Our Review
From the initial cheery, multi-layered moments of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing to the cascading orchestral bars of the final track, Joy to the World, Christmas enthralls. This is instrumental holiday electronica at its best--all shining innovation atop a warm, nostalgic foundation. Magician George Quincy, a gifted Julliard guy (both a graduate and former teacher) who has written extensively for the theater, is the driving force behind Christmas, and although the straightforward album title may lack inspiration, the music does not. The approach is trimmed-down Mannheim Steamroller; the dozen well-loved carols are lovingly crafted and carefully executed.
The stylized cover is great--the impressionistic illustration (by Thayer Burch) of a flaming angel foreshadows the electronic excitement that awaits. I particularly enjoyed the loping We Three Kings of Orient Are, the extended, methodical O Come,All Ye Faithful (also the longest track at over 6 minutes), and the bell-tinkling It Came upon the Midnight Clear. Really, everything works here; the offering is consistently fine throughout.
George Quincy's electronic virtual orchestra provides the sort of holiday music that should impress and intrigue your relatives and guests. It's familiar, but charmingly different, and that's a winning combination for Christmas.
--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2009)
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From the liner notes:
Recorded and Mastered by George Quincy/Cottage Records.
George Quincy was born and raised in Oklahoma. He studied and taught at the Julliard School in New York and has written extensively for theater, opera and the dance. With these stylized instrumentals, he has created an elegant collection which will enhance and enrich the Christmas holidays for years to come. He has given us a Christmas for the future.
From the Website:
Mr. Quincy's album "Christmas" - a collection of favorite traditional carols rearranged for the 21st century - has been re-released and can be found on amazon.com.
George Quincy
Christmas
(CD Re-release)
Artist link
Label: Cottage Records
Length: 58 minutes
Genre: New Age
Release: 2009
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| Hark! The Herald Angels Sing |
| O Little Town of Bethlehem |
| We Three Kings of Orient Are |
| Away in a Manger |
| Angels We Have Heard on High |
| O Come, All Ye Faithful |
| Silent Night |
| It Came upon the Midnight Clear |
| O Holy Night |
| God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen |
| The First Noel |
| Joy to the World |