Choral at Cadogan 26-27: The Sixteen – A Ceremony of Carols 1

Welcome, Yule! Benjamin Britten's sparkling carol compendium ushers in Christmas with music that radiates with the joy and beauty of ancient seasonal words. Written in the darkest of times on a wartime transatlantic voyage, Britten's buoyant, brilliant music would pierce any midwinter gloom. For Harry Christophers' superb choral forces, it is the endpoint of a journey through music from the medieval to the present day, each composer beautifully capturing the spirit of the season.

Programme: Britten – A Hymn to the Virgin; Anon. mediaeval (c.1420) – There is No Rose; Parry – Welcome, Yule; Ballet lute book – Sweet Was the Song; Laura Sheils – Adam lay ybounden; Palestrina – Hodie Christus natus est; Palestrina – Missa Hodie Christus natus est: Gloria; Traditional (Cornish) – Sans Day Carol; Palestrina – Ne timeas; Anon. mediaeval – Angelus ad virginem; Victoria – Alma Redemptoris Mater; Francis Pott – A Hymn to the Virgin; Lucy Walker – There is No Rose; Cecilia McDowall – Of a Rose; Anon. – The Salutation Carol; Britten – A Ceremony of Carols

Performers: The Sixteen, Harry Christophers (conductor)