Ensemble Altera, Christopher Lowrey - Feminine Voices at Christmas (2025) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. O viridissima, Virga
02. Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow: I. Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow
03. Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow: IV. Shed No Tear
04. Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op. 26, H. 99: No. 7, Hymn to the Dawn
05. Magnificat
06. Ave Maria
07. There is no Rose
08. I Sing of a Maiden
09. Sacri musicali affetti, Op. 5: No. 7, O Maria quam pulchra es
10. Coventry Carol
11. Jesus Christ the Apple Tree
12. Friday Afternoons, Op. 7: No. 5, A New Year Carol
13. Sonate pour harpe: II. Lento
14. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: I. Procession
15. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: II. Wolcum Yole!
16. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: III. There is no Rose
17. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: IVa. That Yongë Child
18. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: IVb. Balulalow
19. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: V. As Dew in Aprille
20. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: VI. This Little Babe
21. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: VII. Interlude
22. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: VIII. In Freezing Winter Night
23. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: IX. Spring Carol
24. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: X. Adam Lay I-Bounden
25. Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: XI. Recession
26. Dancing Day: No. 1, Prelude
27. Dancing Day: No. 8, Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day (Arr. for Choir and Harp by John Rutter)



Feminine Voices celebrates the female voice and the Christmas season, with a kaleidoscopic selection made up of the Magnificat, Ave Maria and carols, each of which is more wonderful than the last. Eight female composers feature in the programme that Christopher Lowrey and the singers of the Altera ensemble have devised, with works by Hildegard von Bingen, Imogen Holst, Germaine Tailleferre, Cecilia McDowall, Joanna Marsh, Barbara Strozzi, Elizabeth Poston, and a world premiere by Kerensa Briggs.

Male composers are also included, with works by John Rutter, who has written many Christmas carols, and Benjamin Britten's famous Ceremony of Carols, a work now generally performed by boys' choirs but which was originally written for the women of the Fleet Street Choir. The version recorded here is Britten's original: seven Christmas carols for women's voices and harp! Very sweet and full of charm. Altera and the harpist Li Shan Tan perform this magical and spellbinding music with delight.

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