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Graham Ross invites you to explore the highly individual conception of traditional carols offered by twentieth-century British composers, and notably the most eminent among them, Benjamin Britten. Arranged around his famous Ceremony of Carols is a selection of wonderful choral settings with and without organ, each of which in its own way testifies to the meticulous care Britten brought to these musical gems, most of them deriving from English folk tradition and heard alongside pieces by three older masters whose music had left its mark on the composer of Peter Grimes: John Ireland, Frank Bridge and Gustav Holst.

“The icing on the cake is the mixed-voice choral singing itself: the clean-toned freshness of the female sopranos, balancing against the warmth and depth of the overall sound; articulation crisp and warm in equal measure, and always with a beautiful feel for the texts themselves."

"The programme as a whole is refreshingly non-standard, and all presented via choral singing at its finest.”

hdmusic.me

“...its performance of the full-choir arrangement brings an uplifting rush of energy."

4★ Financial Times

“...their robust sound makes everything else I have listened to for this issue seem slightly tame (sonorous bass lines are particularly impressive). There is some excellent organ playing too.” 

4★ Choir and Organ

“Warm blend, fresh attack and a sense of keen vitality mark all the singing, and the sound is excellent."

4★ BBC Music Magazine

"Stunning performance!"

Alexander Armstrong, Classic FM

“..this is another excellent example of their work. The standard of performance never falls below the level of excellence that we’ve come to expect from this choir. Not only is the sound of the choir a delight in itself, in addition their discipline is enviable and their diction is consistently very good. 

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