Various Composers - An English Christmas (Choir of Merton College)

Information

1. Bob Chilcott - A great and mighty wonder
2. John Rutter - Shepherd’s Pipe Carol
3. John Rutter - All bells in paradise
4. James MacMillan - Advent Antiphon
5. Judith Weir - Drop down, ye heavens, from above
6. John Gardner - Tomorrow shall be my dancing day
7. Thomas Hewitt Jones - What child is this?
8. Cecilia McDowall - O Oriens
9. Harold Darke - In the bleak mid-winter
10. Bob Chilcott - Jesus Christ the apple tree
11. Traditional - In dulci jubilo (arr. Robert Lucas de Pearsall)
12. John Rutter - Was I the lamb
13. Roxanna Panufnik - Sleep, Jesus, sleep
14. Gustav Holst - In the Bleak Mid-winter
15. Herbert  Howells - O Mortal Man
16. Edmund Sears - It came upon the midnight clear (arr. Arthur Sullivan)
17. Traditional - This is the truth sent from above (arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams)
18. Traditional - Silent night (arr. John Rutter)
19. Kerensa Briggs - A Tender Shoot
20. Gabriel Jackson - Toccata

Choir of Merton College, Oxford

Oxford Contemporary Sinfonia

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

Benjamin Nicholas, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Delphian Records

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An English Christmas by the Choir of Merton College spans a century of British festive choral music, moving from the clear, tuneful writing of Bob Chilcott and John Rutter to the spiritual depth of Judith Weir and James MacMillan. Under Benjamin Nicholas, with support from the Oxford Philharmonic and Contemporary Sinfonia, the performances shine with warmth and vivid orchestral colour. Alongside classics by Holst, Howells and Vaughan Williams, the album features recent works by Kerensa Briggs, Roxanna Panufnik and Cecilia McDowall. The result is a celebration of tradition and modern creativity, showcasing the distinctive English choral sound for which Merton is known.

The Choir of Merton College is a 30-voice ensemble of Oxford University students whose main role is to sing in the college’s 13th-century chapel. Founded in its modern form in 2008, it has quickly earned an international reputation through tours, broadcasts and acclaimed recordings, including a BBC Music Magazine Award in 2020 for Gabriel Jackson’s The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. The choir performs frequently at major UK festivals and venues and collaborates with leading orchestras and early-music groups. Active in commissioning new music, it has premiered works by many contemporary composers while maintaining a strong presence on the Delphian label.

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