Once again it's the time of year when Santa regales us with a sleighful of seasonal music, fresh from the North Pole workshops of multinational conglomerates. Let's unwrap a few dozen and see what they sound like.
Kitka, "Wintersongs." The stellar Eastern European women's vocal octet brings a contemporary sensibility to centuries-old vocal traditions. This collection features songs from Latvia, Bulgaria, Russia, Romania, Belarus, Hungary and Greece, some of pre-Christian origins celebrating the solstice. With occasional dissonance, the group's lush chorales can be hauntingly exotic one moment, sublimely beautiful the next, particularly on the complex a cappella selections. Not knowing the language -- many languages, actually -- is no hindrance.
12/10/04 >> 
