Christmas By Candlelight is a very warm and soothing collection of twenty-four Christmas carols arranged for piano and orchestra, and recorded at Abbey Road Studio 1. Ian Mulder arranged the carols, played the piano and conducted The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the orchestra he usually performs and records with. All of the songs on the album are of a religious/hymn-like nature (no Santa songs or “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”) and there are no pianistic fireworks - “just” beautiful, heartfelt music that is perfect for evenings by the fireplace, wrapping gifts, peaceful background music, watching it snow, and so many other activities that would be enhanced by expressive music of the season. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the album a couple of times on a three-hour car trip a couple of days ago, and appreciate it even more here on my home system! I love the calming nature of the music! One of the things I really like about the album is the inclusion of quite a few Christmas songs that are somewhat less familiar mixed in with the standards like “Silent Night” (two versions), “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” and “O Holy Night.” (As a very longtime piano teacher and music reviewer, some of these lesser-known carols are a real breath of fresh air!)

I am very surprised that I haven’t encountered Ian Mulder’s music before this. He was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and studied piano and composition at the Rotterdam and Utrecht Conservatories, graduating in 1992. He has recorded at least 210 albums since 1992, six of which have been certified gold and three that have gone platinum. Twenty-four of his albums are listed as “solo piano albums with orchestra” (including this one). Ian’s website lists his musical styles as “inspirational, romantic, new-classical and film music.” Since 2007, he has focused exclusively on large-scale concerts - mostly in the US and Europe - where he performs on the piano while simultaneously conducting the orchestra.

There are too many tracks on the album to tell you about each of them, but all twenty-four pieces are exceptionally peaceful and up-lifting and have a very strong classical influence. Samples are available at Ian Mulder’s website as is sheet music and CDs; all of his albums can be streamed there as well. CDs can also be ordered from Amazon. More links will be added as they become available. So, if you’re looking for some quiet and very beautiful Christmas music, I highly recommend Christmas By Candlelight!