the holiday season...

[david johnson]

...is in motion.  our npr station started airing christmas music pre-thanksgiving.
if you like handel's 'messiah' be sure & listen to the purist's nightmare, i.e., sir thomas beecham's rca recording with the royal philharmonic.
beecham had a grand sense of humor, and he & sir eugene goossens concocted one of the most exuberant, re-scored presentations of messiah ever conceived.

beecham was a handel scholar and felt that updating the orchestrations of the old master's oratorios would go a long way to recreating the public's interest in his music.

beecham was a success and handel once again became popular in england.
this messiah is such a joyous riot that 'historically correct performance' mavens will probably dig up beecham's body in the dead of night and burn the remains to a crisp.

i personally think that this is how handel would have written the music had he lived during the 20th century.

Link to recording on Amazon

of course, lest my wretched music-soul writhe in eternal doom, i keep a copy of the still-powerful original version that most people listen to.

what christmas music do you enjoy? 

dj

edited only to restore formatting/width to thread

[memmy]

Basically every single bit of it, to be quite honest.

Thanks for sharing yours with us dj.

Blessings, Memmy

[mandalee65]

All of it!

Seriously, some of my favorites are:

All four of the Glen Miller Orchestra Christmas CDs
Third Day's Christmas Offerings
Chris Rice Christmas Living Room Sessions
The WOW Christmas CDs

And for a more traditional take... Burl Ives, Nat King Cole, all the great oldies.

And if you're talking instrumental, I love Handel's Messiah, and I especially a good orchestration of O Holy Night.

[david johnson]

burl did a good christmas album or two.  in the one i have he is accompanied only by guitar.
mannheim steamroller is creative, the phildephia brass album is great.
madonna's 'santa baby'...chuckle.

dj