Another Christmas album? A little warm for that, isn’t it?
Yes, perhaps. But this Christmas album is notable for a bunch of reasons:
- First Virginia Glee Club recording during John Liepold’s tenure as conductor
- First recording of his re-scoring of the Duruflé “Ubi Caritas,” which took advantage of the group’s countertenor section to create a close harmony version of the song that would become one of the signatures of the group during Lieopold’s tenure
- First ever Glee Club performance of “The Winter Song.” The wolf winds are wailing from the doorways… without some of the sound effects that later generations of Club guys added to the performance.
- Really beautiful trio of “O Magnum Mysterium” settings
- Most of the Maurice Duruflé Messe “Cum Jubilo,” featuring Duruflé’s pupil Yvaine Duisit on the Old Cabell Hall organ, and solos from Poulson Reed and Matt Benko
Go check it out!