Christmas Extraordinaire | 
 enlarge | Artists: Mannheim Steamroller, George Frideric Handel, Irving Berlin, James R. Murray, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Noel Regney, Christmas Traditional, Ray / Livingston, Jay Evans, Catalan Traditional, Alfred S. Burt, Felix Bernard, Robert Burns, Chip Davis
Label: American Gramaphone
Category: Music
List Price: $12.98
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $12.97 (100%)
New (50) Used (75) Collectible (4) from $0.01
Rating:  95 reviews
Sales Rank: 32144
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.5
MPN: 1225
UPC: 012805122528
EAN: 0012805122528
ASIN: B00005NNDK
Release Date: October 30, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Case is broken at hinge
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| Tracks:
| • | Hallelujah - from 'The Messiah' | | • | White Christmas | | • | Away In A Manger | | • | Faeries - from 'The Nutcracker' | | • | Do You Hear What I Hear? | | • | The First Noel | | • | Silver Bells | | • | Fum, Fum, Fum | | • | Some Children See Him | | • | Winter Wonderland | | • | O Tannenbaum | | • | Auld Lang Syne |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Chip Davis's Mannheim Steamroller hasn't lost any ground in the six years since their last Yuletide offering. Christmas Extraordinare is another innovative and heartfelt collection of seasonal treasures played on a combination of 18th-century instruments and modern-day synthesizers, drums, and electric guitars. While not the first to marry different ages of musical instruments, Davis and his cohorts use them with imagination and an intensity that gives new life and drama to this rather inert genre. For material, Mannheim Steamroller asked their fans to choose their favorite holiday selections and vote on their Web site. The results of the poll are a fine mix of old and new--with slightly more emphasis on the modern--ranging from the bracing "Fum, Fum, Fum," a traditional Catalan carol, to Tchaikovsky's "Faeries" from The Nutcracker. Mannheim Steamroller imbues this beloved song with an almost militaristic edge, grounding it with an ominous tuba that gives the usually fey "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" an edgy tension. "Winter Wonderland" is a spectacular work, bordering on prog rock, as if Emerson, Lake & Palmer had re-formed to whip up a winter blizzard gone amok. While most of the Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas albums are largely instrumental, Davis has employed the considerable talents of University of Michigan's Glee Club to sing on "O Tannenbaum," respectfully fading their elegant, full vocals around the pristine voice of Johnny Mathis, elevating this German carol to a cinematic peak. Don't miss out on the clever liner notes, which give the reader a whimsical, anecdotal history of the 12 songs. --Jaan Uhelszki
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| Customer Reviews: Read 90 more reviews...
 Christmas Extraordinair January 20, 2008
NEH (Youngstown, OH)
I bought this for my daughter for Christmas since I already had one. It is a great CD for Christmas.
 not your tradtiional Christmas music! January 12, 2008
Gina Pollaci (Northport, NY)
CD was in perfect condition!
music is great! Added a different touch to my Christmas collection.
"Christmas Extraordinaire" January 8, 2008
Aurora Zang (El Paso, TX)
I purchased this CD for "Faeries" which I had heard on the radio...However, I find the whole CD has become one of my favorite Christmas albums. The Mannheim Steamroller's CD is truly 'extraordinaire'.
Mediocre December 19, 2007
Phyllis Brode
Excellent start with Hallelujah chorus and then fizzled after that with a few intermittent high points. I just did not like this particular package of songs. Too much new age sound toward the end. Wish I would have read the other reviews before purchase.
 Surprisingly boring December 4, 2007
James Robertson (Seattle, WA USA)
I like Mannheim Steamroller's other Christmas albums. So, I kind of got carried away and bought this one without listening to it ahead of time. That was a mistake. I should have paid more attention to the negative reviews, as it's remarkably boring. The tunes all sound sort of similar as most feature either bells or a generic synthesizer. The layered complexity that made their other albums gems is missing. The melodies are so broken apart as to be almost unrecognizable, which for a Christmas album is not a good thing. I recommend skipping this one altogether and getting one of their better albums (e.g. Christmas in the Aire).
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