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Holidays a cappella Live

REVIEWS

"Here we have another winning holiday collection from an established professional mini-choir, the nine-voice Chicago a cappella....I am especially taken with their gutsy and exuberant singing of the spirituals...The Hanukkah pieces are done with particular idiomatic zest....Among the many other selections, I particularly admire modern composer Randall Giles's 'Sancta Maria, Ora pro Nobis,' an old English carol setting that weaves a wondrous tapestry of sound, with its quasi-modal harmonies flavored by ingenious, non-grating dissonances.  Other high points are the ancient Swedish carol 'Gaudede,' a rich arrangement of 'The Huron Carol', and Kodaly's bright, folksy 'Angels and Shepherds.'  I can never get enough of Lauridsen's 'O Magnum Mysterium', heard here in its Chicago-area premiere from 1995, before it became the best-selling choral score of the 90s.  But, for me, the album's most fascinating and impressive comes with a truly one-of-a-kind performance: a spontaneously improvised choral fantasia on the beloved Coventry carol....The result is a softly coruscating canvas of sound that offers form, direction and calculated effect—qualities we usually expect only from finished works.  Only the very finest, most instinctively musical singers could possibly pull something like this off—I've never heard anything quite like it.  These are well-seasoned, solo-quality voices.  Each one brings its own timbre and character to the ensemble....Both their technical and interpretive acumen are exemplary....This delightful, gorgeously sung collection is well worth your time and money."

—American Record Guide (Nov./Dec. 2003)

"This 9-voice professional ensemble impressed us with their precision and the exciting live performances captured on this CD. This funky arrangement of a popular spiritual ["Children go where I send thee"] is one of several on this delightful album, and is accompanied by holiday songs from Iceland, India, Ireland, Ukraine and Sweden, as well as several jazzy Hanukkah songs."

—Beliefnet

"I think it's safe to say that Chicago a cappella's latest release, Holidays A Cappella Live, is not your average everyday holiday album....[Chicago a cappella displays] fabulous intonation, blend, dynamics and energy....there can be no question that this nonet of singers is incredibly gifted.  Having grown upon on The King's Singers, the comparison for me was inevitable. Sure, this group has three extra people, and they're a mixed group (vs. the all-male KS), but the enthusiasm with which they approach music of all languages and cultures and the precision and musicality that they bring to their performance of said music puts them, if not quite on the same level, then pretty darn close."

—Elie Landau, Recorded A Cappella Review Board

"The singing on this album is some of the best I've ever heard. I couldn't believe Chicago a cappella only has nine members; the group has a full, rich sound befitting a choir five times its size. Combine that with a fantastic, diverse repertoire and a wonderful feel for how to shape a musical phrase....The liner notes brag, "With equal conviction and style, the group communicates the purity of early music, the passion of spirituals, and the intricacies of vocal jazz."  For most classical choirs, this statement would set the listener up for disaster. But, astonishingly enough, Chicago a cappella actually is equally comfortable in all these styles."

—Joshua Diamant, Recorded A Cappella Review Board

"Chicago a cappella is an impressive choral ensemble, and I strongly recommend their album Holidays A Cappella Live for any choral music fan. Though their lineup consists of only nine singers (two sopranos, two mezzo-sopranos, two tenors, two baritones, and one bass), they are often capable of sounding like a group twice their size. Few choral albums can rival the range of languages heard here; there's music from the English, Icelandic, Swedish, French, German, Ukrainian, African-American, Hindu, and Jewish traditions. Despite such an extensive linguistic and stylistic range, Chicago a cappella manages not to spread itself too thin, and is up to just about any challenge....Fans of Morten Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium especially should pick up this disc. After hearing their take on this disc, I can understand why it became the "bestselling choral work of the decade". I expect to be listening to this track repeatedly in weeks to come. Another track deserving of multiple-multiple spins was the gorgeous, haunting Icelandic piece Immanúel oss í nátt. The group's blend and seemingly effortless command of the moving lines were chill-inducing."

—Mark Manley, Recorded A Cappella Review Board

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