Dr. Christmas Radio Program on WRST-FM 90.3 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Dr. Christmas Radio Program on WRST-FM 90.3 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin Neenah‘s Gerry Grzyb, chairman of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh sociology department, begins to morph into Dr. Christmas in early October as the first of hundreds of new Christmas CDs arrive. With thousands in his collection, his ―nice‖ list is tough to get on, but here are some of the best of ‘08 that made the cut. CLASSICAL/CHORAL Early music connoisseurs will welcome the re-release of the Folger Consort‘s 1991 recording ―A Medieval Christmas.‖ Music of that distant time can sound strange and austere in the wrong hands, but the Consort‘s musicians make it quite accessible if your ears are not too constricted by modern music. There is no problem of accessibility on ―Duo Seraphim: Lute Songs & Solos for Advent & Christmas Time‖ from the lutesong duo of lutenist Ron Andrico and vocalist Donna Stewart. Although most of the program reaches far back into the centuries, Donna‘s pure voice and Ron‘s accomplished playing make for a familiar sound, stripped of all excess and completely free of modern ―production.‖ On "Christus Natus Est" Kairos: A Consort of Singers makes sure we get back to the present by presenting a beautifully sung history lesson that begins over 500 years ago with the likes of Dufay and Desprez, and wends its way through time to Barber, Britten, Tavener, and Sametz. The group consists of 8 male and 8 female voices affiliated with the Holy Cross Monastery of West Park, in the Hudson Valley region of New York. ―Advent‖, by the Koelner Kantorei (Cologne Singers) drips with the atmosphere only a live recording made in a very big and very old European church seems to have. The church is St. Pantaleon in Cologne, and the medium-size ensemble of dedicated amateurs acquits itself very well in a program that combines ancient melodies with modern composers such as Sandstrom, Lauridsen, and Busto (whose setting of ―O magnum mysterium‖ practically defines ―ethereal‖). Anyone with even a passing knowledge of classical Christmas music knows the Concerto Grosso Opus 8 by Arcangelo Corelli, but it will be the only familiar work on ―Assisi Christmas Cantatas‖, performed by ―L‘Arte del Mondo and featured vocalists under Werner Ehrhardt. Most of the music here consists of world premiere recordings of late 17th and early 18th century cantatas associated with the Holy Convent of Assisi, home of the Franciscans. Although not as well-know as Robert Shaw or Roger Wagner, Robert De Cormier is a fine conductor and arranger with at least six Christmas CDs to his credit. His latest, entitled ―Christmas In Vermont‖, features his own small vocal group Counterpoint, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet, and organist David Neiweem in a program of considerable variety that begins with New Englander Daniel Pinkham‘s joyous Christmas Cantata. I was surprised to find that the renditions of chestnuts like Adeste Fideles and Joy to the World were actually among the most refreshing on the disc, which says much considering I‘ve heard thousands of renditions of each. Vermont and Decormier also figure in to ―Christmas Joy‖ from the Bella Voce Women‘s Chorus of Vermont. The 45 singers drawn from northern Vermont counties offer a long and diverse program, with highlights including De Cormier‘s ―A Suite of Christmas Spirituals‖, two lovely carols from Eleanor Daley, Brahms‘ ―Ave Maria‖, and Stroope‘s ―Magnificat.‖ The annual Christmas concerts (worship services, really) at Minnesota‘s St. Olaf University and Concordia College, and Iowa‘s Luther College are true north stars shining above Christmas in the Upper Midwest. You‘ve probably seen one or all of them on public TV, but I‘m thankful that all three institutions now seem committed to releasing recordings and DVDs of each year‘s performance. The 2007 editions are Concordia‘s ―Come to the Living Water‖, Luther‘s ―Christmas At Luther 2007‖, and St. Olaf‘s double-disc ―Where Peace and Love and Hope Abide.‖ My 2007 pick would be Luther‘s, but I‘m quite serious in recommending that you acquire all three each year. When you hear hundreds of young people perform like this, you remember that having kids really is a good idea. Vancouver‘s musica intima is one of the finest small (12-voice) choral groups I‘ve ever heard, and its ―O Nata Lux‖ is my pick for Best New Classical Christmas Recording. The program is almost entirely works or arrangements from 20th century composers, and the sound is one prolonged glow—the glow of a single candle, the glow of a thousand lights on a tree, the glow of the heavens above on a cold night in the Northern Hemisphere. If this be the season of peace, musica intima has provided its soundtrack. And then there is