In this house, we listen to this and all our Revels recordings throughout the Christmas season, from around Solstice Night all the way to Candlemas, and music by the Revels is a big part of our annual Yuletide celebration. Some Revels recordings stand out more than others, and this is one of them. It's pure joy and wonder.

This performance of music from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, lands shrouded in darkness at the Midwinter Solstice, is robust and haunting. All is not what it seems in these wintry Nordic lands where the darkness is lit with the celestial Northern Lights and dotted with magical, mischievous julenisser, the gnomes and tomten that are so deeply ingrained in Nordic folklore. Sung in six different languages by incomparable soloists and choruses and accompanied by traditional instruments from the Northlands. Stunningly beautiful.

This is a compact disc, not a download. Here at Convivio Bookworks, we still enjoy popping a disc into a proper stereo and we especially love reading the accompanying liner notes in the analog booklet that comes with the CD. I know. Very old school and not nearly as cool as vinyl... but then again, perhaps we are on the cutting edge of an upcoming renewed interest in CDs. Stranger things have happened.

Full song list for this CD:

1. Psalm 148
2. Nu är det jul igen
3. Kära min moder
4. Slängpolska
5. Tomtarnas Julnatt
6. Vi äro musikanter
7. Yksi, kaksi, kolme, neljä
8. Kulning
9. Yggdrasil
10. Villemann og Magnhild
11. Väinämöinen’s Song
12. Ólafur Liljurós
13. St. Thomasklokkestlåtten
14. I denne søte juletid
15. Ride, ride, ranke
16. Trollmors vaggevisa
17. Spurven sidder stum bag kvist
18. Mitt hjerte alltid vanker
19. Polonäs från Sexdrega in G
20. Sankt Staffans visa
21. Lanzens Polska
22. Polonäs and Polska
23. Bacchi Kalendar
24. Så mörk är natten
25. No koma Guds englar
26. Nu solen går ned
27. Kylä Vuotti Uutta Kuuta
28. Sofðu unga ástin mín
29. Heyr Himna Smiður
30. Den Signade
31. Puer Nobis