F. Melius Christiansen, founder of the Music Department at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, planned and directed the first St. Olaf Christmas Festival in 1912. Over the next 96 years the Festival has grown to include, as individual groups and as a massed ensemble, the St. Olaf Choir, the St. Olaf Orchestra, the St. Olaf Cantorei, The Manitou Singers and the Viking Chorus and Chapel Choir. The result of the coming together of all this huge and joyous talent easily fills two CDs, 30 pieces with some narration that tell the story of Christmas, beginning with the all-instrumental "Messiah, Prince of Peace" and ending with F. Melius' gorgeous "Beautiful Savior." It's hard to pick favorites, but "For Unto Us a Child is Born" from Handel's "Messiah," Steven Sametz' "Noel!," Carl Schalk's "Before the Marvel of This Night," Donald Fraser's "This Christmastide" (Jessye's Carol), the 6-part medley "Carols for the Choirs" arranged by John Ferguson, F. Melius' lovely "Lullaby on Christmas Eve" and Arthur Honegger's "And God Said: One Day Shall Dawn" (King David) come easily to mind. |
