Christmas with Chanticleer Featuring Dawn Upshaw

1	This is the truth sent fr
2	A Christmas Round, for ch
3	Today the Virgin, for cho
4	Es ist ein' Ros' entsprun
5	Es ist ein' Ros' entsprun
6	Es ist ein' Ros' entsprun
7	Es ist ein' Ros' entsprun
8	Es ist ein' Ros' entsprun
9	Es ist ein' Ros' entsprun
10	Es ist ein' Ros' entsprun
11	Noël nouvelet, carol (Fre
12	A Lullaby (to the tune of
13	The First Nowell (English
14	The Three Kings
15	Die Stimme des Kindes, fo
16	Suo Gân (Lullaby), song
17	Esta noche nace un Niño (
18	Coventry Carol (2): "Lull
19	Beautiful Star of Bethleh
20	The Huron Indian Carol ("
21	Mary and the Baby Medley
22	Mary and the Baby Medley
23	Stille Nacht, heilige Nac
Christmas with Chanticleer Featuring Dawn Upshaw
1.	This is the truth sent from above 4:41
	Composed by Christmas Traditional
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche, Dawn Upshaw and Dawn Upshaw
2.	A Christmas Round, for chorus 1:26
	Composed by John Tavener
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche and Dawn Upshaw
3.	Today the Virgin, for chorus 2:36
	Composed by John Tavener
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche and Dawn Upshaw
4.	Es ist ein' Ros' entsprungen 10:06
	Composed by Hugo Distler
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche, Dawn Upshaw and Dawn Upshaw
5.	Noel nouvelet 2:55
	Composed by Christmas Traditional
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche and Dawn Upshaw
6.	A Lullaby (to the tune of Kirkpatick's Away in a Manger) 3:31
	Composed by Thomas Bold
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche, Dawn Upshaw and Dawn Upshaw
7.	The First Nowell (English) 3:20
	Composed by Christmas Traditional
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche and Dawn Upshaw
8.	The Three Kings 3:17
	Composed by Healey Willan
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche, Dawn Upshaw, David Alan Marshall and David Alan Marshall
9.	Die Stimme des Kindes, for 8 part men's chorus 5:35
	Composed by Jaakko Mantyjarvi
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche and Dawn Upshaw
10.	Suo Gân (Lullaby) 2:53
	Composed by Welsh Traditional
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche and Dawn Upshaw
11.	Esta Noche Nace Un Niño (Spanish) 1:50
	Composed by Christmas Traditional
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche, Dawn Upshaw and Dawn Upshaw
12.	Coventry Carol (2) Lully, Lulla Thou Little 3:57
	Composed by Christmas Traditional
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche and Dawn Upshaw
13.	Beautiful Star of Bethlehem, revivalist hymn 3:14
	Composed by R. Fisher Boyce / Adger M. Pace
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche and Dawn Upshaw
14.	The Huron Indian Carol ("'Twas in the Moon of Wintertime"), carol (Quebecois) 4:08
	Composed by Christmas Traditional
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche and Dawn Upshaw
15.	Mary and the Baby Medley 12:08
	Composed by Joseph Jennings
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche, Joseph Jennings, Dawn Upshaw, Jay White and Matthew Alber
16.	Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht (Silent Night) 4:15
	Composed by Franz Xaver Gruber
	Performed by Eric Alatorre, Eric Alatorre, Kevin Baum, Chanticleer, Christopher Fritzsche, Dawn Upshaw and Dawn Upshaw

Barnes & Noble

The versatile all-male vocal group Chanticleer broadens its ranks to include guest soprano Dawn Upshaw on this lovely holiday album, a follow-up to the ensemble's Sing We Christmas. There are some old favorites here, notably "The First Nowell" and "Silent Night," but as always, these enterprising singers present a wealth of less familiar music as well -- some old, some new, all of it beautiful and radiantly sung. Many national traditions are represented, from an English folk carol arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams to a traditional Spanish carol, and from a Native American melody to African-American spirituals. Two short pieces by mystical composer John Tavener draw from the Russian Orthodox tradition, and a strikingly imaginative setting of "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" (Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming) by Hugo Distler is another highlight. Upshaw adds characterful solo contributions to five selections, matching Chanticleer's appealing vocal purity and skill at embracing a wide variety of styles. Conveying both the spiritual mysteries and the joy of Christmas, this album is sure to provide listeners with much holiday delight for years to come. Scott Paulin

All Music Guide

Christmas with Chanticleer is an offshoot of the group's popular "A Chanticleer Christmas" concerts. Like those programs, it features a blend of familiar carols and more adventurous selections, all arranged to suit the ensemble's distinctive sound and talents. The formula works very well: combining traditional arrangements like "The First Nowell" with updated takes on other classics, and throwing in a few contemporary compositions for good measure, keeps the program feeling both familiar and fresh at the same time. Soprano Dawn Upshaw makes winning guest appearances on five tracks, including the high-spirited "Spanish Carol," in which the ensemble impersonates the sound of a Spanish dance band.

Aside from their willingness to embrace a wide variety of styles, Chanticleer's biggest strength is the clarity and precision of their ensemble. Their gentle background to Upshaw's solo in Ralph Vaughan Williams' setting of "This is the truth sent from above" is haunting, and the thorny, often dissonant, textures of Hugo Distler's "Es ist ein Rosentsprungen" and Jonathan Rathbone's "Coventry Carol" sound marvelous when delivered with such crystalline purity. They do a good job capturing the old-timey feel of "Beautiful Star of Bethlehem," even if the stylized dialect they adopt for it makes it sound more like caricature than homage. Joseph Jennings' "Mary and the Baby Medley" is an appealing piece of arranging, culminating in the gospel-inflected "Jerusalem in the Morning," which makes the most of the group's abundant high falsetto voices.

If there is a weakness to the record, it's that moments of solo singing from group members often lack character and vocal charisma -- something that the group as a whole has in spades. But if you're tired of perfunctory "X sings Christmas" albums, and want something more imaginative for your Yuletide listening, Christmas with Chanticleer is just the ticket. Allen Schrott