Night Before Christmas

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Families will love nestling in to hear this beautiful version of Clement C. Moore's classic poem Twas the Night Before Christmas. Followed by carols and original music written and performed by musicians including the Christ Church Cathedral Choir, renowned fiddler Mark O'Connor, and arranger Van Dyke Parks, acclaimed actress Meryl Streep recites Moore's poem with a range of warmth and vocal flexibility. As with her work on The Velveteen Rabbit, Streep makes this classic come alive as one of the coziest story readings on record. Streep's sweet, motherly voice sings lead on "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" and "Away in the Manger." A lovely addition to the Rabbit Ears catalog, The Night Before Christmas, steeped in tradition, balances both spiritual and cultural customs into holiday celebration. --Paige La Grone

Tracks:

Joy to the World - A Fanfare for Christmas Day (After Handel)
Sleigh Ride
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Messiah, Oratoria/Hallelujah Chorus
Three Botticelli Pictures/The Adoration of the Magi
Songs from the Hill Folk; I Wonder as I Wander; the Seven Joys of ...
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Kije Takes a Ride (After Prokofiev)
Winter Weather Melody (I. Berlin: I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm; T.
O Holy Night
Joy!
Happy Holidays (I. Berlin: Happy Holiday; K. Thompson: The Holiday ...)

Album Description

SLEIGH RIDE features conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra in their 9th album together. Chock full of glittering holiday favorites, SLEIGH RIDE includes "Joy to the World", the Hallelujah Chorus (from The Messiah), "Twas the Night Before Christmas", "O Holy Night," and many others, performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra and featuring the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor.

Customer Reviews:

GREAT CHRISTMAS MUSIC.......2007-01-10

A VERY WELL-DONE ORCHESTRAL CD OF CHRISTMAS CLASSICS,AND HARD TO FIND IN MY LOCAL STORES. SO HAPPY TO PURCHASE IT.

Fresh stuff --- for Christmas, anyway........2005-12-23

Christmas music is, for the most part, terribly cliché--- quadruply so if you're a musician of any flavor. So I suspect that many Boston Symphony/Pops musicians are weary of playing the tunes on this album. But I'm pretty confident in saying that this album is the least cliché holiday album you're likely to come across for a while.

Yes, yes, they dig up some old standards, "Sleigh Ride" included. And while we don't really need another recording of it, at least it's a NEW recording, with (to my amateur ears) some detectable Lockhartness in it. The other "traditional" tracks include solo vocal settings of "O Holy Night" and "Do You Hear What I Hear", plus others.

The fresher stuff is what makes the album worth the price. The Joy to the World arrangement by Randol Alan Bass is fantastic -- which is remarkable, since most Joy to the World arrangements are the very definition of Christmas cliché. "Songs from the Hill Folk: Carols of Appalachia" is yet another Christmas medley, but it's a GOOD one, and its set of tunes is good a mix of sounds as well as of familiarity. "Kije Takes a Ride" is a jazz version of a Prokofiev tune that only orchestral buffs are likely to know, from a film that only hard-core film buffs are likely to have heard of. (But it's still unmistakeably Christmas.) "Winter Weather Medley" is a clever mix of three popsier tunes; it's got some weak spots, but it's a keeper nonetheless. "Joy!" is the Sebesky jazzish medley that was the "centerpiece" of "Holiday at Pops!" a few years back. It's nice, and most people eat it up. (I personally think it needs work, but I'm picky with stuff that tries to be jazz.) And the last track is "Happy Holidays", a straightforward arrangement of the Manhattan Transfer chart. Nothin' fancy, but a very listenable specimen of orchestral jazz (which is usually awful).

As far as recording quality goes, I /think/ you can tell that they're under their own label now, and aren't having their sessions mixed by guys from Sony anymore. But almost all the places this is detectable, it's not egregious at all -- in fact, it almost makes me think it's a superior recording model. (Almost.)

Overall, you're likely to have your own set of skippable tracks and repeat-'em-over-and-over tracks. But I think, for anyone curious enough to read these reviews in the first place, you won't go wrong for your money with "Sleigh Ride".

