Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

What a good idea! CD one has 20 favourite vocal pieces that tell the Christmas story and CD two has 16 instrumental tracks that depict the Christmas season. We open with Handel's "Joy To The World" which is followed by Mendelssohn's "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" then back to Handel with "Behold A Virgin Shall Conceive" and "For Unto Us A Child Is Born," both from 'Messiah'. Our old friend Trad has the most credits with seven and he (or she) is helped out by John Rutter who arranged "Here We Come a-Wassailing" and "The Holly And The Ivy" as well as contributing his own "What Sweeter Music". CD two is more secular than sacred although there is an excerpt from Bach's 'Christmas Oratorio'. There are three versions of the "Winter" segment from 'The Four Seasons'. Vivaldi's take is the best known, although Haydn may run him close. However, Tchaikovsky's one was a very pleasant surprise to me. There are also pieces from seasonal ballets by Prokofiev ("Cinderella's Waltz") and, of course Tchaikovsky's 'Nutcracker' and 'Sleeping Beauty'. We even get three different sleigh rides: Mozart's is from 'Three German Dances', Prokofiev takes us on Lieutenant Kijé's "Troika" and Leroy Anderson's more contemporary piece finishes our journey in style.

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