Chorus Of Classics Choirs And Soloists Vocally Soar To The Heavens With New And Reissued Christmas Albums

The first holiday discs started arriving in August.

But we figured you’d want to wait until December to succumb to the lure of the carols and the Hallelujah Chorus.

Here’s our official list of who’s nice (the naughty ones didn’t make it) among the new classical-music holiday releases, starting with the Top Five.

1. Handel’s “Messiah,” Mormon Tabernacle Choir (NightPro NP-1001, 800-644-4883): This outstanding new “Messiah” recording has been climbing the charts since October, helped by that magical phrase, “the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.”

And magnificent as the 325-voice choir may be, the factor responsible for the excellence of this recording really is Sir David Willcocks, the venerable English conductor who has made such a mark on the contemporary English choral tradition.

As you can tell from the chorus size, this is a very big “Messiah,” one that will outrage purists by its reliance on the 1902 Prout edition of the score. The acoustics of the Mormon Tabernacle, where this was recorded last February, don’t contribute much to the clarity of the choruses, but you can “hear into” the orchestra pretty well (including the stellar contributions of harpsichordist Igor Kipnis).

The soloists are very fine; Willcocks chose to use a countertenor, Paul Esswood, in the alto solos, which may take some getting used to for mainstream listeners.

2. “December Stillness,” Dale Warland Singers (American Choral Catalogue ACC 121, 800-246-7257): Tied for first place, really, is this lovely recording consisting entirely of music from this century, and … hey! Stop! Quit running away! This is tuneful, beautiful contemporary music, by some names you’ll recognize (Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Poulenc) and some you might not (Alf Houkom, Trond Kverno).

All of it is contemplative and on the quiet side, and I wish we could play the whole disc for you so you could hear that there’s only a tiny smattering of dissonance (just so you know which century we’re in).

The 12 choral works here are mostly, but not exclusively, Christmas pieces that are likely to become some of your seasonal favorites; almost all are a cappella, but a few have a guitar or a harp accompanying this most glorious of choruses.

3. “Sing We Christmas,” Chanticleer (Teldec 4509-94563-2): On the opposite end of the spectrum is this excellent disc by the all-male group Chanticleer, with a first half that draws heavily from the Ye Olde side of the repertoire and a second half that leaps into the world of Howells, Ives, Billings and Holst.

The 18 lovely selections here include “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” (“Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”), and “Silent Night” in three languages, as well as many international carols and settings that may be new to you. As always, the ensemble level here is extremely high, and so are the recording values.

4. “Christmas with Kiri Te Kanawa” (Teldec 4509-99000-2): Subtitled “Carols from Coventry Cathedral,” this is an outstanding recording that is more than just a showcase for Dame Kiri’s famous creamy soprano. Excellent arrangements of 21 carols feature the choirs of Coventry and Lichfield Cathedrals, the outstanding and much-recorded baritone Michael George, brass, organ and the BBC Philharmonic, led by Robin Stapleton.

Most of the carols are the friendly, familiar ones, with a few less-known ones to add a little spice. Dame Kiri, with her immaculate diction, is in excellent voice, and never more effective than in the wistful “In the Bleak Midwinter” and “The Coventry Carol.” Very satisfying.

5. “A Christmas Fantasy” (Chandos 4541): For those to whom Christmas means brass music - especially one of those big traditional discs of brass, chorus and organ - this one is the ticket. The English do these Christmas extravaganzas better than anybody else (maybe it’s in the plumpudding gene), and the Black Dyke Mills Band and Huddersfield Choral Society rise to the challenge of their forebears here in 13 carols and medleys that will fill your airwaves the way Christmas dinner fills the rest of you.

Splendid reissues

Thank you, thank you, London Records, for reissuing two marvelous holiday discs in new double-decker CD editions. One is the 1976 “Messiah,” featuring Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-theFields, with four outstanding soloists including Elly Ameling at her delectable zenith and the heavenly tenor Philip Langridge. Quirky and lovely, this is one of my very favorites. (That’s London 444 824-2.)

The superb King’s College Choir is at its best in another 2-CD set, “Noel: Christmas at King’s” (London 444 848-2), in which you will hear 35 exquisite carols and Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on Christmas Carols,” all under the direction of Sir David Willcocks. Three very loud and tuneful cheers.

London also has “The Ultimate Christmas Album” (448 614-2) - ultimate if you love opera singers, with everybody from Sutherland and Te Kanawa to Pavarotti and Price in all their holiday glory. Listening to Dame Joan (“La Stupenda”) go after the Twelve Days of Christmas is like using nuclear warheads to hunt grouse; maybe a bit too much firepower, but boy, does it work.

And thanks to BMG/RCA Gold Seal for reissuing some heavenly Vienna Choir Boys music (with Placido Domingo and Hermann Prey) as “Christmas Angels” (09026-68150-2) - 28 beautifully sung carols and a celestial “Ceremony of Carols.”