A Great Pops Companion CD.......2005-12-19

When it comes to Christmas and the Boston Pops, it's easy to wonder if this ensemble really needs another Christmas recording. We have multiple discs with the great Fiedler renditions of holiday music, and there are two fine discs under the direction of Conductor Laureate John Williams. Keith Lockhart has also released a holiday music disc. Why another? Well, when it comes to the Pops, creativity and reinvention are two of their trademarks, so this ensemble can always be counted on for something unique and enjoyable, and this newest Christmas CD SLEIGH RIDE will become a beloved part opf the Pops Christmas music library.

This disc has the new sound of the Pops under Lockhart's direction. There are new arrangements that are fresh and lively, and bound to become future "classic" Pops favorites. There is a mix of the traditional (the arrangement of "Joy to the World" "O Holy Night" and the famous chorus from Handel's MESSIAH "Hallelujah." The original "Kije Takes a Sleigh Ride" based on the "Troika" Prokofiev's LT. KIJE. There are three medleys: one of winter weather songs, a second of general holiday songs, and a third called JOY which is an addictive arrangement of Christmas carols. Any time I listen to this disc I find myself listening to this track again and again.

I'm giving these recording five stars due to the quality of the musical performances. It is a flawless set, but for me it would be a supplementary Boston Pops Christmas disc. The first I'd select would be any of the discs under the direction of Arthur Fielder that include Leroy Anderson's "A Christmas Festival," Leopold Mozart's "Sleigh Ride" and Anderson's "Sleigh Ride" without vocals, and the classic Pops renditions of "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers," "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," "Santa Claus is Coming To Town," "Winter Wonderland" and "The Toy Trumpet." I'd also purchase William's JOY TO THE WORLD which includes some of his tracks from HOME ALONE and Lockhart's HOLIDAY POPS. These recordings give a true Pops Christmas. SLEIGH RIDE would be a companion CD, but like all Pops CD's, it's a great investment.

Average customer rating:

Excellent Christmas carol recording
A Must Christmas album

A Feast of Carols

Manufacturer: Kodanja Records Ltd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000ZQTGE
Release Date: 2003-11-21

Tracks:

Gloria!
A Feast of Carols (Gloucester Wassail Carol / Il Est Nele Divin Enfant / Veni, Emmanuel / The Holly and the Ivy / God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen / We Wish You a Merry Christmas)
Glory to God (from "A Savior Is Born")
I Wonder As I Wander
The Night Before Christmas
White Christmas
A Symphony of Carols (Chanticleer / Pat-a-Pan / Fum, Fum, Fum / Stille Nacht / Still, Still, Still / Adeste Fideles)
Christmas Set of Three (Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas / Lovers on Christmas Eve / The Christmas Song)
Seasonal Sounds (Santa Claus is Comin' to Town / Here Comes Santa Claus / Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer / Frosty, the Snowman / Jingle Bells)

Album Description

The only Christmas album that every home must have features Sir Derek Jacobi naratting The Night Before Christmas. This recording represents the only complete collection of these Randol Alan Bass works that were originally commissioned by major US symphony orchestras. The renowned National Symphony Orchestra of London creates this collection with the Tallis Chamber Choir.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

RANDOL ALAN BASS ...
Mr. Bass has achieved an impressive array of performances by orchestras such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Active for more than two decades as an arranger, Mr. Bass is now focusing his talents on original compositions, largely due to the demand for his music. His transcription of Conquest of Paradise, can be heard on the April 30, 1996 release from the Boston Pops, Summon the Heroes which celebrated the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

SIR DEREK JACOBI ...
A brilliant English stage actor who has made occasional screen appearances. He studied at Cambridge and trained at the Birmingham Repertory Company until Laurence Olivier saw him perform and eventually invited him to join the National Theatre Company. Jacobi performed in a myriad of roles and was featured in the Olivier produced films of Othello (1965, as Cassio) and Three Sisters (1970, released here in 1974). He has also been featured in The Day of the Jackal (1973), The Odessa File (1974), The Medusa Touch (1978), The Human Factor (1979), Enigma (1982), Little Dorrit (1988), and the Kenneth Branagh films Henry V (1989, as the Chorus) and Dead Again (1991, in an amusingly flashy part). Jacobi won a Tony Award for his role as Benedick in "Much Ado About Nothing," and may be best known in the US for his stunning TV work in the BBC series "I, Claudius" and as Hitler in "Inside the Third Reich."

