Traditions of Christmas: The Music
Dec. 24th, 2004 06:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
poltr1Now that my belly's full of yummy Christmas Eve lasagna, and that the sun is setting, it is time for the Great Machine we call Life to shout down for a day. That's what Christmas Eve feels like to me. There's an incredible silence out there, like the background hum that's there the rest of the year is missing.
Some of you are sick and tired of the same old Christmas carols. Since I'm a bit of a radio snob and don't listen to anything but NPR, I was spared the incessant playing of holiday music on some of the "Christmas 24/7" stations.
Here are my favorite Christmas music CDs.
Mannheim Steamroller, "A Fresh Aire Christmas". Released in 1988, this is my favorite of the 4+ Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CDs. Chip Davis and friends do a tremendous job integrating the antique with the modern. I love "Veni Veni" -- a Gregorian Chant redering of "O Come O Come Emanuel" (as it was originally done hundreds of years ago) and "Carol of the Bells". [Added 12/25 0:20] I love the "materialization" sound 20 seconds into the piece.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra, "Christmas Eve and Other Stories". I fell in love with "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" the first time I heard it. A full rock orchestra with guitars, trap set (drums) and synths. What's not to love?
The Caroleers, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". I mentioned this album last year. (Now I can't find the tape of the album I made last year! Argh!)
Vince Guaraldi Trio, "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Music to accompany the classic 1965 TV special. Includes the catchy "Linus and Lucy". (I can play the two hands separately, but not together.)
The Hampton String Quartet, "What if Mozart Wrote 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus'?". I found out about this group from a friend and her brother. They both used to work in a record store. They found a copy of "What if Mozart Wrote 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus'?" in the store, and played it on infinite repeat in an effort to maintain their collective sanity. (Unfortunately, it's out of print.)
[Added 12/25 0:20] The Glenn Miller Orchestra, "In The Christmas Mood" and "In The Christmas Mood vol II". In the few short years that the big band sound was in its heyday, they never recorded a Christmas album. That changed in the early '90s, when the surviving members of the big band -- past and present --- got together and recorded 2 CDs worth of Christmas music.
I'm sure there are others in my collection, but I can't remember what they are until I come across them.
What are your favorites?
Some of you are sick and tired of the same old Christmas carols. Since I'm a bit of a radio snob and don't listen to anything but NPR, I was spared the incessant playing of holiday music on some of the "Christmas 24/7" stations.
Here are my favorite Christmas music CDs.
Mannheim Steamroller, "A Fresh Aire Christmas". Released in 1988, this is my favorite of the 4+ Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CDs. Chip Davis and friends do a tremendous job integrating the antique with the modern. I love "Veni Veni" -- a Gregorian Chant redering of "O Come O Come Emanuel" (as it was originally done hundreds of years ago) and "Carol of the Bells". [Added 12/25 0:20] I love the "materialization" sound 20 seconds into the piece.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra, "Christmas Eve and Other Stories". I fell in love with "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" the first time I heard it. A full rock orchestra with guitars, trap set (drums) and synths. What's not to love?
The Caroleers, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". I mentioned this album last year. (Now I can't find the tape of the album I made last year! Argh!)
Vince Guaraldi Trio, "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Music to accompany the classic 1965 TV special. Includes the catchy "Linus and Lucy". (I can play the two hands separately, but not together.)
The Hampton String Quartet, "What if Mozart Wrote 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus'?". I found out about this group from a friend and her brother. They both used to work in a record store. They found a copy of "What if Mozart Wrote 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus'?" in the store, and played it on infinite repeat in an effort to maintain their collective sanity. (Unfortunately, it's out of print.)
[Added 12/25 0:20] The Glenn Miller Orchestra, "In The Christmas Mood" and "In The Christmas Mood vol II". In the few short years that the big band sound was in its heyday, they never recorded a Christmas album. That changed in the early '90s, when the surviving members of the big band -- past and present --- got together and recorded 2 CDs worth of Christmas music.
I'm sure there are others in my collection, but I can't remember what they are until I come across them.
What are your favorites?
