Daniel Cook, Salisbury Cathedral Choir - Christmas at Salisbury Cathedral (2009)

Christmas at Salisbury Cathedral should be a satisfying album for listeners who enjoy the sound of English men and boys' choirs and the repertoire they tend to specialize in: a variety of traditional carols, English anthems, and some more contemporary English Christmas classics. The generous collection of 23 selections also includes arrangements of some lesser known Continental carols, a chorale harmonized by J.S. Bach, an arrangement of a Praetorius hymn, and Berlioz's "The Shepherd's Farewell," from L'Enfance du Christ. David Halls, who wrote several of the anthems, leads the group in performances that emphasize the soothing character of the music. The men's and boys' voices blend warmly and the choir has a pleasant, sweet sound. The arrangements make use of smaller ensemble in some of the pieces, and sometimes feature only the boys or only the men, so there is a nice timbral diversity to the selections. Organist Daniel Cook provides an understated accompaniment, and he shines in the solo, Nativité, by Jean-Jacques Grunenwald. The sound of the album, recorded in Salisbury Cathedral, is clear and clean, with a warm resonance.