LURETTA BYBEE, Mezzo-soprano ...
American mezzo-soprano Luretta Bybee has proven herself to be an artist of remarkable range and versatility in her performances throughout the world in a wide variety of repertoire. International recognition came early in her career when she sang the title role in the world tour of Peter Brook's La Tragedie de Carmen. Bizet's heroine has since figured heavily in Ms. Bybee's schedule, having taken her to several companies both in the U.S. and abroad and marked her debut at New York City Opera as Carmen.

ABOUT THE MUSIC ...

GLORIA! ... This particular setting of the "Gloria" text makes use of multi-metric rhythmic patterns reminiscent of the dance music found in much of Eastern Europe. It contains moments of bittersweet lyricism and much fanfarish brass writing as well; these qualities have made it a frequent inclusion on Holiday programs, both in church and in the concert hall. The work was especially composed for performances of the New York Pops Orchestra (Skitch Henderson, conducting) and the Texas Christian University Choirs (Christmas, 1990.)

A FEAST OF CAROLS ... There are six carols included in the arrangement, set out as follows:

Gloucester Wassail Carol
Il Est Neé, le Divin Enfant
Veni Emmanuel
The Holly and the Ivy
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
We Wish You a Merry Christmas

The orchestral opening introduces all 6 themes and there follow extended arrangements of the various carols, connecting one to the other in rhapsodic fashion.

I WONDER AS I WANDER ... This traditional Appalachian folk song was collected in North Carolina in July, 1933 by John Jacob Niles and published shortly thereafter in his 1934 Songs of the Hill-Folk. This most plaintive and serene of carols is here cast in a stark, glassy setting for solo mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra. The arrangement retains the simple, questioning quality of the original tune while making effective use of modern orchestral forces for subtle color and text-painting.

GLORY TO GOD ... This short choral setting of the famous biblical nativity text comprises a single movement of th

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Christmas carol recording.......2007-01-03

This is a fine recording of Randol Bass music. I have used his arrangements for several Christmas programs and have found them to be both well constructed and rewarding in performance. For those wishing to use choral-orchestral arrangements of traditional Christmas music, these carols are among the best and are very well performed on the recording.

A Must Christmas album.......2004-04-17

If you like orchestral Christmas music, this album is a must. Performed masterfully by the National Symphony Orchestra of London the album includes the modern American Christmas standards as well as a sampling of less well known Christmas classics from overseas and the past. It is unusual in that it is conducted by the arranger of the pieces, so we can be sure we are hearing the arrangements exactly as intended. This album should be in everyone's collection to be played every holiday season. Highly recommended.

A Windham Hill Christmas: The Night Before Christmas

Average customer rating:

A Windham Hill Christmas: The Night Before Christmas
Perfect Holiday fare
iPod Reviewer Wrong
Buyer Beware
Play This One for the MONTH Before Christmas

A Windham Hill Christmas: The Night Before Christmas
Various Artists
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000B5XZPQ
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Tracks:

Angels We Have Heard On High - Paul McCandless
Wassail Song - Philip Aaberg
Silent Night - Barbara Higbie
O Tannenbaum - Jim Brickman
Good King Wenceslas - Alex De Grassi
Morning Has Broken - Brian Dunning
O Thou Joyful Day/O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Liz Story
The First Noel/What Is This Fragrance - Tim Story
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - Giovanna Joyce Imbesi
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Steve Erquiaga
Walking in the Air (from the Snowman)
The Green Trees Of Winter - Will Ackerman
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Tracy Silverman
Cherry Tree Carol - George Winston

Amazon.com

Windham Hill holiday albums are a staple of the Christmas season and they say peace, tranquility and good will to all like few instrumental offerings. Usually played on acoustic guitars and pianos tuned to a slight new age bent by musicians who have come to define the Windham Hill sound, style and sensibility. Which is not to say they don't have a sense of humor, adventure or discovery: Philip Aaberg's piano version of "Wassail Song" cleverly quotes the Delfonics 1968 pop hit "La La Means I Love You." Steve Erquiaga's dreamy guitar piece, "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," gets treated like a reverie, while Fred Simon's lovely theme from The Snowman ("Walking on Air") creates all the magic of the season's best music. With other familiar names such as Jim Brickman, Liz Story, Paul McCandless and of course the muse behind the music label, George Winston, The Night Before Christmas is that perfect stocking stuffer for those who just want to get more mellow than jolly before that long winter's nap. -- Martin Keller

Customer Reviews:

A Windham Hill Christmas: The Night Before Christmas.......2007-01-09

Takes me back to an "ole days" feeling.....it's not Christmas in my home until I play a "Windham Hill Christmas" CD...

