Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

I confess that I was about to dismiss this CD as being another piece of Christmas humbug complete with greetings card artwork but I listened and part way through the opening track, "O Adonai" by Toby Young, I was won over. This is a beautiful, shimmering, numinous opener sung by soprano Emily Wenman. I could imagine this stilling the most restless of congregations at the start of a carol service and leading them into worship. In atmosphere it links to the later "O Magnum Mysterium" by Tomas Luis de Victoria, again beautifully sung by the Armonico Consort. Not the sort of music that the once-a-year carollers will be able to belt out in a church service, but instead music that will bring the attentive listener closer to the heart of the Christmas story. There is a splendid selection of material in the 54-minutes of this CD, spread across 15 well-chosen pieces. By and large Christopher Monks, the consort's director, prefers to take the road less travelled so while we may recognise the titles the tunes are not those in the hymnbook I am used to. This is an observation, not a criticism as, while the 'classic' tunes for "Away In A Manger" and "In The Bleak Midwinter" are popular for a very good reason, these alternate tunes are well worth hearing and equally well worth singing. There are some songs that I expect will be as new to most listeners as they were to me, Toby Young's "The Astronomer's Carol" and "Hope Finds A Way" by Jonathan Roberts being two good examples - good in both senses of the word. Several better-known carols are embellished with new arrangements or a descant part: Philip Ledger's arrangement of "On Christmas Night" shines out as does J Rathbone's take on "Silent Night". There is nothing that is not worth hearing in this collection but my favourite is Elizabeth Poston's "Jesus Christ The Apple Tree". All the singing by the Armonico Consort is first-rate and ably supported by Edward Picton-Turberville on the organ of St Jude's Church, Hampstead. Do not judge this release by its pretty-pretty cover, this is a well-chosen and well sung collection that should lift the hearts of all who hear it.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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