Editorial Review:Album Description:Twenty-three carols, remarkably sung, including I Saw Three Ships, Un Flambeau Jeanette Isabelle, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, plus Rutter’s own Star Carol and Shepherd’s Pipe Carol. 'First rate. The Cambridge Singers have done it again.' – Classics Today
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Disc 1:- I Saw Three Ships
- Riu, Riu, Chiu
- Mary's Lullaby
- Sans Day Carol
- Un Flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle
- Star Carol
- What Is This Lovely Fragrance?
- Wexford Carol
- Balulalow
- I Saw a Fair Maiden
- Jesus Child
- Quittez Pasteurs
- The Lamb
- Fantasia on Christmas Carols
- Blessed Be That Maid Mary
- Donkey Carol
- Wildwood Carol
- Go, Tell It on the Mountain
- The Very Best Time of Year
- Deck the Hall
- Shepherd's Pipe Carol
- Christmas Lullaby
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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Fabulous Christmas Album!!
These yuletide favorites have a lot going for them. The title song is a rendition of "I saw 3 ships" that is great. I like John Rutter's version of this carol much, much more than the "traditional" one you always hear each holiday season. Also, who cannot melt over the beautiful "Mary's Lullaby"? That one makes me cry each time I hear it. I will probably buy the sheet music version if I can find it. It would be a great one to perform as a musical number in church during the holidays.
I also enjoy their rendition of "Go Tell it on the Mountain". It is well done, not quite the way Americans are used to hearing it, but done with style, grace and great musicality. This album has lots of gems. I believe it is out of print, which is very, very sad.
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Top 10 Christmas Album
Any true lover and connoisseur of Christmas music would put this in their "Top 10" of Christmas recordings. Why? Few modern Christmas recordings genuinely revere the Birth Of Christ. John Rutter literally worships at the feet of the Christ Child. Rutter offers 23 choral selections, most his compositions, others of European tradition, that imbue the rootedness and wonderous awe that is the spirit and 'magic' of Christmas.
Noteworthy are 'Mary's Lullaby,' a Rutter original and 'Fantasia on Christmas carols,' the 1912 compilation by R. Vaughan Williams that balances a baritone soloist against the choral discipline of the Cambridge Singers to invoke several spine-tingling and misty-eyed moments.
A Masterwork among Chrismas recordings.
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A Beautiful and Rich Collection of Christmas Music
The Cambridge Singers, led by John Rutter, certainly add joy to the Christmas season. This recording has familiar standards, lesser known carols, and some Rutter originals. Rutter's "Jesus Child" had a contagious calypso flair, his "Star Carol" has a feel of innocence and beauty, and his reflective "Very Best Time of the Year" can put a person in the mood for the holiday. The ensemble's is beautiful. It is easy to see why so many people add this disk to their music collection.
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A great soundtrack for Christmas morning
The Cambridge Singers, led by John Rutter and tastefully accompanied by the City of London Sinfonia, highlight works and arrangements by English composers, including Rutter, Vaughn Williams, Peter Warlock, David Willcocks, and John Tavener. The result is a beautiful mixture of carols that is not your average choral Christmas album. Still, the Cambridge Singers are a very accessible (i.e. easy to listen to) choral group who know how to sing well. I would also recommend their Christmas Night: Carols of the Nativity compilation as a nice companion to this CD. Chances are you'll want to hear more after this album, anyway.
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Beautiful Rutter, With a Bounty of His Own Compositions
This is yet another collection of the beautiful sounds, which John Rutter creates with a choir. The ethereal quality of these performances is almost palpable. Always especially enjoyable are Rutter's own compositions. While his CD's usually contain two or three of his works, on this CD, out of the 23 selections, eight were composed by John Rutter, a rich bonus indeed.
