r CHRISTMAS RECORDS *f

TIMOTHY BROWN conducts the choir of Clare College, Cambridge, in a recorded rep resenttion of their annual service at the end of the Michaelmas term. "Carols From Clare" (Meridian LiJ (DKE7143) looks forward to Christmas, omitting the standard celebratory hymns but offering a selection of new settings and arrangements appealing as much to the intelligence as to the emotions. John Gardner, Warlock, Sir Lennox Berkeley, Britten, Hoist, Taverner and Poston are the composers, together with jolly John Rutter and his successor at Clare, Timothy Brown, who also provides some attractive arrangements using flutes as well as organ. The singing is sprightly and well balanced and the general feeling, including the four readings, reflects a young, hopeful, caring approach.

Turning to the CDs, "Twenty Christmas Carols" from St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle (Abbey (D (D MVP827: 51 minutes) captures the nobility and the joyous drive of this royal choir, backed by the prompt and tasteful accompaniments of the late John Porter. Christopher Robin- son directs without haste, giving full value to vowel lengths and allowing the music to enjoy the acoustic halo. He also enlivens the programme with a sprinkling of his own arrangements and descants. One feels encouraged to hum along, though there are three carols which demand attentive listening: Joubert's There is no rose; Peter Taylor's A stable in Bethlehem and Jesus Christ the Apple Tree by Elizabeth Poston. A most rewarding and reliable recording. Canter- bury Cathedral choir bring a fresh look to the festive season with their selection of 16 carols from the 180 available in Hodder & Stoughton's publication Carols for Today edited by Michael Perry and David huff (Conifer ® CFC160; MCFC 160; (D CDCF 160: 37 minutes). There is an innocence about many of the contemporary compositions and arrangements which exactly chimes with the wonder of the nativity scene as traditionally depicted. Dr Allan Wicks nurtures this sense of adoration and the total involvement of the choir, solo and together, is never in doubt. The organ accompaniments, played by Michael Harris, are firm and telling, whether quietly underlining or punching out the shocks of some of the last verse harmonies. But the intimacy of the unaccompanied carols is probably the most appealing feature. This record has for me an irresistible welcome.

One man's meat is another man's poison, I know, but I can't take to the swoops and throbs of the Viennese offering of "Christmas Songs", with the Vienna Boys' Choir, Vienna Philharmonic and chorus conducted by Karajan, overlaid by the massive sonorities of Leontyne Price. However, if you like the showbiz touch and pullabout arrangements, this offering recorded in 1961 may warm up your cold turkey (Decca (D ® 421 1032DM: 49 minutes). Dame Joan Sutherland is equally robust in "The Joy Of Christmas" (Decca (D ® 421 095-2DM: 40 minutes) but her brighter, clearer tones give her a more angelic quality. This is offset by her habit of approaching notes from below, doubtless to stamp them with fervour. She is, of course, terrific when floating free on her high notes, and the New Philharmonia glow with admiration as they pad behind her, though they coalesce splendidly in Gounod's 0 divine Redeemer, and in Douglas Gamley's arrangement of The Twelve Days of Christmas the high-speed slickness is exhilarating. The Ambrosian Singers pop up quite often, though not often enough for me. Richard Bonynge directs this 1965 romp.

If you prefer your carols without words, perhaps "A Canadian Brass Christmas" might appeal. Luther Henderson's arrangements are the stuff which bandsmen dream about and other musicians try not to. This is by no means a toffeenosed selection, as Rudolph the Reindeer provesand Frosty the Snowman too. The Canadian Brass play it all as though they meant it and they're helped on what are called 'keyboards' by Thomas Szczesniak and Luther Henderson himself (CBS (D ® MK39740: 45 minutes). The disc with the most attractive sleeve is "Christmas Night" (Collegium ® COL 106; COLCI06; (fi COLCDI06: 64 minutes)—the Cambridge Singers and the City of London Sinfonia directed by John Rutter in carols mainly from the Willcocks/Rutter collection IOU Carols fucr Choirs (OUP). There are some delightful new (to me) ones. The singing is rich in quality and decorous too. The recording was produced for the BBC Transcription unit by Jillian White and it would be hard to fault it.

