A transcendent Christmas treat

Buy , beg , steal or borrow the tape or CD of
Leontyne Price & Herbert Von Karajan celebrate Christmas.
This contains 13 tracks of pure cantatory bliss . Price ( 1927- ),a truly remarkable woman was then (1961) at the peak of her powers . Her singing is clear toned throughout while reaching thrilling sonority in the higher register.
For me the especial tracks are
* Silent Night - with some of the original German included ( I'm sure you've heard the ludicrous statement that some idiots make - German isn't a musical language ! Yeah , right -so that takes care of Bach , Beethoven , Schubert , Lehar etc . etc. )

* O Holy Night . Many versions of this of course but for me Price's is the definitive one. Human vocal perfection .

* O Tannenbaum - the lovely measured melody with words in the unmusical language . LOL

* It Came Upon The Midnight Clear - just two verses but what a melodic jewel this is

*Von Himmel Hoch Da Komm Ich Hier - a majestic Christmas hymn written by Martin Luther. The treatment here does full justice to the stately melody and the choral and orchestral arrangement are sublime in their tonal balance.

The orchestral work by Von Karajan is unsurpassed - he was a maestro among maestri.

If you want to absorb the spirit of Christmas - find a quiet space far from the mad rush and rumble of the modern world and let the combination of hallowed tunes , crystalline singing , lush orchestration and beuatifully sensitive arrangements transport you to an internal plane of calm and refreshing serenity.