5 Classical and Traditional Christmas Albums 

Now I like a Christmas Pop Song as much as the next person. Oh, all right, full disclosure, I am absolutely hooked on Christmas Pop Songs and play them endlessly from the beginning of December! If I like songs as much as the next person, that person is Noddy Holder after his latest royalty cheque! That said, I also love more traditional Christmas albums that act as a useful palette cleanser when you want it after a diet of Slade, Shaky, Wham and The Wombles. This blog will introduce you to some albums you may not have considered or even heard of, and they can all be tracked down on Amazon, EBay or Discogs if I have whetted your appetite for any of them.

A Classic Christmas – Various Artists

In the early 90s, EMI hit upon a winning formula with the release of 3 highly successful classical music compilations called ‘Classic Experience’. In 1991, they released A Classic Christmas showcasing carols and classical pieces. It is an absolute joy from beginning to end with 20 very well chosen and well played festive favourites. I would like to particularly recommend three of the tracks. Troika will be instantly recognisable as the music from Greg Lake’s I Believe in Father Christmas, but stripped of the words, the real beauty of the tune shines through in this version from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Sleigh Ride is instantly recognisable and takes you on a magical, invigorating journey thanks to a brilliant performance by the Halle Orchestra who sound as if they are having a whale of a time! The recording of The First Noel comes from the gorgeous A Carol Symphony by Victor Hely Hutchinson, which is well worth tracking down in its entirety. Those of you who know the BBC series Box of Delights will certainly recognise this one.  

Christmas with Canterbury Cathedral Girls’ Choir

This is quite simply marvellous. Choirs of all kinds release Christmas albums because they guarantee decent sales. However, most of them sound pretty similar after a while. The Canterbury Cathedral Girls’ Choir is striking from first note to last. First of all, the sound of their voices is clearly different to that of a boys’ choir and this instantly gives it a different feel. Second, the arrangements by Julian Reynolds breathe new life into old favourites through clever use of the girls’ gorgeous harmonies. Three tracks stand out for me. O Holy Night is a Christmas staple and has been voted as the UK’s favourite Christmas carol for the last few years, but there is a real beauty to this arrangement that reclaims it from the divas of this world and reminds you that this is a song for church not TV talent shows and pop albums. The Carol of the Bells is joyous and infectious. I defy you to listen to this without your heart being lifted by the incredible arrangement and the dizzying pace of the singing. Finally, I would recommend the version of White Christmas on this album, a secular song given a devotional air in a clever arrangement that freshens up this most familiar Christmas classic. They are always the first choir I turn to at Christmas and the amazing voices of these incredibly talented girls never fails to bring joy to the house.

A Charlie Brown Christmas – Vince Guaraldi Trio

A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of the most beloved Christmas Specials in the history of US TV. It may not be quite as familiar to UK viewers, but I would say a fair few Brits will have seen it over the years. The jazz soundtrack performed by the Vince Guaraldi Trio is a masterpiece that was named by the US Library of Congress as being of ‘cultural, historical or aesthetic significance’. It certainly deserves to be preserved with the other important albums in the collection as it has been the first introduction to Jazz for generations of young Americans in the same way as Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry introduced generations of children to classical music. It is one of those albums that you can put on in the background to great soothing effect, but it definitely rewards concentration as you really start to appreciate what an incredible soundtrack it is. The soft drums and the stripped back piano give a softness and warmth to the tracks that make you feel warm inside and the remixed version of the album from 2012, when it was chosen by the Library of Congress makes the richness of the musicianship clear. This is a soundtrack that could have been dashed off, because it was ‘just’ for children, but infinite care has been taken with every note. My three favourite tracks on this album are Linus and Lucy, Christmas Time is Here and Christmas is Coming which are as warm and comforting as a cup of hot chocolate. A truly gorgeous listening experience throughout.

Dream a Dream – Charlotte Church

Dream a Dream was Charlotte Church’s third album, released in 2000 when she was 14 years old. Her talent was already widely recognised by this point and the album sold over a million copies in the US in the first month of release. You can hear a hint in this album of her maturing voice and her ability to find something different in the most familiar of songs. A great example of this is Winter Wonderland. It has a lightness of touch and an excellent arrangement, but what really sets it apart is the childlike effervescence in Church’s singing that gives the song that real sense of wonder that adult versions somehow lack. Her take on Gabriel’s Message is one of unusual sensitivity and beauty that really communicates a sense of the divine nature of the words. Finally, I can only say that her version of O Holy Night is just spectacular with a power, beauty and control beyond most adult singers let alone a girl of 14. Charlotte Church had a voice that was natural and suited to virtually any kind of music. I thought her Tissues and Issues album that marked her pop phase was an absolutely superb album. Indeed it was one of my favourite albums of the 2000s, but it suffered from the pigeonholing that she experienced of only being a classical artist. Take a listen to it and you will see exactly what I mean.

Australia’s Christmas Spirit – The Australian Girls Choir and The National Boys Choir

In 1998, Qantas produced an advert that became a classic of its kind and a firm Australian favourite. Children from two choirs were filmed around the world at various landmarks singing the dei facto anthem, I Still Call Australia Home. I happened to be in Australia that year and I fell in love with that track, so when Qantas released Australia’s Christmas Spirit with that as the final track I simply had to get the album. As with the Canterbury Cathedral Girls’ Choir, the presence of the female voices gives the album a quality that others don’t have, and here the boys and girls voices blend perfectly. There are three tracks that epitomise the quality of the album. First, an absolutely beautiful arrangement of O Come All Ye Faithful which swaps the bombast of most versions for a subtlety that allows the words to take centre stage. Then Good King Wenceslas, which gives a real pathos to the plight of the poor man and makes the King’s generosity more effective. Finally, a rousing version of Jingle Bells that just explodes with joy, breathing new life into a song I don’t particularly like in any other recorded version.

So, there you have it. Five albums that you can listen to when the constant soundtrack of more modern songs leave you feeling somewhat jaded. It has never happened to me, but I understand it is a possibility! Happy listening.