ClassicsToday, David Vernier, November 2010
9/9 rating - For fans of traditional Christmas music, either choral or the popular forms known to English parishes and common folk, you will find a virtual treasure trove in the catalog of the British record "label" The Gift of Music. I put "label" in quotes because I'm not sure exactly what this company is--a true record label or more a facilitator of recordings and distribution. Whatever, its catalog features a marvelous and eminently collectible compendium of Christmas music, much of it performed by a roster of the very best English cathedral and university choirs and professional vocal ensembles.
This disc is a choice representative of what's on offer--an irresistible collection of 16th-century repertoire, performed to near-perfection by Stephen Darlington's exemplary Christ Church choir in a recording made in 2004. It's not that we haven't heard these works before--including the "Coventry carol", Taverner's Christe Jesu, pastor bone, the anonymous "Sweet was the song", Gibbons' This is the record of John, or Tallis' O nata lux; but they are all performed with such sensitivity and authority and convey the spirit of Christmas--albeit an ancient one--so effectively that we can't help but make room for this set among our existing favorites. Don't miss this one--and don't fail to check out this label's wealth of other very attractive Christmas offerings.
Product Description
Imagine yourself in the fine surroundings of the Great Hall of Christ Church, with a programme of Tudor sacred and secular music including music by Henry VIII, one of Christ Church's founders, and choral works by Taverner and others associated with Christ Church during its first century.
