Search - Daron Hagen, Leo Nestor, Robert La Rue :: Daron Hagen: Silent Night

What a relief!

12/23/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A Christmas album that is elegant and humble, happy to be played in the background at GenX parties and happy to be heard that way! What a relief and blessing!"

A very special listening experience

05/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a highly unusual disc by a composer who has consistently created works of the greatest sophistication and class. Turning his attention to the Christmas Carols he grew up singing as a child in the Midwest, he has spun what he calls "reinterpretations" of their source melodies (some reaching back into the Middle Ages). Hence, songs like "O Come Emmanuel" are turned into sumptuous, yet restrained fugues; others, like "What Child is This?" are reduced to their basic gestures and treated in a sort of Eastern European Gorecki fashion -- all glowing clusters and throbbing suspensions. This CD was probably meant to serve as background music, but the composer obviously got really involved with the musical potential of these source melodies and really did some fascinating things. Beautiful stuff, and, I think, probably aimed at the wrong audience by the record label that released it."