New Classical Tracks: Fresh holiday offerings from John Rutter

Just like "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, composer John Rutter has become synonymous with the season. Rutter has written more than two dozen Christmas carols, and he's arranged more than 100 traditional ones, and he loves it.

"It's not just the carols themselves," Rutter explained. "It's the place they have, or once had, in our lives, as a musical and poetic common currency, a stock of songs everyone knew."

On his new release, "A Christmas Festival," Rutter brings together some of the artists and music featured in his annual concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.

The audience also becomes part of this festival by singing two familiar carols that frame this event, "O Come All Ye Faithful," and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing."

Much of the music heard on this recording has been specially written or arranged, and it's being recorded here for the first time.

In addition to his own choir, the Cambridge Singers, Rutter is joined on this new release by the Farnham Youth Choir, and three of his favorite soloists. Elin Manahan Thomas takes the soprano solo on the traditional Welsh carol, "New Year's Eve." This is a merry dancing tune which most will recognize as "Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly."

Thomas's bright vocal quality and her precise intonation provide added sparkle to this delightful carol. And, as Rutter puts it, "her fluency in Welsh puts me to shame."

This is the first all new Christmas recording from John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers in 20 years. It premieres five new Rutter carols and 10 new arrangements.

One of my favorites is Rutter's "Ave Maria." The text comes from St. Luke's gospel, when the angel Gabriel tells Mary the news that she will be the mother of Christ. This setting with the Cambridge Singers was written in 2006 in memory of Lydia Smallwood, one of their members who died that year.

What's really nice about Rutter's "A Christmas Festival," is its unpredictability. All 20 carols on this collection are arranged differently, giving each its own element of surprise. There are so many textures, from full chorus to soloist.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra gives a vibrant performance of Nigel Hess's "A Christmas Overture," one of a handful of instrumental works on this disc. This colorful overture, written for the 2007 concert at the Royal Albert Hall, was an instant success with the audience and the orchestra. Fragments of several carols make up this exciting piece.

The sense of wonder children experience at Christmastime inspired Rutter's "Magical Kingdom." This piece sparks the imagination of adults and children alike. The Farnham Youth Choir shines on this piece. The innocent, yet well-trained voices of these children could make anyone believe in magic.

Mezzo-soprano Melanie Marshall, co-founder of the Cambridge Singers, closes out this recording with a heartfelt blessing. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," is a beautiful way to wrap up "A Christmas Festival."

"It's funny," someone once told composer John Rutter, "your music makes me cry, but they're not unhappy tears. Even in the sad bits there seems to be a sense of joy and solace."

This festive tapestry of old and new carols will touch many hearts this holiday season, and for many Christmases to come.

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