CD-Charts Position 11
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A Tapestry of Carols

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional and Carols
by: Maddy Prior

Release Date October 10, 2005
I've been listening to this every Christmas for the last eighteen years and haven't got tired of it yet. The bouncy, folky style of performing carols is much more to my taste than the more solemn choral recording of carols that you generally get.

This album has a nice mixture of carols, some well-known, some less well-known, some merry and some quiet, but all beautifully performed. I have yet to find another christmas collection that I like better than this one. If this doesn't put you in the mood for Christmas, nothing will.

CD-Charts Position 12
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The English Hymn 4 - All Things Bright and Beautiful

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional and Carols
from: Hyperion

Release Date May 05, 2003
Despite receiving strange looks from my husband, I played the above at full volume to get the benefit of the beautiful orchestration and vocals.

I wouldn't have put myself down as a huge fan of choral works, so it's either a sign of getting old or just that I have such fond memories of singing hymns at school [which, incidentally, I probably thought I hated at the time]; but I felt the hairs rise on the back of my neck as I listened to songs I haven't heard for 30 years, such as He Who Would Valiant Be and When a Knight Won His Spurs.

I felt quite sad listening to this CD and realising that due to current education policy, my own children will never become familiar with hymns like these, which are often poetic and moving ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 13
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Winter Carols

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional and Carols
by: Blackmore's Night

Release Date November 05, 2007
Apparantly Richie Blackmore met Frank Sinatra and he said "who are you?".
And Blackmore thought "that's it I'm going mediaeval"!
Which seemed a logical move-after all didn't Deep Purple dabble in classical music in the 70s?
Though heavy metal is hardly my thing Deep Purple were always one of the better in this idiom having recorded country music in the beginning-Joe South's Hush.

CD-Charts Position 14
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Children's Christmas Carols and Songs [Pop Up Sleeve]

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional and Carols
by: Various Artists

Release Date October 25, 2004
Apparantly Richie Blackmore met Frank Sinatra and he said "who are you?".
And Blackmore thought "that's it I'm going mediaeval"!
Which seemed a logical move-after all didn't Deep Purple dabble in classical music in the 70s?
Though heavy metal is hardly my thing Deep Purple were always one of the better in this idiom having recorded country music in the beginning-Joe South's Hush.

CD-Charts Position 15
Average Rating:

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Carols from King's

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional and Carols
from: EMI Classics

Release Date November 17, 1997
Having just heard the CD, I am warmed by the quality of ALL the tracks, the singing is beautiful and sung so professionally.
If you are looking for a traditional Carol CD, then I would definately recommend this one,

CD-Charts Position 16
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Britten - A Ceremony of Carols

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional and Carols
from: Naxos

Release Date August 10, 1995
This disc can be recommended enthusiastically to all admirers of Britten's work and also to newcomers. His genius and originality often show up most clearly when he writes for small forces. There are 33 items in total here, twelve in the Ceremony of Carols itself and twelve more songs in the collection entitled 'Friday afternoons' because that was when they were first rehearsed by his brother's pupils. Three others form a single group of settings of the highly individual and atmospheric Walter de la Mare, and the remaining six are isolated compositions from various stages of Britten's life, the Shakespeare number being accurately 'Fancie' and not 'Francie'. The Ceremony itself is set for trebles with a virtuosic harp accompaniment despatched with ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 17
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World of Britten

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional and Carols
from: Decca

Release Date February 02, 1993
Nearly all the pieces contained on this disc feature Britten himself, either conducting or in some other performing/ supervisory capacity. In addition, Decca producer John Culshaw's far-sightedness in recording works in stereo way back in the early 1950s means the label possesses a formidable array of gorgeously preserved and authoritative readings of Britten pieces, many of which have been cherry-picked to form this delightful entry into his world. Two popular orchestral pieces, The Young Person's Guide... and Simple Symphony, are included in their entirety (in what can for once be described in that oft-misused term, as 'definitive' recordings) and there are good, representative excerpts from several Britten operas, folksong arrangements and - of ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 18
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The World of Vaughan Williams

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional and Carols
from: Universal Classics

Release Date February 13, 1991
This is a great album with some excellent music on. It is very relaxing to just sit down and listen to it.

CD-Charts Position 19
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A Carol Symphony

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional and Carols
by: City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra

Release Date November 04, 2002
If you’re seeking a quieter, more restful and (dare I say) traditional form of Christmas Spirit than you’re getting from Slade, Wizzard and Phil Spector, then here’s something very beautiful: a collection of classical, orchestral pieces all themed around the Yuletide season.
Victor Hely-Hutchinson’s splendid Carol Symphony (the third movement of which achieved greater fame in the 1980s as the creepy-but-festive theme to the BBC series “The Box Of Delights”) appears here in one of perhaps only two recent (and available) recordings and is beautifully played/ recorded. This alone justifies Naxos’ bargain price!

But let’s not ignore the remaining tracks. Each one is a miniature gem that ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 20
Average Rating:

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A Christmas Carol/Old Scrooge [2007]

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional and Carols
starring: Russell Thorndike, Jack Denton, Forbes Dawson

Release Date October 30, 2007
If you’re seeking a quieter, more restful and (dare I say) traditional form of Christmas Spirit than you’re getting from Slade, Wizzard and Phil Spector, then here’s something very beautiful: a collection of classical, orchestral pieces all themed around the Yuletide season.
Victor Hely-Hutchinson’s splendid Carol Symphony (the third movement of which achieved greater fame in the 1980s as the creepy-but-festive theme to the BBC series “The Box Of Delights”) appears here in one of perhaps only two recent (and available) recordings and is beautifully played/ recorded. This alone justifies Naxos’ bargain price!

But let’s not ignore the remaining tracks. Each one is a miniature gem that ... Read More: