Ottmar breathes new life into holiday favorites with sensitive, even haunting, arrangements of O Little Town of Bethlehem and O Holy Night. The CD also includes fresh interpretations of classical music, including Fauré’s Pavane and Les Roses D’Isphahan and Tchaikovsky’s Le Café from The Nutcracker. But perhaps the greatest delight are the six new songs written by Liebert especially for “Winter Rose,” including Westcoast, The Longest Night, Kora/River of Stars, and A Sweet Persimmon. Each captures the essence of the season. The result is an album that is both familiar and inventive, heartwarming and evocative.
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