ALSO AVAILABLE 2CD KGS0001 + CD hybrid SACD KGS0002 MOZART NINE REQUIEM LESSONS & REALISATIONS CAROLS STEPHEN CLEOBURY CONDUCTOR ELIN MANAHAN THOMAS STEPHEN CLEOBURY CHRISTINE RICE CONDUCTOR JAMES GILCHRIST CHRISTOPHER PURVES ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC NINE LESSONS & CAROLS MOZART REQUIEM REALISATIONS FAVOURITE Stephen Cleobury, Choir of King’s College, Cambridge Stephen Cleobury, Elin Manahan Thomas, Christine Rice, Music and readings from A Festival of Nine Lessons James Gilchrist, Christopher Purves, Academy of and Carols (2010 service), plus carol commissions Ancient Music, Choir of King’s College, Cambridge CAROLS and a specially-composed work by John Rutter CD + SACD dual layer CD + SACD KGS0003 hybrid SACD KGS0005 FROM KING’S BRITTEN FAURÉ SAINT REQUIEM NICOLAS CANTIQUE DE JEAN RACINE HYMN TO ST CECILIA MESSE BASSE REJOICE IN THE LAMB STEPHEN CLEOBURY STEPHEN CLEOBURY CONDUCTOR STEPHEN CLEOBURY GERALD FINLEY CONDUCTOR TOM PICKARD CONDUCTOR ANDREW KENNEDY ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE BRITTEN SINFONIA OF ENLIGHTENMENT BRITTEN SAINT NICOLAS FAURÉ REQUIEM Stephen Cleobury, Andrew Kennedy, Stephen Cleobury, Gerald Finley, Tom Pickard, Britten Sinfonia, Choir of King’s College, Cambridge Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Also includes “Hymn to St Cecilia” and “Rejoice in Choir of King’s College, Cambridge the Lamb” Also includes “Cantique de Jean Racine” and “Messe basse” KGS0007 14 Silent night – Franz Gruber, arr. Stephen Cleobury 03:40 FAVOURITE Douglas Tang organ 15 It came upon the midnight clear – English traditional, arr. Arthur Sullivan, desc. Stephen Cleobury 03:24 Tom Etheridge organ CAROLS 16 In the bleak midwinter – Harold Darke 04:32 Hugo Herman-Wilson baritone, Douglas Tang organ FROM KING’S 17 I saw three ships – English Traditional, arr. Simon Preston 02:06 Adam Banwell treble, Joel Williams tenor, Douglas Tang organ Douglas Tang, Tom Etheridge & Parker Ramsay organ 18 While shepherds watched their fl ocks – Este’s Psalter, 1592, desc. Stephen Cleobury 02:44 Choir of King’s College, Cambridge Douglas Tang organ Stephen Cleobury conductor 19 The three kings – Peter Cornelius, arr. Ivor Atkins 02:17 Henry Hawkesworth bass 1 Once in royal David’s city – Henry John Gauntlett Arthur Henry Mann, desc. Stephen Cleobury 04:38 20 Coventry Carol – XV Century anonymous 02:50 Adam Banwell treble, Douglas Tang organ 21 God rest you merry, gentlemen – English traditional, arr. David Willcocks 03:41 2 Ding! Dong! merrily on high – XVI Century French, arr. Charles Wood 02:07 Tom Etheridge organ 3 Herefordshire Carol – English traditional, arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams 02:43 22 Away in a manger – William Kirkpatrick, arr. David Willcocks 02:29 4 Adam lay ybounden – Boris Ord 01:08 23 All bells in paradise – John Rutter 04:34 5 Sussex Carol – English traditional, arr. Philip Ledger 02:00 Parker Ramsay organ Tom Etheridge organ 24 Hark! the herald angels sing – Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, desc. Stephen Cleobury 03:11 6 In dulci jubilo – Anonymous, arr. Robert Lucas de Pearsall, ed. Reginald Jacques 03:28 Douglas Tang organ 7 Joy to the world – William Holford, arr. Hugh Keyte Andrew Parrott 03:00 25 O come, all ye faithful – John Francis Wade, arr. David Willcocks 04:29 Douglas Tang organ 8 Gabriel’s message – Basque traditional, arr. Edgar Pettman 02:40 9 The holly and the ivy – French traditional, arr. Henry Walford Davies 02:48 Barnaby May & Rupert Peacock trebles, Joel Williams & Robert Busiakiewicz tenors, Samuel Landman bass Total Time 78:11 10 O litt le town of Bethlehem – English traditional, arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams, desc. Thomas Armstrong 03:33 Tom Etheridge organ 11 A spotless Rose – Herbert Howells 03:17 Joel Williams tenor Recorded at 96kHz 24-bit PCM in the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, by kind permission of the Provost and Fellows, 16, 17, 18 & 20 March 2014. 12 The shepherd’s Carol – Bob Chilcott 03:09 Producer & Editor Simon Kiln Recording Engineer Arne Akselberg Mixing Engineer Arne Akselberg 13 Angels from the realms of glory – French traditional, arr. Reginald Jacques 03:43 Technical Engineer Richard Hale CD Mastering Engineer Simon Gibson What is it like for the Choir For the choristers, the end of school term signals a period of King’s and the Christmas tradition writer of ghost stories, M.R. James, was also enthusiastic relative relaxation, in which preparation for the Christmas about it, describing it as an event that moved him more than A few minutes before 3 o’clock on Christmas Eve, the services is punctuated by outings and entertainments of King’s College Choir and Christmas are so closely associated anything he had ever witnessed. In turn, the choristers’ members of King’s College Choir process through a various kinds. For the King’s Men, the