Season Zero

When Paul Hillier, an inspiring, English-born choral conductor, moved to Denmark in 2003, he reestablished his choir, Theatre of Voices, in his new country, and they’ve gone from strength to strength. This wonderful program is themed around the Advent star and the great burst of light that Christmas brings to the year’s darkest months. The German-Danish composer Dietrich Buxtehude and some of his German contemporaries provide the fare for this delightful celebration of Christmas, late 17th-century style. Allan Rasmussen intersperses the choral numbers with solo organ pieces, making for an engrossing album of high-class music-making, superbly recorded in Copenhagen’s Garnisonskirken.