Well-known and popular Christmas songs from all over the world are gathered on the Christmas CD, which the Bavarian Radio Chorus recently recorded and which BR Klassik is now releasing as Joy to the World Famous Christmas Songs. The songs, folk songs and classical choirs recorded together with the Munich Radio Orchestra under the direction of Howard Arman in October 2017 will also be shown on German television (on ARD and BR) on December 22nd and 24th. The varied choir program is complemented by solo titles, sung by the Israeli soprano Chen Reiss.
The CD offers a festive mix of different Christmas music. The repertoire includes traditional songs from Russia, Poland, Greece, Italy, France, Great Britain, North and South America and Germany, but also compositions from the classical repertoire by Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Mendelssohn, Berlioz and Puccini. Each of these pieces reveals a lot in its own way about the Christmas customs of the respective country, because Christmas carols have always been part of the unmistakable customs of the festive season. The power and attraction of Advent and Christmas is still to a large extent in the songs and the music and thus creates a little magic and a festive atmosphere in our modern, enlightened times.
This idea connects the arrangements and arrangements that Howard Arman has worked out for the Bavarian Radio Chorus. Regardless of whether it is ancient folk songs, art music or popular songs from today’s secular Christmas, all are indispensable songs that appear here in new, sometimes somewhat unexpected forms.
