Description
With Christmas Celebration, two outstanding youth orchestras melt together a wide variety of musical styles to make a breathtaking Christmas programme. In combination with expressively mixed and well-dosed voices, the most delightful Christmas classics alternate between symphonic, swinging, jazzy, funky or gospelly touching variations. Surprisingly fresh arrangements, highly recommended by Santa Claus!
Performing as members of the Hessian Jazz Youth Orchestra (Kicks & Sticks), talented young musicians are given the opportunity of high-class jazz education. Kicks & Sticks ranks among Europe’s best jazz youth orchestras. Wolfgang Diefenbach’s outstanding work with the band has been rewarded with the Hessian Cultural Award.
The Hessian Youth Symphony Orchestra is another institution that works in the German federal state of Hesse to bring out the very best in young musicians. Principal conductor Nicolás Pasquet unites the best young Hessian musicians to a symphonic orchestra of the highest quality.
Tracklist
Featuring Kicks & Sticks Voices (Lisa Herbolzheimer, Stephanie Neigel, Jasmine Klewinghaus, Christina Schamei, Nicole Jost, Stella Becker, Christopher Klassen, Axel Heintzenberg, Nicolas Ries)
Kicks & Sticks on stage with the Landesjugend Sinfonieorchester Hessen (Hessian Youth Symphony Orchestra)
Conductor Wolfgang Diefenbach
| 1. | My Grown-Up Christmas List | 3:23 |
| lyrics and music David Foster solo: Stephanie Neigel |
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| 2. | Jingle Bells | 3:15 |
| Traditional solo: Axel Heintzenberg |
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| 3. | Joyful | 3:56 |
| comp Ludwig van Beethoven / arr Henry Dyke, Craig McCall solos: Jasmine Klewinghaus / Nicole Jost / Christina Schamei |
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| 4. | Halleluja | 3:59 |
| lyrics and music Georg Friedrich Händel / arr Michael Owen Jackson, Mark Winston Kibble, Mervyn Edwin Warren solo: Christopher Klassen |
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| 5. | Adagio | 6:02 |
| lyrics and music Tomaso Albinoni, Remo Giazotto / arr Isidora Topas solos: Jasmine Klewinghaus / Marius Peters, git |
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| 6. | Away in a Manger | 3:35 |
| comp James R. Murray / arr Walt Mills / lyrics John Thomas McFarland vocals: Kicks & Sticks Voices |
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| 7. | Santa Claus is Coming to Town | 4:30 |
| comp Fred J. Coots / lyrics Haven Gillespie solos: Nicolas Ries / Nico Hering, p |
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| 8. | Christmas Song | 3:44 |
| lyrics and music Melvin H. Torme, Robert Wells solo: Christian Seeger, as |
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| 9. | Bridge Over Troubled Water | 4:28 |
| lyrics and music Paul Simon solos: Christopher Klassen / Marius Peters, gi |
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| 10. | I’ve Got My Love to Keep me Warm | 2:24 |
| lyrics and music Irving Berlin solo: Wolfgang Diefenbach |
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| 11. | Advent | 2:06 |
| lyrics Rainer Maria Rilke, arr Isidora Topas solos: Lisa Herbolzheimer, Isidora Topas, p |
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| 12. | Le Jardin Féerique | 3:18 |
| comp and arr Maurice Joseph Ravel solo and lead: Stephanie Neigel |
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| 13. | White Christmas | 5:22 |
| lyrics and music Irving Berlin solos: Juliette Brousset, Felix Blum, flh |
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We thank the choir of the Liebig school Gießen with its choirmaster Peter Schmitt for joining in:
My Grown-Up Christmas List, Jingle Bells, Hallelujah, Bridge Over Troubled Water and White Christmas.
Recorded at Performance Studios, Frankfurt. Additional recordings, mixing and mastering at Kangaroo Digital Audio, Karlsdorf-Neuthard.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Thomas Mark, recording assistant: Jörg See,
except track 12, which was recorded and mixed at Hessischer Rundfunk
Tonmeister: Philipp Knop, audio engineer: Rüdiger Orth.
Produced by Wolfgang Diefenbach for the Förderverein des LandesJugendJazzOrchesters Hessen e.V.
