Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Christmas with Henry & Elizabeth


A Tudor Christmas: music by Gibbons, Byrd, Weelkes, Holborne, Ravenscroft, Tallis, Tye, Dowland, Taverner

My own Christmas traditions tend to have three main sources: mid-20th century nostalgia from my own childhood (think Charlie Brown and Vince Guaraldi); Victoriana (everything Dickens); and earlier English traditions, many of which went back to pagan time, but which peaked during the reigns of Henry VIII (reputed composer of Greensleeves) and Elizabeth I. This album from the Trinity Boys Choir and the viol consort L'Armonia brings such a fabulous mix of sixteenth century music from the Tudor and early Stuart times. The superb eight boys' voices are enhanced by the contributions of Katharine Fuge & David Swinson, and the viol consort provides a nice variety of musical textures. These performances are based on current Historically Informed Practices, but the scholarship is worn lightly, and musical values come to the fore. Fans of Wolf Hall and The Tudors will enjoy this music, but also fans of Christmas!




This album will be released on December 13, 2019

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