''A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert'' is an 89-minute television film starring the opera singers

Kathleen Battle Kathleen Deanna Battle (born August 13, 1948) is an American operatic soprano known for her distinctive vocal range and tone. Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Battle initially became known for her work within the concert repertoire through performances ...

and

Frederica von Stade Frederica von Stade (born 1 June 1945) is a semi-retired American classical singer. Best known for her work in opera, she was also a recitalist and concert artist, and she recorded more than a hundred albums and videos. She is especially associa ...

, the jazz trumpeter

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young ...

, the Wynton Marsalis Septet, the American Boychoir, the Christmas Concert Chorus, the Orchestra of St. Luke's and the pianist and conductor

André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...

. It first aired as part of

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

's ''

Great Performances ''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is produced by the PBS member statio ...

'' series in 1991, and was subsequently released on VHS, Laserdisc, DVD and CD. It was jointly produced by CAMI Video, Sony, PBS and

WNET WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as Thirteen (stylized as THIRTEEN), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the Educ ...

Synopsis

The film presents thirty pieces of music performed before an audience in the main auditorium of

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

, New York City on 8 December 1991. The soloists mostly stand on a multi-level platform at the front of the stage, the back of which is decorated with three large, lavish panels of Christmas imagery inspired by designs on a Russian lacquer box. The music, presented without any interrupting dialogue, is both sacred and secular. It is drawn from many traditions and performed in a variety of styles, ranging from

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

hymnody to jazz improvisation. Included in the programme are American spirituals, traditional European carols, songs by the twentieth century American composers

Hugh Martin Hugh Martin (August 11, 1914 – March 11, 2011) was an American musical theater and film composer, arranger, vocal coach, and playwright. He was best known for his score for the 1944 MGM musical '' Meet Me in St. Louis'', in which Judy Garla ...

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers wa ...

and

Mel Tormé Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "the Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arrangement, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roa ...

and compositions by the classical composers

Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

Humperdinck Humperdinck or Humperdink is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Engelbert Humperdinck (composer) (1854–1921), German composer * Adelheid Wette née Humperdinck (1858–1916), German author, composer, and folklorist; librettist o ...

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

Praetorius Praetorius, Prätorius, Prætorius was the name of several musicians and scholars in Germany. In 16th and 17th century Germany it became a fashion for educated people named "Schulze," "Schultheiß," or "Richter (disambiguation), Richter" (which mea ...

Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...

and Reger. The concert's arrangements by Nancy Allen, Arthur Harris and

Alexander Courage Alexander Mair Courage Jr. (December 10, 1919May 15, 2008) familiarly known as "Sandy" Courage, was an American orchestrator, arranger, and composer of music, primarily for television and film. He is best known as the composer of the theme mus ...

– the first composer of music for ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'' – were specially commissioned for it.

DVD chapter listing

* Opening fanfare *

Jester Hairston Jester Joseph Hairston (July 9, 1901 – January 18, 2000) was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor and actor. He was regarded as a leading expert on black spirituals and choral music. His notable compositions include " A ...

(1901–2000): " Mary's Little Boy Chile", orchestrated by

Hale Smith Hale Smith (June 29, 1925 – November 24, 2009) was an American composer, arranger, and pianist.De Lerma, Dominique-Rene"African Heritage Symphonic Series" Liner note essay. Cedille CDR061. Biography Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he learned pian ...

(

, Crusher Bennett alypso percussion Victor See Yuen alypso percussion Boychoir, Chorus, Orchestra) * Traditional: " The Twelve Days of Christmas", arranged by Arthur Harris (Ensemble) * Pietro Alessandro Yon (1886–1943): "

Gesù bambino is an Italian Christmas carol composed by Pietro Yon in 1917. The melody was used by Frederick H. Martens in his English language carol "When Blossoms Flowered 'mid the Snows". The melody and lyrics of the chorus are derived from the chorus of ...

", arranged by Arthur Harris (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Boychoir, Orchestra) *

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

(1756–1791): "Alleluja" from ''

Exsultate, jubilate (Exult, rejoice), K. 165, is a 1773 motet by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. History This religious solo motet was composed when Mozart was staying in Milan during the production of his opera '' Lucio Silla'' which was being performed there in the T ...

'' (Kathleen Battle, Orchestra) *

Felix Bernard Felix William Bernard (April 28, 1897 – October 20, 1944) was an American conductor, pianist and a composer of popular music. His writing credits include the popular songs "Winter Wonderland" (with lyricist Richard Bernhard Smith) and "Dardanel ...

