Deck the Halls
Weihnachtsoratorium, BWV 248 - Teil 3: XXXI. Schließe, mein Herze dies selige Wunder
Cantique de Noël
Carol of the Bells
Veni, veni Emmanuel
He Shall Feed His Flock
Weihnachtsoratorium, BWV 248 - Teil 1: VIII. Arie. "Großer Herr und starker König"
Hänsel und Gretel: Abendsegen
Pastorale sur la Naissance
Das neugeborne Kindelein
Machet die Tore weit, TVW 1, 1074: II. Arie "Jesu komm in meine Seele"
Tochter Zion
Maria durch ein' Dornwald Ging
Es kommt ein Schiff, geladen
Adeste Fideles
Stille Nacht
Horn player Felix Klieser loves snow and the freezing cold, even if he doesn't get much of it at home in Hanover. Ever since his childhood, winter has been his favourite time of year - and not just for climatic reasons: "Even today, I'm an absolute Christmas fan and can't think of anything better than coming back from a walk in the snow to a warm house and slowly thawing out with a cup of hot chocolate. Little lights, tins full of biscuits, a visit to the Christmas market - this time of year is definitely my highlight!" enthuses the horn player.
The desire to record an album of Christmas music has therefore existed for many years. He often financed his studies by performing in the Christmas Oratorio. As is well known, the Advent season is always a boom time for brass players. Freely adapted from Bach: "Tönet ihr Pauken, erschallet ihr Hörner!" But the idea was repeatedly postponed, other recordings came along. It actually took 10 years with six albums released before he was able to fulfil this wish. In the meantime, Felix Klieser has built up an international career and has made the horn sound more frequently again as a soloist instrument on the big stages. It's time to fulfil a wish, as Christmas is also known for: And so the album title "A Golden Christmas" incorporates the colour of the horn not entirely by chance.
Felix Klieser has selected enchantingly beautiful melodies for his new album, which, like its predecessors, will be released by Berlin Classics. These include the heartfelt plea "Jesu, komm in meine Seele", an aria from Telemann's cantata "Machet die Tore weit", the old Advent carol "Maria durch ein Dornwald ging" and "Stille Nacht", which crowns every Christmas Eve. Alongside solemn carols such as "Adeste Fideles" or the yearning "Es kommt ein Schiff geladen", there are lively pieces such as the classic "Tochter Zion", a melody from Handel's oratorio "Judas Maccabäus", or the old English carol "Deck the Halls".
The composers range from the North German Baroque master Dieterich Buxtehude to the British composer John Rutter, who was born in 1945. The album thus covers a wide range and includes different eras and styles. Felix Klieser receives musical support from the first-class Wiener Concert-Verein. Founded in 1987 by members of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the chamber orchestra upholds the tradition of Viennese classical music on the one hand and cultivates contemporary repertoire on the other. It is the perfect line-up.
