A Very English Christmas – Tenebrae

Choir & Organ (Nov, 2016)
Tenebrae’s A Very English Christmas is a pleasure from beginning to its all-too-quickly-reached end. The repertoire is far from obvious (though there are some well-known items), with pieces by Simon Preston, Jonathan Lane and Philip Radcliffe among others. Director Nigel Short writes of the enjoyment they had in making the CD and their exuberance is in evidence throughout. The five Warlock items are as good as any ever recorded, and Short’s deliberately measured account of Gardner’s celebrated Tomorrow shall be my dancing day is true to the composer’s intentions (it’s often taken too fast) and thereby pays dividends in rhythmic clarity. …