Holiday music

Last night, after writing 10 holiday CD reviews that will run on Dec. 11, I took a break from the CDs I had to listen to and took four holiday CDs that I call my “Desert Island CDs.”

These four are the ones that I couldn’t live without if I was marooned on an uncharted desert island.

They are as follows:

1. “Winter”; George Winston (Dancing Cat/Windham Hill)
2. “A Midwinter Night’s Dream”; Loreena McKennitt (Quinlan Road)
3. “A Celtic Christmas II”; Various Artists (Windham Hill)
4. “The First Christmas Morning”; Dan Fogelberg (Morning Sky)

Each of these albums is a reverent reminder of the sacredness of the season. I love the balance between the Winter Solstice and Christmas -— read Pagan and Christian — influences of the songs on these CDs.

My favorite track on “Winter” is the mysterious “Night Part Three: Minstrels.” There’s something about the transition that links the minor and major chords during this music box-like piece. I also love Winston’s arrangement of “Variations on the Kanon by Pachelbel.” No one plays it like he does.

As for “A Midwinter Night’s Dream,” I can’t seem to get enough of “The Seven Rejoices of Mary.” McKennitt’s earnest delivery about Mary seeing her son heal the blind, raise the dead and die to save men is heartbreakingly lovely. The closing instrumental track “In the Bleak Midwinter” is also a captivating piece that is perfect on a dark, peaceful and snowy night.

I have a couple of favorite tracks on “A Celtic Christmas II.” The first is the innocence of Manus Lunny and Phil Cunningham’s opening work “Chanonry Point.” The ringing pipe sets the tone for the rest of the CD. And then there is Sir James Galway’s flute on “Wexford Carol” that always makes me stop in my tracks to take it all in.

I have always made it known that Dan Fogelberg is my favorite singer/songwriter. And 1999, when I heard he was releasing a Christmas CD, I was so ready for it.

His version of “In the Bleak Midwinter” hits just as McKennitt’s does. And his instrumentals, “Winterskol” and “Snowfall,” are audio photographs of the the wintery forest scenes that fill my mind as I hear these pieces.

I could go on, of course. All the tracks on these CDs have a special place in my heart during this time of the year.

So, what are your favorite holiday CDs and/or songs?