Martin, Hugh: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

The Colours of Christmas is a collection of the greatest Christmas carols by the composer/conductor whose music has, for many, been so associated with Christmas. Featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and The Bach Choir, with guest artists Over the Bridge and conducted by Rutter himself.

The Colours of Christmas (track 2 from the album) is a newly composed carol by Rutter for this new album, and is testament to the very best of Rutter’s music. Newly orchestrated for this album are the carols Ding Dong Merrily On High and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. All recordings on this album are brand new.

The Christmas album from distinctive Chorister boy-band Libera. An exciting mix of secular and sacred Christmas and Winter holiday favourites including "White Christmas", "Once in Royal David’s City", "Silent Night", "In dulci jubilo" & "O Holy Night". The deluxe edition contains the full album together with a special Libera Christmas tree decoration and 16 exclusive Libera postcards featuring song lyrics and pictures of the Libera boys.

The Christmas album from distinctive Chorister boy-band Libera. An exciting mix of secular and sacred Christmas and Winter holiday favourites including "White Christmas", "Once in Royal David’s City", "Silent Night", "In dulci jubilo" & "O Holy Night".

No living composer has come to be more closely associated with Christmas than John Rutter: for more than thirty years, his carols and other seasonal choral music have been an indispensable feature of Christmas celebrations worldwide. Inspired by the success of his much-loved annual Christmas concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, this major new recording, for release in November 2008, features première recordings of over a dozen brand new compositions and arrangements for Christmas by John Rutter, together with his own personal selection of seasonal choral and orchestral favourites by other composers. Recorded in the splendid setting of London’s Cadogan Hall, this is the first all-new Christmas release from Rutter’s celebrated Cambridge Singers for 20 years, and the first ever to feature the glorious sound of full symphony orchestra and organ.

SAN FRANCISCO -An outstanding new release from America’s premier professional wind band! The Dallas Wind Symphony has a worldwide legion of followers and this is their first recording of holiday music.

Horns For The Holidays showcases an exciting 12-track lineup including brilliant original arrangements of festive favorites with many first recordings. This sonic spectacular also features the huge Fisk pipe organ at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, and is faithfully captured by Reference Recordings’ world-renowned team of engineer Keith Johnson and producer Tam Henderson. A treat for wind band enthusiasts, audiophiles, and all who love great holiday music!

And the liner notes are informative and a real hoot, as they might say in Texas!

No more communicative, charismatic, or instantly recognizable artist than Bryn Terfel today bestrides the world’s stages. He is the heart and soul of this album’s special assemblage of Welsh and international top talent for a very personal, intimate album of his favourite Christmas carols and songs from around the world and from his native Wales. The guest list for this studio recording is lead by the immortal Bing Crosby – as a tribute to Bing Crosby the legendary singer and actor Bryn has recorded a new duet version of “White Christmas”. Other guests are the tenor Rolando Villazón who joined in for the beautiful Spanish Christmas song “El nacimento”, as well as the brilliant Welsh harpist Catrin Finch. With the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera under Tecwyn Evans and the chorus Cordydd Bryn has secured local Welsh forces for his new project. Bryn has also asked two Welsh singers and songwriters to contribute: Gwarw Edwards sings a duet with Bryn and Caryl Parry Jones has new Christmas songs for Bryn

Described by Choir & Organ as ‘a tremendous choir, with superb technique and an immense, expressive range’, Orphei Drängar give proof of its versatility in a highly varied programme which still manages to stay within the theme of Christmas: original settings and new arrangements of Swedish folk songs and Christmas classics, English carols and Broadway songs – with Stille Nacht, a Russian hymn in praise of the Holy Virgin and Eric Whitacre’s widely admired Lux aurumque.

After the presents are wrapped, the meal is prepared - and the drinks poured out - here is a programme of Christmas music filled with the emotion of 'Midnight Mass', and a reminder of the scent of the twinkling Christmas tree and the crackling fireside.

£1 will be donated to the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer for every CD sold

'A sound to melt the heart. I love it!' Aled Jones

A CD of everybody's favourite Christmas melodies 'The Christmas Collection' is a hit on Classic FM, and raising money for the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity. The disc includes the Pavao Quartet's special arrangement of 'Silent Night', as performed for the Duchess of Cornwall. The Pavao Quartet are prizewinners from the Royal Academy of Music, London; their classical concerts have taken them all over the world, and they have also worked with artists as diverse as Sir Willard White, Elaine Paige, Katherine Jenkins, Cee-Lo Green, Sir Paul McCartney and Adele. Their 'Christmas Collection' for Breakthrough Breast Cancer became part of the soundtrack of Christmas for many people, on disc and on radio.

'There are more than 500 renditions of 'Have Yourself a Merry little Christmas'. I haven't heard them all, of course, but I've heard enough of them to be fairly sure that the one by your marvellous "Pavão Quartet" is the most beautiful. First of all, the arrangement is extraordinary (as are all the arrangements). And secondly, the performances by you four virtuosos are beyond criticism. Thank you for this treasure which I will enjoy the rest of my life.'

- Hugh Martin (composer of 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas')