The sparkling Sixteen
Harry Christophers and his choir combine a familiar mix of favourites with some new gems
Works by RR Bennett, Alan Bullard, Bob Chilcott, Jonathan Dove, Holst, Howells, Leontovich, Cecilia Mcdowall, Matthew Martin, Joseph Phibbs, M Praetorius, Walton, Eric Whitacre et al
The Sixteen/harry Christophers
CORO COR 16188 79:37 mins
The Sixteen have been around so long (40 years and counting) that it is easy to take them for granted. This newly recorded Christmas disc, however, acts as a sharp reminder of the choir’s abiding excellence under founder Harry Christophers. The programme mixes old and new, sometimes in one piece – Jan Sandström’s take on Praetorius’s ‘Lo, how a rose e’er blooming’ is given a mesmerising performance, the eight vocal lines exquisitely sifted and layered. Matthew Martin’s ‘Adam lay ybounden’ is another triumph of highly sensitised part-singing, a rapt interpretation where every note appears to find its place and to matter. Ostensibly simpler settings like the ‘Sans Day Carol’ also benefit significantly from The Sixteen’s unobtrusively eloquent phrasing, and the eschewal of ham-fisted attempts at ‘meaningful’ wordpainting. This helps particularly in Leontovich’s ‘Carol of the Bells’, too often presented as an alliterative showpiece – here there’s lightness, elegance and a textual clarity absent from more fumbled readings. Mike Hatch’s pitch-perfect engineering frames a disc which shies away from the commercial clamour of Christmas, to a more contemplative, spiritual experience. ★★★★★