Christmas from Norway

by Lise Davidsen

Overview

Lise Davidsen is the soprano of the moment, and Christmas from Norway might serve as a good introduction for general listeners to the wonders of her voice, from its incredible delicacy in the high register in Silent Night to the variety of sounds in a program where the dynamic level never rises above mezzo-forte. Davidsen fans, too, will find confirmation of their bias here. The program is a fresh take on a generally rather stale genre. It does indeed include some traditional Norwegian Christmas carols, as well as O Holy Night, sung in Norwegian (it is reprised at the end in English just for familiarity's sake). There is an early Sibelius religious song in Swedish and several songs in German, including Hugo Wolf's Schlafendes Jesuskind (from the Moerike-Lieder), that serve to demonstrate Davidsen's range. The program ends on well-trodden ground, with famous carols in English, at least one of which was arranged by Douglas Gamley for Luciano Pavarotti's mega-productions of yore. Some of the other arrangements are by Norwegian Radio Orchestra conductor Christian Eggen, who keeps the orchestra largely out of Davidsen's way where it belongs. The English-language carols, it must be said, have a bit of a Norwegian accent. One wonders sometimes why singers are expected to eliminate their accents in every language except English, but with a voice of this beauty, who cares? ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	11/10/2023
Label:	Decca
UPC:	0028948543595

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Lise Davidsen   Primary Artist,Soprano (Vocal)
Christian Eggen   Conductor
Norwegian Radio Orchestra   Orchestra
Norwegian Soloists Choir   Choir/Chorus
Norwegian National Opera Children's Choir   Choir/Chorus

Technical Credits

Johann Sebastian Bach   Composer,Original Material
Charles Gounod   Composer
Chris Hazell   Arranger
Luther Henderson   Arranger
Douglas Gamley   Arranger
Franz Gruber   Composer
Joseph Mohr   Lyricist
Adolphe Adam   Composer
John Francis Wade   Composer
David Cullen   Arranger
Jean Sibelius   Composer
Charles Mackerras   Arranger
John Fraser   Recording Producer
Max Reger   Composer
Hugo Wolf   Composer
Engelbert Humperdinck   Composer
Christian Eggen   Arranger
Joanne Baines   A&R
Paul Chessell   Cover Design
Anders Ohrwall   Arranger
Zacharias Topelius   Lyricist
Daniel Fesquet   Liner Note Translation
Andrew Mellor   Liner Notes
Martin Boelitz   Lyricist
Richard Stokes   Lyric Translation
Augustin Kock   Lyric Translation
John Sullivan Dwight   Lyric Translation
Julia Thomas   Editing
Oystein Halvorsen   Assistant Engineer
Fredrik Arff   Photography
Edvard Evers   Lyricist
Christmas Traditional   Composer
Bernhard Severin Ingemann   Lyricist
Gustaf Nordqvist   Composer
Hans Adolf Brorson   Lyricist
Philip Siney   Engineer
Adelheid Wette   Lyricist
Dominic Fyfe   Executive Producer
Eduard Moerike   Lyricist
Cappeau de Roquemaure   Lyricist
Martin Janus   Lyricist
Linda Godry   Lyric Translation
Stefanie Schlatt   Liner Note Translation
Alexandra Glynn   Lyric Translation
Jenny Stewart   Label Manager