Ursula Fiedler & Manfred Frankel - Christmas Around the World (2016)

A kaleidoscope of folkloristic, international Christmas carols This CD presents secular Christmas carols from Europe and South America. These traditional songs have been newly arranged by Manfred Fränkel for voice, accordion, violin and percussion instruments. The carols are intended to sound as natural as possible and yet offer something unusual. Older and more recent songbooks from a wide variety of countries served as the basis for the adaptations; in some cases the original languages were retained, and in others the texts have been translated into German. The result is an impressive kaleidoscope of folkloristic, international Christmas carols. The different musical orientations from which Ursula Fiedler and Manfred Fränkel originally come - she from ""classical music"", he from folk music"" - made them curious about each other. At first, they developed a Breton-Celtic programme; the success of this encouraged them to produce this somewhat different Christmas CD with newly found, rather unconventional repertoire. Ursula Fiedler initially studied violin in Hannover and voice in Vienna. After completing her studies, she was active for over 20 years as a freelance singer, performing in Vienna (Musikverein, Konzerthaus, Stephan's Cathedral), Brussels, Madrid, Barcelona, Santander, New York (Avery Fisher Hall), Milan, Parma, Palermo and Berlin (Philharmonie, Konzerthaus). She was also invited to numerous festivals, including the Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt, the Schwetzingen, Potsdam, Berlin and Ludwigsburg Festivals, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the Ruhr Piano Festival, the Feldkirch Schubertiade and the Styriarte in Graz. A two-month walking tour from Vienna to the North Sea coast in 2008 changed her life. Since then she has primarily dedicated herself to the creation of her own programmes; in these, the point of emphasis is the combination of her violin playing with singing, both in the classical and non-classical areas.

Tracklist:

1.Aukusti Simojoki/Manfred Frankel/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Kilisee, kilisee kulkunen (Estonia) (arr. M. Frankel for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (3:02)
2.Gerhard Glawischnig/Manfred Frankel/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Werst mei Liacht ume sein (arr. M. Frankel for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (4:17)
3.Gustav Holst/Manfred Frankel/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Lullay my Liking (England) (arr. M. Frankel and H. Gustav for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (3:52)
4.Manfred Frankel/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Canso de Nadal (Catalonia) (arr. M. Frankel for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (3:26)
5.Hermann Schroeder/Manfred Frankel/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Maria durch ein Dornwald ging (Deutschland) (arr. M. Frankel and H. Schroeder for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (2:45)
6.Yrjo Jylha/Manfred Frankel/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Jouluilta (arr. M. Frankel for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (2:12)
7.Zacharias Topelius/Manfred Frankel/Ursul
a Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Sylvian joululaulu (arr. M. Frankel for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (4:38)
8.Manfred Frankel/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Los peces en el rio (Spain) (arr. M. Frankel for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (2:38)
9.Manfred Frankel/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Quelle est cette odeur (France) (arr. M. Frankel for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (4:13)
10.Manfred Frankel/Hannah Ducksch/Sabrina Luhrs/Osk Oskarsdottir/Norbert Vogel/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - The Gower Wassail (Wales) (arr. M. Frankel for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (4:05)
11.Malcolm Sargent/Manfred Frankel/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Earth's Joy (Mexico) (arr. M. Frankel for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (2:47)
12.Une Haarnoja/Manfred Frankel/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Jouluhymni (arr. M. Frankel for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (3:52)
13.Manfred Frankel/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - The First Nowell (England) (arr. M. Frankel for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (4:21)
14.Manfred Frankel/Johannes Hatzfeld/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Auf ihr Hirten (Deutschland) (arr. M. Frankel and
J. Hatzfeld for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (2:46)
15.Alpo Noponen/Manfred Frankel/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Kun joulu on (arr. M. Frankel for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (3:46)
16.Emmy Kohler/Manfred Frankel/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Pieni joululaulu (arr. M. Frankel for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (2:17)
17.Manfred Frankel/H. Wehling-Schucking/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - In'n Himmelsgoren (arr. M. Frankel for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (4:06)
18.Manfred Frankel/Margery Hargest Jones/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Jesu Is Crying (Brazil) (arr. M. Frankel and M. Hargest Jones for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (2:50)
19.Manfred Frankel/Ursula Fiedler/Manfred Frankel - Es sungen drei Engel (Deutschland) (arr. M. Frankel for voice, violin, accordion and percussion) (8:12)