Operatica - Christmas Classics

Holiday music has been called "aural terrorism" by the mainstream press, and listening to an endless loop of relentless christmas music must be one of the worst parts of working retail during the fourth quarter. Operatica has stepped forward to provide us with a unique alternative to traditional music, updating the holiday standards tastefully, yet with an edge.

Operatica, the vision of Lord Vanger which fuses Opera and Electronica, has found success with club records like "Shine" and "Melancholy Rose." Working again with Metropolitan Opera Star and leading lyric coloratura soprano Maureen O'Flynn is a wise choice, as she adds a sense of class with every song realized well in vocal interpretation. This is not as easy as it sounds when singing Christmas covers.

The production is a bit hit-and-miss in parts. Rather than going for a total background music approach, harder-edged musical interpretations of "Away in a Manger" and "What Child is This" succeed whereas the cheesier, TV-special sounding "Deck the Halls" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem" fail to add much to the originals. For some reason, I found myself wanting to Riverdance to "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," which was just odd.

When using the electronic programming to accent Maureen's voice with beautiful atmospheric instrumentation, songs like "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "The First Noel" transcended my expectations of what the CD would hold. For anyone looking for a new electronic twist on holiday classics, Operatica's "Christmas Classics" is a fine choice.