Georg Frideric Handel could hardly have wished for a better teacher than Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, the longtime organist of St. Mary's Church in Halle. Born into a family of Stadtpfeifer and given the broadest possible musical training by his father in the venerable traditions of the guild, the native of Colln on the Spree possessed the full range of musical skills needed to give a gifted young musician a thorough grounding in both the fundamentals of the craft and the art of sacred composition. This should not suggest, however, that Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow was merely one of the countless competent minor masters who routinely discharged their duties at the organ and in front of the choir. His cantatas reveal a composer keenly attuned to the musical currents of his time, reflecting them in his own works while adding innovations of his own, yet never losing sight of the Lutheran chorale tradition that makes the works recorded here instantly recognizable as Christmas music to this day.

Caelis Academy Ensemble, under the direction of Matthew Larkin, make their debut album with Lily Long Foretold, a programme of sacred choral music for the Christmas season. Christmastide has inspired an extraordinary body of music across centuries and cultures, and this album brings together Gregorian chant with works from the Renaissance and Romantic periods alongside contemporary compositions. Drawing on music from England, Scotland, the Netherlands, France, Russia, and Canada, the programme reflects themes of Advent, the Annunciation, the Nativity, Epiphany, and the quiet solitude of winter. At the heart of the album is the image of the lily, a longstanding symbol of the Virgin Mary and the inspiration for Tate Pumfrey's title work, Lily long foretold. Bringing together music from different periods and traditions, the programme reflects on Mary's faith and the beauty of the Christmas story, while exploring themes of expectation, stillness, light, and renewal. Based in Ottawa, Caelis Academy Ensemble is a Canadian chamber choir specializing in liturgical and concert music rooted in the Anglican and Catholic cathedral traditions. Across nine seasons, the ensemble has given more than 200 performances and undertaken an international tour, while building a wide-ranging repertoire across cultures and genres. Matthew Larkin, the ensemble's Founding Director, is an organist, conductor, composer, recording artist, and educator who has been at the forefront of Canadian liturgical, choral, and keyboard performance for four decades. A Fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, he currently serves as Director of Music at Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Ottawa.

Follow the Star: On their new GENUIN album, the award-winning Octavians invite listeners on a musical journey through the Christmas season. Traditional chorales, timeless Christmas classics, and beloved melodies from different countries come together in distinctive arrangements to create an atmospheric program that moves between anticipation, silence, and festive joy. The unmistakable a cappella sound of the German vocal ensemble makes the warmth, intimacy, and quiet message of Christmas immediately tangible.

From William Byrd, Gabriel Faure and Sergei Rachmaninoff to Reena Esmail, Errollyn Wallen and Bob Chilcott, the RBC Chamber Choir presents a richly varied celebration of Christmas choral music, echoing it's popular annual candlelit performances at Compton Verney in Warwickshire. Conducted by Julian Wilkins, the choir captures the warmth, wonder and exhilaration of the Christmas season in a programme spanning five centuries of choral music.

John Rutter writes: 'In 1971, David Willcocks invited me to co-edit Carols for Choirs 2. This most happy association cemented my lifelong association with Cambridge and with Christmas, and in calling this double album A Cambridge Christmas, I am paying homage to that association. Some of the carols included in it were written by Cambridge authors or musicians, others were made famous by Cambridge Choirs, some I have included just because I like them, and there are several carols I have arranged or composed myself, generally for friends or organisations I cherish.

While seemingly simple, the task of choosing the repertoire for a Christmas recording of organ music is not. From the outset, I wanted to show the instrument in it's best light by choosing compositions it would play well, but would also be attractive works to the listeners. The pieces should vary in length and complexity, offer a good balance between popular vs. Unknown compositions, symphonic vs. #crystalline textures, loud vs. #soft, etc. Additionally, I wanted to include works by Black composers and Women composers, elevating their historically marginalized voices. Finally, all these parameters were applied to music that was only chorale- (or carol!) based, for how else would the pieces be considered 'Christmas?' -Eric Plutz, July 2026 The choice of the Groton School Organ is historic. Much like architecture, organ building vacillates between periods of exuberance and restraint. Also like architecture, some organs so fundamentally alter the tastes of a generation that they become prototypes, widely imitated. When any artwork is so seminal in impact, it can be hard to see it for the revolutionary example it once was. Sitting down to the Groton Aeolian-Skinner is just such an experience. Finished in late 1935, Groton instituted a new style for American organbuilding. In the first third of the 20th century, American builders were engrossed in suggesting the symphony, either through imitations of orchestral tonalities (Tubas, French and English horns) or in the broader sense of having the organ suggest the sweep and force of the modern symphony.

