30 November 2024
Earlier this year the Chorus collaborated with Black Dyke Band on a new CD featuring the Christmas music of John Rutter, arranged for brass and voices. The CD has been released by Presto music just in time for the festive season and is already attracting great reviews., including this one from classical music review site Gramophone:
“John Rutter – Brass at Christmas is a disc brimful of earworms that you can’t get out of your head. In the past, no Christmas would be complete without David Willcocks, the Green Book and its successors. Today, no Christmas is complete without Rutter. Since the mid-’60s, when he was still a student, he has been turning out Christmas carols that now seem part of the fabric – Nativity Carol (1963) and Shepherds’ Pipe Carol (1965) are sung by choirs all over the world. These and 14 other Rutter Christmas songs have been arranged for brass band (Luc Vertommen responsible for the lion’s share). In three of them – O clap your hands, Nativity Carol and Te Deum – they are joined by the Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus. If you want your spirits lifted this Christmas, look no further.”
Listen to excepts from the CD and read the review on the Gramophone website: Gaudete: a round-up of this year’s Christmas classical music recordings