This is a fine rendition of Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, unusual in the fact that it’s performed by a girls’ choir rather than the usual ensemble of boys or adult women. In fact, Britten’s early versions of the work in 1942 (its final revision wasn’t until the summer of 1943) were conceived for female singers, and indeed the first performance, in December 1942, was by the women of England’s Fleet Street Choir. And these young Oxford women/girls are excellent in all respects–diction, tone, interpretive sensibility, rhythmic vitality, and overall ensemble unity. The collective sonority rings and shimmers without the sharp-edged brightness you often hear from all-boys’ choirs. The various soloists are exemplary, but alto Imogen Gardam is especially compelling in her “That yonge childe”. As we expect from every harpist in this work, Danielle Perrett is first-rate.
The rest of the program is rather unusually filled-out with French works, both for female voices (both solo and choral) and for organ solo. The vocal pieces appropriately feature harp accompaniment, and although there’s nothing of major consequence here, the three Fauré selections are delightful enough, as are the unison Christmas songs (Cantiques de Noël) published by 16th-century writer/poet Nicolas Denisot, which choir director/organist Richard Vendome follows with “matching” organ preludes by Alexandre Boëly. It doesn’t add up to a cohesive program with the Britten, but it’s hard to complain about music and performances that make such a fine impression, recorded in an acoustic space that ideally captures and complements voices and instruments. Typical of this label, liner notes are very skimpy, with no text translations or even track timings.