Sing, Choirs of Angels!

Info & track listings

Any disc of Christmas Carols is hardly complete without the ‘giants’ of that genre, the timeless congregational hymns. On this disc we offer five well-known pieces in generally familiar attire. These particular carols are not that far removed in form and mood from their early precursors.

The medieval carol was quite a different concept, however, to that which developed during the 19th and 20th centuries. Although many first-rate pieces have been written over the last 100 years, we have traveled a long way from the carol’s simple origins.

Interleaved among the various carols and Christmas anthems are six seasonal chorale preludes from Das Orgelb & uuml;chlein (The Little Organ Book) by Johann Sebastian Bach.The Choir of Manchester Cathedral consists of 16 trebles (boys and girls) and 9 lay-clerks who are all professional singers in and around Manchester. The trebles attend the renowned Chetham’s School of Music, which affords them an unparalleled musical education in a city known for its musical prowess.

In addition to singing the choral services in the Cathedral, the choir takes on a number of outside engagements as well as making frequent tours, most recently visiting Toulouse, Dublin, and Cumbria. The choir can also frequently be heard on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4, and on television programmes.