Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Goes Festive in New Album: "A Lullaby Carol"

 

The resounding refrains of The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford reverberate throughout A Lullaby Carol: Christmas from Christ Church, a rich tapestry of traditional and contemporary works celebrating the choir’s musical heritage, particularly from the 20^th and 21^st centuries. 

Highlights include the melodically and rhythmically rich “Make we joy now in this fest” and “All this time” by Sir William Walton, one of Christ Church’s most famous alumni, and Simon Preston’s timeless “There is no rose”. There are also two settings by former Organists of Christ Church: Stephen Darlington’s arrangement of “Silent Night”, and his successor Steven Grahl’s setting of “O nata lux”.

WILLIAM WALTON (1902–1983)
1. Make we joy now in this fest 3.48

ELIZABETH POSTON (1905–1987)
2. Jesus Christ the Apple Tree 3.13

SIMON PRESTON (1938–2022)
3. There is no rose 3.06

GILES SWAYNE (b. 1946)
4. Magnificat 4.10

PIERS CONNOR KENNEDY (b. 1991)
5. A Spotless Rose 4.06

WILLIAM WALTON
6. All this time 1.43

JUDITH WEIR (b. 1954); arr. David Maw (b. 1967)
7. Drop down, ye heavens, from above 1.55

TRADITIONAL; arr. David Maw (b. 1967)
8. I Saw Three Ships 2.50
9. Away in a Manger 3.29

GEORGE BAKER (b. 1951)
10. Toccata-Gigue on the Sussex Carol 5.02

DAVID MAW (b. 1967)
11. Lullay, lullay, litel child 4.32

PETER WARLOCK (1894–1930)
12. Benedicamus Domino 1.31

PIERS CONNOR KENNEDY
13. little tree 2.10
words: e e cummings (1894–1962)
14. Epiphany 2.10
words: Henry Vaughan (1621–1695)

FRANZ XAVIER GRUBER (1787–1863); arr. Stephen Darlington (b. 1952)
words: Josef Mohr (1792–1848), transl. John F. Young (1820–1885)
15. Silent night! Holy night! 3.12

STEVEN GRAHL (b. 1979)
16. O nata lux 2.18

JUDITH WEIR
17. Illuminare, Jerusalem 2.23

FRANCIS POTT (b. 1957)
18. Improvisation on Adeste, fideles 6.19

SPIRITUAL; arr. Robert L. Morris (b. 1941)
19. Glory to the newborn King 2.35

PETER WARLOCK; words: Bruce Blunt (1899–1957)
20. Bethlehem Down 4.36

CHERYL FRANCES-HOAD (b. 1980)
21. Good Day, Sir Christemas! 2.12

Avie Records

https://www.avie-records.com/releases/a-lullaby-carol-christmas-at-christ-church/

Disclaimer: Regarding the photos and descriptions used above: We do not know whom the owners of these are and infringement is not intended. Photos and descriptions are used for educational purposes only. We will gladly oblige any take down under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Photos and descriptions are used under the allowance made for "fair use" under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 for the purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. We will oblige any takedown request of any photo on this blog in compliance with the DMCA.