(1897–1944): "

Winter Wonderland "Winter Wonderland" is a song written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard Bernhard Smith. Due to its seasonal theme, it is often regarded as a Christmas song in the Northern Hemisphere. Since its original recording by Richard Himb ...

", arranged by Wynton Marsalis (The Wynton Marsalis Septet) *

Michael Praetorius Michael Praetorius (probably 28 September 1571 – 15 February 1621) was a German composer, organist, and Music theory, music theorist. He was one of the most versatile composers of his age, being particularly significant in the development of ...

(1571–1621): " Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" (Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen), arranged by Arthur Harris (Frederica von Stade, Boychoir, Chorus) *

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...

(1891–1953): "Troika" from ''

Lieutenant Kijé Lieutenant Kijé or Kizhe (, translit. Poruchik Kizhe), originally Kizh (Киж), is a fictional character in an anecdote about the reign of Emperor Paul I of Russia, in which the cover up of a transcription error leads to the creation of a ...

'' (Orchestra) *

John Jacob Niles John Jacob Niles (April 28, 1892 – March 1, 1980) was an American composer, singer and collector of traditional ballads. Called the "Dean of American Balladeers," Niles was an important influence on the American folk music revival of the 195 ...

(1892–1980): "

I Wonder as I Wander "I Wonder as I Wander" is a Christian folk hymn, typically performed as a Christmas carol, written by American folklorist and singer John Jacob Niles. The hymn has its origins in a song fragment collected by Niles on July 16, 1933.Pen, Ron. "I W ...

", arranged by Robert Sadin (Frederica von Stade, Nancy Allen, Orchestra) * Traditional: "Mary Had a Baby", arranged by Robert Sadin (Kathleen Battle, Wynton Marsalis, Boychoir, Chorus, Orchestra) * Traditional: "Oh Mary, What You Gonna Name That Pretty Little Baby", arranged by Sylvia Olden Lee, adapted and orchestrated by Robert Sadin (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Chorus, Orchestra) * Traditional: "Who Was Mary? Mary Was Queen of Galilee", arranged by Wendell Whalum, adapted and orchestrated by Robert Sadin (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Wynton Marsalis, Chorus, Orchestra) * Traditional: "Sister Mary Had-a But One Child", arranged by

Roland Hayes Roland Wiltse Hayes (June 3, 1887 – January 1, 1977) was an American lyric tenor and composer. Critics lauded his abilities and linguistic skills demonstrated with songs in French language, French, German language, German, and Italian langu ...

, adapted by Nancy Allen (Kathleen Battle, Nancy Allen) * Traditional: " Go Tell It on the Mountain", arranged by Don Marsh, orchestrated by Arthur Harris (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Wynton Marsalis, Boychoir, Chorus, Orchestra) *

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

(1685–1759), adapted by Lowell Mason: "

Joy to the World "Joy to the World" is an English hymn and Christmas carol. It was written in 1719 by the English minister and hymnist Isaac Watts. It is usually sung to the American composer Lowell Mason's 1848 arrangement of a tune attributed to George Fride ...

"; text by

Isaac Watts Isaac Watts (17 July 1674 – 25 November 1748) was an English Congregational minister, hymn writer, theologian, and logician. He was a prolific and popular hymn writer and is credited with some 750 hymns. His works include " When I Survey th ...

; arranged by Wynton Marsalis (The Wynton Marsalis Septet) *

Franz Xaver Gruber Franz Xaver Gruber (25 November 1787 – 7 June 1863) was an Austrian primary school teacher, church organist and composer in the village of Arnsdorf, who is best known for composing the music to "Stille Nacht" ("Silent Night"). Life Gruber w ...

(1787–1863): "

Silent Night "Silent Night" () is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO The United Nations Educati ...

" (Stille Nacht); text by

Joseph Mohr Josephus Franciscus Mohr, sometimes spelled Josef (11 December 1792 – 4 December 1848) was an Austrian Roman Catholic priest and writer, who wrote the words to the Christmas carol "Silent Night." Early life and education Mohr was born in S ...

; arranged by Wynton Marsalis (Kathleen Battle, The Wynton Marsalis Septet) *

(1902–1979): " My Favorite Things" from ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...

''; text by

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in musical theater for nearly 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Award ...

; arranged by Arthur Harris (Frederica von Stade, Orchestra) *

(1925–1999): "

The Christmas Song "The Christmas Song" (commonly subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or, as it was originally subtitled, "Merry Christmas to You") is a Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells (songwriter), Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. The Nat K ...

"; text by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé; (Kathleen Battle, Tony Falanga

ass Ass most commonly refers to: * Buttocks (in informal American English) * Donkey or ass, ''Equus africanus asinus'' **any other member of the subgenus ''Asinus'' Ass or ASS may also refer to: Art and entertainment * Ass (album), ''Ass'' (albu ...

