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Yuletide Fires

Cypress Choral Recording, Catalogue No. CCR0601 (released 2003)
Distributed by SRI, Peterborough, ON
Recorded in Vancouver, BC

What do Gregorian chant, German lullabies, English luck-visit songs, Russian motets, and contemporary Canadian carols have in common? They are all part of Chor Leoni's Christmas CD, Yuletide Fires. Instead of simply recycling the same old hackneyed carols, Diane has sought out some of the lesser-known gems of the Advent and Christmas repertoire, such as the serene Sarum chant Letabundus or the haunting Appalachian carol As Joseph Was A-Walking. However, lest you think that everything will be unfamiliar, we should add that there are some old favourites on the disc, but in new guises: Robert Sund's stunningly beautiful arrangement of Silent Night for soprano and male chorus is almost worth the price of the disc on its own!

When asked about the CD, Artistic Director Diane Loomer said, "Much of the CD is quiet, peaceful, and serene. Its intent is to calm and encourage listeners to relax into Christmas, let them escape from all that Christmas is hyped up to be and rarely is. Our hope is that Yuletide Fires will allow listeners to slip into surroundings of beauty, grace, and balanced quietness."

Yuletide Fires was voted the Outstanding Choral Recording of 2004 by the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors, and won a Western Canadian Music Award as the 2004 Outstanding Classical Recording. This disc would make an ideal holiday gift for a music lover - but be sure to treat yourself to a copy as well.

Reviews

• CD Review: Yuletide Fires (ChristmasReviews.com)(December 1, 2003) Absolutely, positively magnificent! ...
• Sound Advice reviews Yuletide Fires (CBC Radio)(November 10, 2003) Five stars ...
• CD Review: Yuletide Fires (Toronto Star, November 2003)(November 13, 2003) An international Christmas program full of off-beat music from Canada and abroad ...
• And Now a Word From the Captain (von Trapp, that is)(October 19, 2009) Ian sends us his thoughts about Chor Leoni from the stage in Toronto, where he's performing in the Andrew Lloyd-Webber/Mirvish production of The Sound of Music. ...

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Playlist

1. Hodie Christus Natus EstGregorian chant
2. God Rest You Merry English carol, arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams
3. Huron Carol Canadian carol, arr. Andy Hillhouse
4. LetabundusSarum chant
   
5. As Joseph Was A-WalkingAppalachian carol, arr. James Fankhauser
6. Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen Traditional/Michael Praetorius, arr. Göte Widlund
7. Le sommeil de l'enfant JésusCantique traditionnel, arr. Amy Stephen
8. Veni, Veni EmanuelGregorian chant
9. Yuletide Fires Diane Loomer
10. Nouvelle agréable!Cantique traditionnel
11. The Lord at First English carol, arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams
12. Lux Aeterna Gregorian chant
13. Quelle est cette odeur agréableCantique traditionnel, arr. Robert Sund
14. Veni Redemptor GenciumSarum chant
15. Dostoyno Yest Nikolai Golovanov
16. Svete Tihiy Aleksandr Nikolsky, arr. Pavel Chesnokov
17. Alma Redemptoris MaterGregorian chant
18. Stille Nacht Franz Gruber, arr. Robert Sund
19. Drei könige Peter Cornelius, arr. Robert Sund
20. Rise Up Shepherd American traditional, arr. Frank Almond
21. Christmas AngelCorlynn Hanney
22. Still, still, stillAustrian carol, arr. Norman Luboff
23. Hodie Christus Natus Est Gregorian chant