An Evening of Carols and Capers


An Evening of Carols and Capers is an album by Maddy Prior with The Carnival Band.
This double album is effectively an audio version of the DVD of the same name, though the tracks vary slightly. It is a collection of live recordings from concerts in Oxford and Salisbury. The dates are not given. The songs originated from the studio albums Carols and Capers, Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh and A Tapestry of Carols. To break up the proceedings there are some instrumentals. The "Tinker Polka" derives from a vintage 1930 recording of a Texas Czech band. The song "Balthazar" has an African rhythm, and "Melima" sounds Arabic. "M Charpentier's Christmas Stomp" is the same as "M Charpentier's Christmas Swing" except that the latter is jazzy. Running time CD1: 37m 57s. CD2: 41m 14s. The package is dated 2005 but it wasn't released until December 2006. The liner notes contain the words to all the songs.

Track listing

CD 1
  1. Masters in this Hall
  2. The Sans Day Carol
  3. God Rest You Merry Gentlemen
  4. This Endris Night
  5. M Charpentier's Christmas Stomp
  6. Let an Anthem of Praise
  7. The Oxen
  8. Balthazar
  9. Round of the Animals
  10. Melima
CD 2
  1. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
  2. On Christmas Night
  3. Watts' Cradle Song
  4. Vals Musette
  5. Entre Le Boeuf
  6. M Charpentier's Christmas Swing
  7. Dratenik
  8. The Carnal and the Crane
  9. Ding Dong Merrily on High
  10. Angels from the Realms of Glory
  11. Hark, Hark
  12. While Shepherds Watched

Personnel

  • Maddy Prior - vocals
  • Andrew Watts - Shawmes, curtal, clarinet, recorders, Brueghel bagpipes, vocals
  • Giles Lewin - Shawm, fiddle, recorders, medieval bagpipes, tin whistle, mandolin, vocals
  • Andrew "Jub" Davis - Bass
  • Steve Banks - Drums, percussion, bells, fiddle, vocals
  • William "Steno" Badley - baroque guitar, lute, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo mandolin, vocals
  • Rafaello Mizraki - Acoustic and electric guitars, lute, mandolin, vocals