Blue Heron Renaissance Choir - Christmas in Medieval England (2015) [Hi-Res]

Christmas in Medieval England allows listeners to share the beauty, excitement, intensity, and variety found in a Blue Heron concert performance. The program includes plainchant, carols, and other music for Advent and Christmas from 15th c. England. It is comprised entirely of tracks recorded live at First Church in Cambridge, Congregational in December 2013. The appeal of this recording to fans of Blue Herons first disc (BHCD1001) containing music of 15th c. France should prove strong. Blue Heron took an atypically energetic approach to medieval sacred vocal works, which are often performed with an all too respectful and reserved detachment. From the antiphonal chants to the simple songs and hymns that filled out their well-balanced program Friday night at First Church in Cambridge, Blue Heron harnessed a lively sense of phrasing and perfectly suited dynamics that gave this repertoire a sense of e motional investment. (Boston Classical Review | Dec. 21, 2013)


"The superb vocalists progress from Advent to Christmas Day, switching easily between Latin and Old English..."

"...A listener then would have been lucky to hear these works brought off with such panache. The program is by turns pensive and lively, and the scholarship required to evoke stylistic accuracy is put totally at the service of performance. There's a deeply affecting edge to the singing..."
--David Allen, New York Times, December 21, 2015

"...Metcalfe aims for expressive intent within an appropriate stylistic framework. That noted, some of the album's most impressive work occurs outside the context of the most emotionally immediate. The Agnus Dei from the anonymous Missa Veterem hominem, for example, is in its subtle manipulation of balance and shifting dynamics, an excellent example of what Blue Heron has achieved on a much greater scale..."

"...Strongly recommended, for music and performances alike..." --Barry Brenesal, Fanfare Magazine, March/April 2016