Christmas Night: Carols of the Nativity. Various/Cambridge Singers/Rutter (Collegium) – INKPOT

COLLEGIUM RECORDS COLCD 106
[63:35] full-price

This is what Christmas music really is: Beautifully worshipful compositions reflecting upon the birth of Christ, and nothing less. And because some of John Rutter’s own music is here, it also serves as a unique, tangible profession of his faith. If you don’t have any of John Rutter’s other CDs, buy this one and let it be your springboard to purchasing his other recordings.

The highly-respected John Rutter (b. 1945, London) is primarily a composer and conductor, known for writing choral music on both small and grand scales. In the mid-1970’s he was Director of Music at Clare College, where he had been a student and whose choir he directed in broadcasts and recordings. He gave up his post there to compose his own music and to form the Cambridge Singers as a professional chamber choir primarily dedicated to recording. Likewise, he started Collegium Records to present those recordings. This one, like his others, contains the text, composition and arrangement credits for and excellent historical notes about each track.

The Cambridge Singers’ performance here is somewhere between flawless and outstanding, faithfully captured by engineer Campbell Hughes and producer Jillian White. The reduced number of musicians here is entirely appropriate; there is no loud fanfare or bombast, and therein lies one of the endearing qualities of this disc, because Rutter programmed so thoughtfully and carefully. Fifteen a capella pieces are punctuated by seven with orchestral accompaniment, more than ably provided here by Rutter’s frequent collaborators, the City of London Sinfonia.

Among the a capella highlights on this disc are the two opening tracks, beginning with the familiar German carol in dulci jubilo, arranged here by R.L. Pearsall. The 15th century Adam lay ybounden has been set to music several times; John Rutter chose to include the one by legendary English choirmaster and organist Boris Ord. The late Herbert Howells’ arrangement of A spotless rose is a fine example of the wonderful British flavor on this disc, echoed by the two Charles Wood arrangements, Once as I remember and A virgin most pure. There is also a particularly beautiful J.S. Bach arrangement of Samuel Scheidt’s carol O little one sweet. Rutter’s setting of There is a flower features soprano soloist Ruth Holton, who delivers a very enjoyable balance between the boy-chorister characteristic and her own feminine voice.

There are four particularly beautiful collaborations between choir and strings here: Dr. Harold Darke’s In the bleak mid-winter has remained very popular in Great Britain over the last few decades in part because of the gentle arrangement and because Christina Rossetti’s text considers Christ’s birth with an almost child-like simplicity. Sir Richard R. Terry’s lovely and dignified Myn lyking is a Tudor-flavored arrangement of a 15th century text. The segue from the violins to the women choristers entering the first verse evidences Terry’s thoughtful string scoring, duplicated later by the celli and the men. John Rutter adapted a melody from Thoinot Arbeau’s late 16th century Orchsographie and wrote lyrics and a new score, nicely resulting in this disc’s title track.

Especially deserving of your attention is Patrick Hadley’s quietly sparkling I sing of a maiden; Hadley’s brilliant scoring and orchestration remind of Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus, flowing beautifully and seamlessly between phrases. Given a superlative performance here by the Singers and Sinfonia, this may be the best track on the disc.

Two other notable Rutter (right) works are here too, reminiscent of both a “contemporary” style and that which sounds at least a hundred years older – testimony to Rutter’s compositional abilities. Among the former is his 1984 Candlelight Carol, and representing the latter is the final track on the CD, his 1963 Nativity carol, both accompanied by the City of London Sinfonia. As with the Patrick Hadley, Nativity carol epitomizes the celebration of Christmas: quiet, worshipful and eloquently simple reflection upon the birth of the Christ child, beautifully enough to bring tears to your eyes.

My recommendation here is simple: Buy this CD.

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