Britten's A Ceremony of Carols uses an unusual blend of treble voices with the delicate plucked sonorities of the harp, a combination first heard in England in Gustav Holst's Hymns from the Rig Veda: Group 3.
Recording & Production
For the processional and recessional sections, the recording uses a 'trickle-in' and 'trickle-out' of voices to create the impression of movement while maintaining vocal clarity.
Interpretation
For this recording, Etherea Vocal Ensemble chose to pronounce the Middle-English words in A Ceremony of Carols with modern-day vowel equivalents to make the text more intelligible for contemporary audiences.
Composition History
Benjamin Britten crafted most of his A Ceremony of Carols in 1942 while returning to England from the United States during wartime.
Composer Biography
John Rutter, composer of Dancing Day, was invited to write the work by harpist Muriel Liddle, who sought a Christmas piece similar in scale to Britten's A Ceremony of Carols.
Instruments
On this recording, Grace Cloutier plays a Lyon & Healy 85 CG harp.
Composer's Artistic Vision
According to Humphrey Carpenter, Britten intended A Ceremony of Carols as a celebration of innocence and life before mankind's fall, not just a typical nativity carol cycle.
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