Illuminaire Carols for a New Millennium, BBC Singers

CAROLS for a new millennium (the 21st Century) by composers born in the last century (sometime between 1934 and shock horror, even the composers are younger than me these days 1971).

Following Charlotte Church's chirpy Christmas offering reviewed in this column last week, this is quite a different proposition from the BBC Singers as they perform 20 "new carols, nine of which are billed as premiere recordings.

The texts range from the traditional, such as There is no Rose of such virtue, to the decidedly modern Richard Rodney Bennett offering Carol - Deep in the fading leaves of night, there lay the flower that darkness knows.

To be honest, the first three works rather merge into each other as Bo Holten's Nowell Sing We Now moves almost seamlessly into a trio of carols by Steve Martland brought to an abrupt halt by his ambitious third piece, the aforementioned There is no Rose of such virtue, which is brought up-to-date with a lot of vocal darting around.

Despite the modernity of the tracks they don't grate this is a new millennium offering quite acceptable to all you Nine Lessons and Carols traditionalists.

It is helped, of course, by the great professionalism of the BBC Singers. The name may conjour up a picture of Ronnie Hazelhurst and his orchestra, but the sound is pure King's College, Cambridge-meets-Ex Cathedra with a dash of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Chorus.

It is all the more amazing considering these dedicated performers laid down the tracks in the middle of June and July.

Musical highlights include Carl Rutti's I Wonder as I Wander, the haunting Corpus Christi Carol of Francis Grier, and a rather majestic contribution from James MacMillan, Seinte Mari Moder Milde which, while splendid, I'm not sure I actually like all that much.

Carols for a New Millennium is for those people who want a bit more sophistication than yet another rendition of Away in a Manger.

BBC

WMEF 0063-2