 "Sing We Christmas" | 2008-02-18 |
| - Reviewed By memelvin |
There's not much more I can add to the glowing reviews of this CD except to say that I'm surprised that "A un nino llorando" doesn't get a mention! It became my favorite on the album, even though the rest are excellent also.
"A Christmas Carol" is quite serene and nice, as well as "A Virgin Unspotted". Perfect! These guys are the musical male answer to Anonymous 4. |
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| "The Geese Are Getting Fat Again" | 2007-11-13 |
| - Reviewed By sidereusnuntius |
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. |
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| "Pure Christmas" | 2007-01-16 |
| - Reviewed By cdmitchell6 |
| If you are looking for traditional madrigal sounding holiday music, this CD is for you. I have purchased this CD several times because I just keep giving them away. Everyone I've ever introduced it to has loved it. This finely polished group has a pure sound matched by no other. If you weren't looking at the CD notes you would never know this is only a group of 12 men. |
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| "Christmas magic" | 2007-01-10 |
| - Reviewed By jasminet38 |
| A CD evocative of Christmas past and present. Beautiful harmonies both wistful and ringing with joy. Buy it for next Christmas! |
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| "a voice teacher and early music fan" | 2006-12-02 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1UBBIDQTDDF79 |
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!!!!
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 "Simply beautiful" | 2006-02-20 |
| - Reviewed By User: AVUUB6YA4XIC8 |
| The title and artist' name says it all - Christmas with clear (pure) singing. Glorious in all respects. |
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| "It's that time of year...for Chanticleer!" | 2005-12-20 |
| - Reviewed By gradyharp |
Walking the busy malls to the multichannel Muzak of every old Christmas song interpreted in hiphop, jazz, idiosyncratic 'rethinkings' by famous soloists as well as replays of Gene Autry, Bing Crosby etc., it is a relief to return home (or if fortunate, to the concert hall) and hear the more uplifting music of the season through the ages. And despite reliance on some old favorite Messiah recordings, and carols by Kings College Choir, the one CD that seems to reign supreme is this Chanticleer release SING WE CHRISTMAS from 1995!
These twelve male voices create an ambience that can only be labeled 'spiritual', so resonant and exquisitely performed are each of the generous works on this recording. The moods pass through Praetorius, Victoria, Bach and traditional carols of unknown authorship to works by Ives, Billings, Holst, Guerrero, Howells and Sametz. The repertoire is both familiar and rarely heard and the result of combining all these forms is the truest form of Christmas spirit on record: this is music to cleanse the Muzak blitz! Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 05 |
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| "Music? Chanticleer invented it!!!" | 2004-10-06 |
| - Reviewed By myrnafields2 |
Miraculous, amazing, wonderful, incredible, marvelous! These words just won't do. I can't think of any words good enough to desribe the work of this group. The voices of Chanitcleer blend seamlessly as they tackle some of the most difficult harmonies imaginable.
In their gospel album, "When the sun goes down" these men learned the music by rote which is very difficult for trained musicians to do. The effect was well worth it. Sing We Christmas is so beautiful that it cannot be described. It must be heard. Sometimes this album has an etheral quality that transports you to a calmer and quieter place. After you've finished listening to it you wonder why the music stopped and have to start playing it again.
Chanticleer sings everything, jazz pop, show tunes, gregorian chants, spirituals, gospel, classical, mexican barouque, etc. I haven't heard them rap yet but who knows, that may be next. The group includes basses, tenors, baritones and counter-tenors. The male sopranos are quite suprising. They really hit the high notes. They tour around the world every year and come to New York City twice a year. Listening to any Chanticleer album is an experience but this album in particular is just the best. Please give it a try. |
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| "Breathtaking!" | 2003-10-23 |
| - Reviewed By irishdancer |
| I simply don't have the words to describe the sublimity of this CD. Breathtaking? Sublime? I'm not sure words have been invented for it. It was my first Chanticleer CD, recommended by a music club, and it certainly hasn't been my last, but it's still my favorite. I love it so much that I listen to it year-round--even in the heat of summer, when I put on this CD, it's Christmastime to me by the end of "Es ist ein Ros". The voices are simply amazing. It sounds like angels singing. I think part of the haunting, resounding sound that sets this CD apart from other choral CDs (and even from other Chanticleer ones) is that it was recorded in a cathedral, so there are some amazing acoustics. I don't know all that much about music theory, so I'm sure my words seem amateurish and maybe a little silly, but this is a truly glorious CD. |
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| "The best of Chanticleer's Christmas CDs" | 2002-10-30 |
| - Reviewed By zeke37 |
| The 12 voices of Chanticleer (the only full-time professional choir in America) are justly famous for their exquisite tone and range, both vocally and stylistically. 12 men, but nothing is missing. The first two tracks, Es ist Ein Ros by Preatorius and the famous O Magnum Mysterium of Tomas Victoria are absolute gems -- as well as studies in perfection of choral tone and balance. The repertoire here runs from the early Renaissance (Josquin's O Virgo Virginum) to the more well-known 18th and 19th centuries (including the purest performance of Stille Nacht available) thru the American colonies (Billings' A Virgin Unspotted) up to the 20th century. This latter time period includes a marvelous little gem, Noel Canon, and a surprisingly lyrical composition by Charles Ives. Jennings (the director of the group) has chosen the original Holst version of In the Bleak Mid-winter (as opposed to the Harold Darke setting, which has become more popular over the last several years). This performance of the Holst is simply impossible to improve upon. Defintely one of my half-dozen picks for a desert-island Christmas CD. Highly recommended. |
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