COMPOSERS: Adam; Chilcott; Darke; Davies; Gabrielli; Gibbs; Howells; Jackson; Praetorius; Rathbone; Rutter; Sweelink; Villette; Pierpont; etc
LABELS: Naxos
ALBUM TITLE: A Winter's Light
WORKS: A Winter's Light
PERFORMER: Vasari Singers/Jeremy Backhouse
CATALOGUE NO: 8573030
A mix of ancient and modern here, majoring on the Christmas feel-good factor. Jonathan Rathbone’s energetically bouncing arrangement of Gabriel’s Message is a good place to sample the Vasari Singers’ warmly engaged performances, and they impress also in the tricky, undulating chant figurations at the beginning of Howells’s Sing Lullaby. Rathbone also contributes a neat arrangement of Greg Lake’s I Believe in Father Christmas and a carol medley. Overall, this is pleasant background listening, but lacks the punchiness to engage sharper musical attention.