Cambridge

It may seem a little perverse to open this review by bypassing the headline event (Britten's A Ceremony of Carols) in favour of its surrounding programme of early twentieth century carols and short choral works, but the latter are so very enjoyable that I'm almost of the opinion that they're where this programme's true gold lies.

The Choir of Girton College, Cambridge, continues its pioneering exploration of the music of the Italian Renaissance master Marc’Antonio Ingegneri (c. 1535/36–92) with a journey through the liturgical year, as mirrored in Ingegneri’s motets. A ‘concept album’ of Renaissance polyphony may be an unusual undertaking, but this one illustrates how Ingegneri took his lead from the emotions implicit in each major celebration of the church – from sorrow and awe to joy and jubilation – expressed in music of extraordinary beauty, belying the internal complexity that gives it its emotional power.

Graham Ross et le Choeur du Clare College de Cambridge célèbrent la fête de l'Épiphanie et la venue des Rois mages au fil de sublimes pages du répertoire, du seizième siècle jusqu'au chef-d'oeuvre a cappella d'Arnold Bax : Mater ora filium (1926).

The familiar hymn Veni Emmanuel is emblematic of the Advent season: a period of reflection upon the meaning of Christ's coming. Framing this programme, the hymn paraphrases the great "O" Antiphons (plainchant settings traditionally sung on the days leading up to Christmas), complemented here by later works echoing their rich imagery and symbolism.

In memory of the faithful departed. Graham Ross directs the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge in a programme of English and Spanish music for the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls, culminating in Tomás Luis de Victoria's last published work, his six-part 1605 Requiem, regarded by many as one of the finest works of the Spanish Renaissance.

A wonderful collection of 15 of the favourite and most popular carols for the Christmas season, performed by the world-famous Choir of King’s College, Cambridge.

John Rutter is one of the most iconic figures of English choral music today, a symbol of its vitality and high standards. Graham Ross brings together the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge (the celebrated choral institution that the composer himself directed in the mid-1970s) and The Dmitri Ensemble to pay homage to this great gentleman of modern musical history with a wide range of his works, some of them recorded here for the very first time.

The second album from the Choir of St John’s with their new music director - Christopher Gray. At the centre of the programme are the atmospheric Quatre Motets pour le temps de Noël by Francis Poulenc, and the heartfelt Three Carol-Anthems by Herbert Howells who directed the Choir here at St John’s during the Second World War. Other items include the beautiful carol John Rutter wrote for the Choir in 1985, There is a flower, and the haunting Peace on earth by Master of the King’s Music, Errollyn Wallen. “My aim with this album has not been to break new ground with repertoire, but to ensure that classics remain fresh for the current generation”