Program Notes
Music has always been an integral part of Christmas. The glorious announcement of Christ’s birth by a choir of angels, the gentle lullaby of a mother to her newborn child, the jubilant rejoicing of shepherds as they returned from Bethlehem—virtually every aspect of the Christmas story has inspired poets and composers for centuries, and generations of singers have raised their voices in celebration of the birth of Jesus.
Each December since its founding forty-six years ago, the Fairfax Choral Society has joined in this annual tradition, presenting Christmas concerts that have gained in popularity over the years and have grown to include performances by over 300 singers of all ages with a full symphony orchestra. In addition to the extraordinary variety of instrumental and vocal color these musicians can create, Christmas music itself offers a vast array of contrasting styles and moods.
Recorded live, this concert of sacred and secular favorites weaves a rich tapestry of carols from fourteenth-century England to twenty-first century America. As diverse as these carols are, they all share in the wonder and delight of the Christmas season as they bring to the world tidings of joy. – Douglas Mears
|
Advent |
|
1 |
Berceuse |
Jean-Michel Vaccaro |
2:28 |
|
2 |
Lost in the Night |
traditional, arr. by Kyle S. Haugen |
3:43 |
|
3 |
Spašéñiye sodélal |
Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov |
3:30 |
|
4 |
Here is Joy for Every Age |
from Piae Cantiones, arr. by Stephen Mager |
3:24 |
|
Nativity |
|
5 |
Gloria |
Randol Alan Bass |
6:20 |
|
6 |
A Manger Carol |
Douglas Mears |
3:42 |
|
7 |
Fantasy on What Child is This? |
traditional, arr. by Barlow Bradford |
5:38 |
|
8 |
Ding Dong! Merrily on High |
traditional, arr. by Stephen Mager |
2:00 |
|
9 |
The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy |
traditional, arr. by Mack Wilberg |
3:33 |
|
Celebration |
|
10 |
Kling, Glöckchen, Kling |
Benedikt Widmann, arr. by Stephen Mager |
3:31 |
|
11 |
Three Little Birdies |
Edmund Walters |
1:59 |
|
12 |
Wassail |
traditional, arr. by John Currie |
2:47 |
|
13 |
Danse russe Trepak |
Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky |
1:09 |
|
14 |
The Very Best Time of Year |
John Rutter |
3:55 |
|
15 |
I Saw Three Ships |
traditional, arr. by Mack Wilberg |
2:55 |
|
Adoration |
|
16 |
Night of Silence |
Daniel Kantor |
3:48 |
|
17 |
Lux Aurumque |
Eric Whitacre |
3:34 |
|
18 |
Jesus Christ the Apple Tree |
Elizabeth Poston |
2:39 |
|
19 |
Il Est Né, le Divin Enfant |
anonymous, arr. by Donna Gartman Schultz |
2:40 |
|
20 |
Carol to the King |
James C. Christian, arr. by Mack Wilberg |
5:05 |
|
|
TOTAL TIME |
68:25 |
|
