What are you listening to?

[fergus]

[Jose Echenique]

It´s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and it´s time to play our Christmas cds.
This was one of the major Christmas music discoveries last year. Christoph Graupner is no longer an obscure composer, and these Christmas cantatas (it´s misleading to call them an oratorio) show why. It´s gorgeous music with a character all it´s own, you could never confuse Graupner with Bach or Telemann.
The recording is superb and now this is indispensable Christmas time listening.

[Jose Echenique]

This is also marvelous.

[Jared]

It´s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and it´s time to play our Christmas cds.

Thanks for your thoughts on that interesting looking disk, Pepe... :-)

I agree with this statement.... the past couple of Xmases, I admit I have been guilty of being involved in large listening projects, to the extent that I haven't given my growing collection of Xmas disks the listen they deserve... all this will change from tomorrow, when I will commence with a listen through some of my catalogue of intriguing music which has sat collecting dust, and attempt to post a few thoughts. In the meantime, I have spent the last couple of days winding up my present, delightful little mini-project:

[Jared]

Laudibus: Christmas choral music
Robert Isaacs

A selection of 17 carols and choral music from throughout the ages, is the subject of this month's free BBC Music Mag disk. This highly eclectic collection (Silent Night sits next to Victoria's O magnum mysterium) contains several re-arrangements by John Rutter and David Willcocks and others. If nothing else, it starts to get me in the festive mood!

[Diapason]

The Willcocks arrangements of 'Hark the Herald...' and 'O Come all ye Faithful' are just magic. Wouldn't be Christmas without them.

[Jared]

The Willcocks arrangements of 'Hark the Herald...' and 'O Come all ye Faithful' are just magic. Wouldn't be Christmas without them.

yes, he is quite prolific in the area of Xmas music, isn't he? On this disk, he offers 3 new re-arrangements:

Infant holy, Infant Lowly; a trad. Polish carol
Gabriel's Message; a trad. Basque carol
Quelle est cette odeur agreable? a trad. French carol

in case anyone was interested...

[Diapason]

I know the 2nd and 3rd, but not the 1st. Ah Christmas.

[Jared]

I know the 2nd and 3rd, but not the 1st. Ah Christmas.

you're a very knowledgeable man, Simon...

we are now on to the Xmas 2011 BBC disk:

In Dulci Jubilo
Choir of Gonville & Caius College, Cambs
Geoffrey Webber.

21 miscellaneous pieces, including carols by Howells, Poulenc, Webern, Walton and erm... Gabrielli?

Willcocks has arranged 'Sussex Carol' on this one...

[bombasticDarren]

Sibelius - Symphony No.1 (Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Warner Apex)