What if a shopping centre could become a place of presence? In 'Concert for a Space and Time' (2019), the Danish-American composer Lil Lacy stages an 'alternative Christmas concert' among the escalators and glass lifts. Singers emerge unnoticed from the crowds, strings sound from the building's heights and depths, and stone, steel, wood and glass dissolve into their elemental origins-an invitation to let go, look up and rediscover connection in the most unexpected of places.

The Rieger organ recently installed in the Musiikkitalo (Music Center) in Helsinki is the largest modern concert-hall organ in the world. In it's first-ever solo recording Jan Lehtola puts the instrument through it's paces. His unusual programme consists of nine sets of variations on Christmas melodies by four French composers, one Franco-Lebanese and an Englishman using what is probably the only well-known Ukrainian tune. The meeting of old and new in these variations shows off the splendours of the new instrument, the virtuosic writing ranging from gossamer delicacy and sumptuous harmonies to statements of colossal power.

Reaching number one on both the Billboard and Amazon charts, The Wexford Carols stars celebrated Irish singer Caitriona O'Leary alongside Grammy winners Sir Tom Jones, Rosanne Cash, and Rhiannon Giddens, backed by an all-star band. Produced by four-time Grammy winner Joe Henry, the album presents Ireland's greatest Christmas music-much of it recorded for the very first time-through a magical blend of traditional Irish, Americana, Blues, and Gospel. With lyrics by Luke Waddinge and William Devereux set to popular 17th- and 18th-century tunes, these musically sublime, spiritually rich, and emotionally powerful carols offer listeners a fresh and compelling way to experience the story of Christmas. Reaching number one on both the Billboard and Amazon charts, The Wexford Carols stars celebrated Irish singer Caitriona O'Leary alongside Grammy winners Sir Tom Jones, Rosanne Cash, and Rhiannon Giddens, backed by an all-star band. Produced by four-time Grammy winner Joe Henry, the album presents Ireland's greatest Christmas music-much of it recorded for the very first time-through a magical blend of traditional Irish, Americana, Blues, and Gospel. With lyrics by Luke Waddinge and William Devereux set to popular 17th- and 18th-century tunes, these musically sublime, spiritually rich, and emotionally powerful carols offer listeners a fresh and compelling way to experience the story of Christmas.

Christmas is a time of music and togetherness. With warmth, intimacy, and distinct roots in Nordic folk traditions, Dybfolt reimagines beloved songs of the season - from Danish classics to Nordic treasures - where winter's quiet reflection meets the vibrant spirit of folk music.

On the snow-swept island of Skiathos, a miraculous Christmas Eve unfolds. Weaving together spoken word with song, this recording brings to life To Christ, at the Castle by the Dostoevsky of Greece, Alexandros Papadiamantis. Papa Frangouli and his flock brave treacherous seas and cliffs to reach a neglected sanctuary, where they kindle fires that illuminate ancient frescoes. But as the Divine Liturgy begins, shipwrecked sailors cry for rescue, demanding another act of courage. Composed by Kyriakos Kalaitzidis following the eight modes of Byzantine chant and sung in rhyming, fifteen-syllable Greek verse by author Vasiliki Nevrokopli, Christmas at the Castle tells an epic story: how a broken promise and unexpected adversity lead to redemption and celebrations of unforeseen grandeur on Christmas Eve.

Delos is thrilled to announce a new collaboration with GRAMMY® Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer. Famed for it's "accuracy of intonation, purity of blend, of color and swagger of style" (Boston Globe), the group makes it's label debut with Joy to the World. This new Christmas collection blends tradition with innovation, combining Renaissance motets and fresh arrangements of classic carols with contemporary compositions, including two new commissions from Joanna Marsh. Showcasing the ensemble's extraordinary ability to move seamlessly and expertly between styles, Chanticleer's first Delos release conjures a wintertime world of magic, light, and wonder.