#6 New Christmas Recordings 2014, Part III

#6 Working List of New Classical and Choral Christmas Recordings 2014, Part III

by R. Rojas

Reformatted, Dec. 5, 2022. Updated: Oct. 18, 2024

Let There Be Light (2014)
Chapel Choir of Trinity College, Oxford


The choir spent three days recording their new CD of European Sacred Music in February 2014. The CD was recorded in the Oratory Church in Oxford, the amazing architecture of which provided a fantastic acoustic for the choir's singing. The finished CD includes many exciting and interesting pieces from all over Europe, and it will be released in November - just in time to make the perfect Christmas present for family and friends!

On Christmas Night by Armonico Consort, Morten Lauridsen, Franz Gruber, Ralph Blane and John Francis Wade (2014)

A dynamic and innovative conductor and keyboard player, Christopher Monks is founder and Artistic Director of Armonico Consort. Specializing in the performance of music from the Renaissance and Baroque, Christophers concerts and recordings have earned him several five-star reviews in both The Times and The Independent. ...vocal lines can float; suspensions can melt, and the listener can relax and marvel at the singer's superb breath control and rock-steady intonation this disc of unending delight." -Gramophone

Buxtehude: Complete Organ Works- Advent / Christmas / Epiphany / Lent / Annunciation / Passion / Easter / Whitsun... by Ulrik Spang-Hanssen and Dietrich Buxtehude (2014) - Import

Candlelight Carols: Music for Chorus & Harp

Seraphic Fire, Patrick Dupré Quigley & Jacqueline Kerrod

As the third installment of A Seraphic Fire Christmas, Candlelight Carols: Music for Chorus and Harp is a unique collaboration between the pure, crystalline harp and warm, resonant voices.


This remarkable recording evokes an angelic, wintry atmosphere within an intimate, candle-lit chapel. With Candlelight Carols, Seraphic Fire masterfully interweaves original arrangements of traditional carols with modern masterpieces. Seraphic Fire is regarded as one of the preeminent chamber ensembles in the United States.


In 2012, two of their recordings, Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem and A Seraphic Fire Christmas, were nominated for GRAMMY® awards. Seraphic Fire was the only choral group in North or South America to be nominated, and the only classical ensemble in the world to receive nominations for two separate projects. Led by Founder and Artistic Director Patrick Dupre Quigley, Seraphic Fire brings some of the finest singers and instrumentalists from around the country to perform repertoire ranging from Gregorian chant and Baroque masterpieces to newly commissioned works.

Carols from the Old and New Worlds Vol.3 Hybrid SACD - DSD, Import

Chamber Choir Ireland (Artist, Orchestra), Paul Hillier (Artist, Conductor), Various (Composer)

On the third volume in harmonia mundi's series Carols from the Old and New Worlds, Paul Hillier and Chamber Choir Ireland celebrate the festive season with a wide-ranging mixture of new and traditional carols. Framed by the seven 'O' antiphons for Advent, this collection features carols from Ireland, the USA, Britain, and Alpine regions, many in arrangements by Hillier himself.

Christmas Organ by Rene Saorgin and Various (2014)

With Rene Saorgin at the historic organs of Tende and Chambery, discover the delightful noels of Balbastre and a whole collection of pastoral pieces for organ - not to mention the chimes of Chambery.

Christmas in Harvard Square by The Boys of St. Paul's Choir School, John Rutter, Sir David Willcocks and John Robinson (2014)

The Boys of St. Paul Choir School are releasing their debut international recording, Christmas in Harvard Square. The Christmas album repertoire includes 19 classic songs, which have both traditional and contemporary arrangements, including some original arrangements by Mr. John Robinson the Director of Music. It also includes some must-have renditions of Rutter & Sir David Willcocks arrangements. The school itself is uniquely one of the only boys' choir schools in the US and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The academy has been described not as a school with a choir, but as a choir with a school. This cozy and ethereal collection celebrating The Nativity of Christ will be a timeless classic for many seasons to come.

Transeamus by Hilliard Ensemble, Sheryngham, Lambe, Plummer and n/a (2014)

1. Thomas gemma

2. St. Thomas honour we

3. Clangat tuba

4. Anna Mater

5. Lullay, I saw

6. O pulcherrima

7. There is no rose

8. Stella Caeli

9. Marvel not Joseph

10. Ecce quod natura

11. Ave Maria

12. Ah! My dear Son

13. Sancta Mater/Dou way Robin

14. Ah! Gentle Jesu




Having recorded more than 20 albums for ECM since the mid-80s, The Hilliard Ensemble caps its discography before retirement with a final release: Transeamus, a collection of polyphonic Carols and Motets in two, three and four parts from 15th-century England.


The British vocal ensembles very first ECM recording included music from the court of Henry VIII, and Transeamus brings their odyssey through the ages full circle. The album includes many of the groups favorite pieces from this era, including previously unrecorded items from its concert programs by the likes of John Plummer, Walter Lambe and William Cornysh. More of the albums works are by composers rendered anonymous by time, yet all of this music is rich with enduring personality.


Tenor David James says: The sweet harmonies might appear uncomplicated, but this transparency of sound creates a cumulative effect that is mesmerizing. The album ends with Ah gentle Jesu.


We know the composers name, Sheryngham, but virtually nothing else. On paper, it is a simple dialogue between Christ on the cross and a penitent sinner; however, the intensity of the music is so overwhelming that, from our experience in concert, both listener and performer are left in stunned silence.

Karajan - The Christmas Album

Leontyne Price (Artist), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), & 9 more Format: Audio CD

For the first time, excerpts from the Maestros famous Baroque Christmas concertos CD with the celebrated Christmas disc he recorded with the great American soprano Leontyne Price on Decca in 1961, along with several other uplifting holiday tracks.

Presented in an attractive digi-pack with evocative photos from Herbert von Karajans snowy home in Anif, near Salzburg.

A Christmas Caper: The Best Of Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band by Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band (2013)

Of all the festive traditions, few have stood the test of time better than the Christmas carol. Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band know this more than most, having been inspired by the music of Christmas for the past twenty-five years. Now and for the first time, the very best of these have been brought together on one album. The Best of Maddy Prior and The Carnival Band collects twenty-two tracks from across their career. Along the way you will find a mixture of the familiar and the less well known, all presented in a most unique style. With an extensive experience in folk, medieval, world and classical music between them, the singer and players guide us to exquisite places. Telling the Christmas story in a variety of ways, the likes of I Saw Three Ships, While Shepherds Watched, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and The Holly Ivy are revealed as versatile, striking pieces of music with words to match.

Christmas with the Shepherds by Marian Consort, Rory McCleery and Various (2014)

Delphian presents Christmas with the Shepherds - a unique album from Rory McCleery and The Marian Consort that illuminates a little-known and fascinating musical connection. Jean Mouton's 1515 motet Quaeramus cum pastoribus was hugely popular with the public and fellow composers alike. This disc features works that were inspired by this hit tune, including a mass by Cristobal de Morales and the world premiere recording of a motet to the same text by Annibale Stabile.

https://www.delphianrecords.com/products/dcd34145?_pos=8&_sid=132e7e903&_ss=r

Of Kings & Angels by Mediaeval Baebes (2014)

1. I Saw Three Ships

2. We Three Kings

3. The Holly and the Ivy

4. Ther Is No Rose of Swych Vertu

5. Ding Dong Merrily on High

6. The Angel Gabriel

7. In the Bleak Midwinter

8. Good King Wenceslas

9. Gaudete

10. Once in a Royal David's City

11. Veni Veni Emmanuel

12. Away in a Manger

13. In Dulci Jublio

14. The Coventry Carol

15. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

16. Silent Night

17. Corpus Christi Carol

The Mediaeval Baebes from Britain have been charming audiences now for the past 17 years on both sides of the Atlantic with their unique ethereal voices, choral music set to ancient texts and original authentic musical arrangements depicting the true lively stories of Mediaeval times.

New York Polyphony

Sing Thee Nowell

2014 | Hybrid SACD – DSD


Nowell, Nowel, Noel - on their new release, Sing thee Nowell, New York Polyphony sings of, and to, the birth of Christ in a typically sophisticated programme which fuses the ancient with the modern into a seamless whole.


Seven centuries of Christmas passes before the listener with new works composed for these performers by Michael McGlynn, Andrew Smith and John Scott alongside traditional medieval and Renaissance carols and motets by Clemens 'non Papa', Philippe Verdelot and Tomás Luis de Victoria.


