Arriving at no. 21 is the Hunt Lieberson release, titled "Spanish Love Songs." The disc features a 2004 concert, recorded live, by the New York Festival of Song. The program explores vocal works on Spanish themes by natives (Granados, Turina) and visitors (Ravel, Schumann, Wolf); the encore is "Barcelona" from Stephen Sondheim's Company. Performing with the late LHL are rising young tenor Joseph Kaiser and the mainstays of the NYFOS, pianists Steven Blier and Michael Barrett.
Making its classical chart debut at no. 25 is Volume Five in the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas series recorded for ECM New Series by Andršs Schiff. Last month the pianist began the U.S. leg of his Beethoven Sonata Project, the complete sonatas performed in a series of eight concerts over the upcoming two seasons in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Ann Arbor and New York City.
Returning to the Billboard classical chart, at no. 17, is Osvaldo Golijov's opera Ainadamar, featuring soprano Dawn Upshaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under conductor Robert Spano.
Still at no. 1, in its second week on the chart, is Maria, a tribute disc by Cecilia Bartoli to the legendary 19th-century mezzo Maria Malibran. In second place, up two notches from last week, is crossover violinist Andr_ Rieu's Radio City Music Hall: Live in New York, followed by "Duets," Deutsche Grammophon's new album featuring soprano Anna Netrebko and tenor Rolando Villaz‹n. At no. 4, up three notches, is "Spirit of the Season," a collection of holiday carols performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra with the Norwegian folk singer Sissel. In fifth position is Browns in Blue by the Juilliard-trained pianist siblings The 5 Browns, followed by soprano Danielle de Niese's debut disc, featuring Handel arias accompanied by William Christie and Les Arts Florissants.
There's one new arrival on this week's Billboard classical crossover chart, landing at no. 22: Jardim Abandonado ("Abandoned Garden") by the duo guitarists S_rgio and Odair Assad. The disc includes tunes by the great Brazilian songwriter Antonio Carlos Jobim, original works and arrangements by S_rgio and his daughter Clarice (including S_rgio's version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue), and compositions by Milhaud, Debussy and Adam Guettel.
Atop the crossover chart for the third consecutive week is Josh Groban's holiday release, Noel, followed in order by One Chance by British tenor and television discovery Paul Potts, Groban's Awake (itself at no. 1 for weeks until last month), Andrea Bocelli's Amore (up a notch to no. 4), and the classical pops collection Wolfgang's Big Night Out by rock guitarist Brian Setzer and his orchestra (displaced one notch by Amore). The crossover top 10 is filled out by two more Bocelli titles, two discs by the male quartet Il Divo, and Gospel Goes Classical by Juanita Bynum and Jonathan Butler.
Let It Snow, a new collection of Christmas carols by the beloved men's group Chanticleer, remains at no. 12, where it debuted last week; the collection of traditional Norwegian ballads, hymns and lullabies sung by the three women of Trio Mediaeval — titled simply "Folk Songs" — fell seven notches from its debut position last week, landing at no. 24.
