Christmas Music

[CaroleF]

I have various CDs that I play at this time of year - one is "A Christmas Spectacular" which was issued to raise money for Save the Children several years ago now. It features the casts of different London Musicals singing various Christmas Carols - people like Michael Crawford, Elaine Paige, David Essex, Sarah Brightman and casts of Les Miserables, Phantom, Cats etc. I love the different songs/Carols that are on this, especially the final track, "Save the Children".

I have just bought the new "Christmas at Downton Abbey" double CD. The first 7 tracks are by two cast members of the show - Elizabeth McGovern (Cora) and Julian Ovenden (Charles Blake, also Andrew Foyle in "Foyle's War"). Elizabeth McGovern sings a modern version of "It Came Upon The Midnight Clear" - now usually I hate hearing modern arrangements of Carols that I love but this track, to me, is just magical and I can't get the tune out of my head! Julian Ovenden is an amazing singer - he sang songs from American Musicals at the Proms a couple of years ago - and he sings "O Holy Night" and "The Sussex Carol" - and you can hear every single word. He also sings "The First Noel" with Elizabeth McGovern and then "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with a new young singer who I had not heard of but I think she was on "Britain's Got Talent" or one of those programmes - Katie Marshall - beautifully sung.

Then the last track on Disc One is Jim Carter (Mr. Carson) reciting "'Twas the Night Before Christmas". The rest of the tracks are various Carols, some sung by King's College Cambridge Choir and some by other people like Kiri Te Kanawa.

This CD may not be everyone's taste but I think it's lovely!

Carole (yes I was born near Christmas - hence the name but my mother wanted an 'e' on the end to make it different!)

[Meg 50]

my fave (and only allowed out after Dec 1 is "A Carol Symphony" CD
Victor Hely-Hutchinson , City of Prague Symphony Orchestra

contains:
1. Bryan Kelly - Improvisations on Christmas Carols
2. Victor Hely-Hutchinson - A Carol Symphony
3. Peter Warlock - Bethlehem Down, a carol for strings
4. Philip Lane - Wassail Dances
5. Patric Standford - A Christmas Carol Symphony

[Quizzical Bob]

But it's not Christmas yet???

[CaroleF]

No Bob, but we get a short time to play Christmas music so I usually start to listen to my CDs the last week in November - a month today and it will all be over and they'll get put away for another year!

Carole

[Meg 50]

I'm singing at a Christmas party tomorrow - this early cos the halls were boked the next few weeks.... and another on Monday week.

We've made sure our programme is Advent rather than Christmas:
1. Christmas is Coming
2. As with Madness we Prepare
3. Reading: Little Tree – E. E. Cummings
4. O Christmas Tree
5. Light the Candles
6. Reading: Peace on Earth – Vicci Bentley
7. The Holly and the Ivy – ALL JOIN IN!
8. Deck the Hall

TEA!!!

9. Wassail Song
10. Reading: Carol Singing – Dylan Thomas
11. Gabriel’s Message
12. The Angels’ Carol
13. Reading: Christmas is a Time of Giving – Joan Anglund
14. Christmas Blessing
15. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

[Frank Manning]

I like a bit of John Rutter's choral music any time of the year, but particularly his carols, and 'Nativity Carol' with its haunting melody is one of my favourites. So is the Harold Darke version of 'In the bleak mid winter', words by Christina Rossetti. There will be a carol service featuring the Bournemouth University Chamber Choir at 6pm 11th Dec, at St Peter's Bournemouth, and I want to be there, then that's me happy at Christmas.

[Meg 50]

the angels' carol was my second bit of Rutter this week - the first being 'The Lord Bless you and keep you' which I sang at a funeral on Tuesday

[oldbluefox]

When we lived in The Fatherland we always used to play James Last's Christmas Album in the car as we drove to the ferry port. It brings back happy memories of driving through Germany and Holland past distant fairy lights and decorations with the expectation of Christmas and the New Year with out respective families.

Christmas would not be the same without it, especially this track and the church bells on this one.

Lovely memories................

