Year of release 2024

Songs 20

Album time 49:31

Genre list Traditional Pop Music, Classical

1
Mizerna Cicha (Arr. For Choir By Stanisław Niewiadomski)
 
2:31
2
Pójdźmy Wszyscy (Arr. For Choir By Bohdan Riemer)
 
2:27
3
Dzisiaj W Betlejem
 
2:23
4
Chrystus Pan Się Narodził
 
2:00
5
Jezus Malusieńki (Arr. For Choir By Józef Świder)
 
2:11
6
Wśród Nocnej Ciszy (Arr. For Choir By Feliks Nowowiejski)
 
3:07
7
Szczedryk
 
2:31
8
Radość Dziś Nastała (Arr. For Choir By M. Łuczka)
 
2:09
9
Ding Dong Merrily On High (Arr. For Choir By Charles Wood)
 
2:03
10
Kolęda Krakowska (Arr. For Choir By Franciszek Maklakiewicz)
 
1:21
11
Gore Gwiazda (Arr. For Choir By Stanisław Kusztyb)
 
2:22
12
Magnum Nomen Domini (Arr. For Choir By Hieronim Peicht)
 
2:07
13
Lulajże Jezuniu (Arr. For Choir By Józef Świder)
 
3:08
14
Improvisation On Z Narodzenia Pana
 
2:11
15
Improvisation On Dzisiaj W Betlejem
 
2:35
16
Improvisation On Tryumfy Króla Niebieskiego
 
2:57
17
An Wasserflussen Babylon, BWV 653b
 
4:50
18
Allein Gott In Der Höh Sei Ehr, BWV 717
 
3:09
19
Liebster Jesu, Wir Sind Hier, BWV 730
 
1:28
20
Liebster Jesu, Wir Sind Hier, BWV 731
 
2:10

Christmas Carols / Kolędy A Capella by Tomasz Kotwica and The Hoor Choir is a 2024 album built around voice alone, with no instrumental layer to soften the contours of the choir writing. The program moves between Polish carols, well-known seasonal hymns, and organ repertoire arranged for choir, giving the recording a clear winter-season identity. Its 20 tracks run 49:31, so the sequence feels substantial without losing focus.

The opening stretch places familiar holiday material side by side with refined choral settings. Mizerna Cicha, Pojdźmy Wszyscy, Dzisiaj W Betlejem, and Chrystus Pan Się Narodził set a reflective tone, while Jezus Malusieńki and Wśród Nocnej Ciszy continue the traditional Christmas thread. These pieces are heard in arrangements by Stanisław Niewiadomski, Bohdan Riemer, Jozef Świder, and Feliks Nowowiejski, which keeps the album rooted in different layers of Polish choral tradition.

Later tracks widen the seasonal palette. Szczedryk brings a well-known winter melody into the sequence, and Ding Dong Merrily On High, arranged for choir by Charles Wood, adds a brighter English-language contrast. Kolęda Krakowska, Gore Gwiazda, Magnum Nomen Domini, and Lulajże Jezuniu preserve the album's festive and devotional character, while Radość Dziś Nastała and the various choir arrangements underline the careful attention to collective vocal sound.

The middle and final sections introduce improvisations and Bach-related repertoire, which gives the program a more meditative turn. Improvisation On Z Narodzenia Pana, Improvisation On Dzisiaj W Betlejem, and Improvisation On Tryumfy Krola Niebieskiego extend the carol material into a more spacious, contemplative mode. An Wasserflussen Babylon, BWV 653b, Allein Gott In Der Hoh Sei Ehr, BWV 717, and the two versions of Liebster Jesu, Wir Sind Hier, BWV 730 and BWV 731, place the Christmas album in a broader classical frame.

As a seasonal listen, Christmas Carols / Kolędy A Capella works well for quiet December evenings, Christmas gatherings, and end-of-year reflection. The balance of traditional pop music and classical choral writing keeps the sequence varied, while the a cappella format gives every phrase a clean, direct presence. It is an album shaped by repertoire, arrangement, and choir sound rather than ornament, which makes its winter atmosphere feel calm and focused.