Customer Rating: 
Summary: The Geese Are Getting Fat Again
Comment: Someone who likes my music reviews has requested a Christmas album. Well, here it is. Imagine a silent darkness with reflections of colored lights twinkling on the snow banks. Suddenly a group of carolers can be heard making their merry way toward your own front porch, where you await them with a punchbowl of wassail. That group is Chanticleer, and this is the best musical evocation of the spirit of caroling you'll ever hear.
Chanticleer has produced lots of CDs by now, of Christmas music, Renaissance polyphony, and modern music. The quality of their performances ranges from excellent to mediocre. If you've purchased one of the latter, don't let that deter you from trying them again. I had the pleasure of hearing their performance of Brumel's "Earthquake" mass for 12 voices, and it was superb. I'm hoping a CD of it will appear some day. Anyway, this is the most traditional and the most celebratory of their Christmas albums, and the one I recommend above all other choral holiday disks.
Customer Rating: Summary: a voice teacher and early music fan
Comment: 'SING WE CHRISTMAS' IN EVERY GENRE KNOWN TO MAN - INCREDIBLY REFRESHING!!
Chanticleer, the U.S. equivalent of the British King's Singers, is a full-time classical vocal ensemble named for the rooster in Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales'. It was founded in 1978 by Louis Botto, a tenor, and for a while was its artistic director. They have achieved critical acclaim all over the world and their repertoire is very extensive and varied.
Just commenting on a few of the selections on this disc:
'Es ist ein Ros entsprungen' is a hymn that originated in western Germany around 1500, and is best known in the harmonization by Michael Praetorious published around 1609. The poem used biblical imagery that pictures the newborn Christ growing forth from the "stem of Jesse'(the father of King David), as foretold in Isiah 11. The metaphorical writings of the Middle Ages depict the patriarchal figure of Jesse as a rose bush.
'O Magnum mysterium',Victoria's most famous motet, uses a subline text from the Christmas Vespers. This is incredibly beautiful with its interweaving polyphony which leads to a hushed choral declamation at the words "O beata Virgo"(O Blessed Virgin) ending with a Alleulia Section.
'Here is the Little Door' is from a set of three "carol anthems", dating from 1918-1920. Herbert Howells was revered as one of the 20th century's most distinguished Choral composers, and I recently discovered him thru the album " by the Corydon Singers conducted by Matthew Best. It includes Howells Requiem in addition to the Vaughan Williams Mass in G Minor. It is the most heavenly somewhat exotic choral music I think I have heard in many years of listening; I highly recommend it.
'Glory to the newborn King'. Joseph Jennings, Georgia native and present musical director of Chanticleer, has often drawn upon his roots to create special gospel and spiritual arrangements of familiar songs. 'Glory to the newborn King' features four traditional songs combined to showcase Chanticleer's unique choral virtuosity!
This is an excellent group of carols,and it is always refreshing to hear 'new' melodies, arrangements; a joy for the ear!!!!
