Carol of the Bells / Christophers, The Sixteen

$15.99
Label
Coro
Release Date
October 1, 2021
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      VARIOUS
    • PERFORMER
      The Sixteen, Christophers
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      October 01, 2021
    • UPC
      828021618826
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      COR16188
    • LABEL
      Coro
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Classical
    Works ⌄

    1. Pilgrim Jesus

      Composer: Bob Chilcott

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    2. Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

      Composer: Michael Praetorius, Jan Sandström

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Performer: Alexandra Kidgell, Edward McMullan, Mark Dobell, Rob MacDonald

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    3. Sans Day Carol

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    4. Adam Lay Ybounden

      Composer: Matthew Martin

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Performer: Ben Davies, Rob MacDonald

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    5. Carol of the Bells

      Composer: Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    6. Of a Rose

      Composer: Cecilia McDowall

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    7. People, Look East (Carol of the Advent)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    8. Christmas Eve

      Composer: Kim Porter

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    9. 5 Carols: No. 5. Susanni

      Composer: Rodney Bennett

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    10. Glory to the Christ Child

      Composer: Alan Bullard

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    11. Lux Aurumque

      Composer: Eric Whitacre

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Performer: Julie Cooper

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    12. I am the Day

      Composer: Jonathan Dove

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    13. This have I done for my true love, Op. 34, No. 1

      Composer: Gustav Holst

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    14. Wassail Song

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Performer: Katy Hill, Alexandra Kidgell, Ben Davies, Tim Jones

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    15. Long, Long ago

      Composer: Herbert Howells

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    16. All this time

      Composer: William Walton

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    17. And All in the Morning

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    18. Lullay, lullay, thou lytil child

      Composer: Joseph Phibbs

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Performer: Charlotte Mobbs, Edward McMullan, George Pooley, Tim Jones

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    19. Balulalow

      Composer: James Burton

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    20. What Sweeter Music Can We Bring (A Christmas Carol)

      Composer: Traditional

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    21. No. 1. O Sapientia

      Composer: Bob Chilcott

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    22. No. 2. O Adonaï

      Composer: Bob Chilcott

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    23. No. 3. O Radix Jesse

      Composer: Bob Chilcott

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    24. No. 4. O Clavis David

      Composer: Bob Chilcott

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    25. No. 5. O Oriens

      Composer: Bob Chilcott

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    26. No. 6. O Rex gentium

      Composer: Bob Chilcott

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers

    27. No. 7. O Emmanuel

      Composer: Bob Chilcott

      Ensemble: The Sixteen Choir

      Conductor: Harry Christophers


Christophers elegantly mixes traditional carols, 20th century British standards, and contemporary works, and at every turn, there is something new.

The Sixteen contrasts traditional with contemporary in this choral feast of festive music. Bob Chilcott's sumptuous Advent Antiphons based on plainsong melodies anticipate the coming of Christmas and feature alongside Mykola Leontovich's much-loved Carol of the Bells, Richard Rodney Bennett’s stunning Susanni and Eric Whitacre’s shimmering Lux aurumque. Interspersed with the beautiful simplicity of traditional carols, this is a Christmas collection to savor.

Harry Christophers stands among today’s great champions of choral music. In partnership with The Sixteen, the ensemble he founded almost 40 years ago, he has set benchmark standards for the performance of everything from late medieval polyphony to important new works by contemporary composers. His international influence is supported by more than 150 recordings and has been enhanced by his work as Artistic Director of Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society and as guest conductor worldwide. The Sixteen’s soundworld, rich in tonal variety and expressive nuance, reflects Christophers’ determination to create a vibrant choral instrument from the blend of adult professional singers. Under his leadership The Sixteen has established its annual Choral Pilgrimage to cathedrals, churches and other UK venues, created the Sacred Music series for BBC television, and developed an acclaimed period-instrument orchestra. Highlights of their recent work include an Artist Residency at Wigmore Hall, a large-scale tour of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, and the world premiere of James MacMillan’s Symphony No. 5, ‘Le grand Inconnu’; their future projects, meanwhile, comprise a new series devoted to Purcell and an ongoing survey of Handel’s dramatic oratorios.

REVIEW:

The title Carol of the Bells might suggest a greatest Christmas hits collection, and that Ukrainian standard is indeed present, but most of the material is a good deal less familiar. Christophers elegantly mixes traditional carols, 20th century British standards, and contemporary works, and at every turn, there is something new. Some of the traditional carols come from an old Oxford publication; Christophers notes that several, such as All in the Morning, have fallen out of use, and his case for their revival is persuasive. The Sixteen's reading of Eric Whitacre's much-recorded Lux aurumque is top-tier, and from the opening Pilgrim Jesus of Bob Chilcott, the program just flows unusually naturally. This is a holiday album that adds new subjects to the conversation even as it upholds some long traditions.

-- AllMusic.com (James Manheim)