Hailed by Classic FM as “one of today’s most exciting young composers” Rebecca Dale is a London based composer, working most often with large orchestral and choral forces in the worlds of cinema and theatre. Night Seasons is an album about hope, looking for the light in difficult times, written during a time of personal dif- ficulty while her father was terminally ill. With works written for choir and cello it strives to be a hopeful album, reaching for the wonder around us. Rebecca Dale says “It’s been one of the great privileges of my life to be able to write for cellist heroes of mine to whom I grew up listening. I also got to have fun setting some famous poems… I am indebted to everyone who has created this album with me”.

This is Colin Davis' third recording of Hector Berlioz's great oratorio and it may be the best. Under his baton, the music flows without undue haste or stodgy piety. Berlioz was a consummate dramatist, even in this uncharacteristic work that often hearkens back to archaic musical forms to evoke the Biblical story. The singers are all outstanding, especially tenor Yann Beuron as the Narrator, whose pure tones and sincere delivery bring continuity to the tripartite structure. Karen Cargill as Mary and William Dazeley as Joseph bring welcome interpretive simplicity to their roles, while Matthew Rose and Peter Rose bring their ample bass instruments to such key roles such as Herod and the Householder. The LSO always plays at its best for Davis, and here it is a major attraction given the extensive orchestral sections of L'enfance du Christ.

Tenebrae bring their trademark passion and precision to this live performance of music by J. S. Bach and Sir James MacMillan, to be recorded live at Snape Maltings in May 2023. Renowned for their technical difficulty, Bach’s motets are pillars of the choral repertoire, requiring minute attention to detail as well as a full emotional range. Here, Tenebrae performs the three most well-known of the set, culminating in the joyful Singet dem Herrn. Like Bach, Sir James MacMillan has written much of his music for the church, and his settings of the Tenebrae responsories paint a vivid picture of the events of Holy Week. This album also features the premiere recording of I saw Eternity the other night, which MacMillan composed for Tenebrae in 2021 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the London Bach Society.

Setting the scene for Christmas in an uplifting and inspiring programme of seasonal favourites. "Unaccompanied choral singing comes no better than this - in blend, accuracy, precision and commitment…" (The Guardian)