In the Bleak Midwinter: Christmas Carols from King's

Featuring

Samuel Hodson
Daniel Hyde
Matthew Martin
Owen Elsley
Vladimir Pantea
Choir of King's College, Cambridge

Henry John Gauntlett
Otto Goldschmidt
Johann Sebastian Bach
Harold Darke
Anonymous (Christmas)
Roger Quilter
Robert Lucas Pearsall
Philip Moore
Anonymous (Traditional)
Karl Leuner
Gustav Holst
William Hayman Cummings
Francis Pott

Did you know?

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Performer Biography

Daniel Hyde, the Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge, was previously an organ scholar at King's and has held prestigious music director positions in Oxford and New York City.

Performer Biography

The Choir of King's College, Cambridge, has been performing choral services in the King's College Chapel for over 500 years, since its foundation in 1441 by King Henry VI.

Recording & Production

The album includes sounds of the choir moving (stands and sits) to maintain a sense of a live performance, despite the absence of a physical audience.

Historical Context

The annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, a King's College institution, was pre-recorded for broadcast in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making it particularly valued.

Recording & Production

Much of this album's music was recorded during a dress rehearsal for the 2020 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, which was broadcast to millions worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interpretation

The recording aimed to capture the sound of an empty chapel, which allowed for a more resonant sound than usual due to the absence of a congregation and their winter clothing.