Album Description
Top of the British Classical Charts for 10 Weeks! Billboard Top Ten Classical Recording – December 2002! This album gathers together most of the carols I have composed over the years, plus a sprinkling of my arrangements of traditional carols, grouped to form a program which narrates, reflects upon, and celebrates the Christmas story. I have always enjoyed carols ever since I first sang them as a member of my school choir, and it was not long before I began to write c… More >>
$4.49
The John Rutter Christmas Album
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excellent! Inever heard a Rutter that I didn’t like. This cd reinforces my enjoyment of his music.
Christmas has come a bit early to my little apartment. Tonight I purchased The John Rutter Christmas Album. I’m listening to it on my laptop right now…
How amazing, delicate and worshipful this music is. Exquisite voices, perfectly balanced and harmonized by Rutter’s arrangements.
There are so many favorites on this album. One delight is the Donkey Carol. It is written in an unever 5/8 time, so you have the feeling of being carried on a clumsy donkey!
Another is I Saw Three Ships. Very light and happy, with a key change that is like the opening of a flower. How Rutter does it, I can only marvel. “And he did whistle, and she did sing on Christmas Day in the morning!”
This is a perfect album to get you in the mood for Christmas. Light a few candles, turn down the lights, and put on this collection of music. There are 23 tracks, so you get a very good value. (Many of these have been published on earlier albums.)
I cannot add much to what other reviewers (who gave 5 stars) have already said, except I agree with them. Oh, I can add that this album has the best rendition of “Angel’s Carol” I have every heard. You can actually hear the various choral sections (including basses) singing their solo parts. Since I sing the bass part, I “auditioned” several other choral versions of “Angel’s Carol” but I found their recordings sounded “muddy”. Very difficult to distinguish the Altos from the Tenors, etc. Not so with this album and the Cambridge Singers have recorded a first class album of John Rutter’s Christmas music. Fantastic!
I LOVE this CD! Rutter’s own music and his arrangements of the music of others and of ancient carols, as sung by the Cambridge Choir, is uplifting and joy-full.
The perfect accompaniment to the season.
Highly recommended.
John Rutter is very big in the UK and I just had to get his cd to make Christmas official. Then I realised that my US relatives were suffering so I had to send gifts. The CDs were greatly appreciated. Rutter makes Christmas even more enjoyable.