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Classical music retailer Arkivmusic.com is making available for download this holiday season four CDs from John Marks Records: the three Rejoice! A String Quartet Christmas CDs and Songs My Mother Taught Me, from violinist Arturo Delmoni and some of his friends.

The albums can be purchased from www.Arkivmusic.com, but to celebrate the holiday season, Stereophile is offering its readers a free download from the second Christmas string quartet CD (JMR 18). This CD features Delmoni and Nina Bodnar performing the gorgeous "Ave Maria," which Charles Gounod composed using on the celebrated chord progression from Bach's Prelude in C from The Well-Tempered Klavier.

Producer and Stereophile columnist John Marks enthuses, "Of the three Christmas string-quartet volumes, the second is my favorite, and of all the tracks I have produced, this little gem is among my top favorites. Over and above the usual hi-fi stuff about imaging and soundstage and ambience, the players play so wonderfully together and with such open-hearted expression. Special credit goes to violinists Arturo Delmoni and Nina Bodnar, who play like twins separated at birth."

Donald Vroon, of the American Record Guide, wrote: "As in the first set, this group plays the music sweetly and simply—no mucked-up arrangements. You hear the innocent beauty of the tunes, the purity of the sentiments... you feel very content with these beautifully played carols and hymns...This may be an ad hoc group, but they make gorgeous sounds and blend together better than many a long-established quartet...what a relief it is after all the trashy arrangements we have forced on us every Christmas. And, what a delight this will be for chamber music lovers!"

Click here to download your free copy of "Ave Maria," coded as a lossless 16 bits, 44.1kHz sample rate FLAC file. Or click here to download your free copy of "Ave Maria," coded as a variable bit-rate, 128kbps MP3. But please note that the recording is (P) (c)2007 John Marks d/b/a JMR-John Marks Records. All rights reserved. This limited-time promotional download is for personal use only; this download may be shared with all your friends, but may not be sold, or used in any commercial manner.

And if you like what you hear, check out the complete album at Arkivmusic.