The wide-ranging sequence is anchored by Richard Rodney Bennett's Five Carols, in which the sopranos Sarah Brailey and Elizabeth Baber Weaver join in celebrating 'the joyful birth' and in praising 'Mary mild', that 'maiden fair and wise'. The wondrous events related to the Christmas story and the joy they bring to mankind naturally dominate, but intimations of Christ's death on the cross also surface in the course of the disc, as in Peter Warlock's Bethlehem Down: 'they will clothe him in grave-sheets, myrrh for embalming, and wood for a crown.'


Formed in 2006, New York Polyphony has rapidly emerged as one of the leading vocal chamber ensembles, applying a distinctly modern touch to repertoire that ranges from austere medieval melodies to cutting-edge contemporary compositions. Two previous recordings for BIS have received critical acclaim, including a Grammy nomination for the 2013 release Times go by Turns, interleaving masses by Byrd and Tallis with works from the 21st century.

Bach: Christmas Oratorio by RIAS Kammerchor, Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, Rene Jacobs and Johann Sebastian Bach (2014)

The Christmas Oratorio is the sublime outcome of a vast project that Bach completed between December 1734 and January 1735. This monumental fresco inspired by the history of the Nativity for narrators, soloists, choirs and orchestra comprises no fewer than six sections, each one a huge cantata. René Jacobs's acclaimed 1997 recording of the work is offered here at a special price.

Carol Album - Seven Centuries of Christmas Music by Taverner Consort, Taverner Choir,Taverner Players, Various and Andrew Parrott (2014)

Christmas carols, some of them over 700 years old, make up an important part of the great British choral tradition. English conductor Andrew Parrott researched, compiled, and recorded many of these atmospheric pieces in authentic sound with his world-famous ensembles. The result is a festive document of a unique choir culture!

Georg Philipp Telemann: Machet die Tore weit - Cantatas for Advent and Christmas by Bruce Abel, Marielusie Mundlein-Mohr, Aldo Baldin, Heidi Riess and Barbara Ulrich (2014)

The Carus Classics series features outstanding CD productions from Carus past library of recordings. The series has been designed exclusively by the well-known graphic artists Friedrich Forssman und Cornelia Feyll. The present Telemann recording by Günter Graulich, the founder of Carus-Verlag, is a genuine classic in the Carus repertoire. Together with the Motettenchor Stuttgart, which Graulich founded in 1951, he recorded the most significant Advent and Christmas cantatas by Georg Philipp Telemann in 1979.

Christmas Day: Traditional Carols For Christmas and the New Year

Tudor Choir and Players 

The Tudor Choir and Players offer a selection of holiday fare, including three British classics: Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on Christmas Carols, Finzi's In terra pax, and Holst's Christmas Day.

1. Ding dong! merrily on high (arr. Charles Wood)

2. I saw a fair maiden (Peter Warlock)
3. Fantasia on "Greensleeves" (R. Vaughan Williams)
4. The holly and the ivy (arr. H. Walford Davies)
5. "Pieds en l'air" from Capriol Suite (Warlock)
6. Lullaby my Jesus (Warlock, arr. Andrew Carter)
7. Fantasia on Christmas Carols (R. Vaughan Williams)
8. A virgin most pure (arr. Wood)
9. Christmas Day (Gustav Holst)
10. A New Year carol (Benjamin Britten)
11. In the bleak midwinter (Harold Darke)
12. In terra pax (Gerald Finzi)

Mystic Meaning

Music of Advent Christmas Epiphany

Choir of the Cathedral of St. John Albuquerque NM

Choirs of the Cathedral of St. John, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Maxine Thévenot, Director of Cathedral Music & Organist
Edmund Connolly, Stephen Tharp, Organists

William Mathias: Toccata Giocosa for organ
George Frideric Handel: Daughter of Zion
Paul Bouman: Behold the Lamb of God
Jeremy S. Bakken: Jesu, Dulcis Memoria (First Recording)
Philip Moore: I sing the birth
Philip Moore: Love of Love (First Recording)
Philip Moore: What is the crying at Jordan? (First Recording)
Philip Moore: Bethlehem, of noblest cities (First Recording)
Philip Ledger: Advent Calendar
Johannes Brahms (arr.): O Jesu, Joy of loving hearts
Robin Fullalove: Adam lay ybounden
Geoffrey Butcher: A babe lies in the cradle
Desmond Ratcliffe: Meditation on The Infant King (First Recording)
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: I will sing of thy great mercies
Michael Praetorius: En natus est Emmanuel
John Joubert: Torches
Denis Bédard: Variations sur In Dulci Jubilo for organ
Maurice Duruflé: Prélude sur l'Introit de l'Épiphanie for organ