Perfect Holiday fare.......2006-12-31

Windham Hill has a more interesting group on the label than others such as Narada. This has a lovely group assembled. Great Christmas background music or meditative fare if that's what you want.

iPod Reviewer Wrong.......2006-04-24

These Windham Hill Christmas CDs are amazing, the first two being my all-time favorites. But the iPod reviewer on here is incorrect (or not doing something properly) because though they may be "copy-protected" they WILL work on your iPod and iTunes. I have this cd on my iPod as we speak, so it will work fine. Enjoy!

Buyer Beware.......2005-12-21

This CD is "copy protected" and will not work in iTunes or on your iPod. So much for the holiday spirit .. I buy a CD and they won't even let me listen to it on my iPod!

Play This One for the MONTH Before Christmas.......2005-11-30

I love Christmas music. Even when I worked retail, and the Christmas music started playing before Halloween, I loved Christmas music. Growing up, we always knew that it was really Christmas time because Dad pulled out the Christmas albums (not pictures -- records. Yes, I'm that old). Perry Como and Elvis, year in and year out. Now I have my own musical tastes, and my own Christmas music. Jazz, contemporary, blues, even a copy of Rock Power Praise's Christmas heavy metal compilation. And somewhere on my hard drive I have Joan Jett singing "The Little Drummer Boy."

This Windham Hill Christmas compilation is much more traditional. But traditional doesn't mean boring -- in fact, just the opposite. These songs are arranged so that you can play them no matter what the occasion -- a Christmas party with friends, a tree trimming party, or just a quick game of "find the mistletoe" with someone special. And next year, you won't be replacing it with something more trendy.

The CD does contain a fair amount of religious music, so those who are easily offended by actual references to Christ may not be pleased. "Angels We Have Heard on High" is one of my all-time favorite Christmas hymns, and I was glad that they chose it to start the album off. There are plenty of non-sectarian songs on here as well, though -- "O Tannanbaum," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" are a few representatives that I enjoyed particularly.

Windham Hill fans will find some old favorites on this CD, of course. Liz Story does "O Thou Joyful Day/O Little Town of Bethlehem," Philip Aaberg contributes "Wassail Song," and George Winston and Will Ackerman also make contributions. There are some new faces as well, and I'm sure we'll be hearing more from folks like Jim Brickman and Fred Simon. In fact, Winston's "Cherry Tree Carol" was a wonderful addition, and a song that I hadn't heard very much before.

The only thing that disappointed me, especially after enjoying Winston's fretwork on the final song, is that "Silent Night" wasn't performed on solo acoustic guitar. Barbara Higbie does an outstanding job on the song, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I absolutely love to hear "Silent Night" played on the guitar, as it was originally written and performed.

On the whole, listening to this CD was a perfectly enjoyable experience, and a great way to start off my holiday season. If you don't have it, then you need it.

Mussorgsky-Stokowski: Pictures at an Exhibiton [Hybrid SACD]

Average customer rating:

Exceptional sound and knowing interpretation
Pictures, as a Revelation

Mussorgsky-Stokowski: Pictures at an Exhibiton [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3; Poulenc: Organ Concerto; Barber: Toccata Festiva

ASIN: B000AMMSG2
Release Date: 2005-09-20

Customer Reviews:

Exceptional sound and knowing interpretation.......2006-03-01

Jose Serebrier assisted Stokowski in their days with the American Symphony Orchestra, the memory and motivation for the coductor to record his mentor's version of "Pictures At An Exhibition" in up to date 21st century sound, coupled with a number of other Stoki specialties.

Aside from the more Russian sounding "Pictures", what I enjoyed most here were "Night on Bald Mountain", the "Khovanshchina" conglomeration and the symphonic synthesis on "Boris Godunov". This adds up to about 40 minutes of exciting Russian music delivered with gusto in great sound.

