Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain
$20.00
“Festive Disc of the Year” –Gramophone Magazine, 2018
Debuted at #3, Billboard Traditional Classical Chart (Nov. 2018)
Riveting… spectacularly performed and deeply moving.
–Seen & Heard International
Jeannette Sorrell, direction & harpsichord
Amanda Powell, soprano
Ross Hauck, tenor
with
Jeffrey Strauss, baritone
Brian Kay, tenor & lute
Apollo’s Singers & Apollo’s Musettes (children’s choir)
Apollo’s Fire’s latest CD album celebrates the ancient Celtic folk carols that were brought to America by the Irish immigrants – and then transformed into soulful Appalachian carols. Based on Jeannette Sorrell’s concert program of the same title (premiered in 5 sold-out concerts in 2017), this is a glowing and joyful album featuring medieval harp and vielle, wooden flutes, fiddles and lutes, along with children’s voices and the acclaimed Apollo’s Singers. The booklet includes informative program notes by Sorrell as well as photos from the live production.
The people of the mountains welcome Christmas with LOVE, SINGING, DANCING, and PRAYER.
“If you buy just one Christmas CD this year, get this one… an electrifying sequence of folk songs, traditional Christmas tunes and foot-tapping dance numbers… The raw exuberance of the two medleys which Sorrell uses to illustrate the migrants’ sea crossing… both feature a superb chorus of young singers. Performances are stunning, and Sorrell’s attention to detail makes this an intensely vivid listening experience. Proceedings finish with dancing and a bittersweet farewell. It’s all wonderful. An unconditional recommendation – buy this today.”
– TheArtsDesk (UK) [Read More]
“Draws you deeper and deeper in… for all the breathless rollicking, there are tears under the surface that highlight a vital part of the Christmas story, enforced emigration and all. The quiet finale The Parting Glass reminds us that, sometimes, two beautiful voices entwined are powerful enough.”
– GRAMOPHONE (Festive Disc of the Year, 2018) [Read More]
“This disc’s blend of polish and spirit is intoxicating…. one of the finest holiday albums I’ve ever encountered. Sorrell has crafted and polished her ensemble to world class. They have become adored by audiences wherever they go. Exquisite skill and daring abandon…”
– MusicWeb International [Read More]
“The arrangements have a magical quality, and the result is something like an American version of Jordi Savall’s investigations of folk repertories.”
– AllMusic.com [Read More]