Christmas choral music from Renaissance to present day
On this CD of high-caliber Christmas choral music the renowned Vienna Chamber Choir, internationally esteemed for its precedent-setting interpretations under the direction of Michael Grohotolsky, covers a wide musical range from the Renaissance to the present day. Magnificent works of a cappella literature like Hodie Christus natus est (J.P. Sweelinck), Virga Jesse (A. Bruckner) and In the Bleak Mid-Winter (G. Holst) are just as masterfully interpreted as imaginatively arranged Christmas classics (for example, Maria durch ein Dornwald ging – Mary walked through a forest of thorns) and fascinating new discoveries such as Mache dich auf! Werde Licht! (Arise! Shine!) by Friedrich Wilhelm Kücken. Moreover, this high-quality classics sampler presents delicate choral arrangements of the famous Christmas Pastorales by Arcangelo Corelli and Francesco Manfredini – original instrumental works that receive here for the first time an atmospheric vocal form. A CD that, according to the basic idea of the Vienna Chamber Choir, merges tradition and modernity with each other!