The several choirs of the Cathedral of St. John (Episcopal) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, sing a program of traditional and recently composed choral music for the Christmas season and also for the Advent and Epiphany seasons that precede and follow Christmas in the calendars of liturgical churches. Three works are for pipe organ alone, and many of the choral works are accompanied by the cathedral's large pipe organ built in 2000 by the Reuter Organ Company of Lawrence, Kansas. Six works on the CD are the first recordings of the pieces.

Wolcum Yole CD, Original recording

Laura Zaerr (Author) Format: Audio CD

Yule-tide music for the Celtic harp. The word yule is from an Old English word meaning Christmas, geol. Yuletide is celbrated at the time of year when light returns to the world. As the physical light returns with the barely perceptible lengthening of days, we also envision spiritual light bathing the earth with good will and community. In this spirit of global well-being, proceeds from this recording will be forwarded to an organization dedicated to enhancing world-wide service - The Krista Foundation. Rosewood Music, 2001

Plainsong: The Echo Of Angels by Portsmouth Cathedral Choir, David Price, Oliver Hancock & William Wallace

The music of Gregorian Chant, or plainsong is the Church’s most ancient form of chanted prayer, and perhaps its most haunting and beautiful. It can transport, delight and transform. This recording is a snapshot of how plainsong is used at Portsmouth Cathedral, from the simplest of psalms sung at weekday Evensong, a great hymn marking a major Feast Day such as Veni Creator for Pentecost, or through its use in simple motets as set here by the Cathedral’s Director of Music, David Price.

1. ADVENT PROSEARR. STEPHEN CLEOBURY
2. HODIE CHRISTUS NATUS ESTARR. BENJAMIN BRITTEN
3. VERBUM INFANS DAVID PRICE
4. ECHO CAROL DAVID PRICE
5. PSALM 85 ORGAN (IMPROVISED) OLIVER HANCOCK
6. MISSA DE ANGELIS - KYRIE ARR. ADRIAN LUCAS
7. MISSA DE ANGELIS - GLORIA ARR. ADRIAN LUCAS
8. MISSA DE ANGELIS - SANCTUS & BENEDICTUS - ARR. ADRIAN LUCAS
9. MISSA DE ANGELIS - AGNUS DEI - ARR. ADRIAN LUCAS
10. PSALM 42 ORGAN (IMPROVISED) OLIVER HANCOCK
11. LENT PROSE  ARR. JOHN SCOTT
12. VENI CREATOR SPIRITUS - PLAINSONG
13. MISSA DEUS GENITOR ALM - ORGAN (IMPROVISED) OLIVER HANCOCK
14. MISSA DEUS GENITOR ALME - SANCTUS & BENEDICTUS -  ORGAN (IMPROVISED) OLIVER HANCOCK
15. MISSA DEUS GENITOR ALME - AGNUS DEI -  ORGAN (IMPROVISED) OLIVER HANCOCK
16. BENEDICTUS -  ARR. DAVID PRICE
17. ADORO TE DEVOTE-  ARR. DAVID PRICE
18. MEDITATION ON 'ADORO TE DEV

ARTHUR WILLS (PLAYED BY DAVID PRICE)

Sing We Now of Christmas, Choir of Trinity College Oxford

Our CD of Christmas Carols, recorded in the wonderful acoustics of Keble Chapel, are still available to buy. Recorded under the direction of Solomon Lau and Michael Papadopoulos, and the guidance of Michael Bowden, Director of Music at St. Marks' Regent, this CD is the perfect solution to that age old dilemma: what to get your loved ones for Christmas! On sale for £7 for a single copy, or £12 for two from the Lodge or the University Shop website (key in 'TrinityCDOffer' at checkout)

Tracks include:
Premiere Fantasie (Alain) - Once in royal David’s City (Gauntlett) - Away in a Manger (Jaques) - Adam lay Ybounden (Boris Ord) - Crown of Roses (Tchaikovsky) - Sing we now of Christmas (traditional) - Gelobet seist du, Jesus Christ (Bach) - We three Kings (Hopkins) - The Lamb (Tavener) - Sussex Carol (traditional) - Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (Brahms) - Joy to the World (Handel) Myn Liking (traditional) - Stille Nacht (Gruber) - In the bleak Midwinter (Darke) - Jesu Joy of Man’s desiring (Bach) - O Holy Night (Adam) - O come all ye faithful (Wade) - In dulci jubilo (Bach) - Toccata from Symphony No 5 (Widor)


