The BBC Concert Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin - Leroy Anderson: Sleigh Ride and Other Holiday Favourites (2007)

Naxos' four discs of Leroy Anderson's complete orchestral music with Leonard Slatkin leading the BBC Concert Orchestra was a boon for the composer's advocates. Here, at last, were the collected works of the acknowledged king of American light classics in performances delightful enough to charm and dignified enough not to seem silly. For less voracious Anderson listeners, this single disc drawn from those four discs of the composer's complete holiday music will likely be enough. Coupling his all-time favorite "Sleigh Ride" with 15 other less well known but no less light and lively holiday pieces like his transcriptions of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" and the "Coventry Carol," plus his three Suites of Carols -- one for strings, one for winds, and one for brass -- this 65-minute-long disc definitely delivers value for money. And with Slatkin's affectionate but by no means shallow conducting, plus the BBC Concert Orchestra's polished playing, all the pieces receive superb performances. Naxos' digital sound is typically clean, clear, and a bit dry.