Episode 227. A Golden Age Christmas
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In the midst of our recent move, I came across a stash of old “mixtapes” (actually CDs and much other archival material. One such item which particularly moved me was one entitled “A Golden Age Christmas 2003” which I handed out to my colleagues and friends twenty years ago. Looking over the tracklist, I realized that this was a sort of early iteration of Countermelody: me sharing music that I particularly loved with people that I cared about. Today’s podcast uses as its basis that same CD (slightly trimmed in length) and features performances by a glorious group of singers ranging from Olive Fremstad, Charles Gilibert, and Margarete Matzenauer from the early years of the twentieth century to such later favorites as Elly Ameling, Beverly Sills, and Leontyne Price. I can’t guarantee that this episode will put you in the holiday spirit, but I sure hope it does!
RECORDINGS HEARD IN THIS EPISODE
Traditional: Adeste Fidelis. Lotte Lehmann, Richard Lert, RCA Victor Chamber Orchestra [1947]
Adolphe Adam: O Holy Night. Beverly Sills [1955]
Robert McGimsey: Sweet Little Jesus Boy. Leontyne Price [1961]
Peter Cornelius: Die Könige (Weinhachtslieder, Op. 8/3). Irmgard Seefried, Erik Werba [1955]
Alexis Contant, Alphonse Daudet: La vierge à la crèche. Charles Gilibert [1903]
Pietro Yon, Frederick G. Martens: Gesù Bambino. Giovanni Martinelli [1926]
Traditional English, arr. Douglas Gamley: The Twelve Days of Christmas. Joan Sutherland, Richard Bonynge, New Philharmonia Orchestra [1965]
Traditional Italian, arr. Douglas Gamley: Tu scendi dalle stelle. Renata Tebaldi, James McGillivray, Anton Guadagno, New Philharmonia Orchestra [1971]
Louis H. Redner, Phillips Brooks: O little town of Bethlehem. Richard Crooks, Clarence Dickinson [1941]
George Frideric Handel: He shall feed his flock (Messiah). Margarete Matzenauer, Orchestra conducted by Rosario Bourdon [1925]
Traditional German: O du fröhliche. Elsa Alsen, Fred Handel, Robert Hood Bowers, Arthur Bergh [1926]
Traditional German: O Tannenbaum. Elena Gerhardt, Max Bloch [1917]
Traditional English: Coventry Carol. Elisabeth Schumann [1938]
Max Reger, Martin Boelitz: Mariä Wiegenlied, Op. 76/52. Elly Ameling, Dalton Baldwin [1980]
Traditional Spiritual: Rise Up, Shepherd and Follow. Dorothy Maynor, Male Chorus [1941]
Easthope Martin, Martin Luther [attrributed]: The Holy Child. John McCormack, Orchestra conducted by Nathaniel Shilkret [1926]
Traditional English, arr. Eddie Sauer: We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Phyllis Curtin, André Kostelanetz and his Orchestra, the St. Kilian Boychoir [1965]
César Franck: Panis Angelicus (Messe Solennelle). André d’Arkor [1931]
John Henry Hopkins, Jr.: arr. Wolfgang Meyer: We Three Kings of Orient Are. Leontyne Price, Herbert von Karajan, Wiener Philharmoniker, Singerein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde [1961]
Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr: Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht. Olive Fremstad [1911]