This review comes from ChristmasReviews.com:
Ladies and gentlemen, classic Christmas choral music simply does not get any better than this. I have it on good authority that when we slip the surly bonds of earth, THIS is the music we hear as we move to that higher plain. Formed in 1972, the 40-voice Dale Warland Singers ("DWS") are a most remarkable ensemble; the singing is always first-class, the arrangements impeccable, and the production values flawless. If you are looking for the best "a cappella" group in the world singing a superb collection of classical holiday offerings, your search is over. In Christmas with the Dale Warland Singers, the DWS sets the standard, and the bar is extremely high.
This is far from the first Christmas offering by the DWS. In fact, the group's reputation soared through the 1980s in large part due to the extraordinary popularity of their holiday LPs. Now available on CD, these recordings include: A Rose in Winter, Carols for Christmas, Christmas Echoes Vol. 1, Christmas Echoes Vol. 2, and December Stillness. Christmas with the Dale Warland Singers is just the most recent in a string of musical gems; recorded last year, the CD came in response to DWS fans demanding a new Christmas recording. As a result, this CD includes new recordings of old favorites, as well as some spectacular new arrangements.
Christmas with the Dale Warland Singers is bursting at the seams with 21 tracks on over an hour of play time. The CD provides remarkable balance between the familiar and the lesser known. About half (11) of the cuts are performed "a cappella"; where there is accompaniment, it is minimal, lovely, and inobtrusive. Most listeners will immediately recognize at least six or seven numbers (such as Silent Night, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, O Little Town of Bethlehem) and other songs will take the audience in new directions. Picking "favorites" out of this group is almost meaningless; everything is done so well and sounds so right.
That being said, the most exciting moments on Christmas with the Dale Warland Singers include: the fragile opening of Il est né, le divin enfant, which builds in excitement and volume, moving into the English translation and back; the joyous exultations of Fum, fum, fum! and Patapan; the mesmerizing harmonies, key changes, and handbells driving Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; and the incredibly delicate, almost ethereal, Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (Lo, How a Rose)--the DWS rendition is the most beautiful interpretation in existence.
Like everything else the group does, the liner notes are outstanding--28 pages (including the front & back covers) of information about the DWS, the founder, the artists, and naturally the music. For each selection, the notes set forth fascinating background and all the lyrics. In addition, for those numbers not in English, translations are provided.
If you spend Christmas with the Dale Warland Singers, then that will be a season extremely well spent. For the fan of classical choral productions, this holiday offering should be on your "must have" list. Simply spectacular!
--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2004)
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From the liner notes:
Many fans were introduced to the Dale Warland Singers (DWS) in the 1980s through a series of popular Christmas LPs. Those recordings were the best thing one could place on the Christmas turntable: familiar tunes in new arrangements, or original compositions that were a mid-winter breath of fresh air. The DWS went on to make a series of award-winning CDs devoted to folk, sacred, and concert music. With this recording, they respond to those hundreds of requests which have come in over the years for a new Christmas recroding.
The Dale Warland Singers:
Soprano: Beth Althof; Margaret Burton; Sara Dick; Marie Spar Dymit (section leader); Pamela Marentetter; Melissa Morey; Deborah Loon Osgood; Sarah Schlomer; Dawn Schuffenhauer; Monica Stratton
Alto: Abbie Betinis; Sara Boos; Joanne Halvorsen (section leader); Lynette Johnson; Shelley Kline; Mary C. Maiden Müeller; Krista Palmquist; Kelly Sorkin; Momoko Tanno
Tenor: Jared L. Anderson (section leader); Lawrence Bach; Joel Beyer; Joel C. Fischer; Eric N. Hopkins; Justin Karch; David Nordli; Hal Snyder; Gregory Tambornino
Bass: Jeffrey Bipes; Bruce Broquist; Matthew Culloton (section leader); Dave Jacobson; Brian Kremer; Michael Meyer; Kevin Michael Norberg; Tim O'Brien; Brian E. Petty; Brad Runyan; Terry Sheetz; Brian L. Steele
This CD was recorded at the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, in January 2002.
"Dale Warland--Founder and Music Director"
Celebrated American musician, Dale Warland, has made an indelible impression on the landscape of contemporary choral music both nationally and internationally. During his time with the Dale Warland Singers, he has shaped a vocal ensemble known for its exquisite sound, technical finesse, and stylistic range. From this platform, Warland not only masters the traditional repertoire, but has commissioned over 230 new choral works.
The choral world has responded by bestowing its highest honors on Warland, including a special award in 2002 from Chorus America and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) for Warland's "pioneering vision, leadership, and commitment to commissioning and performing new choral works at the highest level of artistry." Other awards and recognition include the 2001 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal; the 2001 McKnight Distinguished Artist Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements as a choral conductor; and the 1995 Michael Korn Founder's Award, the highest honor for a choral conductor in the United States, previously awarded to Robert Shaw, Margaret Hillis, and Roger Wagner, among others.
Warland's appearances as a guest conductor have taken him to the podiums of the Swedish Radio Choir, Danish Radio Choir, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble, the Utah Chamber Artists, the Grant Park Music Festival, and Israel's Cameran Singers.
Warland is committed to sharing his knowledge about the choral arts and has served on the faculty of the All-Japan Chorus League National Competition in Fukuoka, Japan; lectured on American music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinnki; served on the artistic staff of the Tolosa Choral Festival in Spain; acted as co-chair of both the choral and recording panels of the National Endowment for the Arts; and completed a 19-year tenure as Director of Choral Music at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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