Christmas Symphony

Personnel: Ron Cooley (acoustic guitar, lute); Arnie Roth (violin); Chip Davis (recorder); Jackson Berkey (piano, harpsichord); Jeff Handley (timpani, percussion); Chris Szuberla, Eric Roth (programming).
Audio Mixer: Brian Ackley.
Recording information: American Gramaphone Studios, Omaha, NE; AWR Studio, Chicago, IL; CNSO Studios, Prague, Czech Republic; WQED, Pittsburgh, PA.
Creator: Chip Davis.
Arrangers: Chip Davis; Eric Roth; Arnie Roth.
It just wouldn't feel like a proper Christmas without something new from Mannheim Steamroller to ring in the yuletide cheer. American Gramaphone's Christmas Symphony collects familiar Steamroller holiday classics and expands them with the help of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Listeners looking for something new from the popular new age-pop/classical crossover/electro-prog outfit may come away from the project a tad disappointed, as the 16 featured tracks are essentially just orchestral versions (with electronic and percussive flourishes) of previous Christmas offerings like "Deck the Halls," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Stille Nacht," and "Carol of the Birds," but the increased presence of more organic textures does manage to liven up some of the more dated-sounding keyboard patches and unnecessary drum fills, resulting in a solid, if still a bit corny, collection of seasonal splendor that's been updated for the 21st century. ~ James Christopher Monger