Naxos has released many imaginative and beautiful albums of carols and other Christmas music, from ancient to modern, many of which have been critically praised for their quality and musical interest. And, of course, many feature the favourite Christmas carols we all love.
Performances of carols both ancient and modern have become central to the celebration of Christmas. The choral music on this disc includes such evergreen works as Vaughan Williams’s Christmas Day and Howells’s Carol-Anthems, whose nostalgic mood is echoed in Finzi’s In Terra Pax, which recalls the pealing of bells at midnight on a frosty Christmas Eve, alongside music by Leighton, Joubert, Mathias, Gardner and Rutter. The City of London Choir, which enjoys an enviable reputation as a ‘leader among non-professional choruses’ (The Times), makes its Naxos début with this delightful recording.
‘Conductor Gavin Sutherland deserves credit for inspired leadership in these all-too-rarely performed works–any one of which would make a guaranteed audience-pleasing addition to a holiday concert. Having these together on one CD is truly a gift worthy of the season it celebrates. And Naxos complements the whole production with top-grade sound. Adeste fidelis!’
– ClassicsToday.com
‘It’s one of the most beautiful and original Christmas CDs of the year.’ (Répertoire)
‘This is a quite splendid disc. The singing is superb throughout, the programme is imaginative and enterprising and the performances are captured in excellent sound. This will make an excellent Christmas present for a musical friend. Better still, buy two copies and treat yourself too. Happy Christmas!’ (MusicWeb International)
‘Collectively, this sequence of carols is almost an assembled oratorio, expertly dissolved in the Spirit.’ (Allaboutjazz.com)
‘This is a grand alternative to the usual “Christmas Album”, and Naxos deserve plaudits for combining commercial attractiveness with a net cast wide, catching all kinds of unusual repertoire for our seasonal entertainment. Does it go without saying that the recording is excellent and the performances spotless? No, because this will be the second time I’ve said it, so it must be true.’ (MusicWeb International)
‘Grave or naïve, spiritual or emotional, languorous or merry, all the Christmas carols of our former mother country are charming, exalting the true poetical expression which reveals this people’s very soul.’ (Ernest Myrand, Quebec, 25 December 1899)
‘You just have to love music like this—tuneful and exceptionally well crafted, these little concertos and cantata were, after all, intended for the pure enjoyment of an ordinary, if musically well-informed audience.’ (Classics Today)
‘Jewels indeed. And the singing ain’t bad either. This is another in a very satisfying group of recent Christmas choral discs that strive to offer some terrific, rarely recorded “gems” along with a welcome mix of familiar—but mostly not too familiar—pieces…The sound, optimally recorded in an ideal church setting, is excellent.’ (Classics Today)
‘The Vienna-based ensemble, specializing in early music, has recorded a delightful selection of songs honouring The Black Madonna.’ (Gramophone)
‘His [Oliver Lepage-Dean’s] voice is well recorded: firm and even, true in pitch, pure in quality. In two items he sings, as soloist, with the choir: Stanford’s G Major Magnificat (the treble’s violin concerto) and Mendelssohn’s Geistliches Lied (consolation-prize for not having Hear my prayer). In both, the solo voice blends admirably while fully justifying its pre-eminence.’ (Gramophone)
‘Another Naxos compilation and a very welcome one for several reasons. Firstly, it features a top male choir consistently on peak form. Secondly, it allows us an opportunity to investigate ‘the best of the choir’s CDs of the last few years. These have been of the English choral tradition as exemplified by Stanford and Howells – the staple diet of any cathedral choir. This double album will give an ideal guide to 20th Century English Cathedral Music.’ (MusicWeb International)
‘Given the beautiful singing and the crystal-clear Naxos recording, this is an immensely rewarding disc.’ (Gramophone)
Not available in the United States due to possible copyright restrictions
This selection of music for Christmas brings together East and West in the collaboration of Winchester College Chapel Choir and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Recorded live in Hong Kong in December 2004, this disc features a selection of perennial favourites from the Baroque period, including Bach cantatas and Handel’s Messiah, and three exquisite modern carols.
Also available on CD 8.557965