibrancy and precision. The "Russian Dance" is marked by infectious sparkle.
Biegel shows many sides of a multifaceted talent. He jazzes things up nicely in "Christmas is A-Comin'." He plays traditional carols in a way that speaks directly to the heart. And in his attractive arrangement of Ann Hampton Callaway's "Christmas Lullaby," he ornaments the melodic line in intriguing ways.
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As you may know, Paul Anka headlined a Christmas concert this month, introducing material from "Songs of December" (Universal Music Decca).
I've enjoyed becoming better acquainted with this recording, which shows the famed singer-songwriter at the top of his game, reveling in introspection and contentment. If Anka's artistry sometimes recalls that of the late Frank Sinatra, this amounts to the highest compliment you can pay a singer of popular music. Each line is phrased with class, and each word rings out with pristine clarity. The orchestral arrangements glow with an attractive subtlety.
Some highlights: "Let It Snow" becomes a vivid ballad in which the warmth and coziness of sitting with a loved one by the fire becomes the perfect antidote to a frightfully cold and stormy night. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" swings along in easy-going fashion, punctuated by slidelike piano.
And "Silent Night," despite its nonsilent beginning, brings the recording to a satisfying close. During Anka's rendition, the familiar tune transitions occasionally into "A Cradle In Bethlehem," giving it a welcome new dimension.
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For those who like music arranged for vocal ensemble, the nine virtuoso male singers on "Christmas with Cantus" (Cantus Recordings) deliver an international feast for the ears. This begins in England ("Nowell! Nowell! This is the Salutation") and ends firmly in the United States.
Along the way, there are stops in such places as Slovenia, Russia and France. Throughout it all, the Cantus singers demonstrate a daunting command of styles and languages. Invariably, their singing is marked by impeccable intonation and the finest musical instincts.
Although Cantus is known for singing without accompaniment, percussion instruments establish a subtle-yet-effective presence in several selections on "Christmas." For example, bells ring softly through Vladimir Morosan's stirring arrangement of Sergei Rachmaninov's "Priidite Poklonimsya" and through "Carol of the Bells." Drums enliven "Pat-A-Drummer" in a way that makes the music sound surprisingly African in character.
The last of the album's 16 tracks is Michael Engelhardt's arrangement of the spiritual "Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow!" The tight harmonies, spiced up with the snapping of fingers, provide a swinging foundation for the soaring solo of Aaron Humble. I adored every note.
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