Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

There is much to enjoy on this CD: the singing is good and the material well chosen. There are 23 songs coming in at just over the hour. Some are old favourites: "Once In Royal David's City", "O Come, All Ye Faithful" and a splendid "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" in David Willcocks' rousing arrangement, so if this was your only Christmas CD you have at least some of the great carols. There are also traditional seasonal songs: good fun without being particularly religious such as "Jingle Bells" and "Deck The Hall". Again, there are enough of them that we do not feel short-changed but not so many that we grumble about the same old same old. And then there are the unusual selections which make this of interest to even the most seasoned of seasonal CD buyers; Herbert Howells' "Here Is The Little Door", Eric Whitacre's numinous "Lux Aurumque" and Benjamin Britten's "A Hymn To The Virgin" to name three. Another positive feature is the geographical range, taking us from the well-known "Calypso Carol" to Malcolm Sargent's arrangement of "Hawaiian Lullaby" to the Spanish carol "Esta Noche" and given that Cantemus is a Welsh choir we get "Suo-Gan" and the traditional Welsh "Deck The Hall" here arranged by the choir's conductor Huw Williams. Cantemus is fast establishing a name for itself as one of the country's finest choirs, with a wide-ranging repertoire stretching from the Renaissance to the present day. Widely acclaimed for its performances of Baroque music, Cantemus performed Handel's 'Messiah' at Buckingham Palace in December 2014, receiving a standing ovation and the choir's growing reputation has led to it being featured on national television and radio. Yes, there are many Christmas choral CDs on the market but despite the competition I am happy to recommend this one both for the standard of performance and also the interesting repertoire.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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