What makes a performance of O Holy Night good? There are a handful of bullet points that I look for:
- Faithfulness to the song. This is a classic carol, evocative of Christmas nostalgia for many - not a showpiece for egotistical divas.
- Chords. I'm not opposed to reharmonization, but it should be thematically consistent. Don't use all of the original chords and then beef a couple just to be clever.
- Dynamics. The song is placid to begin, and should build to the climax. You have to work hard to mess up the dynamics of this song.
- The climax. This song more or less builds to the high note; it is the summit, so singers should pick a key in which they can nail it. Don't force it, don't milk it, just nail it.
With this in mind, here are my reviews of some well-known and less-well-known versions of O Holy Night:
1. Josh Groban
I hate to give Josh Groban credit, but this is pretty solid. My biggest gripe is that some of the orchestral swells outpace the song a little bit. The tympani, especially, seems to push the dynamics a bit much. A little minimalism in the arrangement would have been refreshing. A couple points lost for squaring up the form, but I guess that's pop music for you. He milks it a bit by tagging the chorus and holding the high note a little long but, eh, it works.
Grade: A-
2. Luciano Pavarotti
Expectedly, Pavarotti is true to the form. Taking the song in Eb, he sets himself up for a true tenor's climax. There isn't much to complain about in terms of form and arranging.
That said, I feel like the heavy vibrato and constant forcing detracts from the gentleness of the song. On top of that, it seems like he's always pushing the tempo. The high note is very forced. It's not bad - I'd definitely play it in the background while decorating the tree - it just doesn't quite give me that warm Christmas feeling.
Grade: B+
3. Celine Dion
Did Celine Dion sing this? O holy crap. I would never buy a Celine Dion album, but she is good at what she does and I believe she has some of the best producers in the business. Her songs are always perfectly crafted, and they do climaxes right - I might even write about one of them someday.
On this one, however, I think they blew it. The whole first half is quite nice. I appreciate the simplicity and reserve. The choral interlude is a little corny, but I'll let it slide. I see no reason for a synth bass when they have a string orchestra handy, but that's barely audible. Then as it builds toward the climax, you start to hear the Celinisms come out in her voice. You know what I'm talking about.
Like Groban, she tags the climax - and man, does she milk it. It's not the worst thing in the world, but think it seals my opinion. Her recording starts out like a nice Christmas Carol and ends up like a Celine Dion song.
Grade: C
4. Celtic Woman/ Chloe Agnew
I really didn't want to do this one, but it's the top hit on YouTube and has over 11 Million views. I don't know why these corny, overproduced PBS specials bug me so much. They're just so...sanitary. There's nothing wrong with the arrangement, it's just really, really artificial. They make it look like some magical medieval congress in - is that a freaking castle? - while these photogenic wood nymphs sing perfect angelic tones. If anyone was actually at one of these "performances" I guarantee it sounded nothing like what you hear. They go back, correct pitches, rerecord parts, etc...basically airbrush every hint of impurity out of it until it is a perfectly digestible flavorless syrup for public consumption.
I mean, I guess that's what the Groban and Dion versions are, but there's something about the visual presentation that really rubs me the wrong way. The real sin is that it completely abandons the tone of the carol. Jesus was born in manger, not in a castle in front of privileged, white bread ticket holders.
Grade: C-
5. Kings College
I need a little detox after that last one, so we're going to church. John Rutter arrangements occasionally rub me the wrong way, but this one is solid. I love the organ; it's warm, supportive and never gets in the way. Best of all, there is no studio magic here, just beautiful cathedral acoustics.
Grade: A
6. *NSYNC
You might think that I would hate this one - especially since I had to do a full transcription of it years ago - but I don't. It's poppy, studio perfect, deviates far from the original, and doesn't really build to the climax very much.
However, I still think it's a really good arrangement. It appears to have been arranged by producer Robin Wiley, who has some major vocal writing skills. The reharmonizations are really nice and it has some great moments, including a smooth modulation. Also, they do a pretty decent job of it live, without any pitch correction. I don't think I'd put it on as we open presents on Christmas morning, but as a standalone it's not half bad.
Grade: B
8. Mariah Carey
Ok...they're going for a gospel thing here...nothing wrong with that. The melismas are a bit much, but actually pretty reserved for Mariah. The gospel choir works. Organ solo in the middle? Thats...weird. It sounds like she's going for it too early in the second chorus, but as we all know Mariah has an extra whistle octave to work with. Sure enough, right at the climax, there it is: the Double B. For those looking on a piano, here it is:
What can I say? It's a good arrangement, all the pieces fit, the climax is great. It also has nothing to do with Christmas or the original tone of the song. As a novelty, I'll give it the same treatment as *NSYNC.
Grade: B
That's about all I can handle. I hope the holidays were great for everyone, here's to a whole new year of picking apart the best (and worst) songs!
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