The Bournemouth Symphony hardly play like understated Englishmen in this recording, which will tear a hole in your speaker or knock some dishes off the shelves if you aren't careful with your volume or subwoofer controls when you first play this thing.

This 5.0 SACD is the real thing right from the first few notes of "Night On Bald Mountain" that begin the program. On my 5.1 surround sound system it about knocked down the walls of my house. It brings new definition to the term "demonstration recording"!

Not long ago I wrote a review of Stoki's last remaining CD of his version of "Pictures At An Exhibition" in his own orchestration and scoring. Stoki dropped two of the French paintings and made everything else sound Russian by emphasizing low strings and deemphasizing brilliant brass. Serebrier carried the memory of his mentor's work forward in this recroding, which is destined to wind up on some "best sounding CD of the year" lists.

Pictures, as a Revelation.......2005-11-12

This recording of "Pictures at an Exhibition" came on the radio today as I was waking up. I had not heard the Stokowski orchestration before (is it true that the principal clarinet of the Philadelphia Orchestra was his ghost orchestrator?) and it was a revelation. The tried-and-true Ravel instrumentation will never be replaced, but this is a "Pictures" from a distinctly different corner of the hall, and a welcome departure. Serebrier and Bournemouth perform with exemplary precision and freshness, digging in where Stokowski's excesses can withstand some enthusiastic wrangling. If you love this Mussorgsky and want to hear it with new ears, here's your chance.

Mussorgsky-Stokowski: Pictures at an Exhibition

Average customer rating:

FOR A HIGH CHOLESTEROL ORCHESTRAL DIET
Not much Stokowski there.
A Naxos Triumph!
Leopold, Leopold, Leopold
Extraordinary recording by the Bournemouth Symphony and José Serebrier

Mussorgsky-Stokowski: Pictures at an Exhibition

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0009JVOKM
Release Date: 2005-06-21

Tracks:

A Night On Bare Mountain
Entr'Acte To Act IV Of Khovanshchina
Symphonic Synthesis Of Boris Godunov
Promenade
Gnomus
Promenade
Il Vecchio Castello
Bydlo
Promenade
Ballet De Poussins Dans Leurs Coques
Samuel Goldberg And Schmuyle
Catacombs - Sepulchrum Romanum; Con Mortuis In Lingua Mortua
La Cabane Sur Des Pattes De Poule
La Grande Porte De Kiev
Solitude, Op.73, No.6
Humoresque, Op.10, No.2
Traditional Slavic Christmas Music

Customer Reviews:

FOR A HIGH CHOLESTEROL ORCHESTRAL DIET.......2006-11-17

Comparing the arrangements of Pictures at an Exhibition by Ravel and Stokowski is a fascinating exercise. They both seem so characteristic of the two arrangers. The cool French aesthete (though with his own hidden daemons just like Mussorgsky) paints with precision but with impressionist or even post-impressionist hues. Here is Monet, Cezanne or, in the bolder pieces, even van Gogh. The Londoner who liked to assume the persona of some sort of Slavic shaman/maestro is given to bolder, brasher colours - Kandinsky perhaps? Both are masters of the orchestra. Both remain true to the essentially Russian spirit of Mussorgsky - perhaps even more so in the case of Stokowski. Which perhaps explains why he developed the bizarre suspicion that the two 'French' pieces in the Suite - Tuileries and the Limoges Marketplace - were by Rimsky Korsakov and therefore left them out altogether. Maybe it was because Ravel had, naturally, succeeded in making them sound so French in his earlier version. For the rest, Stokowski is more than up for the grotesqueries of the Gnome, the deep Russian darkness of the catacombs, the wildness of Baba Yaga and the splendours of the Great Gate. But it is Ravel who gets closer to the heart of the old castle and Bydlo.

As for the performance, Serebrier was the Sorcerer's Apprentice, having been Stoky's assistant for some years, and he elicits truly Stokowskian sounds from the Bournemouth Symphony whose strings almost (but not quite) approach the velvety richness of the Master's Philadelphians.

