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In France on Christmas Eve, children leave their shoes by the fireplace to be filled with gifts from Pere Noel. People in Spain light tiny oil lamps to welcome the Christ child as the stars come out on Christmas Eve. No matter where you are in the world, the one element common to every celebration is music. This new holiday recording, "A Sacred Christmas," is an unusual compilation that features choirs from Cuba, Spain, France, Argentina and other locales, performing carols, chants, hymns, Baroque music and prayers from a variety of masses. 

The choir that truly stands out is Coro Exaude de la Habana. The singers refer to themselves as "Exaudi," which is Latin for "listen." The members of this Cuban chamber choir perform with such precision and beauty that I keep returning to the three carols they sing here.  Exaudi was founded by its director, Maria Felicia Perez, in 1987. The award-winning group of versatile instrumentalists and singers is not only one of Cuba's most distinguished professional chamber choirs, but also one whose reputation extends to all of the Americas and Europe. 

This choir explores a repertoire of Cuban, Latin-American and sacred pieces ranging from the 15th to the 20th centuries. Exaudi is also the first choir in the world that has recorded a collection of unknown carols by Cuban composer Estaban Salas. Salas became a priest when he was 65 and dedicated his life to composing works for the many churches in Cuba. This recording opens with a carol by Salas titled "A Mercantile Ship." It's the buoyant harmonies and refined instrumentation of this Cuban chamber choir that really illuminate this piece.

Escolania de Montserrat is the oldest surviving music school and boys choir left in Europe. It's based in the famous abbey of Montserrat, Catalonia. There are currently 50 boys between the ages of 10 and 14 studying music at the school. The choir gives occasional concerts and has made more than 100 recordings. Its main purpose is to take part in the liturgical celebrations. 

On this recording, the crystalline voices of these young boys offer up a short piece titled "Balulalow" from Benjamin Britten's "Ceremony of Carols." Their musical training comes from the monks, who have their own singing ensemble, the Schola of the Monks of Montserrat. They are also featured on this recording in a Gregorian chant, "Ave Maria."

After listening to all 14 tracks on this recording, I was quickly reminded that sacred music comes in all shapes and sizes. The piece that closes out "A Sacred Christmas" is a traditional carol given an energetic gospel treatment by the Paris-based choir Gospel Dream. Through various small vocal ensembles and soulful piano accompaniment, the ensemble's rendition of "Silent Night" becomes a prayer of love and hope. 

"A Sacred Christmas" is a unique collection of Christmas carols, chants, hymns, and prayers that allows us to experience the spirit of the season from a much broader perspective. It's a choral journey uniting listeners through the most universal language, the language of music.


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Julie Amacher

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No matter where you are in the world, the one element common to every holiday celebration is music. Julie Amacher reviews a new recording that features choirs from Cuba, Spain, France, Argentina and other locales.

Choruses make Christmas sound around the world

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