Little Drummer Gir

RCA's wildly successful Living Stereo series spawned a number of ensembles with Living in their titles; the two that folks remember these days are The Living Strings and The Living Voices. Here's two holiday albums featured on this twofer that she released with The Living Voices remain treasured among Christmas music aficionados for their ornate orchestration, innovative arrangements, and, most of all, sweeping stereo sound. The first, 1962's "Sing Christmas Music", had actually come out on the Living Stereo imprint in 1959 as "Christmas Surprises" from The Ralph Hunter. The second album, 1965's "The Little Drummer Boy", featured the legendary Anita Kerr Singers and production by Anita Kerr herself.

Re-creating the romance of a bygone era, violinist, conductor, and composer André Rieu emerged in the late 1980s as a latter-day Waltz King, specializing in light classics and Viennese salon music. Seeking to capture the spirit and ambience of a 19th century Strauss appearance, he named his backing orchestra the Johann Strauss Orchestra and conducts while playing the violin as Strauss and his brothers did, providing the beat with his bow, instrument, and with his body, virtually dancing the rhythm.