The rest of their programme is equally rich fare. The orchestration of Night on the Bare Mountain, made famous in Disney's Fantasia, seems to me far superior to Rimsky Korsakov's and (un-PC though it is to say it) even to Mussorgksy's own. Serebrier rightly brings out the OTT string glissandi and biting brass. The Symphonic Synthesis of Boris is a cousin to the similar syntheses Stokowski made from Tristan and Parsifal and, like them, provides a rewarding distillation of the opera's music in purely orchestral garb. Here, Stoky seems to stay closer to Mussorgsky's original sound than Rimsky or Shostakovich. The disc ends with a trio of Beechamesque lollipops, all predictably gorgeous, especially Stokowski's own Traditional Slavic Christmas Music where his youthful experience as an organist seems to come through in the tiered orchestration.

Maybe this disc will not tax the listener's intellect overmuch, but it will provide him with enormous dollops of orchestral pleasure. And at a budget price.

Not much Stokowski there........2005-12-28

Compare to Stokowski's own interpretation, I just wonder how Serebrier change these intense transcriptions into dull, flat, and boring experience. His speed is so mechanical, and wash a lot of drama out of the work. If you don't want to be Stokowski, fine, but remember this is Mussorgsky, not Bach-Stokowski.

Although no one can be like Stokowski himself, Bamert still trying hard to sound like Stokowski in these transcriptions. Serebrier, on the other hand, trying to offer his own view. Pitifully, he falls far behind Stokowski.

One good thing about this recording is its wonderful sound. Rozhdestvensky did show us how harsh sound can ruin Stokowski's Pictures at an Exhibition. The good sound quality here makes the Pictures at an Exhibition still a valuable viewpoint. Ironically , it is the superb recording reveal how flat the interpretaions of Boris Godunov, A Night on Bare Mountain, and Entr'acte to ActIV of Khovanshchina are.

If you don't have Stokowski's own interpretion on your collection, I would like to stop you from buying this recording because of lack of the Stoki's excitement here. If you looking for a Stoki-like modern recording of Mussorgsky-Stokowski, I would recommend Bamert on Chandos over this. However, if you already have Stoki's own interpretion, Serebrier can still offer a different viewpoint of these transcriptions.

Some additional information..
A similiar viewpoint of Stokowski's Mussorgsky can also be found in Oliver Knussen's interpretation. The DG issue with a better orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and probabily better sound effect, too. The sound there is more tense.

A Naxos Triumph!.......2005-10-25

For half the price of at least two competing labels that I know of, you can have this recording of Stokowski's most beloved transciptions. I bought this release mainly for the "Symphonic Synthesis" which Stokowski created to bring more popularity to the massive complete opera. You get 24 minutes of shimmering sound, competing with anything in the symphonic genre. In fact everything sounds great on this disc. Meastro Serebrier,(a protege and life long friend of Stokowski) the Bournemouth Symphony, and the engineers are all in top form and dedicated. It is interesting to compare the differences of the Stokowski arrangements. He comes off more horrific than Rimsky-Korsakov on "Night on Bare Mountain", just have a listen to those exagerated screeches of brass. In "Pictures" Stokowski in his own words stated he wanted to take Ravels French out of the work and give it a more Russian feel. Balance, tempo, and detail in specific passages of each picture may or may not achieve this. I do think his version is more spacious overall, and less congested in the concluding "Great Gate of Kiev". Stokowski eliminates two annoying pictures stating he didn't think the composer wrote them in the score anyway! Recall that Rimsky-Korsakov's original piano version included them. Were they genuine? Three miniature bonus works are included. Most interesting is the Stokowski composition "Tradional Slavic Christmas Music" based on Slavic themes, is brief leaving one wanting for more.

Leopold, Leopold, Leopold.......2005-10-20

One of my favorite episodes of BUGS BUNNY (perhaps my only favorite, I was never a big LOONEY TOONS fan) has Bugs getting in trouble while singing the song "April Showers" in the presence of an opera star. The man finds the rabbit annoying, and Bugs being Bugs decides to get the best of him. On an evening when the buffoon is singing, Bugs dons a wig that resembles the hair style of a great conductor, a caricature of Leopold Stokowski. As soon as Bugs enters the area everyone is all a buzz because Leopold has arrived. Bugs grabs the baton and begins conducting. I was probably twelve or thirteen at the time, and I felt rather sophisticated because I knew who Leopold was other than one of the husbands of Gloria Vanderbilt.

