An Olde English Christmas (Incls 'Hark, the Herald Angels Sing' & 'We Three Kings of Orient Are')

"The ideal Christmas collection of 18 popular carols. Originally released by Decca in 1980, An Olde EnglishChristmas presents 18 Christmas carols in opulentarrangements that should appeal to anyone who enjoysa "light classics" approach to the season. PeterHope's lavish orchestrations of such holiday favoritesas "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing," "Joy to theWorld," "The First Nowell," and "O Come All Ye Faithful"are brilliantly decked out in festive colors, andthe performances by the John Alldis Choir and the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Colin Davis, are robustand ebullient, with an uplifting character that makes listeninga pleasure. The purely instrumental numbers, such as "In dulci jubilo," "Silent Night," "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," and "The Holly and the Ivy," among others, are freely elaborated around their famous tunes, so they are not practical for singing along; but if the album is played simply as background music for a Christmas gathering, the fantasia style of these numbers works quite well. The sound quality of the recording is clear and warm, though the ADD mastering is a little lacking in dimensions and definition; this album was obviously intended to supply atmosphere without being scrutinized too closely, so the reproduction is not a serious problem."
- Blair Sanderson