Benjamin Britten - Winter Tales. The Britten Christmas Album (Justin Doyle)

Information

Composer: Benjamin Britten

• A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28
• A Boy Was Born, Op. 3
• Missa brevis, Op. 63
• A Hymn of St Columba
• The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard

Anna Viechtl, harp

Marcel Andreas Ober, organ

Philip Mayers, piano

Boys of the Staats- und Domchor Berlin

RIAS Kammerchor

Justin Doyle, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

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On Winter Tales, Chief Conductor Justin Doyle and the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin celebrate Christmas with a program highlighting Benjamin Britten’s choral repertoire, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death. Drawing on Doyle’s lifelong immersion in Britten’s sound world and research using scores with the composer’s handwritten markings, the recording balances beloved seasonal classics with rare, rewarding catalog discoveries. Featuring the Staats- und Domchor Berlin alongside harpist Anna Viechtl, organist Marcel Andreas Ober, and pianist Philip Mayers, this collaboration by one of the world's leading professional chamber choirs offers a fresh, authentic perspective on twentieth-century British vocal music.

Born in 1975 in Lancaster, England, Justin Doyle began his musical journey as a chorister at Westminster Cathedral and choral scholar at King’s College, Cambridge. He gained recognition after winning second prize at the 2006 Cadaqués Conducting Competition and became a BBC Singers Conducting Fellow. Since 2017/18, he has served as Chief Conductor of the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin, acclaimed for his work in both Renaissance and contemporary music. He regularly collaborates with ensembles like Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and conducts opera, particularly works by Mozart, Haydn, and Britten. A dedicated educator, he teaches in Berlin and at the Sibelius Academy.

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