Conspirare, whose Christmas at the Carillon 2007 concert is simply entitled ―Love Again‖—both a directive, and a reassurance. This is the group that added strains from ―Silent Night‖, ―On Christmas Night‖ and ―Angels We have Heard On High‖ to ―I Could Have Danced All Night‖, turning it into an ecstatic carol. This time around the modern music of Annie Lennox, Eric Carmen, Dan Fogelberg, Emmylou Harris, and Mick Jones (Foreigner) mingles with plainchant, Palestrina, and Bach to create a program unlike any other. The glorious gospel voice of Cynthia Clawson is back too, But once you get one of Conspirare‘s Christmas at the Carillon series, I‘ll bet you‘ll want them all—they do what Christmas concerts are supposed to do—enfold and uplift. Leroy Anderson was a beloved American composer who wrote and arranged much Christmas music. ―Sleigh Ride & Other Holiday Favorites‖ collects his holiday music in fine performances by the BBC Concert Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin. Highlights include three suites of carols, for brass choir, woodwinds, and string orchestra respectively. There have been many fine ―big‖ choral Christmas CDs from the UK over the years, and two more have now joined the ranks. On ―The Carols Album‖, the huge Huddersfield Choral Society presents 26 carols in over 74 minutes, providing an aural history of the many varieties the form has taken. You‘ll want to sing along! ―A Christmas Caroll from Westminster Abbey‖ features the men and boys of that noble institution‘s choir in a beautifully sung program of less familiar Christmas music, including Poulenc‘s motets and William Mathias‘ hair-raising ―Ave Rex.‖ The ambience of the church is also captured well. You‘ll smell the candle smoke! But the ―biggest‖ sound of all is American. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has been making superior Christmas recordings for over a half century. Their latest is ―Rejoice and Be Merry‖, and it also has a tie to those English cathedral recordings in the form of The King‘s Singers, who sing selections on their own and with the choir. The music is mostly familiar, but the real treat here is the huge wave of sound the choir and orchestra can generate. The only thing that compares would be something like the St. Olaf celebration, which also involves hundreds of musicians. I‘m known for my preference for smaller vocal ensembles, but there are times that I too need to crank the volume for a truly visceral impact. Finally, the Oshkosh West High School Choirs have ―Carols of Christmas‖ for sale at Oshkosh-area outlets. Their singing is not on the level of, say, the Appleton North performances I‘ve heard, but their CD is far above the off-key, ragged singing I heard on an Oshkosh North disc some years ago (there, that ought to spark some conflict!). WORLD MUSIC The particular music we associate with Christmas, though it comes from many countries, is far from a complete representation of what is sung and played in other lands at this time of year. France‘s Buda Records, which has a series called ―Music from the World‖, sent three very different discs my way. One that translates as ―Christmas Carols from Southern France (Provence and the County of Nice)‖ has the six voices of Corou de Berra offering a program of unfamiliar but quite listenable music from that region. The music‘s interesting history is detailed in welcome English liner notes. ―Iza: Christmas in Maramures‖ is full of lusty singing without a speck of polish. The Iza ensemble is actually composed of peasants from this northwestern point of Roumania, and story of the music they present also requires full liner note explanation. Finally, ―Christmas in Brittany‖ is offered by vocalist Yann-Fanch Kemener and cellist Aldo Ripoche. The classical voices of soprano Synve Lundgren and alto Johanna Fernholm are far from those of unschooled peasants, and on ―Scandinavian Christmas‖ they sing in Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Icelandic, and Danish. The music is both traditional (including songs like ―Jeg er saa glad hver julekveld‖ that any Wisconsin resident of Norwegian heritage will know) and classical, including songs by Jean Sibelius. Perhaps it is my Eastern European heritage showing, but I was completely charmed by ―Christmas Joy in Latvia: Latvian Christmas Cantatas‖ by the New York Latvian Concert Choir with the New Chamber Orchestra of Riga, the youth choir Balsis, and soloists. All of the music was composed quite recently, and its beauty can be appreciated by anyone. This, by the way, is the fourth such recording from the New York Latvians. CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTAL When I was in high school band as a well-behaved woodwind player, I remember that the boys with the horns were always cutting up, making us laugh and the director pull out his few remaining hairs.