If you’re looking for a peaceful break from some of the holiday bombast of pop versions of Christmas songs (sometimes I am), there are many ‘classical’ Christmas works that can fit the bill. One of the most acclaimed composers of all time is J.S. Bach; he wrote two works that particularly fit with the Christmas season, “Wachet auf ruft uns die Stimme” and a “Magnificat" (the song of Mary). There are mixed reviews on Amazon of the CD I own of these works (a 1979 recording featuring the Münchener Bach-Chor, Münchener Bach-Orchester, Karl Richter, Maria Stader, Hertha Töpper, Ernst Haefliger, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau). I personally find the tempi slow on this recording almost to the point of ponderousness, but the great thing about recent developments on the web are that you can now date an album before buying it.

It used to be you had to rely on reviews, like this one, and then hope for the best. Then it was 30-second excerpts provided by services like Amazon. This is no longer the case, LaLa.com (not affiliated) will let you listen to an entire album all the way through and decide if you want to make the commitment to purchase. For an example, you can compare the performance I own with a more recent recording of both the ‘Magnificat’ and ‘Wachet Auf’ performed by the Academy of Ancient Music and King’s College Choir (this album definitely starts out at a more energetic clip, more fitting for the ‘awake and see’ theme of the words), or a score of other recordings.

Whichever album you like the best (I like the one I don’t have better - here it is on Amazon), these are some wonderful works and I’m sure will make a beautiful and relaxing addition to your holiday listening.