American listeners may not find this collection of old Deutsche Grammophon and Decca releases to be quite the "complete Christmas celebration" that's promised. American Christmas carols as a group are not included, although of course some of the selections from the German and English carol discs have achieved popularity in that country. The contents are also a bit unbalanced, with the Nutcracker, in a fine recording from the Kirov Orchestra under Valery Gergiev, the only album containing music newer than the Baroque era. With these caveats in mind, this seven-CD box set offers high value for those who want to throw some CDs in a changer and keep it running through the holiday season. Recorded between 1980 and 1998, the box combines established favorites of the historical-instrument crowd, Gergiev's aforementioned Nutcracker (the most recent of the set), and stars respectively among the youth choirs of German and English cathedrals on the last two discs. These sound especially good in retrospect: the Bach Christmas Oratorio and Handel Messiah performances have been partly supplanted by newer approaches, but one comes to think that the high level of musical accomplishment among boy choirs at the end of the 20th century represents some kind of milestone. No texts and no booklet notes other than track lists are included; the track lists are simply repeated on the sleeves of the individual discs, which could easily have been given over to a few relevant words. But for those in search of a large volume of well-performed Christmas music for a low price, this fills the bill. ~James Manheim
Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 5. No. 43. Chorus. Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 5. No. 44. Recitative. Da Jesu geboren war zu Bethlehem
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 5. No. 45. Chorus. Wo ist der neugeborene Konig der Juden / Recitative. Sucht ihn in meiner Brust
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 5. No. 46. Chorale. Dein Glanz all Finsternis verzehrt
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 5. No. 47. Aria. Erleucht auch meine finstre Sinnen
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 5. No. 48. Recitative. Da das der Konig Herodes horte
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 5. No. 49. Recitative. Warum wollt ihr erschrecken
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 5. No. 50. Recitative. Und lieb versammeln alle Hohenpriester
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 5. No. 51. Trio. Ach, wann wird die Zeit erscheinen?
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 5. No. 52. Recitative. Mein Liebster herrschet schon
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 5. No. 53. Chorale. Zwar ist solche Herzensstube
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 6. No. 54. Chorus. Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 6. No. 55. Recitative. Da berief Herodes die Weisen heimlich / Ziehet hin und forschet fleibig
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 6. No. 56. Recitative. Du Falscher, suche nur den Herrn zu fallen
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 6. No. 57. Aria. Nur ein Wink von seinen Handen
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 6. No. 58. Recitative. Als sie nun den Konig gehoret hatten
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 6. No. 59. Chorale. Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 6. No. 60. Recitative. Und Gott befahl ihnen im Traum
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 6. No. 61. Recitative. So geht Genug, mein Schatz geht nicht von hier
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 6. No. 62. Aria. Nun mogt ihr stolzen Feinde schrecken
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 6. No. 63. Recitative. Was will der Hollen Schrecken nun
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Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248: Part 6. No. 64. Chorale. Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen
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DISC 3:
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 1. Sinfony
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 2. Recitative. Comfort ye my people / No. 3. Song. Ev'ry valley shall be exalted
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 4. Chorus. And the glory of the Lord
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 5. Recitative. Thus saith the Lord / No. 6. Song. But who may abide the day of his coming
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 7. Chorus. And he shall purify
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 8. Recitative. Behold, a virgin shall conceive / No. 9. Song. O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 10. Recitative. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth / No. 11. Song. The people that walked in darkness
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 12. Chorus. For unto us a child is born
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 13. Pifa
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 14a. Recitative. There were shepherds, abiding in the field / No. 14b. Recitative. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them / No. 15. Recitative. And the angel said unto them / No. 16. Recitative. And suddenly there w
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 18. Song. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 19. Recitative. Then shall the eyes of the blind / No. 20. Song. He shall feed his flock
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 21. Chorus. His yoke is easy, and his burthen is light
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 22. Chorus. Behold the Lamb of God
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 23. Song. He was despised
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DISC 4:
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 24. Chorus. Surely he hath brone our griefs / No. 25. Chorus. And with his stripes we are healed
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 26. Chorus. And we like sheep have gone astray
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 27. Recitative. All they that see him laugh him to scorn / No. 28. Chorus. He trusted in God
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 29. Recitative. Thy rebuke has broken his heart / No. 30. Song. Behold and see if there be any sorrow / No. 31. Recitative. He was cut off out of the land of the living
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 32. Song. But thou didst not leave his soul in hell
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 33. Chorus. Lift up your heads, O ye gates
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 34. Recitative. Unto which of the angels said he at any time / No. 35. Chorus. Let all the angels of God worship him
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 36. Song. Thou art gone up on high
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 37. Chorus. The Lord gave the word
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 38. Song. How beautiful are the feet
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 39. Chorus. Their sound is gone out
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 40. Song. Why do the nations so furiously rage together / No. 41. Chorus. Let us break their bonds asunder
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 42. Recitative. He that dwelleth in heaven / No. 43. Song. Thou shalt break them
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 44. Chorus. Hallelujah
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 3. No. 45. Song. I know that my Redeemer liveth
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 3. No. 46. Chorus. Since by man came death
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 3. No. 47. Recitative. Behold, I tell you a mystery / No. 48. Song. The trumpet shall sound
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 3. No. 49. Recitative. Then shall be brought to pass / No. 50. Duet. O death, where is thy sting?
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 3. No. 51. Chorus. But thanks be to God
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 3. No. 52. Song. If God be for us
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 3. No. 53. Chorus. Wothy is the Lamb that was slain
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Messiah, HWV 56: Part 3. No. 54. Chorus. Amen
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DISC 5:
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Nutcracker, Op. 71: Ouverture, The
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Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act 1. Tableau 1. No. 1. Scene: L'ornement et l'illumination de l'arbre de Noel, The