The Many Moods of Christmas
Encyclopedia
The Many Moods of Christmas is an album of eighteen Christmas carol
s conducted by Robert Shaw
, grouped into four medleys. The carols were arranged for chorus and orchestra by famed Broadway orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett
.
The album has been recorded twice. As was the custom for stereo
albums made before 1967, the original version, performed by the Robert Shaw Chorale
and Orchestra, was released by RCA Victor in both mono and stereo in 1963. The album was a great success, but unfortunately the shadow of President John F. Kennedy
's then-recent assassination cast a pall over Christmas for many people that year.
In 1983, two years after Robert Russell Bennett's death, Shaw recorded a somewhat revised digital
stereo version, with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
and Chorus, released that December by Telarc. It was the first of three Christmas albums that Robert Shaw recorded for Telarc. While the first version of The Many Moods of Christmas had been made with rather close miking in a recording studio, the newer version was recorded in the more spacious environment of Atlanta Symphony Hall
in the Woodruff Arts Center
, resulting in a recording with more reverberation than the first.
The digital version remains a popular seller today, and for several years it eclipsed the original 1963 version, which had gone out of print. However, the 1963 edition has since been reissued, and both are now available on CD.
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
s conducted by Robert Shaw
Robert Shaw (conductor)
Robert Shaw was an American conductor most famous for his work with his namesake Chorale, with the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Shaw received 14 Grammy awards, four ASCAP awards for service to contemporary music, the first Guggenheim Fellowship...
, grouped into four medleys. The carols were arranged for chorus and orchestra by famed Broadway orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett
Robert Russell Bennett
Robert Russell Bennett was an American composer and arranger, best known for his orchestration of many well-known Broadway and Hollywood musicals by other composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers. In 1957 and 2008, Bennett received Tony Awards...
.
The album has been recorded twice. As was the custom for stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
albums made before 1967, the original version, performed by the Robert Shaw Chorale
Robert Shaw Chorale
The Robert Shaw Chorale was a professional chorus founded in New York City in 1948 by Robert Shaw, a Californian who had been drafted out of college a decade earlier by Fred Waring to conduct his Glee Club in radio broadcasts...
and Orchestra, was released by RCA Victor in both mono and stereo in 1963. The album was a great success, but unfortunately the shadow of President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's then-recent assassination cast a pall over Christmas for many people that year.
In 1983, two years after Robert Russell Bennett's death, Shaw recorded a somewhat revised digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
stereo version, with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Robert Spano has been its music director since 2001...
and Chorus, released that December by Telarc. It was the first of three Christmas albums that Robert Shaw recorded for Telarc. While the first version of The Many Moods of Christmas had been made with rather close miking in a recording studio, the newer version was recorded in the more spacious environment of Atlanta Symphony Hall
Atlanta Symphony Hall
Atlanta Symphony Hall is the home venue of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. It is located within the Woodruff Arts Center at 1280 Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia....
in the Woodruff Arts Center
Woodruff Arts Center
Woodruff Arts Center is a major visual and performing arts center located in Atlanta. The center houses four arts divisions in one campus and not-for-profit organization...
, resulting in a recording with more reverberation than the first.
The digital version remains a popular seller today, and for several years it eclipsed the original 1963 version, which had gone out of print. However, the 1963 edition has since been reissued, and both are now available on CD.