10 Favorite Classical Christmas Albums
Sounds of the season to lift the spirit and soothe the soul.
“What is Christmas? It is the tenderness of the past, courage for the present, and hope for the future.”
-Agnes Pahro
“I truly believe that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs, and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and peace to this world.”
-Norman Vincent Peale
Taking a break from the top 50 classical recordings of all-time, during these Holidays we turn our attention to some of the best classical recordings devoted to Christmas and Holiday music. I have compiled a list of 10 of my favorite Christmas albums, along with a brief description of each. This is a list that focuses primarily on traditional Christmas music, performed by classical artists. The focus on Christmas music is not to forget there are other religious traditions observed this time of year, but the vast majority of the music I am familiar with is from a Christian tradition.
It is also important to remember there is a tremendous amount of excellent popular Christmas music out there, from Bing Crosby to Michael Buble, from Elvis to the Beach Boys, and from Mariah Carey to Pentatonix to name only a few. I greatly enjoy popular Christmas music, and often have the radio station in my car tuned to nonstop Christmas music this time of year. However, for this entry the goal is to highlight some of the best choral, orchestral, and instrumental recordings from the classical music world. Thank you for indulging me!
O Holy Night - Luciano Pavarotti (Decca)
Recorded in 1976, this album captures the still relatively young Pavarotti’s large and ringing tenor voice exceptionally well. He is joined by the National Philharmonic Orchestra of London conducted by Kurt Adler, and the Wandsworth School Boys’ Choir. You may want to skip past the title track O Holy Night sung in not so great English. However, don’t miss Pieta, Signore or Panis Angelicus, which are given glowing and heartfelt readings. The Bach/Gounod Ave Maria is goosebump inducing. But my favorite track on the album is Adeste Fideles, which is delivered with all the power and command we might expect from one of the greatest tenors to ever live. It reminds me of going with my mom to see Pavarotti sing a live recital in Tulsa, Oklahoma when I was a teenager. Unforgettable.
Christmas at St. John’s - The Choir of Saint John’s College, Cambridge and George Guest (Argo/Decca)
There are literally hundreds of albums of traditional Christmas carols on the market. Therefore, I was very fortunate when I stumbled upon this collection of carols many years ago in a used CD store under the title “Christmas Weekend: 16 Favourite Carols” on London (Decca) Records’ Weekend Classics series. I have enjoyed this recording for a long time, and it remains one of my favorites. St. John’s College Choir of Cambridge includes boy choristers as well as undergraduates from St. John’s College. Included on this recording are voices that would go on to have starry music careers, including Simon Keenlyside, Stephen Cleobury, and Robert King. The mix of younger voices along with mature voices on this recording creates a unique sound blend that I find very appropriate for Christmas carols. George Guest and the Choir bring a lot of British character to these familiar carols. Among my favorites are Born on Earth (translation of the Flemish carol “Il est ne le divin Enfant), Ding Dong Merrily on High (popularized by English folk singer Roger Whittaker), The Holly and the Ivy, Away in a Manger, Shepherd’s Pipe Carol, and O Little Town of Bethlehem (using the Forest Green tune typical in the UK rather than the St. Louis tune used in the USA). The recording is clear and resonant, and the traditional interpretations are dynamic and moving. A top choice.
Our Heart’s Joy - Christmas with Chanticleer (Chanticleer Records)
The San Francisco based all-male, all-professional, full-time choir Chanticleer has a huge following especially when it comes to Christmas music. They have released several Christmas albums, and this recording from 1994 is my favorite. One of Chanticleer’s most requested pieces, and one of my personal favorites, Franz Biebl's moving Ave Maria, is given a wonderful performance. I also greatly enjoy In Dulci Jubilo and Riu, Riu, Chiu. There are a variety of other sacred works, from the 15th century (There is No Rose) to the 20th (Benjamin Britten's A Hymn to the Virgin). Chanticleer has a unique sound that blends very well. Due to the all male arrangements, at times the higher voices drown out the lower, however this is a small issue in what is overall a wonderful collection performed extremely well. Sound is a bit distant and somewhat congested in louder passages, but still more than satisfactory.