James Saporito

rums Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced in ...

iano *

(1914–2011): "

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical '' Meet Me in St. Louis''. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics. ...

"; text by

Ralph Blane Ralph Blane (July 26, 1914 – November 13, 1995) was an American composer, lyricist, and performer. Life and career Blane was born Ralph Uriah Hunsecker in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He attended Tulsa Central High School. He studied singing wit ...

; (Frederica von Stade, André Previn iano * John Henry Hopkins Jr. (1820–1891): "

We Three Kings of Orient Are "We Three Kings", original title "Three Kings of Orient", also known as "We Three Kings of Orient Are" or "The Quest of the Magi", is a Christmas carol that was written by John Henry Hopkins Jr. in 1857. At the time of composing the carol, Hopk ...

", arranged by Wynton Marsalis (The Wynton Marsalis Septet) * Engelbert Humperdinck (1854–1921): "Abends will ich schlafen gehn" from ''

Hänsel und Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). Hansel and Gretel are siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch ...

''; text by Adelheid Wette; (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Orchestra) *

Max Reger Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger (19 March 187311 May 1916) was a German composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and academic teacher. He worked as a concert pianist, a musical director at the Paulinerkirche, Leipzig, Leipzig University Chu ...

(1873–1916): " Mariae Wiegenlied"; text by Martin Boelitz); arranged by Robert Sadin (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Orchestra) * Traditional English: "

I Saw Three Ships "I Saw Three Ships (Come Sailing In)" is an English Christmas carol, listed as number 700 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The earliest printed version of "I Saw Three Ships" is from the 17th century, possibly Derbyshire, and was also published by ...

", arranged by

(Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Boychoir, Chorus, Orchestre) * Traditional: "

The First Noël "The First Nowell" (or Nowel), modernised as "The First Noel" (or Noël), is a traditional English Christmas carol with Cornish origins most likely from the early modern period, although possibly earlier.. It is listed as number 682 in the Ro ...

", arranged by Alexander Courage (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Nancy Allen, Chorus, Orchestra) * Traditional American: "

Away in a Manger "Away in a Manger" is a Christmas carol first published in the late nineteenth century and used widely throughout the English-speaking world. In Britain, it is one of the most popular carols; a 1996 Gallup Poll ranked it joint second. Although i ...

", arranged by Alexander Courage (Frederica von Stade, Orchestra) * Traditional English: "Away in a Manger", arranged by Alexander Courage (Kathleen Battle, Nancy Allen, Boychoir, Orchestra) * Traditional Welsh: "

Deck the Halls "Deck the Halls" is a traditional Christmas carol. The melody is Welsh, dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to a winter carol, " Nos Galan", while the English lyrics, written by the Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant, date to 1862. ...

", arranged by Alexander Courage (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Chorus, Orchestra) * Traditional English: " The Holly and the Ivy", arranged by Alexander Courage (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Boychoir, Orchestra) *

Adolphe Adam Adolphe Charles Adam (; 24 July 1803 – 3 May 1856) was a French composer, teacher and music critic. A prolific composer for the theatre, he is best known today for his ballets ''Giselle'' (1841) and ''Le corsaire'' (1856), his operas ''Le post ...

(1803–1856): "

O Holy Night "O Holy Night" (original title: ) is a sacred song about the night of the birth of Jesus Christ, described in the first verse as "the dear Saviour", and frequently performed as a Christmas carol. Based on the French-language poem ''Minuit, ch ...

" (O nuit divine), arranged by Alexander Courage (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Chorus, Orchestra) * Traditional French: "

Angels We Have Heard On High "Angels We Have Heard on High" is a Christmas carol to the hymn tune "Gloria" from a traditional French song of unknown origin called "", with paraphrased English lyrics by James Chadwick. The song's subject is the birth of Jesus Christ as narr ...

", arranged by Alexander Courage (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Boychoir, Chorus, Orchestra)''Frederica von Stade: The Complete Columbia Recital Albums'', Sony CD, 88875183412, 2016''A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert'', Kultur DVD, D4157, 1992

CD track listing

* 1 (5:33) Traditional: "The Twelve Days of Christmas", arranged by Arthur Harris (Ensemble) * 2 (4:16)

(1901–2000): "Mary's Little Boy Chile", orchestrated by Hale Smith (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Wynton Marsalis, Crusher Bennett alypso percussion Victor See Yuen alypso percussion Boychoir, Chorus, Orchestra) * 3 (3:51) Pietro Alessandro Yon (1886–1943): "Gesù Bambino", arranged by Arthur Harris (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Boychoir, Orchestra) * 4 (2:42)

