The Queen

The Queen's Six return to Signum with a new album of romantic pop song arrangements. Conceived with US producer TJ Armand, the album of new a cappalla arrangements sets traditional classics such as Bob Dylan’s ‘Make you feel my love’, and Young and Heyman’s ‘When I fall in love’, next to more unusual songs such as Huey Lewis and the News’ ‘The Power of Love’, and Limahl’s ‘Never Ending Story’.

Following Tom Lehrer’s decision in 2020 to release almost 100 of his songs into the public domain (for anyone to perform and adapt without permission), The Queen’s Six find themselves unable to resist… 'Lehrer […] has just announced that he is surrendering the rights to his songs so that everyone can help themselves to his ‘catchy and savage musical satire’ without fear of breaching copyright. His timing, as ever, is perfect, because what the world needs urgently is a strong dose of Lehrer.'

The juxtaposition of old and new which lies at the heart of much Christmas music lends this recording by the mixed-voice Choir of The Queen’s College Oxford its theme. The repertoire ranges in period from Hildegard of Bingen to pieces composed during the last few years. The central work – Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols – vividly encapsulates the intersection of ancient and modern, setting medieval and Renaissance texts, and drawing on plainchant as musical inspiration, while – in its series of fresh, vivid, and sharply-etched miniatures – eschewing the sentimentality which had become attached to Christmas and its music.