On Christmas Evening from London Choral Sinfonia & Michael Waldron on Orchid Classics

We start with Percy Fletcher’s Tennyson setting, Ring Out, Wild Bells, written initially for choir and organ. Regardless of being written in 1914 it has one thing of an Edwardian really feel about it, however makes a vibrant and vigorous begin to the disc. That is adopted by a newish piece. Jim Clements’ setting of Henry Vaughan, Awake, Glad Coronary heart, written initially for the choir of Worcester Cathedral (once more with organ accompaniment). Richly textured with lush harmonies, it’s a vibrant piece with a positive central part for soprano solo (Emma Bell in poised kind).

Bob Chilcott’s association of Silent Evening for choir and strings is efficient sufficient, and comprehensively reinvents the straightforward carol into one thing extra elaborate. Howard Blake’s model of his track Strolling within the Air dates from 1984, a few years after the movie The Snowman from which it was drawn. Blake makes the accompaniment extra complicated and right here the solo is sung by treble Malakai Bayoh, although the recording appears to make him barely recessed and prioritises the orchestra a little bit an excessive amount of. Harold Darke’s setting of Within the Blake Midwinter has change into a Christmas basic (although I quite choose Holst’s model). Right here, now we have it with string accompaniment, increasing issues considerably, however I confess I discovered the unaccompanied verse quite extra affecting.

I carried out Alec Rowley’s music after I was at college; he’s greatest recognized for his instructional music however wrote a lot else in addition to. His Christmas Suite from 1930 consists of seven brief actions, every constructed on a distinct carol, although a few of them will not be so well-known now. The Bitter Withy anybody? The result’s considerably like a Christmas model of Warlock’s Capriol Suite, as Rowley’s method is comparable. Even with the better-known carols, the tunes are disguised in a extremely efficient method and aside from the Prelude and Finale, every motion is in a selected dance kind.

RVW’s Fantasia on Christmas Carols is reasonably well-known, however Holst’s Christmas Day quite much less so. Right here in Owain Park’s orchestration the choir and orchestra make a robust case for its interesting mixture of tunes, very successfully strung collectively, with positive solos from choir members Martha McLorinan and Jimmy Holliday.

Bob Chilcott’s association of Away in a Manger makes use of a quite completely different tune to that best-known within the UK, with Chilcott utilizing the unique American model. It makes a quite completely different, very efficient tackle a basic. About Mark Pappenheim’s association of Adolphe Adam’s O Holy Evening (in an orchestration by Owain Park), I’ve extra combined emotions. The opening solo sung by Emma Bell strikes the piece extra into grand(ish) opera, however when the refrain are available in, Pappenheim appears decided to overcomplicate issues and introduce all method of different melodies. The end result stretches what is an easy but efficient piece into an extended seven minutes. The association of Ding Dong! Merrily on Excessive by Mack Wilberg, one-time music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is extra straightforwardly efficient.

The disc ends with a brand new piece, Iain Farrington’s Nova nova. Splendidly jazzy and full of life, Farrington succeeds in making the carol upbeat with out seeming to strive too onerous. This deserves to change into a basic and I hope that Farrington had a model for choir and keyboard useful!