100 Best Carols (6 CD box set, FLAC)

Audio CD
Number of Discs: 6 CD box set
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: EMI Classics
Size: 1.39 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: no

Disc 1:
01. The First Nowell (1985 Digital Remaster)
02. Away in a manger
03. Up! good Christen folk and listen (1985 Digital Remaster)
04. O little town of Bethlehem (v.3 arr. Ledger) (1985 Digital Remaster)
05. I sing of a maiden
06. A Spotless Rose (1985 Digital Remaster)
07. Once in Royal David’s City (harm. A. H. Mann; descant Willcocks) (1985 Digital Remaster)
08. Personent hodie (1985 Digital Remaster)
09. Myn Lyking
10. O come, O come, Emmanuel
11. The Holly and the Ivy (1985 – Remaster)
12. Silent Night (Mohr; trans. & arr. Willcocks) (1985 Digital Remaster)
13. While shepherds watched their flocks by night (from Este’s Psalter; descant Willcocks) (1985 Digital Remaster)
14. It came upon the midnight clear (descant Willcocks) (1985 Digital Remaster)
15. The Lord at first did Adam make (1991 Digital Remaster)
16. Hark! the herald angels sing (tune & harmony adapted W. H. Cummings; brass fanfare & accomp. and descant by Willcocks)

Disc 2:
01. Shepherd’s Pipe Carol
02. Infant holy, infant lowly
03. Angel Tidings (Traditional Moravian carol, arr. Rutter)
04. Quelle est cette odeur agréable? (arr. Rutter)
05. I saw three ships come sailing by (arr. Rutter)
06. Nativity Carol
07. Quem pastores laudavere
08. Rocking (Little Jesu sweetly sleep) (Czech traditional, coll. M. Shaw trans. Dearmer)
09. Here we come a-wassailing (arr. Rutter)
10. The Coming of our King (Traditional Polish carol, arr. Rutter) (1988 Digital Remaster)
11. The Infant King
12. Shepherds’ Noël
13. Noël nouvelet
14. Gabriel’s Message
15. Sans Day Carol, ‘Now the holly bears a berry’ (Traditional English Carol, arr. Rutter)
16. Past three a-clock

Disc 3:
01. Methinks I see an heav’nly host
02. Los que fueren de buen gusto
03. A Virgin Unspotted
04. The Babe of Bethlehem (Ye nations all, on you I call)
05. Thys endere nyghth
06. Riu, riu, chiu
07. Christum wir sollen loben schon
08. Gaudete!
09. Verbum caro: In hac anni circulo
10. Alleluya: A nywe werk is come on honde
11. The Old Year now away is fled
12. Hodie nobis caelorum Rex
13. Audite principes a 16
14. In dulci jubilo (a 16) Pars II

Disc 4:
01. The Little Drummer Boy
02. Three Spanish Carols: El nino querido (The Beloved Child)
03. The Gift
04. Berceuse de Marie (Max Reger) (medley n°2)
05. Go Tell It On The Mountain (Chant De Noël Américain Traditionnel) (Medley N°2)
06. Joy To The World (Medley N°1)
07. Tochter Zion, freue dich (1988 Digital Remaster)
08. Zu Bethlehem geboreb (1988 Digital Remaster)
09. Mary’s Boy Child
10. Ukraine Bell Carol
11. Il est né, le divin Enfant (arr. Tunick)
12. Minuit, chrétiens: Cantique Noël (arr. Tunick)
13. Marche des Rois
14. Noël des îles
15. Chanson joyeuse de Noël
16. Weihnachten (arr. Mackerras) (1990 Digital Remaster)
17. Von Himmel hoch (arr. Mackerras) (1990 Digital Remaster)
18. In the bleak mid-winter (arr. Tunick)
19. O Tannenbaum (arr. Osser)
20. The Twelve days of Christmas (arr. Tunick)

Disc 5:
01. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
02. Good King Wenceslas (tune from Piae Cantiones, wrds. J. M. Neale, arr. John Stainer)
03. We three kings of Orient are
04. Angels from the realms of glory (arr. Charles Wood)
05. As with gladness men of old (from chorale Treuer Heiland, adapted W. H. Monk)
06. The Coventry Carol
07. Yorkshire Wassail Song (We’ve been awhile a-wandering)
08. Masters In This Hall (1993 Digital Remaster)
09. See amid the winter’s snow
10. Sussex Carol (1993 Digital Remaster)
11. Ding dong! merrily on high (1993 – Remaster)
12. O little one sweet BWV493 (1993 Digital Remaster)
13. Five English Folk Songs (1993 Digital Remaster): 5. Wassail Song
14. Carol with Lullaby (1993 Digital Remaster)
15. Cowboy Carol (2002 Digital Remaster)
16. The Shepherds’ Farewell (from L’Enfance du Christ Op. 25) (2002 Digital Remaster)
17. We wish you a merry Christmas (West Country) (2002 Digital Remaster)

Disc 6:
01. Nowell! Nowell! Nowell!
02. And all in the morning
03. I saw a maiden (1991 Digital Remaster)
04. A child is born in Bethlehem [Ein Kind geborn zu Bethlehem] (1991 Digital Remaster)
05. Where Riches is Everlastingly (1991 Digital Remaster)
06. How far is it to Bethlehem? (2004 Digital Remaster)
07. Of the Father’s heart begotten (2004 Digital Remaster)
08. Resonemus laudibus (2004 Digital Remaster)
09. The Shepherds’ Cradle Song (2004 Digital Remaster)
10. Quittez, pasteurs (2004 Digital Remaster)
11. Lully, lulla, thou little tiny child (2004 Digital Remaster)
12. Remember, O thou man (2004 Digital Remaster)
13. Hodie Christus natus est (1991 Digital Remaster)
14. Hosanna to the Son of David (remaster) (1991 Digital Remaster)
15. Angelus ad virginem
16. My Dancing Day (1991 Digital Remaster)
17. O come, all ye faithful (harm. English Hymnal; brass fanfare & accomp., descant and last v. by Willcocks) (1985 – Remaster)

Traditional Choral singing at it’s best

Most of the recordings in this set are from the British church choir tradition, although one of the CDs includes some orchestration and solo singing. With all the pop CDs on the market, it is nice to have at least one version of these carols that haven’t been souped up and grooved out beyond recognition. And 100 Best is an understatement. I am not sure, but I think every Christmas Carol in the Anglo classical/sacred tradition is present in this set. Combine this with your Andy Williams, Winter Solstice collections, and other more pop collections and it will keep you in the spirit through the holiday season.

The sound quality is excellent. Most of the performances were recorded in some sort of church or cathedral so the sound stage is big. I spent more than a few evenings last December sitting in my living room with only the light of my Christmas tree enjoying this set. At less than 20 bucks, it is a steal.