[Frank Manning]

the angels' carol was my second bit of Rutter this week - the first being 'The Lord Bless you and keep you' which I sang at a funeral on Tuesday

Meg, have you sung 'Look at the world'? I really enjoyed singing that. If you haven't heard it try googling it and listen to Marchmont St Giles Church Choir Edinburg rehearsing it, at

https://youtube.com/watch?v=3-6_pIWPbgI

Our choir used to really enjoy Rutter's music.

[Meg 50]

thanks - I've sent the link on to our conductor

[Kenmo1]

Far, far nicer listening to some of the music mentioned in this thread instead of walking into some of the shops and being bombarded by records of Slade singing' Merry Christmas Everybody' or Wizzard singing ' I wish it could be Christmas every day'. I must be getting old, I used to love listening to them but 40 years later is pushing it a bit.

[Dancing Queen]

Far, far nicer listening to some of the music mentioned in this thread instead of walking into some of the shops and being bombarded by records of Slade singing' Merry Christmas Everybody' or Wizzard singing ' I wish it could be Christmas every day'. I must be getting old, I used to love listening to them but 40 years later is pushing it a bit.

I actually love Merry Christmas Everybody and I wish it could be be Christmas every day Maureen but when I had to cancel our Xmas 2011 cruise I actually hated going around the supermarket having to listen to such 'jolly' songs, I hate to admit it but I was actually in tears because I just wasn't where I wanted to be

I like a mixture of Christmas songs, at the moment I have 3 cd's in my car .. Diana Ross which is one I have had for a number of years and leans more towards Christmas carols the other two are Michael Buble and Rod Stewart which are more of a mixture of carols and popular Xmas songs but all three are putting me in the mood for Christmas and I just love singing along to them all ( I only ever sing in the car so no-one can hear me )

[Silver_Shiney]

Any of the Christmas albums by the Trans Siberian Orchestra does me!

[Not so ancient mariner]

I have fond memories of Brenda Lee's Rocking around the Christmas tree, possibly because it is the first (non traditional) Christmas record I can remember hearing.

[CaroleF]

I can even remember Adam Faith's 'Lonely Pub in a Christmas Shop'!

Carole

[Kenmo1]

I can even remember Adam Faith's 'Lonely Pub in a Christmas Shop'!

Carole

Are you sure it wasn't Lonely Pup in a Christmas Shop, Carole

[oldbluefox]

I can even remember Adam Faith's 'Lonely Pub in a Christmas Shop'!

Carole

By the time Carole's up and dancing on the table that's what she's singing!

[Kenmo1]

I can even remember Adam Faith's 'Lonely Pub in a Christmas Shop'!

Carole

By the time Carole's up and dancing on the table that's what she's singing!

Is that what they call a Freudian slip - perhaps she was thinking about the pub when she wrote it.

[CaroleF]

Definitely a Freudian slip - no I wasn't in a pub, nor even thinking about one - just to clarify! Can't believe I did that!

Carole

[Kenmo1]

Definitely a Freudian slip - no I wasn't in a pub, nor even thinking about one - just to clarify! Can't believe I did that!

Carole

It put a smile on my face, Carole.

Maureen

[Stephen]

My festering favourites.

Scrooge the musical http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fLB0vmCoPU

and

Mr Grinch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfquW-m_UdU

BAH HUMBUG.....HUMBUG I TELL YOU.

[Silver_Shiney]

Definitely a Freudian slip - no I wasn't in a pub, nor even thinking about one - just to clarify! Can't believe I did that!

Carole

We'l believe you...

[CaroleF]

What's more embarrassing is that I used to tell my pupils - for goodness sake didn't you read it through? No, I obviously didn't!

Carole

[Frank Manning]

I learned after in anger sending a few much more embarrassing messages, to put mine to one side an rewrite them when I had cooled down. I once visited Padiham Power station to find on the site hut notice board was pinned one of my messages underneath which, some wag had writtem "I defy anyone to understand this".

[Not so ancient mariner]

The best Freudian slip I have come across was some years ago in a travel booklet produced by our (then) consultant in communicable diseases (a.k.a. public health) . This particular issue covered the incidence of various strains of malaria in different parts of the world.

The column that should have been headed "Indian Subcontinent" was headed...................."Indian Restaurant" !!!