Reviews
Review Search
'Lovingly rendered by Polyphony under Stephen Layton, this should be a disc of choice not only for this year but as well as for the years to come'
Superb performances which are beautifully recorded
Those of you who have ever sung in a choir, particularly around Christmas time, will be familiar with John Rutter's huge role in shaping the musical content of carol services up and down the country. He has arranged just about every carol known to man and his original Christmas compositions, as heard here on this extraordinary disc, epitomise both the joy and intense emotion that the Nine...
In an introduction to this disc of Christmas music, John Rutter tellingly commends the Christmas carol as one of the few forms that permits "serious" composers to write tunes, regardless of whatever political correctness rules the avant-garde of the day. And he's been exploiting that licence with a vengeance ever since, as a Cambridge student, he composed the jaunty little number that remains his...
"The performances are uniformly excellent; Stephen Layton and his Polyphony vocal ensemble have shown a previous affinity for Rutter's work and this effort simply reaffirms their commitment to and love for this very special music. The recording captures choir and the various orchestral forces at their best in the favourable acoustics of London's All Saints Church, Tooting…as one commentator said...
'A treat for all Rutter fans! … the program is bound to satisfy anyone seeking a balanced program of Christmas choral music done with sensitivity and taste'