Christmas gems and Saint-saëns’s best
This month’s round-up also includes a glittering Royal Opera collection
Following on from 2019’s 100 Christmas Classics release comes Christmas Meditation (Capriccio C7371), a rather sumptuous collection of seasonal choral works, instrumental pieces and carols. Like the previous box, Capriccio gathers 100 tracks from some of Germany’s finest ensembles – including Wiener Sängenknaben and Thomanerchor Leipzig. It’s also a centuries-spanning selection, with excerpts from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and Handel’s Messiah alongside classic carols and pieces by Grieg and Saint-saëns.
The latter composer is celebrated lavishly in Camille Saint-saëns Edition (Warner Classics 9029674604). With such a hugh back catalogue of the composer’s works at its disposal, it’s no wonder the label is able to pull out all the stops with this 34-disc set. The collection features performances by a fabulous array of talent and some notable recordings. Daniel Roth performs the complete solo organ works, while Saintsaëns himself can be heard playing in a 1904 piano recording – just one highlight on the eight discs of historical recordings.
If you need a gift for an opera lover, then make a note of Royal Opera – The Collection (Opus Arte OA1337BD). This 22 DVD (or 18 Blu-ray) set has been reissued at a more afforable price, but retains the grandeur of 18 Royal Opera House productions and includes a booklet featuring some fantastic photos. Big hitters here include The Magic Flute, La bohème, Turandot and Carmen, to name a few. There are stars aplenty, too, with Renée Fleming, Jonas Kaufmann and Diana Damrau, among others.
There’s familiar, and not-so familiar, music to be found in Leroy Anderson – Complete Orchestral Works (Naxos 8.505259). This release brings together the five volumes originally released 2007-08 and is a delight – performed with zing and zeal by the BBC Concert Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin, it is an orchestral cavalcade by the great American light-music composer. Disc Three features the now ubiquitous Sleigh Ride and The Typewriter, but there’s plenty to discover, from a piano concerto to marches and fanfares. And who wouldn’t want to hear The Waltzing Cat?
Saint-saëns himself can be heard playing in a 1904 piano recording