Narada Presents: The Best of Celtic Christmas
Amazon.com
The Best of Celtic Christmas is a captivating double CD that is sure to set the right tone for a more reverential Christmas feast, and/or revelry. Packed with fiddles, flutes, and angelic voices, the first disc features a variety of Ireland’s most loved traditionalists, from Altan and Natalie MacMaster to the Boys of the Lough and De Dannan’s Frankie Gavin (in a spirited version of “Ding Dong Merrily on High” with the Irish Chamber Orchestra), plus many others, among them American country singer Kathy Mattea. Disc 2 highlights the award-winning Galway group Dordan, in a collection of jigs, reels, and carols, many sung in Gaelic, such as “Silent Night” and “Christmas Eve.” There’s a powerful magic to Irish music, with bright bursts of joy and merriment always tinged with a suggestion of melancholy and contemplation, and this set readily demonstrates it for the most magical time of the year. Recommended. –Martin Keller
Narada Presents: The Best of Celtic Christmas
5 Responses
I purchased this CD Christmas 06. One of the best decisions. I listen to the CD year round.This week I spent a week in the Appalachian Mountains, living in a wonderful 2 story log cabin-nestled in the heart of the Appalachians (out side of Boone, N.C.) and 2 days of rain, and cold weather, the atmosphere and the smoke rising off the mountains put my family in the Christmas mood.
All selections are exceptional, and beautiful. This 2 CD collection will never any further than arms-length from any CD player that I own. The music is very relaxing, and uplifting.
Rating: 5 / 5
This 2-disc set has lots of nice, soothing music, most of which you’ve probably never heard before. These aren’t the standard American Christmas songs. I’ve been unable to find a recording of Polly in the Holly (from CD 2) anywhere but in this CD set.
Rating: 4 / 5
I agree with all the good reviews, this is less common, soothing, beautiful celtic music with a holiday spirit. It’s something I listen to all year, it doesn’t have many of the classic carols that get stuck in your head. My copy sounds great, I think the one bad review got a bad cd and should ask for a replacement.
Rating: 5 / 5
This is beautiful, soft, relaxing, Christmas music one could listen to all year. I kept a copy in my car and when holiday traffic got so bad I wanted to scream I would pop in this CD and it would help me calm right down-didn’t help the traffic one lick but what ya spect from a CD. I would recommend this to pretty much anyone, even those who do not care for traditional Celtic music. Classy and refreshing
Rating: 5 / 5
This really is the best of Celtic Christmas music. There was very little on the CD I didn’t like. I highly recommend it!
Rating: 5 / 5