A Robert Shaw Christmas: Angels on High
Robert Shaw Chamber Singers, Robert Shaw, conductor (Telarc)
The Many Moods of Christmas
Robert Shaw Chorale and Orchestra, Shaw, conductor (RCA Victor Gold Seal)
Most recordings of Christmas music are as disposable as tinsel. Not these.
Indeed, Telarc’s “A Robert Shaw Christmas” shines like a star on freshly fallen snow, bringing with it a nicely varied and imaginative program, beautifully performed. An outgrowth of the yuletide potpourris Robert Shaw conducts each December in Atlanta, this 71-minute concert traces the Nativity story in music of wonder and rejoicing. Plainsong, traditional carols and large-scale works, including Benjamin Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols” and Randall Thompson’s “Alleluia,” make up the mix. The choral singing is a sterling example of “the Shaw sound” the world has long admired, while the excellent sound reinforces the warmth and intimacy of the performances. A fine stocking stuffer for devotees of choral singing.
“The Many Moods of Christmas” is a first CD release of one of the Robert Shaw Chorale’s best-selling recordings, first released in 1963. It features arrangements for chorus and orchestra of 16 popular carols, including “Silent Night,” “Joy to the World,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” gathered in four lavishly scored medley-suites by Robert Russell Bennett. Those listeners with a sweet tooth will find much to indulge themselves in this assortment of sugarplums — one of the best recordings ever made by the famed Shaw Chorale. RCA’s Dynagroove-era sound hardly shows its age.
