Ceremony of Carols

I am stunned by the sonic abilities of this group of consummate artists. They take my breath away! In additional to the incredible voices, I love the harp, piano, and organ. What a treat to hear these instruments performed with such beautiful tone, strength, and musicality by Grace Cloutier (harp) and Alan Murchie (piano/organ). Congratulations to you all and I hope you have a next album in the making!!

I don't recall any harpist recording Gliere's 'Impromtu'. I have the sheet music. It is a good challenge! It is good every once in a while to hear an updated recording of 'Ceremony Of Carols', but coupled with Rutter's 'Dancing Day', makes it especially nice. A plus is all the pieces they have added in between, with an added harp solo outside of 'Interlude' from CoC and harp solos from 'DD'.

Great job, I adore this album :) See you around, Liz

Absolutely gorgeous vocals! Puts you in the spirituality of the Christmas season!

Etherea's debut recording is the best holiday gift you could ask for. They blend seamlessly and create the most luscious sounds, especially in Britten's famous Ceremony of Carols. Often performed during the winter season, but rarely at such a high level. I have heard them live several times and it’s just as good live! Their energy and passion is unmistakable. I'm thrilled they have a recording and I can listen to them any time I want now. Harpist Grace Cloutier simply shines on here as well. Her beautiful tone and musicality are superb! Her performance here is certainly the best I’ve heard on any Ceremony of Carols or Dancing Day. Ms. Cloutier follows and leads the group with ease. I noticed she has two recordings on iTunes as well. Both are fantastic and highly recommended! The blend of traditional and serious holiday works is just wonderful. Bravo on a magnificent recording and I hope there are many more to come. Treat yourself (and others) to the wonderful gift of Etherea and harpist Grace Cloutier this holiday season.

So, call me corny, but I work as an architect, and when I'm holed up in my office working on drawings for a client, I pretty much listen to music on my computer all day. And to the annoyance of others, between Thanksgiving and Christmas I listen almost exclusively to Christmas music, with Leontyne Price's "Christmas Songs" CD being my favorite; so much so that I tend to play it over and over and over again. No surprise then that others would want to try to wean me away from repeatedly playing this particular CD by trying to tempt me with other Christmas CD's. Which is kind of funny since I now have an entire shelf in my office that's filled with Christmas CD's that I"ve downloaded onto my computer. But it's still Leotyne Price that I listen to the most. That is, until I heard this new Ceremony of Carols CD by a vocal ensemble called Etherea. I listened to it most of the day yesterday and I still can't get enough of it! I'm going to try to hold off listening to it again today, figuring that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, after which I can really begin my holiday feast of all-day, all-the-time Christmas music. And when I do, it's going to be this Ceremony of Carols CD that's going to get played over and over and over.... So thanks to those who brought this CD to my attention. If the door to my office is open, you're going to be listening to it with me for for an entire month!

This recording is an absolutely gorgeous rendition of Britten's Ceremony of Carols. I have sung this music, and heard it many, many times both recorded and in concert, and I have never heard anything approaching the delicacy, purity of tone, and crystal clear sound of this ensemble. And the musical interpretation is nothing short of brilliant. (They are a young group -- I certainly hope they plan to record more.) This album is priced FAR too cheaply for some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard. I'm trying to think of how many friends I can "gift" it to for Christmas -- and I certainly won't limit my listening just to December! A must buy!! Tell your friends...

Such of a lovely twist to some favourite Christas Carols. Relaxing and peaceful

The group sings like unto a choir of angels. Their program is well thought out and exicuted. Top marks all around. -Bz

Just a quick correction - The ensemble is not all-female, I know there's at least one countertenor in the mix. But to the important point: This is the best recording of the Britten Ceremony of Carols I have ever heard. Sure, it's originally written for children's voices, but these people have such incredible blend that I don't care. Buy it. It's worth it; trust me.