Wishing You A Merry Christmas

Wishing You A Merry Christmas

Bring a touch of orchestral grandeur and traditional festive warmth to the holiday season with Wishing You A Merry Christmas, a classical Christmas compilation featuring distinguished orchestras, celebrated choral ensembles and acclaimed solo performers. Spanning traditional carols, sacred music and an unexpectedly modern electronic interpretation of Bach, this collection offers a varied alternative to more familiar pop-oriented Christmas records.

Featuring performances associated with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Philadelphia Brass Ensemble and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, the album draws on the rich traditions of classical orchestral and choral music. Its selection of Christmas favourites combines the power of full orchestral arrangements with the uplifting sound of massed voices and the intimacy of sacred repertoire.

The opening O Come, All Ye Faithful sets a suitably majestic tone, while The First Noel, Deck The Hall With Boughs Of Holly and Joy To The World bring familiar seasonal melodies into the concert-hall setting. The Philadelphia Orchestra also features on Jingle Bells and Hark The Herald Angels Sing, offering a classical perspective on two enduring Christmas favourites.

There is more to this compilation than traditional orchestral carols. The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble brings a distinctive instrumental character to The Twelve Days Of Christmas, while Sheep May Safely Graze introduces the refined Baroque music of Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by Pablo Casals with the Columbia Symphony and Chorus. Richard Tucker and Anna Moffo add distinguished operatic voices to O Little Town Of Bethlehem and Silent Night, respectively.

One of the album's most intriguing inclusions is Walter Carlos's Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring. Known for pioneering electronic interpretations of classical music, Carlos reimagines Bach's celebrated composition using Moog synthesiser, creating a striking contrast with the traditional orchestral and choral performances elsewhere on the record. The New York Philharmonic's Carol Of The Bells adds another memorable instrumental highlight, rounding out a programme that balances familiar seasonal favourites with more distinctive classical selections.

Wishing You A Merry Christmas is an appealing choice for listeners who enjoy traditional Christmas carols, orchestral recordings, classical vocal performances and festive instrumental music. It also offers an interesting snapshot of how classical music reached wider audiences through compilation albums, bringing together recordings from different performers and musical traditions in one seasonal collection.

Whether played during a Christmas gathering, enjoyed as background music on a winter evening or added to a collection of vintage festive vinyl, this album offers a broad selection of orchestral and choral Christmas music, with the added curiosity of Walter Carlos's electronic Bach interpretation.

Tracklist

Side A
A1. New York Philharmonic – O Come, All Ye Faithful
A2. The Philadelphia Orchestra – The First Noel
A3. The Cleveland Orchestra – Deck The Hall With Boughs Of Holly
A4. Richard Tucker, The Columbia Symphony Orchestra* – O Little Town Of Bethlehem
A5. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir – Good King Wenceslas
A6. The Philadelphia Orchestra – Jingle Bells
A7. The Cleveland Orchestra – Joy To The World

Side B
B1. The Philadelphia Orchestra – Hark The Herald Angels Sing
B2. Philadelphia Brass Ensemble – The Twelve Days Of Christmas
B3. Pablo Casals, The Columbia Symphony And Chorus – Sheep May Safely Graze
B4. New York Philharmonic – Carol Of The Bells
B5. Walter Carlos – Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring
B6. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir – Angels We Have Heard On Hight
B7. Anna Moffo, The Columbia Symphony Orchestra – Silent Night