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A String Quartet Christmas - Volumes 1-3

Release Date: 09/28/2010
Label: Steinway & Sons Catalog #: 50001
Composer:  Lowell Mason ,  Traditional ,  John Francis Wade ,  Richard Storrs Willis  ...  Performer:  Nathaniel Rosen ,  Alexander Romanul ,  Arturo Delmoni ,  Katherine Murdock  ...  Number of Discs: 3
Recorded in: Stereo Length: 2 Hours 44 Mins.

If ever a season called for music in the home, it is Christmas. In the days before recordings, members of the household, invariably proficient on one instrument or another, would play music together - both for their own enjoyment and to set a festive mood. The arrangements in this audiophile set from Arturo Delmoni, meticulously produced by John Marks, hearken back to those earlier days. And in that tradition of music-making, the modern household may well be inspired to sing along.

Album Credits:
Volume 1 recorded April 24, 1995 at the Church of the Holy Trinity, New York City.
Volume 2 recorded May 21, 1997 in the Recital Hall of the Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, State University of New Read more York.
Volume 3 recorded June 29 & 30, 1998 in the Nave of Riverside Church, New York City.

Producer: John Marks
Recording Engineer: Jerry Bruck
Mastering Engineer: Robert C. Ludwig

Reviews:
"A three-disc set that features excellent performers, including violinist Arturo Delmoni and cellist Nathaniel Rosen, and a huge chunk of holiday fare. These recordings were available separately in years past, but are gathered together now in a neat package... This is a perfect product for anyone wanting to bring it down a little -- in this case, a whole lot, really -- and focus purely on the melodic beauty inspired by Christmas Time... The arrangements are sensitive, the playing really first-class. To vary the sonic flavor of a string quartet, there are occasional appearances of harp and organ. There are two dozen or so carols and other items per disc, covering many centuries and mixing the well-known with the rare and surprising. Among the surprises is an arrangement for violin and organ of the haunting Adagio from Alessandro Marcello's Oboe Concerto, which, somehow, takes on a reverential, Christmas Eve-like feeling in this context. " -- Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun

"A first-class string quartet plays tasteful arrangements … in refreshingly ungimmicky style. Warmly recommended for those who like the tunes better than the words." -- The Washington Post

"A simple string quartet breathes new life into Christmas classics … brings out the natural beauty in the songs of Christmas. This album will substitute nicely if you won’t be having a live string quartet at this year’s Christmas party." -- The Christian Science Monitor
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