Among the collection of Christmas albums released in 2021 was this one by soprano Christiane Karg and accompanist Gerold Huber, who caught the quiet, meditative tone of the project exceptionally well. It hasn't gotten much attention, but it's lovely, and it ought to well outlast the season in which it was released. Karg, largely off the road due to the coronavirus pandemic and spending time with her family, conceived the idea of a group of Christmas songs that avoided the Anglo-American pieces that dominate the scene in ...
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Among the collection of Christmas albums released in 2021 was this one by soprano Christiane Karg and accompanist Gerold Huber, who caught the quiet, meditative tone of the project exceptionally well. It hasn't gotten much attention, but it's lovely, and it ought to well outlast the season in which it was released. Karg, largely off the road due to the coronavirus pandemic and spending time with her family, conceived the idea of a group of Christmas songs that avoided the Anglo-American pieces that dominate the scene in favor of selections that held meaning for her in terms of meditating on the Christmas holiday. The core of the program is German, but there are detours to Scandinavia, Spain, and more substantially, France. There's not a hackneyed number in the bunch, and the tunes are memorable, seemingly simple but with touches that have made them last. Some are by composers better known a century ago, like Engelbert Humperdinck and Peter Cornelius. Karg is in superb vocal form, and she and Huber keep...
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