Stokowski was one of the most famous conductors of his day, and he was a well known musical arranger as well. His day was a time when symphony orchestras had regular arrangers who transcribed famous keyboard pieces for orchestra. They somewhat fell out of fashion in the 1970's but today there seems to be a renewed interest in some of transcriptions, recognizing the contributions of the musical arrangers. This release by Naxos has some of Stokowski's arrangements of some of Mussorgsky's music as well as a few pieces by Tchaikovsky and an arrangement of Slavic Christmas music.

Overall, this is an interesting disc. The arrangement of "Night on Bald Mountain" is not as fulsome as the more familiar Rimsky-Korsakov orchestration, but the differences in the two do illustrate the interesting tidbits on the score. The same can be said for his orchestration of "Pictures at an Exhibition." The Ravel orchestration, today's performance standard, has more power, and perhaps because of its familiarity more of an appeal, but some of Stokowski's arrangements have a smoother sound which seems to be in keeping with an art gallery exhibit. His orchestral arrangement of music from BORIS GODUNOV plays like a symphonic poem and does capture the mood of the work.

Listeners will find this recording both interesting, enjoyable, and since the "Bald Mountain" arrangement is the same as the arrangement used in FANTASIA, perhaps a bit nostalgic. It will also give people a new appreciation of Mussorgsky as a composer. Maybe Naxos can release another Stokowski transcription disc with his arrangements of Bach's music.

Extraordinary recording by the Bournemouth Symphony and José Serebrier.......2005-08-28

This is one of the most extraordinary recordings of the decade, as announced by Felipe Marsans in his review in Diario Las Americas. The sound of this demonstration recording is spectacular! The performances are extraordinary, inspired,
magnificent from the opening track (Night on Bold Mountain) to the unexpected final track: an "original" work by Leopold Stokowski, based on a known ancient Christmas tune. The little Tchaikovsky item is something to make the listener cry, as is the Entre'Acte from Mussorgsky's opera Khovantchina. The Boris
is a masterpiece, and the performance is incredible in every sense. The Stokowski orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition, quite different from Ravel's and more Russian and tru to the original, will blow you off the room. I can't wait for the multy-channel versions to be released, on SACD and DVD Audio.
Extraordinary!
Stephen Bradbury
Oxford, UK

Average customer rating:

don't hassel the hoff

Night Before Christmas

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
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Sings America
Jump in My Car
Looking for Freedom
Very Best of David Hasselhoff
Sings America: Gold Edition

ASIN: B00064N840
Release Date: 2004-11-23

Album Description

The Baywatch star's 2004 Christmas album, a Top 10 hit in Germany. Edel.

Customer Reviews:

don't hassel the hoff.......2007-01-10

David Hasselhoff + christmass = magic... a magic that if you could combine david blane, and david copperfield that person could not recreate it. its a magic that only exists between hasselhoff, his fans , and his trans am.
give this cd to a none christan friend and watch them forsake there religen, there family ,and there country.

Critic's Choice: Leonard Maltin's Favorite Movie Themes

Average customer rating:

Critic's Choice: Leonard Maltin's Favorite Movie Themes

Manufacturer: Sin-Drome Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
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Varese Sarabande 25th Anniversary Celebration

ASIN: B0000AZKO8
Release Date: 2003-08-26

Tracks:

Critic's Choice (Theme)
Titanic Suite: Distant Memories/Southampton/Rose/Take Her to Sea, ...
Unending Story [Basic Instinct]
Maverick Suite
Main Title/Ray's Blues [The Firm]
Main Title [Ed Wood]
Shakespeare in Love Suite: The End the Beginning of the Partnership
Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before Christmas Orchestral Suite
Mask of Zorro Suite: The Plaza of Execution/Zorro's Theme/Love Theme
Hymn to the Fallen [Saving Private Ryan]

Tracks:

First Knight Orchestral Suite: Arthur's Fanfare/Main Title/End Credits
Eternal Future, Pt. 2 [Fast, Cheap & Out of Control]
Ad Good as It Gets
Rupert Bear/As Far as Florence [The English Patient]
Dead Already/Any Other Name [American Beauty]
Braveheart (End Credits)
Vita E' Bella Buon Giorno Principessa/Abbiamo ... [Life Is Beautiful]
John Grisham's the Rainmaker: Kelly's (Theme)
Lion King Orchestral Suite
Schindler's List: Theme /Jewish Town/Remembrance