A Christmas Festival - Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops (RCA)
Christmas concerts with the Boston Pops and Arthur Fiedler didn’t become regular, annual events until 1973, but prior to that they had made many Christmas albums for RCA. Today several collections exist, but the best in terms of variety and sound in my opinion is A Christmas Festival, which includes recordings from 1958, 1959, 1964, and 1969. For many listeners, the Boston Pops are best known through their Christmas programs, along with their July 4th celebrations. This collection includes some of the most iconic Pops numbers including Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride, Jessel’s Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, Carol of the Bells, A Christmas Festival (Medley), and The Little Drummer Boy. This great tradition of producing Boston Pops Christmas and Holiday themed recordings continued with John Williams and Keith Lockhart, but it is hard to beat Fiedler in this music.
A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert - Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Wynton Marsalis, Nancy Allen, The American Boychoir, The Christmas Concert Chorus, The Wynton Marsalis Septet, The Orchestra of St. Luke’s, conducted by Andre Previn (Sony Classical)
Recorded in December 1991 at Carnegie Hall, and televised live on PBS, this recording has long been one of my favorites. Kathleen Battle was at the height of her career as a recording artist, and the contributions of von Stade and Marsalis and Septet lend classy and jazzy vibes to the affair. Andre Previn was the ideal conductor for the concert, as he was one of the most versatile musicians and conductors in the world at the time. The arrangement and performance here of Mary’s Little Boy Chile is hands down one of my all-time favorite Christmas recordings, especially the opening by Marsalis and then how Battle pretty much blows von Stade out of the water in the choruses. The medley of American Songs is also very well done, with Marsalis again lending a hand. Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming is beautifully done, and Maria Wiegenlied was unknown to me but is one of the highlights on the album. The closing medley of classic carols has Battle once again showing off her chops at the expense of von Stade, but you must admit her voice is thrilling.
The Christmas Story - Ars Nova Copenhagen, Theatre of Voices, Paul Hillier (Harmonia Mundi)
This is an enchanting and exquisite recording. Recorded in 2011 in the Garnisons Church in Copenhagen, it includes both the Theatre of Voices on some tracks and Ars Nova Copenhagen on others. The singing is radiant, beautifully shaped, and moving. You will hear some older medieval and Renaissance chant along with a few more traditional carols. I dare you to find more lovely versions of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel and In Dulci Jubilo. The Ars Nova Copenhagen contributions represent most of the chant on the recording including Byrd’s marvelous O magnum mysterium as well as the anonymous Puer natus est. The playful Liebe Hirten is a joy, and Vox in Roma is hopeful and plaintive. The Holly and the Ivy is a delight in a different arrangement than I’ve ever heard, and Barn Jesus i en krybbe laa by Niels Wilhelm Gade is sweet like a lullaby. A marvelous collection sung with sensitivity and devotion.
Winter Songs - Ola Gjeilo, 12 Ensemble, Choir of Royal Holloway (Decca)
I can’t stop listening to this recording. Released in 2017, It is a stunningly beautiful collection of new compositions for choir, strings, and piano by the Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo. There are also new arrangements of some traditional Christmas carols. The opening The Rose is breathtaking, as is the following track Ecce Novum. There is a reflective, intimate, and uplifting quality to the music, and it has a way of warming the soul during a dark and cold time. We recognize The First Nowell, The Holly and the Ivy, Coventry Carol, and Away In a Manger but the arrangements take us to new and wondrous places. Franz Gruber’s Silent Night has never been one of my favorites (I know it is heresy to admit), but here in an instrumental version it tugs at my heart. Gjeilo’s songs Days of Beauty and Home are wistful and sentimental with some glorious passages. Across the Vast, Eternal Sky has an ethereal and sparkling feel to it, and builds up to an epic climax with voices, strings, and piano. Ave generosa is a choral only piece in a polyphonic style with several layers of voices. Wintertide, arranged for chorus, was a wonderful discovery. Gjeilo is musical and accessible throughout, and if there is a certain predictability with his compositions, when the music is this lovely it is a welcome gift. Highly recommended.
