Tidings of Joy

These five Christmas preludes are unquestionably captivating. The opening prelude is based on a new hymn tune on the Slovak text Come Rejoicing, Praises Voicing. A propelling God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen drives with intensity and strength, keeping listeners eager for the next note. See Amid the Winter's Snow is set among musically falling snow, light and calm, and most enchanting. Now Sing We, Now Rejoice is thrilling, with a constant driving eighth-note rhythm, pushing forward with the loud cantus firmus in the pedal. The final piece, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing can be registered either lightly, setting forth the hymn in a whimsically jubilant way, or with the full intensity of a triumphal postlude.