Twas the Night Before Christmas: An All-Star Noel

Average customer rating:

Twas the Night Before Christmas: An All-Star Noel
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Compilations | Country | Styles | Music

Holiday Music | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Pop Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

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

Pop Vocal | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
ASIN: B00005KBC5
Release Date: 2001-10-02

Tracks:

'Twas The Night Before Christmas - Ed McMahon
Angels We Have Heard On High - Bobby Clifton Orchestra
Do You Hear What I Hear? - Glen Campbell
Up On The House-Top - Holly Players Orchestra
Santa's Reindeer Ride - Amy Grant
Good King Wenceslas - Holly Players Orchestra
O Come All Ye Faithful - Johnny Cash
Deck The Halls - Holly Players Orchestra
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland
Silent Night - Vienna Boys' Choir

Average customer rating:

'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Liberace
Manufacturer: Passport
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | 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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Liberace Christmas
The Best of Liberace
16 Biggest Hits
Spend the Holidays With Liberace
Liberace's Greatest Hits

ASIN: B000B0WO8K
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Tracks:

'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Rosary
O' Tannenbaum
O Holy Night
What Child Is This
Christmas Medley
O Holy Night
Beauty of Holiness
Ave Maria
Gesu Bambino

Average customer rating:

This CD is a "JOY, Thanks to John Williams' Music"
A Forgotten Christmas Collection

Joy to the World

Manufacturer: Sony Special Product
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

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

4-for-3 Soundtracks | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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A Christmas Festival
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Sleigh Ride
Christmas at the Pops (RCA Greatest Hits)
Leroy Anderson Christmas

ASIN: B00006LETF
Release Date: 2002-06-01

Tracks:

Christmas Festival: Joy to the World/Deck the Halls/God Rest Ye Merry, - Boston Pops Orchestra, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Williams
Visit from Saint Nicholas ('Twas the Night Before Christmas) - Boston Pops Orchestra, John Williams, Robin Williams
White Christmas - Boston Pops Orchestra, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Williams
March of the Toys [From Babes in Toyland] - Boston Pops Orchestra, John Williams
Somewhere in My Memory [From Home Alone] - Boston Pops Orchestra, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Williams
Holiday Flight [From Home Alone] - Boston Pops Orchestra, John Williams
Christmas Bouquet: We'll Dress the House/The Star Carol/Nigh Bethlehem - Boston Pops Orchestra, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Williams
Parade of the Wooden Soldiers - Boston Pops Orchestra, John Williams
Star of Bethlehem [From Home Alone] - Boston Pops Orchestra, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Williams
Christmas Night Medley: O Tannenbaum/I Go to Bethlehem (Sel Bych RK - Boston Pops Orchestra, John Williams
We Wish You a Merry Christmas - Boston Pops Orchestra, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Williams
Sleigh Ride - Boston Pops Orchestra, John Williams
Merry Little Sing-Along: Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer/Have Yourself a - Boston Pops Orchestra, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Williams

Customer Reviews:

This CD is a "JOY, Thanks to John Williams' Music".......2004-12-15

I bought this one about 9 years ago mostly because the "Home Alone" songs and it is still one of my favorites. The arrangements are true John Williams style, captivating as always. My nephew who lives with me, grew up with this album and is now 14 still LOVES IT. He swears it's not Christmas without it. I guess I think the same way. I let a relative borrow it and was sorry when I did because I immediately missed it playing at my house. (I made her burn a copy right away.) I love the idea of original songs included with the traditional Christmas tunes to become instant classics. I wouldn't decorate my home without this CD playing in the background.

A Forgotten Christmas Collection.......2003-12-04

This Christmas collection by John Williams and the Boston Pops for Sony is a forgotten gem. It includes many Pops favorites such as Leroy Anderson's "A Christmas Festival" with choral arrangement, "Sleigh Ride" and "White Christmas" (again with vocals." It also has an arrangement of Alfred Burt's Christmas music as well as a medley of contemporary Christmas music. The true jewel in this recording is Williams' "Somewhere In My Memory" from HOME ALONE. Though this album is not as strong as the Christmas recording Williams' and the Pops did for Philips, it is still an enjoyable album.

Music:

Music

Music