Decca Records: Hayley Westenra — Christmas Magic CD

Brand new! Factory packaged! As pictured! Buy with confidence!

Product Details:

• UPC: 0602527284927
• Catalog Number: 2728492
• Product Type: Audio CD
• Brand / Label: Decca Records (Universal Classics & Jazz)
• Artist: Hayley Westenra
• Guest Artist: Ronan Keating (bonus track)
• Release Year: 2009
• Genre: Classical Crossover / Christmas

Product Features

• Format: CD
• Discs: 1
• Tracks: 15 (including 1 bonus track)
• Edition: Australasian SBS edition
• Condition: New, factory sealed
• Made in Australia

Overview

Hayley Westenra's pure soprano was practically built for Christmas, and Christmas Magic leans into exactly that — a warm, unhurried seasonal album that balances sacred carols, standards, and a few genuine surprises. The New Zealand crossover star treats each song as a melody first, never oversinging, which is why this record holds up across repeat December listens rather than wearing thin by Boxing Day.

The familiar anchors are here — "Silent Night," "Carol of the Bells," "The Christmas Song," "Sleigh Ride" — sung with the clarity that made Westenra a global name. But the program reaches wider than most carol collections: the medieval "Corpus Christi Carol" and "The Coventry Carol" bring real depth, and Joni Mitchell's "River" is a quietly devastating inclusion.

This Australasian edition closes with a bonus track, the duet "It's Only Christmas" with Ronan Keating. A tasteful, beautifully sung Christmas record from one of the great voices of the crossover genre — brand new and still factory sealed.

Interesting Facts

• Hayley Westenra was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1987 and became one of the best-selling classical-crossover artists of the 2000s while still a teenager.
• Her 2003 album Pure became the fastest-selling debut by a classical artist in UK chart history.
• The bonus duet "It's Only Christmas" pairs Westenra with Irish singer Ronan Keating, formerly of Boyzone.
• The inclusion of Joni Mitchell's "River," a melancholy song set at Christmas, is a favorite among listeners who find most carol albums too relentlessly cheerful.
• "Carol of the Bells" is based on the Ukrainian folk chant "Shchedryk," arranged by Mykola Leontovych in 1916.
• This edition was made in Australia and released in partnership with broadcaster SBS for the Australasian market.

Track Listing

1. The Little Road to Bethlehem
2. Carol of the Bells
3. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
4. Veni Veni Emmanuel
5. Silent Night
6. Christmas Morning
7. Sleigh Ride
8. River
9. The Little Drummer Boy
10. Corpus Christi Carol
11. All with You
12. The Coventry Carol
13. Winter's Dream
14. Peace Shall Come
15. It's Only Christmas (with Ronan Keating) — bonus track

Publishers

℗ & © 2009 Decca Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited (bonus track ℗ 2009 Polydor Ltd). Marketed in Australasia by Universal Classics & Jazz. Made in Australia.

Hearing this one each December? A short review helps other carol lovers find it.