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A Marian Christmas
St. Martin's Chamber Choir
A Marian Christmas
Genres: Special Interest, Pop, Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (21) - Disc #1

"A Marian Christmas" by St. Martin's Chamber Choir is a beautiful collection of choral gems which honor the Virgin Mary. The centerpiece of the CD is Hugo Distler's magnificant set of chorale variations on "Es ist ein Ros ...  more »

     
   
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CD Details

All Artists: St. Martin's Chamber Choir
Title: A Marian Christmas
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 1
Label: Cygnus 001
Original Release Date: 12/1/1998
Release Date: 12/1/1998
Genres: Special Interest, Pop, Classical
Styles: Holiday & Wedding, Vocal Pop, Opera & Classical Vocal, Sacred & Religious
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 671408000925

Synopsis

Album Description
"A Marian Christmas" by St. Martin's Chamber Choir is a beautiful collection of choral gems which honor the Virgin Mary. The centerpiece of the CD is Hugo Distler's magnificant set of chorale variations on "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" from his work "Die Weihnachtsgeschichte" (The Christmas Story.) The CD also includes English carol settings, a group of Marian antiphons ranging from Renaissance to contemporary style, and three settings of the text "Ave Maria".
 

CD Reviews

Choral perfection
Richard W. Wheeler | Denver CO | 01/29/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"In and age where choral music has taken a sense that is certainly more authentic than even when it was performed originally St. Martins has out done themselves. The early years of recording would mix and match any genre of choral music with any choral group. It would not be unusual for the Robert Shaw Chorale to perform a piece from a Verdi opera and a Palestrina motet on the same album. The age of the powerhouse and thundering rendition of renaissance and baroque music is (we hope) over. St. Martins performs the excellent mixture of music with flawless purity of voice and interpretation. It could easily be compared with a breath of fresh air for the city dweller who has never breached his concrete labyrinth. Without a doubt this is certainly one of the most balanced choirs that I've ever heard. With a rich and smooth bass section that although has musical warmth there is no detectable sloppyness of movement. A good sign of a choir and director that have a deep grasp of the true performance of renaissance music is the distinct absence of a forced or strong vibrato. Tenors and sopranos are clear and clean without being overbearing, again a breath of fresh air. The altos have a beautiful rich tone and have non of the charactersitic flatness you hear in groups that try too hard to push depth. Dr. Kreugers choice of pieces would be a triumph for any choir of note and is a testament for himself and his group. Bravo, ladies and gentlemen, bravo."