arr. Jonathan
RATHBONE
Angels from the Realms of Glory
John JOUBERT
There is no rose
Robert WALKER
Adam lay ybounden
Felix MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY
Ave Maria
Peter Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY
The Crown of Roses
Francis POTT
That yongë child
Herbert HOWELLS
A spotless rose
J.S. BACH
And there were shepherds
Adrian LUCAS/J S BACH
Sinfonia and Chorale: Break Forth
arr. Norman COCKER
What is this fragrance?
Bob CHILCOTT
The Shepherds’ Carol
Peter WARLOCK
arr. Dom Gregory
MURRAY
Come to Bethlehem
arr. Andrew CARTER
A maiden most gentle
arr. Edward HIGGINBOTTOM
Rocking
Robert PARSONS
Ave Maria
Kenneth LEIGHTON/Adrian LUCAS
Lully Lulla
Bob CHILCOTT
Where riches is everlastingly
Ben PARRY
arr. Jim CLEMENTS
And is it true?
arr. David WILLCOCKS/Adrian
LUCAS
O Come, all ye faithful
Amongst the plethora
of new Christmas discs that arrive each
year finding something original or just
that little bit "different"
seems to be a challenge of some magnitude.
Whilst everyone has their personal favourites
amongst the standards of the carol canon,
the fact remains that there are literally
hundreds of "yuletide stalwarts"
discs to choose from.
Griffin is one of a
handful of labels specializing in choral,
organ and church music. In this case
they have given the director of Worcester
Cathedral Choir, Adrian Lucas the chance
to assemble a wide-ranging collection
of music combining the familiar with
contemporary and fresh arrangements
by a number of composers well known
in the field.
Not surprisingly it
is two of the more familiar carols that
frame proceedings. This is courtesy
of the brass-emblazoned strains of Angels
from the Realms of Glory in a spirited,
attractive arrangement by Jonathan Rathbone
and O come, all ye faithful.
The latter is in the well known David
Willcocks arrangement, albeit adapted
by Adrian Lucas to include a rousing
brass fanfare to commence. The contribution
of Fine Arts Brass - often to be seen
on BBC’s Songs of Praise - is
excellent. Indeed it is a disappointment
that the ensemble are utilized rather
sparingly. They are elsewhere only to
be heard in Bach’s Sinfonia and
Chorale Break Forth, drawn from
part two of the Christmas Oratorio
and in Adrian Lucas’s adaptation of
Kenneth Leighton’s touching homage to
the Coventry Carol, Lully Lulla.
John Joubert’s There
is no rose and Herbert Howells’
A spotless rose, one of a number
of memorable contributions Howells made
to the Christmas choral repertoire,
are both given atmospheric readings.
Both carols have entered the mainstream
of the repertoire. Possibly more noteworthy
are the less immediately familiar contributions
from Bob Chilcott and Andrew Carter,
both of whom are specialists in the
field. Several modern settings utilize
familiar texts. In the case of Chilcott’s
haunting The Shepherds’ Carol,
written for King’s College, Cambridge
in 2000, the anonymous words have also
recently been set by Judith Bingham
in her The Shepherd’s Gift. More
familiar still are the 15th
century English words of Adam lay
ybounden, well known in settings
by Boris Ord and Peter Warlock but here
treated in uplifting fashion by Robert
Walker.
Bob Chilcott’s Where
riches is everlasting turns to Africa
for its influences. These are emphasized
by an accompaniment of percussion. The
music communicates a real sense of celebratory
joy in its catchy rhythmic progress.
Stylistically very different but no
less appealing is the setting of John
Betjeman’s familiar words in And
is it true?, originally written
for The Swingle Singers by Ben Parry.
Here it is heard in an arrangement by
Jim Clements, who can also be heard
as one of the four Lay Clerks featured
in close harmony, almost barbershop
style.
Francis Pott’s That
yongë child, recorded here
for the first time, is all the more
stark by comparison. It is treated to
an unquestionably contemporary yet austerely
beautiful setting of medieval words
which will be familiar, this time from
Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols.
Pott’s setting features a solo treble,
sung with clarity and poignancy by Hannah
Lucas, the sound of the treble voice
ultimately left magically alone over
a long concluding organ chord.
If authenticity of
atmosphere is a factor in your choice
of Christmas music the beautifully natural
acoustic of Worcester Cathedral is finely
captured here and gently illuminates
the sounds of the voices. Choir, soloists
and brass all acquit themselves exceptionally
well in a recital that succeeds in capturing
both the intimacy and joy of the Christmas
season.
Christopher Thomas
Fine Arts Brass 
