Notes and Editorial Reviews
In 35 years the British male vocal sextet known as the King's Singers has experienced many turnovers of personnel, including the retirement of virtually all of its original members--but three important things haven't changed one little bit: quality of the performances, camraderie among the singers, and compatibility of the voices. And on evidence of this new release on the Signum label, this premier ensemble has found a recording team that shows the group's talent to an even higher engineering standard than we've ever heard before in previous issues from EMI and RCA.
Throughout these 70-plus minutes and 25 tracks, we hear nothing but absolutely first-class musicianship, top-notch
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arrangements, and always thoughtfully chosen, entertaining repertoire that invariably and ideally suits the group's sound and style. Among the selections are a few standard carols and arrangements--Vaughan Williams' This is the truth, Ravenscroft's Remember, O thou man, Bach's harmonizations of In dulci jubilo and O little one sweet, and the familiar, anonymous settings of There is no rose, and The Coventry Carol--but there also are many more newer and captivatingly original pieces, several exceptional ones created by King's Singers member Philip Lawson (Lullay my liking; Veni, veni Emmanuel; Noël nouvelet). Notable too are a nifty (and most uncharacteristic) Bogoroditsye Devo by Arvo Pärt, an exquisitely lovely and dramatic rendition of Tchaikovsky's The Crown of Roses, "transformed by the great jazz arranger Jeremy Lubbock", and the concluding re-working (with new, Christmas words by Lawson and a string quartet accompaniment) of the King's Singers signature You are the New Day.
For sheer vocal beauty, you can't beat the performances of Rutter's There is a flower and Stille Nacht, Lawson's Away in a manger, Praetorius' Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen, or Bach's O little one sweet. But then, the whole thing is just gorgeous, and if you love Christmas music recordings, well, what are you waiting for? This is one of the best ever. [11/15/2003]
--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
O come, O come Emmanuel by Traditional
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: Renaissance
Written: 15th Century; France
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 3 Minutes 5 Secs.
Language: Latin
Notes: Arranger: Philip Lawson.
St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
2.
Angelus ad Virginem by Anonymous
Performer:
Gary Lovenest (Drum)
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: Medieval
Written: 13th Century; England
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 1 Minutes 58 Secs.
Language: Latin
Notes: Arranger: Gabriel Crouch.
St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
3.
This is the truth sent from above by Traditional
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Written: England
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 2 Minutes 39 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: Arranger: Ralph Vaughan Williams.
St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
4.
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern by Michael Praetorius
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: Renaissance
Written: by 1619; Germany
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 1 Minutes 46 Secs.
Language: German
Notes: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
5.
Musae Sioniae: Es ist ein' Ros' entsprungen by Michael Praetorius
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: Renaissance
Written: by 1609; Germany
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 2 Minutes 44 Secs.
Language: German
Notes: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
6.
Ther is no rose of swych vertu by Anonymous
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: Medieval
Written: circa 1420; England
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 2 Minutes 25 Secs.
Notes: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
This selection is sung in English and Latin.
7.
Lully, lulla, thow littel tyne child "Coventry Carol" by Traditional
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: Renaissance
Written: 16th Century; England
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 2 Minutes 45 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
8.
Nowell Sing We by Bo Holten
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: Denmark
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 3 Minutes 53 Secs.
Notes: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
This selection is sung in English and Latin.
9.
Remember, O thou man by Thomas Ravenscroft
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: Renaissance
Written: by 1611; England
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 3 Minutes 10 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
10.
In dulci jubilo by Johann Sebastian Bach
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: Baroque
Written: Germany
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 0 Minutes 56 Secs.
Notes: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
This selection is sung in German and Latin.
11.
Lullay My Liking by Traditional
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 4 Minutes 27 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: Arranger: Philip Lawson.
St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
12.
Bogoroditse Devo by Arvo Pärt
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1990; Estonia
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 1 Minutes 4 Secs.
Language: Russian
Notes: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
13.
The Lamb "Little Lamb, who made thee?" by John Tavener
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1982; England
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 3 Minutes 23 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
14.
Maria durch ein' Dornwald ging by Traditional
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: Renaissance
Written: Germany
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 3 Minutes 40 Secs.
Notes: Arranger: Philip Lawson.
St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
This selection is sung in German and Greek.
15.
O Jesulein süss, O Jesulein mild, BWV 493 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: Baroque
Written: by 1736; Leipzig, Germany
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 2 Minutes 12 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
16.
Bethlehem Down by Peter Warlock
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1927; England
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 3 Minutes 59 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
17.
Crown of Roses by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: Romantic
Written: Russia
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 3 Minutes 12 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: Arranger: Jeremy Lubbock.
St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
18.
To Us in Bethlem City by John McCabe
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1969; England
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 2 Minutes 48 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
19.
What a miracle by Traditional
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Written: Ukraine
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 2 Minutes 23 Secs.
Language: Polish
Notes: Arranger: Vasyl' Barvins'ky.
St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
20.
There is a flower by John Rutter
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: England
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 3 Minutes 54 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
21.
Navidad nuestra: La Peregrinación by Ariel Ramirez
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1964; Argentina
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 3 Minutes 9 Secs.
Language: Spanish
Notes: Arranger: Peter Knight.
St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
22.
Away in a manger by William J. Kirkpatrick
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: USA
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 2 Minutes 33 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: Arranger: Philip Lawson.
St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
23.
Noël nouvelet by Traditional
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Written: France
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 2 Minutes 23 Secs.
Language: French
Notes: Arranger: Philip Lawson.
St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
24.
Silent Night by Franz Xaver Gruber
Performer:
David Ogden (Violin),
Roger Chase (Viola),
Marcia Crayford (Violin),
Christopher Van Kampen (Cello),
Skaila Kanga (Harp),
Bill Jackman (Piccolo)
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: Classical
Written: 1818; Austria
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 3 Minutes 17 Secs.
Language: German
Notes: Arranger: John Rutter.
Audio Engineer: Peter Vince.
Audio Producer: David Groves.
St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
25.
Born on a New Day by John David
Performer:
Claire Ashby (Violin),
Joel Hunter (Viola),
Sally Jackson (Violin),
Chris Worsey (Cello)
Orchestra/Ensemble:
King's Singers
Period: 20th Century
Venue: St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
Length: 2 Minutes 49 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: Arrangers: Peter Knight; Philip Lawson.
St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London (05/26/2003 - 05/29/2003)
Featured Sound Samples
Veni, veni Emmanuel (O Come, O Come Emmanuel) (Traditional)
Es ist ein' Ros' entsprungen (Praetorius)
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 
( 2 Customer Reviews )
A Capella of pre-baroque charming chants February 5, 2013
By Stephan Cohenroellvaneyck (SOUTH WENTWORTHVILLE, NSW) See All My Reviews
"This CD is rich, it begins with some music reminding me of the chanties by pilgrims going or near to Jerusalem. Others are pearls of beauty, well-known, lesser and un-known songs performed in a unique charming way, to reverberate in my rooms. Musical accompaniment in following tracks enjoys my heart too"
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king's singers January 22, 2013
By linda hartman (santa ana, CA) See All My Reviews
"beautiful recording; shipped fast... all at a great price. thank you!!"
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