Ferrante & Teicher are known for their twin piano renditions of movie and TV themes, and light classics.  Arthur Ferrante, from Ney York City, and Louis Teicher, from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, met while at Julliard in 1930.  They got together in the late 30’s and by the late 40’s, they were touring extensively, backed by full orchestras.  They released close to 100 albums between 1952 and 1988.  They retired from recording and touring in 1989.  They were also known for their contributions in the Exocita genre, performing surreal, space-age music in the late fifties and early sixties.

This CD basically combines their 2 Christmas albums from the 60’s.  They released a 10” LP in 1954 that had 8 songs on it, and then expanded that into a 12 song LP in 1956.  Both editions were released on CD in 2017, and they were both CD-Rs, which means the CDs were most likely something that someone recorded digitally from the LPs and put them up for sale.  To me, it doesn’t look like they were official label releases.  Both records from the 1950’s are extremely rare and even the CD is now out of print and difficult to find.  The LP from 1956 is available, but near-mint copies go for over $100.00.

This compilation CD contains Ferrante & Teicher’s Christmas album from 1962, titled Snowbound, minus Moonlight In Vermont and Moonlight Serenade, which aren’t really Christmas songs anyway.  Also included is their Christmas album from 1966, titled We Wish You A Merry Christmas, and that is included in its entirety.  So, we get all their Christmas output from 1962 to the end of their career.  (Sooner or later, hook or by crook, I will get a copy of their 1956 Christmas LP).

The CD cover is pleasant.  It features a close-up of transparent Christmas ornaments in shades of yellow and orange.  The Ferrante & Teicher logo appears at the top in dark green lettering.  The back of the CD shows a close-up of the front cover in a much lighter tone and features a numerical track listing with time signatures.

The cover comes out to open into a single fold, 2-page booklet.  On the inside left is a testimonial from Ferrante & Teicher about releasing this compilation CD.  On the right side is a numerical listing of the track titles featuring writer credits and time signatures.  Nowhere in the CD artwork does it mention that these selections are from their 1960’s Christmas albums, but through research and process of elimination, I was able to put years to the songs.  It would be more assuring to have the dates listed in the liner notes, but overall, the information is good.

The back of the CD insert features a picture of Ferrante & Teicher from around the late 60’s.

Ferrante & Teicher dominated the Easy Listening market throughout their career.  Because we’re getting the equivalent of two albums, the song selection covers traditional Christmas hymns and Christmas standards from the 20^th century.  I like it when artists who release multiple Christmas albums during their career don’t cover the same song twice.  That way if you collect all their albums, you get a larger variety of songs.  All songs presented here feature The Ferrante & Teicher Symphony Orchestra.

The original album from 1966, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, featured 4 medleys and that is where most of the Christmas hymns are contained.  The other songs are mostly modern Christmas songs, with the exception of The Twelve Days Of Christmas and Ave Maria.  Also included are some Christmas songs that do not appear on a lot of other compilations.  These are fun songs because they are so unique.  The Percy Faith composed Brazilian Sleigh Bells is a perfect way to showcase their twin pianos.  As the staccato arrangement glides through the countryside, you can feel the cool wind on your face.

Snowbound is one of the few songs that feature a vocal chorus as lush as the music itself.  The other songs to feature light vocals are I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm and Winter Wonderland.  There is no information as to who the chorus is, but probably a non-distinct studio group.  Both albums were originally released on United Artists.

June In January is probably another unfamiliar song to most people.  It is truly not a Christmas song.  It does not mention the word Christmas anywhere in the lyrics.  It is more of a ‘winter’ song.  It is a lush, soft, delicate arrangement pushed through by The Ferrante & Teicher Symphony Orchestra.

The last song on the CD is a Ferrante & Teicher composed song titled Happy Sleigh Ride.  It is a haunting, upbeat melody that combines the twin pianos with the Symphony Orchestra, accented by the vocal chorus.

All throughout the CD are wonderful Christmas songs.  The twin pianos make for wonderful Christmas music.  Some are somber renditions of favorites, while others are more verbose and emphatic.

I know many people that prefer piano music over anything else.  My mother is one of those.  Even though this is more than just piano, it is the main feature of the music.  If you like piano instrumentals, you should like this very much.  If you like ONLY PIANO instrumentals, you will find the Symphony Orchestra overbearing.

This is some of the best Lush, Easy Listening Christmas music to be found.  Ferrante & Teicher applied their classic sound to many Christmas favorites.  And you get two Christmas albums for a total of 22 songs, not including the ones contained within the medleys.  Everything about this CD is very pleasing.

I give this CD :

*****