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Christmas a cappella:
Songs From Around the World

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Reviews

"These are moving, superbly sung performances of beautiful music, some of it recently written, some of it familiar, in new arrangements. This production is first rate in every way, more than worthy of Cedille’s high standards. The singing is polished, committed, and fresh; the recorded sound from Bond Chapel at the University of Chicago is rich, full, and spacious (but not distant); and the album booklet with detailed background on each piece—and texts and translations—is a model of what one should be.  Chicago a cappella [has] a full, expressive tone and clean, neat-as-a-pin ensemble work that pretty much exemplifies the kind of choral singing that, I suspect, many Chicago music lovers take for granted more than they should....The familiar tunes and carols are presented in fresh, inventive settings, and the new, unfamiliar pieces bring little surprises of joy....The arrangements supply plenty of variation between solo and ensemble voices, and one is left to marvel at how these singers sound like a single voice one moment, and separate-but-equal solo voices the next."

—Lawrence Hansen, American Record Guide (Nov/Dec, 2009)

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"Chicago a cappella's "Christmas A Cappella: Songs from Around the World" offers a fresh take on some traditional carols, along with some surprising new ones.  Well-sung throughout...the disc is multicultural in the best sense, with music from Africa sitting comfortably next to modern American carols (including pieces by composers Stephen Paulus, Richard Proulx and Howard Helvey) and more well-known works."

—Sarah Bryan Miller, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (12/14/08)

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"The world-class vocal ensemble Chicago a cappella does Christmas choral music fans a real service by daring to create a program entirely of contemporary (primarily within the last 20 or so years) works... [W]e are fortunate to have choirs of this caliber to bring this music to us in a context that presents it most favorably and gives it a permanent presence in our listening repertoire.  Another of the disc's strengths is the sheer variety of music....The nine singers of Chicago a cappella are absolutely right-on in every respect, and the sound is ideal. This is an unqualified success, a holiday treat, a musical bounty that will both challenge and enliven your Christmastime listening. Highly recommended!"

—David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com (11/17/2008)

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"Chicago a cappella... [has] placed an emphasis on music of our own time in this 18-track collection - most of the songs were written or arranged in the last two decades. The ensemble is just the right size for a lovely choral blend and yet excellent intelligibility. Also, the thick note booklet contains a description as well as the complete lyrics for each and every song. Fidelity of the original 24-bit recording is superb."

—John Sunier, Audiophile Audition

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Music to Knowell ’08: This year’s Top 5 holiday releases
"Resisting the temptation to showcase merely familiar works, Chicago a cappella provides us with an engaging album of contemporary music and arrangements related to Christmas and Hannukah.... The virtuosity and diversity exhibited is no less impressive than the fact that one track carefully follows another to make an engaging whole, a real rarity in holiday albums of such enormous breadth. And despite the fact that each of these artists is a professional singer often used to the solo spotlight, the singing in each and every case is balanced with great attention to an overall ensemble and group sound.

—Dennis Polkow, New City

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"Chicago A Cappella, a top notch vocal ensemble from the Windy City, really sparkles in its new holiday recording, entitled Christmas A Cappella. The CD contains 18 songs from around the world and each number is given a superb performance by this ensemble.

A cappella singing is one of the most daunting of all vocal challenges because it uses no accompaniment whatsoever. This means that the singers must strive for perfection in intonation and achieve genuine artistry as well – especially in a recording. Well, Chicago A Cappella makes it all sound easy and natural. Whether singing an energetic “Amuworo ayi otu nwa” (“For unto us a child is born”) by Nigerian composer Christian Onyeji or the hauntingly gracious “Prayer of the Venerable Bede” by Chicago composer Richard Proulx, the Chicago A Cappella ensemble gets to the heart of each song with sheer musicality and impeccable diction.

The performance of each selection are gemlike, but some of the ones that still glisten in my mind include an arrangement by Eleanor Daley of “The Huron Carol,” Stacy Garrop’s “Lo Yisa Goy,” Rosephanye Powell’s “Who is the baby?,” Gwyneth Walker’s “The Christ-child’s Lullaby,” Enrico Oweggi’s “Nyathi Onyuol,” and Chaim Parchi’s “Aleih Neiri.” James Clemens’ “Jinge a cappella” is a delightfully twisted arrangement of “Jingle Bells” that has got to be really difficult to perform without messing up.

Nine of the numbers in “Chirstmas A Cappella” were written in this millennium. “En stjerne er sat” by Danish composer Per Nørgård dates back to 1961, making it the oldest selection in the recording. They reflect a modern understanding of religious and non-religious themes that compliment the holiday season. It’s very impressive when a fine vocal ensemble like Chicago A Cappella adds to the depth of the season and gives listeners another way to explore new music.

—James Bash, The Gathering Note and Northwest Reverb