This Christmas collection from Nigel Short's chamber choir Tenebrae is comprised of three strands: traditional carols, festive favourites, and newer pieces including a trio of songs by John Rutter, and Jonathan Rathbone's setting of Thomas Hardy's poem The Oxen.
Rutter's title-track perhaps shows off the choir's tonal blend to best effect, while Karl Jenkins' arrangement of "Gaudete" brings a brief burst of ebullience amid the piety. Two tracks which set the album apart: the superbly-measured arrangement of the Appalachian folk tune "I Wonder As I Wander", and Rathbone's splendid arrangement of "Silent Night".
Download this Silent Night; What Sweeter Music?; Gaudete; I Wonder As I Wander
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