Saturday, December 17, 2011

Two from the Boston Camerata

Tonight I have two records from the Boston Camerata, "A Renaissance Christmas" and "A Medieval Christmas".

"A Renaissance Christmas" was released in 1974 and features seven tracks of renaissance music:

1  Noel!
2  The Advent
3  Mary
4  Joseph
5  The Birth of Jesus
6  The Star, The Wise Men, and the Evil King
7  The Shepherds at the Cradle

The Boston Camerata, directed by Joel Cohen, gives us a tremendous interpretation of this suite of renaissance period Christmas music.  This is some of the best I have heard in this genre.


"A Medieval Christmas" was released the following year, 1975.  It contains an 18-track program of music and readings, and is, like its predecessor, an excellent performance of period Christmas music. 



For those who enjoy this type of Christmas music, these will be excellent additions to your collection.  No Beiber, Run-over Grandmas, or Christmas Shoes here.  Just extraordinarily reverent performances of Christmas songs from years ago.

Please enjoy the Boston Camerata.  If you like what you hear, leave a comment!

"A Renaissance Christmas"  <link removed by request>

"A Medieval Christmas"  <link removed by request>

7 comments:

  1. Thanks for all your wonderful Christmas music posts. Your blog is a "must read" for anyone who loves Christmas music. Please know many, many more people enjoy your posts than actually leave comments for you. Merry Christmas!

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  2. I first found the Medieval Christmas on vinyl when I worked in a library in the 1980's....finally found it on cd maybe 25 years after that. it's a great album.

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  3. I guess, what 'link removed by request' means.
    But 'A Renaissance Christmas' is a very rare LP to get it so easily as the Medieval Christmas CD (which I have and it is excellent, of course).
    I would like to ask, if there is a way to share the former LP even for a very short time again. I long to listen it.

    Thank you in advance.

    Ibolya from Hungary

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  4. Oh, I'm sorry, I thought at least I got an answer for a polite question, no matter, positive or negative.
    I was wrong, it seems.

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  5. Sorry about that - this comment slipped by me. I had a request to remove these links, and when I receive removal requests from reputable sources, I remove them. That usually means that the records are available comercially in digital format, and I don't want to interfere with the artist's ability to sell their work. Hope you will keep visiting here :-)

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  6. The problem for me is that this Renaissance Christmas (recorded around 1974) is not the same that the Renaissance Christmas was published on CD (recorded in 1985).
    The latter is available commercially - and again, I have the CD - but I cannot reach this LP anywhere.
    That is why I thought I try to ask a reupload.

    Anyway, thank you for your answer.

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  7. I have looked around for that Renaissance Christmas LP Turnabout brand, but there is no CD of this recording at all.

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