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- Age of the Diva
- Albinoni
- Almost Christmas
- Arias, Hampson, Harnoncourt
- Bach Keyboard Concertos
- Bach Viola
- Bach, Barenboim
- Bach, Cantatas
- Bach, Concertos
- Bach, JS, Keyboard Works
- Bach, Mass in B Minor
- Bach, Mutter
- Bach, trio-sonatas
- Baroque Christmas Album
- Baroque Trumpet
- Bartok, Concertos
- Bartoli
- Bartoli, Opera Proibita
- Bax, Baroque
- Beethoven Piano
- Beethoven String Quartets
- Beethoven and Brahms
- Beethoven, piano
- Bella Donna: Courtly Love
- Belle Epoque Melodies
- Berlioz, Les Troyens
- Binchois, Dufay
- Boccherini, Cello Concertos
- Boxed Baroque
- Boyce, Eight Symphonies
- British Light Classics
- British Piano Concertos
- Brubeck, The Gates of Justice
- Bruch, Violin Concerto
- Callas
- Canteloube, Chants d'Auvergne
- Carols
- Chanticleer, Sound in Spirit
- Charpentier
- Charpentier, Lebegue
- Christmas 04
- Christmas Vespers
- Contemporary and Medieval
- Copland
- Delius
- Der Rosenkavalier
- Dukachev - Beethoven, Prokofiev, Rachminov
- Elgar
- Elgar, Marches
- Elgar, The Enigma Variations
- Faure songs
- French Medieval Songs
- Fux
- Gounod, Faust
- Graham: Causon, Ravel, Debussy
- Great Ballets
- Grieg, Franck
- Handel Arias
- Handel, Deborah
- Handel, Messiah
- Handel, The Triumph ...
- Handel, Water Music DVD
- Hapsburg Music
- Haydn
- Haydn, Handel DVD's
- Herz Piano
- Jane Austen's Songbook
- Josefowicz Recital
- King's Singers
- La Fille Mal Gardee
- Lang Lang and Yo Yo Ma: Farewell Isabella and Chinese things
- Lauridsen
- Llibre Vermell
- Luci, Bartoli, and a dead diva
- Lully, Comedies-ballets, Phaeton
- Maerzmusik sampler
- Mahler Symphony No 7
- Mahler, Berg
- Mantovani
- Matsudaira
- Medieval French Songs
- Mendelssohn Sacred
- Mendelssohn, Dvorak
- Messa di Gloria
- Michael Haydn
- Miles Davis ... sorta
- Monterverdi, Orfeo
- Monteverdi Vespers
- Monteverdi, Poppea
- Monteverdi, The Sacred Music 3
- Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Handel
- Montiverdi Vespers
- Morricone
- Mozart Symphonies
- Mozart, Cosi fan tutte
- Mozart, Exsultate Jubilate
- Mozart, Mass in C Minor
- Mozart, symphonies 40, 41
- Mozart: Die Zauberflote
- Mozart: the string quartets
- Mozrt Requiem
- Mutter Mozart
- New English Hymnal
- New RSS system and Feeds
- Nikolay Roslavets
- Peerson, Latin Motets
- Penguins March
- Pergolesi, La Serva Padrona
- Philip Glass, Symphonies 2 and 3
- Poulenc concerto
- Proms
- Purcell - Dido and Aeneas
- Purcell Sonatas
- Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
- Rachmaninov, Piano
- Ramallah - Beethoven No. 5
- Rameau, Les Paladins
- Reger, Bach and Telemann Variations
- Renaissance Organ Music
- Romantic Cello Concertos
- Romantic Violin
- Russian Album -Anna Netrebko
- Rutter Mass
- Sanctuary, the heart has its reasons
- Scarlatti, The complete Keyboard Sonatas
- Schubert and Mozart piano
- Schubert Ð Death and the Maiden
- Shostakovich
- Shostakovich and Schnittke, Cello
- Shostakovich/Josefowicz
- Sibelius String Quartets
- Sixteen: Ikon
- South American Baroque
- Stainer, The Crucifiction
- Sting does Dowland
- Strauss tone poem
- Takemitsu
- Tallis
- Tchaikovsky, Symphony No 5, Verdi, Sibelius
- The Kirov celebrates Nijinsky
- Toshiro Mayazumi
- Vaughan Williams
- Verdi
- View from a dark tunnel
- Virginal -Susann van Soldt
- Vivaldi Cello
- Vivaldi, Motezuma
- Vivaldi, Sacred Music
- Vivaldi: Dixit Dominus
- Von Otter
- Wagner, Das Rheingold
- Wagner, Gotterdammerung DVD
- Water Music, Music for the Royal Fireworks
- Weir, Gillian
- Weiss / Lindberg Lute
- Whitacre, Cloudburst
- Williams, Bingham: Mass
- von Weber, Chamber Music
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Thu, 01 Dec 2005
Baroque Christmas Album
The Baroque Christmas Album
John Elliot Gardiner, Paul McCreesh, Marc Minkowski, Trevor Pinnock
Various Artists
CD, Archiv Produktion
Here we have a selection of suitably selected Christmas music from the
composers, Bach, Charpentier, Gabrieli, SchŸtz, Corelli, and
Praetorious. Built on the mystery and majesty of ChristÕs birth, the
wonderfully thick textures, and contrapuntal melodies glide together in
glorious orchestral, and choral harmony. The contrast across the album
between orchestra and voice works perfectly for me, and I expect for the
rest of us out there that enjoy period music.
Dare I say however that on the one hand, I havenÕt come across many
Baroque specific Christmas albums; this does feel like yet another
ÔChristmas albumÕ. Fantastic though it is; which does set it apart from
the majority, this album displays similar glory and musicianship as in
previous years, other albums along this theme have done. No disrespect
to anyone involved in the making of this album, I can honestly say it is
superbly put together. Having taken a course in Classical CD production
two years running, I know how hard editing and compiling these CDs can
be.
I feel that the title is the culprit.
To call it a Christmas album pigeonholes it into something that one
might only ever listen to at this time of year. This is a great shame as
it is musically suited to anytime of the year whatever your mood. So to
all you Christmas album lovers out there, go for it. This is a fantastic
compilation. And to all the rest of us, buy it for its excellence, and
ignore the pigeonholing title.
(E Walton)
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