choral scholars of the in the public mind that it is sometimes tempting to protest experience of Christmas was transformed from that of darkened Chapel to the west end of the building, where Choir, it is both a busy and an enjoyable time. Their December that King’s is not just for Christmas; indeed, the acclaimed their pudding-less predecessors, the Dean describing their they form themselves into two curved lines. Every eye is on activities include singing to patients at Addenbrookes Concerts at King’s series, which brings top musicians to day in terms of cake, crackers and half crowns. the BBC’s fl ashing red light, while the organ scholar, some Hospital, providing entertainment at corporate functions in the College on a regular basis, and the great success of the distance away in the organ loft, with an identical light in Cambridge and elsewhere, not to mention local Cambridge annual Easter at King’s festival, from which the BBC regularly Courtesy of the BBC, who began broadcasting it in 1928, his sights, and a camera focused on Stephen Cleobury, the hostelries, and, on Christmas Eve itself, singing sacred broadcasts, has brought att ention to the year-round musical the service soon reached audiences both in the UK and conductor, prepares to end his improvisation with the fi rst music at 9.45 a.m. for Radio 4’s Morning Service and off ering life of this unique College. beyond, and carols sung from King’s became part of three notes of Once in royal. As the Radio 4 news bulletin somewhat lighter fare to those queuing for the Festival Christmas for people throughout the world. In 1954 a comes to a close, a young chorister, on Stephen Cleobury’s at lunchtime. King’s Choir has been singing services in the College’s quite separate, televised service, fi rst occasional and now signal (he is listening to the news on headphones), steps Chapel for over 550 years, making it one of the oldest an annual broadcast, was broadcast by the BBC in 1954, forward: the light shines a steady glow, the chorister begins There is certainly something of a sense of relief and singing ensembles in the world. In all but the dark years reinforcing the strong association of Christmas and King’s to sing, and millions of people across the world listen to the exhilaration after the Festival ends at 4.30pm. Most members of Cromwell’s Commonwealth in the 1650s, when choirs with visual images of the Chapel. Meanwhile, Christmas famous opening solo of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. of the Choir rush off to watch Carols from King’s on BBC2 were silenced across the realm, Christmas would have recordings under Boris Ord on ‘78s and, later, in every and then reassemble for dinner – the choristers and their been observed chorally in the glorious Chapel, which itself conceivable format, gave listeners the chance of hearing For those in the Chapel the service feels surprisingly intimate. families at the College School and the choral and organ represents the pinnacle of late Perpendicular architecture. and re-hearing carols sung at King’s. In the vestry beforehand, it is sometimes hard to be aware scholars and theirs in College Hall. After-dinner games that there is so great a number of listeners in so many have become a tradition for the men, though no lie-in is in But it was not until the early 20th century that the strong The tradition would not have lasted but for the continuously diff erent places waiting to hear the service. The BBC’s prospect the following morning, since a service at 11am, association with Christmas was forged. Indeed, it seems high standards maintained by King’s College Choir, an recording equipment is remarkably unobtrusive and, as preceded by a rehearsal, is in the offi ng. The boys wake that in former times, neither Christmas nor Easter were achievement which, given the high turnover of members the service progresses, it is possible to imagine that this is up on Christmas morning to Father Christmas bearing regarded as the most important high day in the College’s of the Choir (the boys spending fi ve years in it and the rather like one of the services that take place in the Chapel stockings; they all know that this is the Headmaster and year; one chorister of the 1830s recalled in later life that the undergraduate men only three), must largely be att ributed on a daily basis during the University’s term time. The appreciate his going to the trouble of dressing up. boys were only given puddings for dinner on two days a to the Organists/Directors of Music who have presided congregation is made up of the people who have joined a year: 6 December and 25 March – the feasts of St Nicholas over the Choir since 1876: A. H. Mann, Boris Ord, David queue (often in the early hours of the morning or even At lunchtime on Christmas Day, choristers, choral scholars and the Annunciation – the Chapel being dedicated to St Willcocks, Philip Ledger and Stephen Cleobury.