Sissel Brings Joy to the World in Recordings with Tabernacle Choir
By Laurie Williams Sowby

Editor’s note: The world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir announced on December 6 that the CD that is reviewed here, Spirit of the Season, has been nominated for two Grammy awards — Best Classical Crossover Album of the Year and Best Engineered Classical Album.

If you missed last year’s Christmas concert in the Conference Center, featuring a beautiful Norwegian woman with a voice to match, there’s a remedy. The concert is now available on DVD, along with a CD capturing music from one of the best Christmas concerts yet.

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Sissel Kyrkjebo, who goes by her first name, possesses a voice that’s an absolute pleasure to listen to. Well known in Europe, she is gaining a steady following in the United States, especially among Latter-day Saints who have heard her sing. Her serene stage presence is equal to her stunningly clear voice with its amazing range. She makes it look effortless. Even her spoken narration of the Christmas Story from Luke is musical.

The choir and Orchestra at Temple Square have had some stellar guest artists in their Christmas concerts since 2000, among them well-known actors, newscasters, and Broadway singers. Sissel is my favorite; her performance is refreshing and classy at the same time.

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The DVD, titled "Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, featuring Sissel" is a joyfully reverent tribute to the Savior and the season. From Nate Hofhein’s "Christmas Overture" to the final, thrilling encore of "Angels from the Realms of Glory," it’s a delightful concert. Camera angles take the viewer into the orchestra and choir, as well as right in front of conductors Craig Jessop and Mack Wilberg, who is also responsible for a good number of the appealing orchestral arrangements.

Sissel herself sings some less-familiar carols in German and Norwegian — among them "Maria Wiegenleid" and "Mitt hjerte alltid vanker" — and introduces them with her sonorous voice. Little girls with candlelit headdresses dance onto the stage as she sings "Vitae lux" ("Light of Life") and are replaced by older ballerinas for the ethereal harmonies of "Lux aurumque" ("Golden Light"). Those numbers segue seamlessly into a fluid "Silent Night."

Even the familiar tunes have been given a fresh setting. The choir’s "O Come, All Ye Faithful" is an unusually rich and reverent arrangement that only adds full organ and brass on the final verse, and "Away in a Manger" features oboe, flute and clarinet with their own melodies. Dancers move down the aisles as the choir sings "Bring a Torch," adding visual imagery to enhance the music on the DVD.

"Spirit of the Season," the 64-minute CD, is a glorious compilation of music from the event. Among the lovely songs are Sissel’s "An Angel Passing Through my Room," the German "In dulci jubilo" and "In the Bleak Midwinter," and "Wexford Carol," featuring woodwind master Daron Bradford and baritone Shane Warby. (The Bells on Temple Square, with a medley ending with "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," are included only on the CD.)

Of course, the bouncy title song, from the movie "The Polar Express," gets prominent treatment. Overall, both the album and the DVD have a tone that will help viewers and listeners feel the "Spirit of the Season."