A Very Brandenburg Christmas – A New CD From The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra has released A Very Brandenburg Christmas, a live recording of its 2014 Noël! Noël! concert which includes the Brandenburg Choir, Larissa Kovalchuk playing bandura, Christina Leonard on saxophone and Ben Dollman, baroque violin, conducted by Artistic Director Paul Dyer, AO.
Recorded at the City Recital Hall by ABC Classics, A Very Brandenburg Christmas features the five-time ARIA Award winning Australian Brandenburg Orchestra performing well-loved carols with the Brandenburg Choir, baroque masterpieces brought to new life, choral and operatic favourites, and – for the first time – the unique sound of the bandura, played by Ukranian Larissa Kovalchuk. The live performance was a highlight of the Brandenburg’s 25th year celebrations.
The recording contains some innovative twists like Dyer’s own arrangement of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and Christina Leonard’s transcription of a JS Bach concerto for saxophone and orchestra. There are also the perennial favourites like Gruber’s Stille Nacht and the late Sir David Willcocks’ arrangement of O Come, All Ye Faithful.
The Tracks:
1. PADILLA Deus in adiutorium
2. TRAD. arr. Manchester Divisions on Ancient Carols
3. TRAD. UKRAINIAN Duma & Kozak March (Дума та Запорозький марш)
4. VAVILOV Ave Maria
5. VAVILOV arr. Chance Ave Maria
6. BARBER Agnus Dei
7. TRAD. UKRAINIAN arr. Chance Near the Hill (Ой, Під Горою)
8-10. JS BACH arr. Leonard Concerto for Violin and Oboe d’amore in C minor, BWV1060
11. CATALANI arr. Chance Ebben! Ne andrò lontana
12. GRUBER Stille Nacht (Silent Night)
13. MARTIN arr. Dyer Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
14. ANON. arr. Willcocks O Come, All Ye Faithful
Paul Dyer Artistic Director and harpsichord
Australian Brandenburg Orchestra/Brandenburg Choir/Larissa Kovalchuk (Лариса Ковальчук) bandura/Christina Leonard saxophone/Ben Dollman baroque violin
Click here to read our review of A Very Brandenburg Christmas.