(1756–1791): "Alleluja" from ''Exsultate, jubilate'' (Kathleen Battle, Orchestra) * 5 (2:30)

(1902–1979): "My Favorite Things" from ''The Sound of Music''; text by

; arranged by Arthur Harris (Frederica von Stade, Orchestra) * 6 (2:46)

(1897–1944): "Winter Wonderland", arranged by Wynton Marsalis (The Wynton Marsalis Septet) * 7 (5:09) John Henry Hopkins Jr. (1820–1891): "We Three Kings of Orient Are", arranged by Wynton Marsalis (The Wynton Marsalis Septet) * 8 (16:19) Medley of American songs **

(1892–1980): "I Wonder as I Wander", arranged by Robert Sadin (Frederica von Stade, Nancy Allen, Orchestra) ** Traditional: "Mary Had a Baby", arranged by Robert Sadin (Kathleen Battle, Wynton Marsalis, Boychoir, Chorus, Orchestra) ** Traditional: "Oh Mary, What You Gonna Name That Pretty Little Baby", arranged by Sylvia Olden Lee, adapted and orchestrated by Robert Sadin (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Chorus, Orchestra) ** Traditional: "Who Was Mary? Mary Was Queen of Galilee", arranged by Wendell Whalum, adapted and orchestrated by Robert Sadin (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Wynton Marsalis, Chorus, Orchestra) ** Traditional: "Sister Mary Had-a But One Child", arranged by Roland Hayes, adapted by Nancy Allen (Kathleen Battle, Nancy Allen) ** Traditional: "Go Tell It on the Mountain", arranged by Don Marsh, orchestrated by Arthur Harris (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Wynton Marsalis, Boychoir, Chorus, Orchestra) * 9 (4:45) Medley **

(1925–1999): "The Christmas Song"; text by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé; (Kathleen Battle, Tony Falanga

James Saporito

André Previn iano **

(1914–2011): "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"; text by Ralph Blane; (Frederica von Stade, André Previn iano *10 (5:00)

(1787–1863): "Silent Night" (Stille Nacht); text by

; arranged by Wynton Marsalis (Kathleen Battle, The Wynton Marsalis Septet) *11 (2:44)

(1685–1785), adapted by Lowell Mason: "Joy to the World"; text by

; arranged by Wynton Marsalis (The Wynton Marsalis Septet) *12 (3:41) Engelbert Humperdinck (1854–1921): "Abends will ich schlafen gehn" from ''Hänsel und Gretel''; text by Adelheid Wette; (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Orchestra) *13 (4:04)

(1571–1621): "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" (Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen), arranged by Arthur Harris (Frederica von Stade, Boychoir, Chorus) *14 (2:03)

(1873–1916): "Maria Wiegenlied"; text by Martin Boelitz; arranged by Robert Sadin (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Orchestra) *15 (10:57) Medley, arranged by Alexander Courage ** Traditional English: "I Saw Three Ships" (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Boychoir, Chorus, Orchestra) ** Traditional: "The First Noël" (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Nancy Allen, Chorus, Orchestra) ** Traditional American: "Away in a Manger" (Frederica von Stade, Orchestra) ** Traditional English: "Away in a Manger" (Kathleen Battle, Nancy Allen, Boychoir, Orchestra) ** Traditional Welsh: "Deck the Halls" (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Chorus, Orchestra) ** Traditional English: "The Holly and the Ivy" (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Boychoir, Orchestra) **

(1803–1856): "O Holy Night" (O nuit divine) (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Chorus, Orchestra) ** Traditional French: "Angels We Have Heard on High" (Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Boychoir, Chorus, Orchestra)

Personnel

Musical

, soprano *

, mezzo-soprano * The Wynton Marsalis Septet: *

, trumpet; * Wes Anderson, alto saxophone; * Herbert Harris, tenor and soprano saxophones; * Wycliffe Gordon, trombone; * Reginald Veal, bass; * Stephen Scott, piano; and * Herlin Riley, drums * Nancy Allen, harp * Crusher Bennett, calypso percussion * Victor See Yuen, calypso percussion * Tony Falanga, bass * James Saporito, drums * American Boychoir (directed by James Litton) * Christmas Concert Chorus (directed by Robert De Cormier) * Orchestra of St. Luke's *

(1929-2019), piano and conductor

Other

Brian Large Brian James Large (born 16 February 1939 in London, England) is a television director and author. He is among the world's foremost TV directors specializing in opera and classical music. Biography Studies Large studied at the Royal Academy of Mu ...

