Product Overview
Mantovani and his Orchestra - A Song For Christmas (CD DOUBLE (LARGE CASE)) Mantovanimade his first Christmas single (White Christmas, with AdesteFidelesfor the B side) for Decca in October 1952. A year later he recorded a further twelve numbers for 'An Album of Christmas Music' and it became a major seller in the 1950s. With the advent of stereo, in 1958 all fourteen numbers were re-recorded and the album (here heard as CD 1) became a million seller. It was followed in 1963 with a second Christmas album, entitled 'A Song for Christmas' from which this set takes it names. 'A Song for Christmas' finds the Mike SammesChorus and Singers, who often joined the Italian born maestro's musicians. They can be heard on seven of the twelve numbers on the record. A frequent arranger of much of the music Mantovanirecorded was Cecil Milner, one of the maestro's select team of arrangers. Among the familiar carols on the album, are some unfamiliar items like Mantovani'sself-penned Christmas Bells, which conjures up the happy atmosphere surrounding Jesus Christ's birthday celebrations. Paul Lambrecht's Midnight Waltzand the now-forgotten traditional tune Nazareth, are equally unfamiliar, while Milner's arrangement of 'O Thou that tellestGood Tidings to Zion' (from Handel's Messiah) is entirely free of Mantovani'ssignature cascading strings. Tracklistings: CD 1 MantovaniÓChristmas Album 1O Come all ye Faithful 2Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 3God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen 4White Christmas 5Good King Wenceslas 6O Holy Night 7The First Nowell 8Joy to the World 9Silent Night, Holy Night 10O Tannenbaum 11Midnight Waltz 12Nazareth 13O Little Town of Bethlehem 14The Skaters' Waltz, Op. 183 (Les Patineurs) CD 2 A Song for Christmas 1Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly- 2Once in Royal David's City- 3Jingle Bells 4Toy Waltz 5The Holly and the Ivy- 6O Thou that tellestGood Tidings to Zion (from Messiah) 7It Came Upon the Midnight Clear- 8The Twelve Days of Christmas- 9While Shepherds Watched 10Christmas Bells 11Mary's Boy Child- 12I Saw Three Ships- Mike SammesChorus and Singers- Mantovaniand his Orchestra
