A re-recording of an album that Marcus Sukiennik originally put out a decade earlier, ‘Xmas Piano 1’ is as pleasurable and soothing a listen as they come by. The Jazz and Classical dominant holiday instrumental from the German based composer and performer is the perfect background lounge music for the holiday season. As the title would suggest, Sukiennik’s piano work forms the bedrock and fundamental fulcrum upon which the entire record is built on. It lends itself to so much, exuding a jovialness and spirit that gets everyone in the right mood for the holiday season. From the chirpy opener on ‘Alle Jahre wieder’ to the more sumptuous and opulent performance on ‘Stille Nacht’, there’s a certain consistency in sound and emotion that the entire record is able to exude from back to front. At its core, and without failing to deliver on this premise even once on the ten tracks, Marcus Sukiennik is able to easily reel you into the holiday spirit and have you feeling the same thrills and joy that he’s so immensely talented in delivering.
The album contains 10 famous and renowned Christmas songs which Marcus had re-arranged as part of a project for live performances in Cologne’s most storied shopping centre, the Rheincenter Weiden. Since then, the Christmas music has been performed during the Advent and Christmas season – among others in the 5-star luxury hotel Excelsior Hotel Ernst in Cologne. While this was all the way back in 2011, the new technology around recording and the advent of the festive season encouraged him to return to the studio to spin it around for 2022.
If you’re looking for some piano music to get you in the groove and mood for the holidays to come, look no further than this decade worth of ten songs that expertly hit the Christmas spirit.