Carl Tanner, “Hear the Angel Voices”
Tenor Carl Tanner has always found himself drawn to “O Holy Night,” a song he has performed in venues ranging from the lighting of the national Christmas Tree at the White House to midnight mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, so he chose it to be the centerpiece on his first album, a tuneful Christmas sampler titled after a line in “O Holy Night.”
Tanner opens the CD with a robust “Joy to the World” and immediately follows it with the tender “Mille Cherubini” – not exactly Christmas, but a soft lullaby in Italian is close enough. He is effectively joined on it and other tracks by the Seattle-based Northwest Boychoir, The Seattle Chorus and the Northwest Sinfonia.
Tanner rounds out his 16-track holiday offering with a mix of sacred and secular, a couple of Ave Marias, “The Lord’s Prayer” and “Panis Angelicus” balanced by “Little Drummer Boy,” “White Christmas” and that much-roasted chestnut “The Christmas Song.” – Tom Gardner
