The Three Tenors – Christmas (2000) [Japan] {SACD ISO + FLAC 24bit/88,2kHz}

As with their other releases, on A Tenors Christmas, the Three Tenors – Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti – share the spotlight on some songs and take it individually on others. The Tenors are at their best on A Tenors Christmas when performing traditional holiday songs and holiday pop numbers; their version of John Lennon’s “Happy Christmas/War is Over” is somewhat awkward, but fortunately most of the album delivers holiday cheer with a dramatic, operatic flair.

Resplendent in voice and manner, José Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti deliver 21 songs of traditional sacred music and secular numbers in a remarkable 1999 live recording from the opulent Viennese concert hall (Konzerthaus), with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and a renowned choir. The Three Tenors are practically as famous as the faces of Mount Rushmore and inspire perhaps even more awe and adulation around the world than the four presidents. The performances-whether alone, in tandem, or simply as the threesome that has made them collectively famous-are generally impeccable for their passion, nuance, and sheer tour de force vocal artistry. Reaching often into the classical realm for such works as the traditional German carol “Susani,” Strauss’s and Brahms’s “Wiegenlied,” plus traditional Polish and Spanish pieces, the trio also visits Pavarotti’s “Ave Maria, dolce Maria” (cowritten with Vittoriano Benvenuti), and “Un nuevo siglo,” written by Domingo’s son. Only John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Happy Christmas/War Is Over” doesn’t quite work in this grand setting.

Tracklist:
01. Cantique de Noël (O Holy Night)
02. Adeste Fideles
03. Ave Maria, Dolce Maria
04. Wiegenlied
05. Oh Tannenbaum
06. Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle
07. Amazing Grace
08. White Christmas
09. Dormi O Bambino (Lulajźe Jezuniu)
10. Stille Nacht
11. Pregarìa (El Cant de L`Ánima a la Verge)
12. Susani
13. Happy Christmas / War Is Over
14. Wiegenlied
15. Carol of the Drum (The Little Drummer Boy)
16. La Virgen Lava Pañales
17. I`ll Be Home for Christmas
18. Sleigh Ride
19. Winter Wonderland
20. Un Nuevo Siglo
21. Feliz Navidad