Track listing:


1. Premiere Fantasie – Jehain Alain
2 Once in royal David’s City – H J Gauntlett (soloist Sophia MacAskil)
3 Away in a Manger – Reginald Jaques
4 Adam lay Ybounden – Boris Ord
5 Crown of Roses – P I Tchaikovsky
6 Sing we now of Christmas (French traditional)
7 Gelobet seist du, Jesus Christ – J S Bach
8 We three Kings – J H Hopkins
9 The Lamb – John Tavener
10 Sussex Carol (traditional) – arr David Willcocks
11 Es ist ein Ros entsprungen – J Brahms
12 Joy to the World – G F Handel
13 Myn Liking (traditional)
14 Stille Nacht – Franz Gruber
15 In the bleak Midwinter – Harold Darke (soloists Constance Meath Baker, Alicia Ejsmond-Frey)
16 Jesu Joy of Man’s desiring – J S Bach
17 O holy Night – Adolpe Adam, arr Solomon Lau
18 O come all ye faithful – J F Wade
19 In dulci jubilo – J S Bach
20 Toccata from Symphony No 5 – C M Widor

Armonico Consort return to disc on Signum with a festive selection of classic carols and hymns alongside new commissions and arrangements. The programme is rounded off by Benjamin Britten’s timeless A Ceremony of Carols.

1. Away in a Manger William J Kirkpatrick, David Willcocks

2. In Dulci Jubilo Robert Pearsall

3. O Come All Ye Faithfull John Francis Wade

4. Hope Finds a Way Jonathan Roberts

5. Stille Nacht Franz Gruber

6. Sussex Carol David Willcocks

7. Mistletoe Jonathan Roberts

8. Once in Royal David’s City Henry John Gauntlett

9. O Magnum Mysterium Morten Lauridsen

10. God Rest You Merry Gentlemen Traditional

11. Ding Dong Merrily on High Charles Wood

12. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin, Peter Gritton

A Ceremony of Carols

Benjamin Britten

13. I. Procession

14. II. Wolcum Yole

15. III. There is No Rose

16. IV. That Yonge Child

17. V. Balulalow

18. VI. As Dew in Aprille

19. VII. This Little Babe

20. VIII. Interlude

21. IX. In Freezing Winter Night

22. X. Spring Carol

23. XI. Adam Lay I-Bounden

24. XII. Recession

https://signumrecords.com/product/on-christmas-night/SIGCD386/

A new album bringing classic carols to life under the expert direction of conductor and author Andrew Gant, marking the release later this year of his new book “Christmas Carols, from Village Green to Church Choir.”

Everyone loves a carol – in the end, even Scrooge. They have the power to summon up a special kind of midwinter mood, like the aroma of mince pies and mulled wine and the twinkle of lights on a tree. It’s a kind of magic.

In this new accompanying recording, Andrew Gant’s choir, Vox Turturis, bring these carols to life with captivating performances of classics such as The Angel Gabriel, Adeste fideles and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, as well as less-known gems like Célébrons la naissance, Les anges dans nos campagnes and Tempus adest floridum. The CD booklet also includes a short essay by Gant highlighting some of the fascinating stories behind these works.

Christmas Carols brims with anecdote, expert knowledge and Christmas spirit. It is a fittingly joyous account of one of our best-loved musical traditions.

