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Naxos proudly presents specially chosen packages of Christmas music, including ever-popular Carols as well as Christmas and Holiday favourites. Expand your classical music library at a special price when you buy a complete package or purchase the featured ClassicsOnline Exclusive Sampler to get a discount code which you can use on ANY title in this feature.
Best loved Christmas Music and CarolsChristmas carols emerged from Medieval dance songs (the original meaning of ‘carol’ was a ring dance accompanied by singing), though today carols are mostly associated with singing to celebrate the festive season. The traditions of celebrating Christmas vary in every region, though some carols are popular around the world.Enjoy the most beloved Christmas carols and instrumental pieces, ranging from Medieval music or recent arrangements of traditional carols to beautiful new compositions. These albums will get you in the mood for Christmas and accompany you during the whole festive season. We present a wonderful selection of carols and Christmas favourites in two packages. |
Scandinavian & British ChristmasEnjoy Scandinavian and British Christmas and holiday music, including seasonal favourites such as Handel’s Messiah, Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols or the Fantasia on Christmas Carols by Vaughan Williams. Discover Victor Hely-Hutchinson’s A Carol Symphony, orchestral pieces by Philip Lane, including his Sleighbell Serenade and rarities such as ballets by Arthur Sullivan and Carl Davis, choral music by John Tavener, and some pieces of British Light Music that are ideal for holiday listening.Two albums featuring Christmas celebrations in Denmark and Sweden complete this delightful package. |
German ChristmasThis package embraces several centuries of great music. from famous German Baroque compositions, including such treasures as J. S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, to the versatile contemporary guitar sonata titled ‘Royal Winter Music’ by Hans Werner Henze.The subject of ‘The Seasons’ has been inspiring composers for hundreds of years. Haydn’s oratorio ranks among his greatest compositions, while Spohr’s symphony ‘The Seasons’ remains relatively unknown, but will be a pleasure to discover. Also included are such treasures as the Magnificats by Mendelssohn and J. S. Bach, Schütz’s delightful Christmas Story, as well as Bach Cantatas and Haydn’s complete Masses. Schubert’s powerful song cycle Winterreise (Winter Journey) and Raff’s programmatic symphony The Winter, whose movements illustrate different aspects of winter including ‘The First Snow’, ‘At the Fireside’ and ‘Carneval’, round off this package. |
French, Italian & Spanish ChristmasThis package includes beloved masterpieces such as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons as well as some other gems ranging from medieval pilgrim songs to contemporary compositions.Marc-Antoine Charpentier was one of the most important Baroque composers of sacred music. His Messe de Minuit pour Noël (Midnight Mass for Christmas) is based on traditional French Christmas carols. The Venetian Antonio Caldara ranked among the most prolific Baroque composers and was also a highly acclaimed musician. Don’t miss his joyful Christmas Cantata. Hector Berlioz’s oratorio L’Enfance du Christ (The Childhood of Christ) is based on the tale of the Holy Family’s escape to Egypt. Berlioz himself conducted the enormously successful premiere in December 1855 in Paris. Also included are some rarities from the 20th century, including Joaquin Rodrigo’s Christmas Carols and Songs and Gian Francesco Malipiero’s Sinfonia dello Zodiaco consisting of four ‘Partitas’, each of which is named after one of the seasons. |
Polish, Russian, Czech, Slovakian & Hungarian ChristmasThis package features Christmas and festive music from Russia and Eastern Europe, including Christmas favourites such as Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty.The overture and orchestral suite from Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera Christmas Eve evoke Christmas with ringing bells and joyful tunes. Rimsky-Korsakov described the work as “a carol come to life”. Ernő Dohnányi’s Winterreigen, Joseph Suk’s programmatic pieces A Summer’s Tale and A Winter’s Tale, Glazunov’s famous ballet The Seasons and Tchaikovsky’s piano cycle The Seasons all feature the times of the year in unique ways. Tchaikovsky’s first symphony Winter Daydreams illustrates the cold, misty and dark Russian winter. Polish Christmas Carols by Witold Lutoslawski, the Czech Christmas Mass by Classical composer Jakub Jan Ryba and popular pieces by Shostakovich and Khachaturian make this package a rewarding selection. |
American ChristmasEnjoy inspiring American Christmas music and beloved holiday favourites, such as Elliott Carter’s triumphant Holiday Overture, composed in 1944, and Ives’ Holidays Symphony.Leroy Anderson’s orchestral music includes various Christmas pieces, such as his famous Sleigh Ride. In A Christmas Festival Anderson combines well-known Christmas songs into a concert overture. In Menotti’s ever-popular opera Amahl and the Night Visitors a crippled boy is miraculously healed when he is visited by the three Kings who are searching for the new-born Jesus. Other delightful Christmas pieces such as William Henry Fry’s Santa Claus, Christmas Symphony and Morten Lauridsen’s tender and joyful O magnum mysterium for a cappella choir can be discovered in this package. José Serebrier’s Winterreise only shares its title with Schubert’s song cycle, but it contains references to other winter-related pieces: Winter from both Haydn’s and Glazunov’s The Seasons, and Tchaikovsky’s first symphony Winter Daydreams. Those pieces are all featured in our other packages. Naxos’s recent recording of Bernstein’s Mass has already gained superb reviews. |
*Special offer available from December 2, 2009 to January 5, 2010 only.
| Bach | • | Beethoven | • | Handel | • | Mozart | • | Tchaikovsky | • | Vivaldi |
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