Patrick Ball's Celtic harp is, of course, a wonderful instrument for playing a set of traditional Christmas carols and hymns. His delicate, precise performing style is ideally suited to familiar tunes like "What Child Is This?" and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." He takes the basic melody of "Silent Night," and after playing it straight, repeats it, adding countermelodies and variations over four minutes. Some listeners will not know tunes such as "St. Basil's Hymn" and "Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head," but they fit right into the program. This is not one of the livelier Christmas albums, but it has a formal beauty that recommends it as an addition to a holiday music collection.
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