Album

Bill Ives leads the men and boys' Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford, in a diverse selection of carols for Advent and Christmas. The collection includes plainsong, Renaissance and Baroque motets, and anthems and carols from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. There are only a few widely familiar pieces, such as O come, O come, Emmanuel, Gesù Bambino, In dulci jubilo, and Hark! the herald angels sing, and a handful likely to be known to fans of English cathedral singing, including Of the Father's heart begotten, Mathias' Sir Christémas, Gardner's Tomorrow shall be my dancing day, and Britten's A Hymn to the Virgin. The other works, though, are attractive and fit well on the album, and should appeal to listeners looking for Christmas music from slightly off the beaten path. The selections provide a nice timbral variety, ranging from unaccompanied plainsong to the boys alone, the men alone, small ensembles, and the full choir accompanied by organ. The tone of the album is mostly reverent, but the choir comes close to cutting loose in the Mathias and Gardner, and several of the familiar carols. Ives' interpretations vary from the conventional often enough (for instance, in his snappy take on O come, O come Emmanuel) that even the familiar works sound fresh and distinctive. The choir's tone is full and warm, but it's deployed at full strength rarely enough that when it is, it really pops. There are a few cadences where the intonation is a little dicey, but the singers correct themselves so quickly that it's not likely to be an issue for casual listening. Several Bach and Buxtehude chorale preludes, played by organist Martin Ford, are interspersed among the vocal selections. The sound is nicely resonant.

© Stephen Eddins, All Music Guide

CD 1
Gregorian Chant Composer Creator alme siderum, hymn (Advent 1) Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
1	Creator alme siderum, hymn (Advent 1)	1:30			$0.99
Ralph Vaughan Williams Composer 8 Traditional English Carols Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
2	6.The Truth Sent from Above	2:18			$0.99
William Byrd Composer Earthly tree, duet for 2 sopranos Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
3	Earthly tree, duet for 2 sopranos	4:37			$0.99
Charles Wood Composer View me, Lord, for ATB chorus & organ Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
4	View me, Lord, for ATB chorus & organ	4:14			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Nun kommt, der Heiden Heiland, BWV659 Work Martin Ford Organ
5	Nun kommt, der Heiden Heiland, BWV659	4:36			$0.99
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Composer I look from afar (hymn) Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
6	I look from afar (hymn)	2:34			$0.99
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Composer Rorate caeli de super Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
7	Rorate caeli de super	2:57			$0.99
John Stainer Composer How Beautiful Upon the Mountain (anthem) Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
8	How Beautiful Upon the Mountain (anthem)	2:25			$0.99
Christmas Traditional Composer O come, O come, Emmanuel (Veni, veni, emmanuel), carol Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
9	O come, O come, Emmanuel (Veni, veni, emmanuel), carol	3:09			$0.99
Benjamin Britten Composer A Hymn to the Virgin, for double chorus Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
10	A Hymn to the Virgin, for double chorus	3:11			$0.99
Ralph Vaughan Williams Composer The Blessed Son of God (arr. from 'Hodie', Christmas cantata) Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
11	The Blessed Son of God (arr. from 'Hodie', Christmas cantata)	2:36			$0.99
Christmas Traditional Composer In dulci jubilo (Piæ Cantiones) Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
12	In dulci jubilo (Piæ Cantiones)	3:26			$0.99
Dietrich Buxtehude Composer Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BuxWV223 Work Martin Ford Organ
13	Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BuxWV223	5:34			$0.99
Christmas Traditional Composer Of the Father's heart begotten (A Christmas Procession) Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
14	Of the Father's heart begotten (A Christmas Procession)	3:08			$0.99
Francisco Guerrero Composer Pastores loquebantur (motet a6) Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
15	Pastores loquebantur (motet a6)	2:53			$0.99
P.S. Zimarino Composer Ninna Nanna a Gesu Bambino Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
16	Ninna Nanna a Gesu Bambino	2:48			$0.99
Max Reger Composer Schlichte Weisen, 60 Lieder, Op.76 (includes 'Maria Wiegenlied')...Schlichte Weisen, 60 Lieder, Op.76 (arr. chorus and organ) Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
17	52.Maria Wiegenlied (The Virgin's Slumber Song)	2:04			$0.99
Anonymous Composer Sweet Was the Song Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
18	Sweet Was the Song	3:24			$0.99
Peter Warlock Composer Benedicamus Domino Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
19	Benedicamus Domino	1:28			$0.99
Johann Sebastian Bach Composer Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV662 Work Martin Ford Organ
20	Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV662	7:42			$0.99
William Mathias Composer Sir Christèmas Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
21	Sir Christèmas	1:35			$0.99
John Linton Gardner Composer Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day, Op.75, No.2 Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
22	Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day, Op.75, No.2	2:11			$0.99
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Composer Hark! the Herald Angels Sing (adapted by W. H. Cummings) Work Magdalen College Choir (Oxford) Chorus/Choir, Clare Ferguson Choirmaster, Bill Ives Chorus/Choir Director, Martin Ford Organ
23	Hark! the Herald Angels Sing (adapted by W. H. Cummings)	3:11			$0.99