1. The Angel Gabriel Anonymous

2. Veni, Veni, Emmanuel Anonymous, Thomas Helmore, Andrew Gant

3. O Tannenbaum Anonymous

4. The Holly and the Ivy Anonymous, Henry Walford Davies

5. I Saw Three Ships Anonymous

6. O Little Town of Bethlehem Anonymous, Ralph Vaughan Williams

7. In dulci jubilo Anonymous, Carl Thiel

8. Adeste, fideles Anonymous, Andrew Gant

9. While Shepherds Watched Anonymous

10. The Fleecy Care Anonymous, Andrew Gant

11. While Shepherds Watched Anonymous

12. Ding-Dong, Merrily Anonymous, Charles Wood

13. Célébrons la naissance Jehan Tabourot, Peter Warlock, Andrew Gant

14. Les anges dans nos campagnes Anonymous, Andrew Gant

15. Hark, the Herald Felix Mendelssohn, William Cummings

16. The Christ-child’s Lullaby Anonymous, Andrew Gant

17. Still, still, still Anonymous, Andrew Gant

18. Away in a Manger Anonymous

19. Away in a Manger William Kirkpatrick, James Murray

20. Personent hodie Anonymous, Andrew Gant

21. The Twelve days of Christmas Frederic Austin

22. What child is this? Andrew Gant

23. A Merry Christmas Anonymous, Andrew Gant

24. Tempus adest floridum (spring carol) Anonymous, Andrew Gant

https://signumrecords.com/product/christmas-carols/SIGCD387/

Gary Schocker, best known as the most published composer of works for flute, has produced and published a dozen works for solo harp, including two books of arrangements of Christmas carols.

This recording follows the release of volume 1 in 2013 — both performed by the internationally known harpist, Emily Mitchell. Mitchell's 30-year career includes her popular recordings for RCA Victor, teaching at New York University and Purchase College, master classes at major conservatories around the world, and as an established name in the television, motion picture and recording studios of New York City. 

A graduate of Eastman and the Royal College of Music, she is the recipient of numerous awards and prizes including First Prize at the 7th International Harp Contest in Israel. She now teaches at Stephen F. Austin State University.

https://www.albanyrecords.com/catalog/troy1521/

This collection of early music for the Advent season provides a glimpse into the days of anticipation and hope leading up to Christmas during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Pierre de La Rue spent his professional life serving some of the most influential rulers of that time, and the glorious polyphony of his Missa Conceptio tua celebrates the Immaculate Conception in a manner appropriate to the extravagant liturgy of the Habsburg-Burgundian court. The seven O Antiphons focus on the theme of Jesuss imminent arrival, while the concluding English carols centre on the Virgin Marys birth of the Christ child. Schola Antiqua of Chicago is a professional vocal ensemble dedicated exclusively to the performance of music from before the year 1600. An ensemble that executes the pre-modern repertory with sensitivity and style (Early Music America), Schola Antiqua was founded in 2000 under the artistic leadership of Calvin M. Bower (University of Notre Dame). The ensemble has recorded three albums on the Discantus label (including first recordings of music by Leonin, Du Fay, Guerrero, and Lassus).

1 O Antiphons O Sapientia with Magnificat
2 O Antiphons O Adonai
3 O Antiphons O Radix Iesse
4 O Antiphons O Clavis David
5 O Antiphons O Oriens
6 O Antiphons O Rex Gentium
7 O Antiphons O Emmanuel
8 Missa Conceptio Tua Kyrie
9 Missa Conceptio Tua Gloria
10 Missa Conceptio Tua Credo
11 Missa Conceptio Tua Sanctus
12 Plainchant: Alma Redemptoris Mater Late Medieval English Carols
13 Plainchant: Alma Redemptoris Mater There Is No Rose of Swych Vertu
14 Plainchant: Alma Redemptoris Mater Hail Mary Full of Grace
15 Plainchant: Alma Redemptoris Mater Nova Nova!



Naxos

Christmas is a time when we celebrate long-held traditions: family gatherings, exchanges of presents, snow-covered scenes and images of the baby Jesus lying in a crib surrounded by the adoring shepherds, wise men and Mary and Joseph. Music is a crucial part of this annual festival. There is no shortage of Christmas carol repertoire recorded by Christ Church Cathedral Choir on the Nimbus label, but in this selection we have decided to bring together music that reflects some different aspects of the season. This is music to lift the spirits and transport the listener into a world of mystery.

1 Byrd, a Solis Ortus Cardine
2 Mathias, Ave Rex - a Carol Sequence Op. 45
3 Taverner, Mater Christi Sanctissima
4 Byrd, Hodie Christus Natus Est
5 Byrd, O Magnum Misterium
6 Byrd, Puer Natus Est Nobis
7 Shepperd, Gaude, Gaude, Gaude Maria
8 Poulenc, Salve Regina
9 Palestrina, Magnificat
10 Esteves, Beata Dei Genitrix
11 Esteves, Verbum Caro Factum Est

Nimbus Records

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