A Christmas Festival: Favorite Christmas Carols
This disc recycles two different but complementary LP recordings, the first being a 1968 outing with the Gregg Smith Singers, the New York Brass and Percussion Ensemble, and organist E. Power Biggs, the second being a 1965 recording with André Kostelanetz  and his Orchestra. Though the repertoire for both is fairly traditional carols, they make for strange listening now. The Gregg Smith Singers selections are often straightforward, except when Biggs's gimmicky organ intervenes with all sorts of effects that are deployed with the artistry of Fourth of July fireworks. Did we ever mistake Biggs for a musician? Kostelanetz's ultra-busy orchestrations are almost comically souped up with cushy strings, ringing brass, and more harps than you'd ever want to hear. One saving grace is the underrecorded soprano Phyllis Curtin, who sings a lovely version of "O Holy Night." Also on hand is the  St. Kilian Boy Choir, which has an unusually robust sound.--David Patrick Stearns