Canadian Brass - Sweet Songs of Christmas (2007)

Fans of holiday music for brass ensemble will find the Canadian Brass' Sweet Songs of Christmas to be a festive album of favorites and one of this group's most delightful efforts. Originally released in 2003, this 2007 reissue showcases the Canadian Brass' wide range of styles and expressions, from the jolly antics of Jingle Bell Rock and Here We Come a Wassailing, to the touching emotions of Sweet Songs of Christmas and Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, perhaps the two most affecting tracks. The program surveys standards as well as less familiar folk carols, and lest anyone think the program is exclusively devoted to Christian celebrations, there are performances of Sevivon, Maoz Tzur, and Dreydl to mark Hanukkah. Most of the arrangements are by such well-known composers as Luther Henderson and Christopher Dedrick, yet former Canadian Brass trumpeter Fredric Mills is also represented in his virtuosic version of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, and Chris Hanjian, Stephen McNeff, Paul Ferguson, Howard Cable, Arthur Frackenpohl, and others are included, showing the variety of approaches that are possible with this group's superior abilities. While the sound of the recording is warm and inviting, with ample resonance and a wide dynamic range, there are a few clicks on some tracks that seem to be manufacturing flaws that may distract.