Album insights
For over a decade, Stephen Layton and the Ensemble Polyphony have astonished London audiences with their Christmas concert series. Their performance of Handel's Messiah on Christmas Eve has been a highlight each year, captivating the crowd. Alongside grand oratorio presentations, the ensemble has delighted audiences with a-cappella renditions of Christmas music, showcasing a diverse range of repertoire. This CD brings together music from many of their acclaimed recordings.
Polyphony, led by Stephen Layton, has garnered accolades for their recordings, including John Rutter's Requiem, leading to the inclusion of Rutter's Gloria on a CD featuring Christmas music selections. The album features both traditional carols like Silent Night and Away in a Manger alongside orchestral works like Nativity Carol and Shepherd's Pipe Carol. These pieces represent a broad spectrum of festive compositions, with carols traditionally being popular Christmas songs.
Stephen Layton's acclaimed program, "O Magnum Mysterium," recorded in 1996, mixes 20th-century Christmas songs with medieval Sarum Rite chants. The compilation includes pristine works by Herbert Howells, Kenneth Leighton's poignant "Coventry Carol," as well as Christmas songs by Peter Warlock, such as "Bethlehem Down" and "Lullaby my Jesus." The album also features contributions from William Walton and an array of compositions from various eras and styles.
The music of Edvard Grieg and Percy Grainger is discussed in a piece titled "At Twilight," exploring their unique musical styles. Stephen Layton's devotion to Percy Grainger's music culminated in a groundbreaking recording of the "Jungle Book Cycle." Polyphony's legacy dates back to 1986, rooted in a concert at the King's College Cambridge chapel, making it fitting that this CD includes Layton's arrangement of Peter Cornelius's "The Three Kings." The piece intertwines Cornelius's text with a Lutheran hymn sung in its original German language.
A recent Hyperion recording of Arvo Pärt's works, including the acclaimed "Triodion" and "Magnificat," has become a bestseller due to its pivotal role in the choral music landscape. This CD also features Par's "O Morgenstern" and his poignant interpretation of the Magnificat. Benjamin Britten's "A Hymn to the Virgin" and "Chorale after an Old French Carol" from the award-winning album "Sacred and Profane" blend traditional and modern elements. Lastly, the recording concludes with Morten Lauridsen's rendition of the timeless piece "O Magnum Mysterium," capturing the essence of Christmas marvelously.