Christmas – The Gesualdo Six, Owain Park – Hyperion CDA68299, 74:17 [Distr. by PIAS] ****:
The Gesualdo Six was formed in 2014 as an early music ensemble, but quickly morphed into far more than that, even sponsoring several composition competitions. This is their second recording for Hyperion, with whom they signed in 2018. Christmas discs seem to always sell well and obtain a good degree of popularity, and this one proves attractive in many ways.
These carols are probably about twenty-five percent popular and known, with the remainder rather unknown, with a good span of music ranging from the Tudor age to the 21st century. Only Jingle Bells stands out as a bit of an outlier, perhaps lastly listed as a good concert encore. But even here, the remarkable balance, devotional tone, and finely-graded sense of harmonic security makes for an album of truly resplendent sonic grandeur and engrossingly fitting seasonal engagement. Recorded at Trinity College, Cambridge, the engineers have captured a small ensemble in radiantly soft acoustics that more than satisfy the ears and the emotions. High quality, high sonics, and highly recommended.
Tracklist:
Veni Emmanuel Anonymous, arr. Philip Lawson (b.1957)
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland a 6 Michael Praetorius (1571 – 1621)
The Annunciation Jonathan Harvey (1939 – 2012)
Videte Miraculum Thomas Tallis (c.1505 – 1585)
The Promised Light of Life Cheryl Frances-Hoad (b.1980)
Gaudete Trad. arr. Brian Kay (b.1944)
The Truth Sent from Above arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958) & Owain Park (b.1993)
Es Ist ein’ Ros’ Entsprungen Trad., harm. Michael Praetorius
Angelus ad virginem Anon.
Lullay my liking Gustav Holst (1874 – 1934)
There is a flower John Rutter (b.1945)
Canite tuba Jacob Handl (1550 – 1591)
There is no rose Anon.
Verbum caro factum est Hans Leo Hassler (1564 – 1612)
Coventry Carol Anonymous – traditional
On the Infancy of our Saviour Owain Park
Love came down at Christmas Eleanor Daley (b.1955)
In dulci jubilo Praetorius arr. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
The oxen Jonathan Rathbone (b.1957)
Away in a manger – Cradle Song arr. Philip Lawson
Jingle Bells James Lord Pierpont (1822-1893), arr. Gordon Langford (1930-2017)
—Steven Ritter