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Track(s) taken from CDA68299

Jingle bells

composer
James Lord Pierpont (1822-1893)
arranger
Gordon Langford (1930-2017)
author of text
James Lord Pierpont (1822-1893)

The Gesualdo Six, Owain Park (director)
Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
CD-Quality:
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Studio Master:
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Recording details: January 2019
Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Produced by Adrian Peacock
Engineered by David Hinitt
Release date: November 2019
Total duration: 1 minutes 51 seconds
 

Other recordings available for download

The King's Singers
The King's Singers

Reviews

‘A delightful album by an all-male a cappella group is hard to come by—all too often they’re po-faced or schmaltzy; but this is neither. An elegant blend of old and new’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘The close recording of the male-voice line-up of The Gesualdo Six on Christmas reveals the tightness of their ensemble in repertoire ranging from Praetorius to Cheryl Frances-Hoad. Tenor Joseph Wicks’ a cappella arrangement of Jonathan Harvey’s The Annnunciation and director Owain Park’s vibrant On the Infancy of our Saviour compliment well-chosen pieces, making for a delightful and informative listening experience—and a thoughtful stocking filler!’ (Choir & Organ)

‘What I love about this group—this is just their second disc—is it’s incredibly natural, it’s very forthright: they are so musical, so sensitive; we see straight through to the text … the way they listen to each other—the Tallis, these long phrases—I don’t know how they can sing it that slowly with so few singers. It really is miraculous! … I love that sense of magic that they get … not something kitsch and traditional and retrospective but something that has life in it’ (BBC Record Review)

„Unter dem schichten Titel 'Christmas' ist bei Hyperion allerdings alles andere als eine bloße Pflichtübung erschienen … gemeinsam verfügen sie [The Gesualdo Six] über eine reich sich verströmende Substanz, die Stimmen zeichnen klar, sind fein balanciert und zur edlen Verschmelzung fähig … in der Summe ist das ein eigenständiges, gelegentlich auch eigenwilliges Programm, mit schroffen, aber fruchtbaren stilistischen Wechseln auf engstem Raum“ (Klassik.com, Germany)» More
PERFORMANCE
RECORDING
Published in the autumn of 1857 under the title ‘One Horse Open Sleigh’, James Lord Pierpont’s Jingle bells was originally intended for the Thanksgiving season, but was quickly hijacked for December festivities by revellers. Since a horse-drawn sleigh in snow makes almost no noise, in the New England winter season it was common to adorn horse harnesses with straps bearing bells as a way to avoid collisions at blind intersections. The rhythm of the tune mimics the trotting horse’s bells, though Gordon Langford sometimes takes a little liberty with the standard pulse, adding a little sherry to the festive metre.

from notes by Owain Park © 2019

Other albums featuring this work

Joy to the World
The King's Singers
Studio Master: SIGCD268Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
The King's Singers Christmas Presence
The King's Singers
Studio Master: SIGCD497Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

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