BY JANELLE GELFAND
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Conductor Keith Lockhart puts a contemporary spin on Holiday Pops (RCA Victor, $16.99; 3 1/2 stars), his first Christmas album with the Boston Pops. It's a glitzy blend of orchestral medleys and choral gems, several to be heard on Holiday at Pops, to be broadcast nationwide at 9 p.m. Thanksgiving Day on A&E.
Besides Leroy Anderson's traditional "Sleigh Ride," there's Vince Guaraldi's jazzy "Christmas Time is Here" from A Charlie Brown Christmas (sung by children from Boston's Lincoln School) and "Good Swing Wenceslas" arranged by Sammy Nestico. A souped-up "Frosty all the Way," a mix of "Frosty the Snowman" and "Jingle Bells" features a swinging Boston brass section.
The Tanglewood Festival Chorus is excellent in favorites such as "Carol of the Bells" and "Mary's Little Boy Child," the latter given a Caribbean twist. Cincinnati-trained baritone Mark Oswald provides a deeply moving solo in Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on Christmas Carols.
The disc opens with an exultant Gloria by American composer Randol Bass.
Another Cincinnati favorite, pianist Michael Chertock, has compiled a warm, intimate collection of Christmas favorites from holiday movies (Christmas at the Movies, Telarc, $14.99; 3 1/2 stars).
Like his other discs based on movie tunes, these 16 hits are fluid, unhurried and evocative. Although the renditions are largely in the same mood, they are the perfect anecdote to the holiday rush.
Offering his own arrangements, Mr. Chertock plays with pristine technique and light jazz touches. His carillon-like improvisations create a scintillating effect in "Carol of the Bells." A Charlie Brown Christmas is represented in two cuts, including a reflective "Christmas Time is Here."
Holiday moods are recaptured in themes from movies such as Home Alone, It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street. My favorite, though, is Mel Torme's cozy "The Christmas Song" (used in the film Jingle All the Way).
For kids, here's violinist Itzhak Perlman and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Marita and Her Heart's Desire, A Musical Fairy Tale (Telarc, $14.99; 4 stars). It is the most charming and beautifully-executed children's album I've heard in years.
Narrated with wonderful imagination by actress Michele Mariana, Marita and Her Heart's Desire is part urban Wizard of Oz and part Peter and the Wolf.
In the story by Louise Gikow, Marita sets off to find the moon - sitting on the roof of Harper's Department Store - believing it can grant her heart's desire. On the way, she is joined by a slinky cat with a French accent (represented by the clarinet), a street-wise rat (trombone), a jowly dog (bassoon) and a meek mouse (piccolo). A bonus on the disc is Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra led by Andre Previn.
The album was commissioned by the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Bravo! Colorado, and Chamber Music Northwest in Oregon.
It's due in stores Tuesday.
