Cantate Domino – Torsten Nilsson, Marianne Mellnäs, Alf Linder ‎(Black)

Recorded in 1976 by the Swedish label Proprius, Cantate Domino is quite clearly a Christmas album. But for nearly four decades, audiophiles have been happy to employ it as a reference yearlong. This exceptional recording variously features chorus, soprano soloist, organ, and brass ensemble. Timbral balance is even from organ fundamentals up to the Oscar Motet Choir’s high female voices, Marianne Mellnäs’ buttery but focused soprano is realistically scaled, and—most impressively—musical sounds connect seamlessly to the reverberant acoustic of the Stockholm church where the program was recorded with one Revox A77 and a pair of Pearl TC4 microphones. Included are hymns, carols, and a couple of lullabies; the title track, a setting of a psalm text for chorus, organ, trumpets, and trombones by Enrico Bossi, starts the program off magnificently. Two selections for organ alone are stylishly played by Alf Linder, including Johann Gottfried Walther’s Concerto in A Major. A pair of a cappella “religious folksongs” is shaped gorgeously by Mellnäs. The only misstep is “White Christmas,” a cheesy choral arrangement with roller rink organ accompaniment.