Search - Leroy Anderson, Felix Bernard, Felix [1] Mendelssohn :: Sleigh Ride

A lot of excellent Christmas music for the money

Claudia Summer | Puget Sound, USA | 12/23/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"My kind of Christmas music! Perennial favorites, for the most part. Though the "Morman" headline is misleading, I'm actually pleased that the Mormon choir sings only one song, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," but as you'd expect, it's full and rich. You'll also find London Symphony Orchestra resoundingly playing my life-long favorite "Sleigh Bells." Then there's an excellent instrumental rendering of "Winter Wonderland" by London Festival Orchestra who also play "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" with addition of chorale singers. Vienna Boys' Choir sings touching rendition of "Little Drummer Boy," the Romantic Strings Orchestra (and voices) provides lovely "Silver Bells." "The Skater's Waltz" is played by New Symphony Orchestra of London. "Gather Around the Christmas Tree" features an organ and chorale. So far, so good. (Breaking out the eggnog and plum pudding!)Then, for some reason, the album deteriorates, in my opinion, to include vocals by Andy Williams singing rather insipid "Christmas Needs Love to Be Christmas," which I've never heard before and I'll bet you haven't either, a rather nice mostly piano version of "Silent Night" by Floyd Cramer that has a slight country twang, and "Do You Hear What I Hear" by Glen Campbell, who does a nice enough job if you like his voice. I really like the first carols best: big orchestras, big sound, big Christmas spirit. All-in-all, a bargain album with good variety of old favorites."