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 Italy takes us back to Renaissance Venice for Christmas festivities. Alongside the work of Venetian-born composers is music written by musicians who visited or settled in the city. Various types of early guitar are joined by a host of wind and brass instruments to make for lovely sounds and textures. The story arch of this performance goes beyond the familiar repertoire and takes us into the crosscurrents of cultural influences that created the Renaissance era's rich fusion of sound and style in Venice. Exceptional soloists, stunning period instruments, rich choruses. The music is Italian mostly, but you'll also hear Arabic and Turkish influences and music from Sardinia. There is a children's chorus song celebrating La Befana, the Italian Epiphany witch, and a variation of "Tu Scende dalle Stelle," the haunting Italian Christmas carol that my grandmother, who came from Lucera, in Puglia, taught me.

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. Canzona per Sonare 2
2. La Bella Franceschina
3. Quanno Nascette Ninno
4. U Leva Leva
5. Aria di Firencze
6. Sempre Mi Ride Sta
7. Ave Maria
8. Se l’Aura Spira
9. Madama Dore
10. La Me Nona l’e Vecchierella
11. Jacaras
12. Lamento Della Ninfa
13. Damigella Tutta Bella
14. Chjama a Gabriellu
15. Cingari Simo
16. Capricciata e Contraponto Bestiale alla Mente
17. Giro Giro Tondo
18. La Befana
19. Sonata sopra la Bergamasca
20. Si Dolce e’l Tormento
21. Quel Sguardo Sdegnosetto
22. Libera Me Domine
23. Maria
24. Capona/Canario
25. Uzkudar’a Gider Iken
26. Neviskja Koleda
27. O Sanctissima