, video director * David Kneuss, stage director * John Michael Deegan, scenery designer * Sarah G. Conly, scenery designer * Alan Adelman, lighting designer * Mark Schubin, engineer-in-chief * Tom Lazarus, audio engineer * Ken Hahn, audio mixer * Thomas Frost, audio producer * Steven Epstein, audio producer * John Alberts, audio post-production * Gary Bradley, editor * Daniel Anker, producer * Laura Mitgang, producer *

Peter Gelb Peter Gelb (born 1953) is an American arts administrator. Since August 2006, he has been General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Career Early career While in high school, Gelb began his association with the Metropolitan Ope ...

, executive producer

Broadcast and home media history

The concert was first aired in the US on 11 December 1991, broadcast by

in its ''Great Performances'' series. There was an 8 p.m. transmission on Channel 13 and an 8:45 p.m. transmission on Channel 21, the former accompanied by a stereo simulcast on WQXR. In 1992 PBS broadcast the concert again, and Sony released it on VHS and Laserdisc. Subsequently, Kultur reissued the concert on DVD (catalogue number D4157). presenting it unabridged, framed at 4:3, in colour (using the NTSC video standard) and with Dolby Digital stereo sound. Kultur's disc offered no bonus features nor any liner notes beyond a rudimentary track listing. On 6 October 1992, Sony released the concert on a 76-minute CD (catalogue number SK 48235).''A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert'', Sony CD, SK 48235, 1992 Sony's disc omitted the concert's only purely orchestral items (the opening fanfare and the ''Troika'' from Prokofiev's ''Lieutenant Kijé'') and arranged the other pieces of music in a different order. It came with a 20-page insert booklet that included no texts or translations but provided a detailed track listing, an essay on the concert and seven photographs taken during the performance. In 2016 Sony reissued the album with a 52-page booklet in their 18-CD collection ''Frederica von Stade: The Complete Columbia Recital Albums'' (catalogue number 88875183412).

Critical reception

John J. O'Connor reviewed the concert in a television column in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' on 11 December 1991. He had mixed feelings about the producers' choice of music, some of which he thought hackneyed. "Am I the only person in New York", he asked, "who, after sitting through hundreds of ornate renditions, finds 'The 12 Days of Christmas' numbingly tedious?" He was more complimentary about the calypso-infused 'Mary's Little Boy Chile' and a sequence of traditional American Marian numbers, as well as rousing ensemble versions of 'Go Tell It on the Mountain' and 'Angels We Have Heard On High'. He conceded that Previn's conducting and the concert's specially commissioned arrangements made some old chestnuts sound new again. Battle, in puff-ball-sleeved scarlet, was "quite dazzling in her upper registers and gets there often enough to make sure no one forgets it". Von Stade, sheathed in glittering emerald, was more expressive in her hymns than in her spirituals. Wynton Marsalis punctuated proceedings with his trumpet's "soulful wailings". The standing ovation at the end of the concert was well earned. The English classical vocal critic J. B. Steane reviewed the CD edition of the concert in ''

Gramophone A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...

'' in December 1992. He mocked the album's choice of compositions and arrangements, noting that 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' included a fragment of 'Ist ein Traum' from ''

Der Rosenkavalier (''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from Louvet de Couvrai's novel ''Les amours du cheva ...

'', that Reger's lullaby sounded like a duet that Strauss's Sophie and Octavian might have sung at their first Christmas together and that 'Silent Night' had been given a "smoochy accompaniment" which at times sounded as though it had been devised for another song altogether. For the performers, on the other hand, he had nothing but praise, applauding Battle's "unflawed purity of tone", von Stade's "characteristic warmth", Marsalis's eloquent trumpet, the cool expertise of his Septet and the geniality of Previn on the podium. All was bright and sweetly shining in the light of Carnegie Hall, he wrote – it was all "so happy and snappy, so gifted and sweet" that its sheer quantity of Christmas icing sugar made him scowl like

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

Ebenezer Scrooge Ebenezer Scrooge () is a fictional character and the protagonist of Charles Dickens's 1843 novel, ''A Christmas Carol''. Initially a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas, his redemption by visits from the ghost of Jacob Marley, the G ...

. Still, the concert was rich in ingenuity and charm and it was obvious that the audience had enjoyed it, and the album had captured the spirit of the occasion successfully.''Gramophone'', December 1992, p. 145

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert, A Frederica von Stade albums 1991 television films 1991 films 1992 albums 1992 classical albums Carnegie Hall Christmas television films Christmas television specials Classical Christmas albums Classical crossover albums Classical video albums Live classical albums André Previn albums Albums conducted by André Previn