From the large number of Alpha LPs, I pick those of outstanding interest. The highly-skilled chamber choir Ex Cathedra directed by Jeffrey Skidmore in "More Christmas Music By Candlelight" (® APS37I) offer a programme mixing medieval, folk and traditional with modern pieces. John Gould, John Taverner and Martin Bates are represented by deeply thoughtful settings beautifully sung. Joubert's Torches never blazed brighter, Darke's midwinter was never snowier, nor the Somerset Wassail more bucolic. The two peaks for me were a Canteloube setting of an Auvergne song Bai'lèro, and Sidle Nachi in its original form with female voices and guitar. And for sheer vigour I commend the tambourine ostinato in the fifteenth-century Sing ice to this mert' company. A most distinguished record. George Malcolm's Mass at the Crib forms the backbone of a Christmas programme by St Edmundsbury Cathedral Choir directed by John Trepte with John Scott-Whiteley accompanying (ACA560). The music of the Mass has a pastoral simplicity which blends well with a garland of carols, including an expressive Trepte setting of Love came clown at Christmas. A generally unhurried approach offers a rural Nativity celebration. "Carols From Bristol Cathedral" (ACA552) gives a good sense of depth and the rich resources of the organ are well recorded. Among a satisfying foundation of favourite carols are placed Malcolm Archer's A child is born in Bethlehem, bursting with the sort of sprightly glee associated with Rutter, and one by Graeme Middleton, whose plaintive delicacy is faintly marred by repeated misjudged high notes. Malcolm Archer directs, and the wait-for-it splendours of his fanfare passages in Hark, the herald angels sing are played with rejoicing by Martin Schellenberg. There are many reasons for buying "Carols For Culzean Castle" (APS356) but the main one is that, despite the title, it's Paisley Abbey choir singing. To those who know, this is guarantee enough. George McPhee's direction must be spellbinding to produce such sensitive singing as this. There are moments when it borders on the magical. The items arranged by McPhee (including a lovely Irish air to the words "In Bethlehem City") make a welcome change from more entrenched settings. I pick out, also, from the programme the sixteenthcentury Scottish Ecce novum gaudium, Herrick Bunney's arrangement of The seven joys of Mary and Warlock's Benedicamus Domino. Other items are familiar but fresh-sounding. Three more reasons for buying it: four solos by Neil Mackie (who was a treble in the Abbey choir); John Lang- don's splendid organ accompaniments --- --nd, not least, Harry Mudd's balance, which is truly spacious. Why Culzeuii Castle? There is an explanation on the sleeve, sshich I slill don'; understand. Perhaps that's another reason for buying- to see if you can solve the puzzle. G. R.

A number of discs have arrived as we go to press. An irnaginatixe programme ''In Praise Of God" links carols and festive brass music to 'cadings of celebrated poems and prose. Dorothy Tutin and Sir Michael Hordern read, among other things, Thomas 1-lardy's The Oxen. Charles CansIcy's Three Gipsies and an extract from Laurie Lee's Cider cr/I/i Ros/e, while the Choir of Salis- bury Cathedral (Choirmaster Richard Seal) sing favourite carols. Proceeds to the Salisbury Cathedral Spire 'l'rust (ASV ® DCA573; ZCDCA573: (D CDDCA573: 61 minutes). Her- bert von Karajan conducts his Berlin Philharmonic in four "Christmas Concertos" by Corelli, Manfredini, Locatelli and Torelli-' lush is the word that springs to mind. The chaster sound of the BPO Brass Ensemble provide relief in three sixteenth-century pieces and round off the disc with Stifle Nor/it (DG Galleria (D ® 419 413-2GGA: 69 minutes). On "White Christmas" Arthur Fiedler and the floton Pop'. Orchestra offer lighter fare: Leroy Anderson's A Christmas Festival and Irving Berlin's White C'hrixima,v enclose a catholic selection of popular classics by Bach, Handel, Tchaikovsky and Mozart perc. Three more Anderson favourites provide the centrepiece (DG Galleria (D ) 419 414-2GGA: 50 minutes).

Jessye Norman's "Christmastide" offers a selection of favourite carols in a special orchestration by Donald Fraser, The music forms a continuous entertainment with each number linked to the next. The Empire Chamber Ensemble, New York Choral Society and American Koychoir are conducted by Robert de Cormier. In her introductory note Jessyc Norman recalls her childhood in Augusta, Georgia "carolling" from the back of a lumber truck with friends between 400 and 600 am, on Christmas mnrningl Needless to say there's little of the lumber truck here and Jessye Norman rides magnificently above the assembled forces. This is sure to he a Christmas bestseller (Philips (D 420 l80-1 PH, l420 180-4PH: (D420 I 80-2PH: 55 minutes). Sir [)aiil Willcocks appears as conductor on a mid-price carol CD from Decca. His Bach Choir are joined by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and the organist John Scott in 16 well-known carols. The recording dates from 1980 (Decca (D (9 417 898-213M: 48 minutes). More carols, this time with full orchestral accompaniment, come from Liverpool on Chandos. Edmund Walters conducts assembled choirs and the RLPO in a lively collection featuring the familiar with the less so (Walters doesn't stint himself in including eight of his own compositions). The girl soprano Jocelyn Bell makes a number of contributions (Chandos Q (D CHAN8436: 56 minutes). A Maxsound cassette entitled "Festive Fayre" restores a recording from 1983 by Musica Antiqua directed by Michael tridge. Linking the sacred with the secular, Musica Antiqua present a series of carols and dances primarily from the Renaissance (Maxsound 2 ® MSCH78: Dolby B: MSCC78: Dolby Q. "Chi-istmas Songs With Marcelle' offers 24 well-known carols sung by Marcelle Black, a music teacher from Leeds (Maxsound al (D MSCT73).