CHRISTMAS IN VIENNA

Yuletide joy with festive symphonic music and great singers – Merry Christmas!

When the brightly lit Konzerthaus in Vienna opens its doors to a festive public for its annual Christmas concert, it can be assured that millions of viewers around the world will be enjoying the concert's unique Christmas spirit for years to come. Clasart's recording captures the splendor of the Wiener Symphoniker, the Chorus Viennensis, the Wiener Sängerknaben and a quartet of top-class singers performing under conductor Karel Mark Chichon on the beautifully decorated stage of the Art Deco Konzerthaus.

Internationally acclaimed soloists El?na Garan?a and Juan Diego Flórez are joined by their distinguished colleagues Genia Kühmeier and Paul Armin Edelmann in this exuberant holiday concert recorded live in Vienna. In addition to many traditional Christmas carols, the soloists, the Chorus Viennensis and the Wiener Sängerknaben also perform a variety of popular classics such as the Mascagni’s Ave Maria as well as "The trumpet shall sound" and the "Hallelujah" from Handel's Messiah.

Catalan, Peruvian and American Christmas carols and songs add an international note to the program, which also features a delightful collection of traditional Christmas melodies. Sacred music is also writ large in this concert, with Mozart’s Laudate Dominum, Rossini's Missa di Gloria, Franck’s Panis Angelicus and the "Gloria" from Mozart’s Mass KV257.

The Wiener Symphoniker are also allowed to give their best in a number of purely orchestral numbers, including Dârzin’s Valse mélancholique and the "Farandole" from Bizet's Arlésienne Suite No. 2. And to everyone who loves the unique sound of the world-renowned Wiener Sängerknaben, their rendition of Holy Night and Leise rieselt der Schnee is sure to provide great delight.