The Mystery of Christmas (2018)

performed by Emma Walshe (vocals), Emma Walshe (soprano), Hannah Cooke (mezzo-soprano), Jeremy Budd (tenor), Joby Burgess (percussion), Kim Porter (mezzo-soprano), Richard Bannan (baritone), Roderick Williams (vocals), Steven Harrold (tenor), William Gaunt (bass)
composed by Adrian Peacock, Anonymous, Ben Rowarth, Cecilia McDowall, Christmas Traditional, Fredrik Sixten, James MacMillan, Jamie W. Hall, John Rutter, Judith Weir, Morten Lauridsen, Richard Allain, Roderick Williams, Steven Sametz, Thomas Hyde, Thomas Tallis

Programs mixing Renaissance music with contemporary compositions are almost obligatory in the genre of the British choral holiday album, so it's nice to encounter a release that gets back to the roots of the phenomenon and takes seriously the impulses that gave rise to it. The small (23-voice) ORA singers and conductor Suzi Digby, honored here by the dedication of a new composition by John Rutter, apply the method used on the group's earlier recordings: seeking out, by commission if necessary, new compositions that respond ... Read More

Programs mixing Renaissance music with contemporary compositions are almost obligatory in the genre of the British choral holiday album, so it's nice to encounter a release that gets back to the roots of the phenomenon and takes seriously the impulses that gave rise to it. The small (23-voice) ORA singers and conductor Suzi Digby, honored here by the dedication of a new composition by John Rutter, apply the method used on the group's earlier recordings: seeking out, by commission if necessary, new compositions that respond to earlier settings of the same text. With Christmas music, where long chains of interpretation are already in place, the results are especially resonant. Some of the melodies are familiar. Sample the anonymous medieval carol Nova nova, bracingly brought to life by its juxtaposition with James MacMillan's setting. A few pieces don't fit this pattern, and two of these are not British; Fredrik Sixten's Mary's Lullaby (Silent Night) and Morton Lauridsen's O magnum mysterium allow the... Read Less