Song of the Day 12/23: The Philadelphia Orchestra, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”

In 1962 the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy recorded “The Glorious Sound of Christmas,” setting a standard for orchestral Christmas music that has never been exceeded — the LP went gold by the following Christmas, making it one of the fastest-selling classical records in history, and has never been out of print. The lush strings that were the orchestra’s signature under Ormandy are part of the reason, but the real hero of the album is Arthur Harris, who wrote the arrangements that bring each carol to life (Harris is best known as the man who arranged music for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir). Listen to any other orchestra’s holiday album to hear what I mean — most use arrangements that sound sketchy and slapdash compared to those on “The Glorious Sound.” Here’s how they approach the solemn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”

Now contrast that with the sprightly rendition of “Deck the Halls.”

The whole album is uploaded to YouTube, but if you don’t have it, do yourself a favor and invest in a copy. Your kids will still be playing it when you’re old and grey.