Kurt Kaiser

Item: Christmas Favorites
Author: Julie Henry

Christmas Favorites

Reviewed by Julie Henry

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Sparrow RecordsThe LighthouseNovember 1993

adult contemporary classical

If you are looking for festive holiday party music, this is not the album for you! But, if you want a dignified approach to the traditional Holy music of the Christmas season, you'll probably appreciate Kurt Kaiser's Christmas Favorites. This is subdued piano with little flourishing and a few background instruments (like a french horn, violin, etc.) that would make good background music for a sit-down dinner or as a prelude to a Christmas program at church.

Kaiser has divided his "Christmas favorites" into five parts: Celebration suite, Evening suite, Carols of the birth, Christ Child suite, and Finale. In all, there are 17 beautiful songs. They range from the familiar "First Noel" to lesser known classical pieces such as "Shepherd's Farewell to the Divine Family" from Berlioz's Childhood of Christ. There is the beautiful Italian carol "Gesu Bambino" and the Old French traditional "Whence is That Goodly Fragrance?" There is an unusual arrangement of "I Wonder As I Wander" where Kaiser combines "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" with the anthem for a very effective arrangement. Some of the other songs chosen for the tract are "Silent Night," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," "Rocking," and "Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne."

Most of Kaiser's arrangements seem very somber, almost melancholy, but one more peppy tune is the "Go Tell It On The Mountain-Joy To The World" medley.

I enjoyed all the selections and I think you will too, if you keep in mind that this is not a dynamic or energetic approach to holiday music. Kaiser has produced a very respectable selection of traditional and classical piano pieces for the Christmas season.