J.S. Bach - Christmas Oratorio (Weihnachtsoratorium) - Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Thomanerchor Leipzig, conducted by Georg Christoph Biller (Rondeau Productions)
Written by Bach for the Christmas season of 1734, the Weihnachtsoratorium (Christmas Oratorio) is comprised of six cantatas each to be presented on major feast days during the season. Bach actually recycles some of his own pieces and includes them here. As such it is considered an example of “parody music”, where the composer copies existing musical ideas. The oratorio is based on the following events surrounding the birth of Christ:
1. The Birth
2. The Annunciation to the Shepherds
3. The Adoration of the Shepherds
4. The Circumcision and Naming of Jesus
5. The Journey of the Magi
6. The Adoration of the Magi
In this recording we hear the renowned choir of Thomanerchor Leipzig, along with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig led by Georg Christoph Biller. The recording was made in 2010, and the sound is clean and resonant. It has a particularly devotional quality to it, and the performance is wonderfully focused. The orchestra plays wonderfully, and the choir and soloists sing as though they truly love this music. I prefer the use of boy voices to augment the soloists and choir, to me it brings a better blend and texture to Bach’s writing. Of course Leipzig is where the piece was first heard, and so you can almost feel the spirit of Bach in this recording. There are dozens of other fine recordings of the oratorio, but during the Holidays I return to this one.
The John Rutter Christmas Album - The Cambridge Singers and The City of London Sinfonia conducted by John Rutter (Collegium Records)
John Rutter is an English composer, conductor, editor, arranger, and record producer, mainly of choral music. This collection was released in 2007, and brings together some of Rutter’s own compositions, such as the excellent Nativity Carol, Shepherd’s Pipe Carol, and Love Came Down at Christmas. The latter is quite beautiful, and has become a classic performed by many other choral groups. Rutter also puts his own arrangements on other traditional carols including I Wonder as I Wander, Joy to the World, Silent Night, I Saw Three Ships, Deck the Hall, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. The quality of the singing from the Cambridge Singers is top notch and the recorded sound is outstanding. Rutter is considered one of the finest living composers today, and for me it would not be the Christmas season without his music.
Songs of Joy and Peace - Yo-Yo Ma, Dave Brubeck, Matthew Brubeck, Paquito D’Rivera, Diana Krall, John Clayton, Edgar Meyer, Christopher Thile, James Taylor, Alison Krauss, Chris Botti, Renee Fleming, et al. (Sony Classical)
Released in 2008 and inspired by the Holiday season, this collection of a wide range of songs and genres is a joy from first to last. Yo-Yo Ma has proven over the years his ability to crossover into other types of music, or at least collaborate with a wide range of musicians beyond the classical world. The jazz-infused You Couldn’t Be Cuter and Joy to the World are juxtaposed with delightful folk-inspired versions of Dona Nobis Pacem, Here Comes the Sun (with James Taylor), Wassail Song, and Mouth of Tobique Reel. The Spanish/Scottish tune by Christina Pato A Galician Carol is great fun, as is the bossa nova influenced tune from Da Rocha Vassourinhas. The song Familia with the Assad family is fascinating and moving, and Dave Brubeck’s Concordia shows the jazzman’s versatility as a songwriter. Blossom Dearie’s Touch the Hand of Love with the renowned Renee Fleming is sweet and touching. Lennon and Ono’s Happy Xmas (War is Over) is played on ukulele and cello, and it certainly gives me a new appreciation for the song. The musicianship throughout is stunning and the arrangements ideal for the season. Previously my impression of some of Ma’s collaborations has been skeptical, sort of like he had sold out in some way by doing so many albums with other artists and perhaps becoming overexposed. This album proves how wrong I was, and what a tremendous job he has done to show how connected we are and how music is meant to bring people together. This album does exactly that.
Among these recordings, I hope you find a few that you enjoy. I want to wish you and your loved ones Happy Holidays, and a wonderful beginning to 2023!
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Notes:
Byron Adams, Robin Wells, "Hymn Tunes from Folk Songs" in Vaughan Williams Essays, Volume 3; Volume 44, (Ashgate Publishing, 2003), ISBN 978-1-85928-387-5 p. 111.
Rathey, Markus (2016b). Bach's Major Vocal Works. Music, Drama, Liturgy. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300219517.
https://www.azquotes.com/quote/373676?ref=christmas-song
https://www.bso.org/pops/about/history/holiday-pops-through-the-years
https://graciousquotes.com/christmas/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Oratorio
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Little_Town_of_Bethlehem
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rutter
https://www.sjcchoir.co.uk/