The title Advent Carols from St John's is something of a misnomer. The notes explain that the members of the choir, who are members of the Cambridge academic community, leave town at the end of the school term and are not available for the traditional Christmas Ceremony of Lessons and Carols, so the service is performed there on the first Sunday in Advent, and that is what is recorded here. The music and readings presented are associated with Christmas, which is fine, as long as the potential buyer isn't expecting an album of Advent music. The performances are of a very high quality; the choir, conducted by
Christopher Robinson, sings with unusual purity, warm blend, excellent diction, and expressive breadth in repertoire that ranges from plainchant to Romantic motets to contemporary classics to traditional carols. In spite of the purity of the blend, the choir has a strongly individualistic character; this is not simply a generic English cathedral choir sound, but one that's unaffected, lively, and varied. The sections are consistently strong, but the trebles' clarity, sweetness, and intonation are especially striking; they sing Patrick Hadley's "I sing of a maiden with hushed, rapt beauty." Some of the most memorable selections are less well known, including Richard Lloyd's "Drop down ye heavens" and
George Guest's "The Lord at first did Adam make." The sound is nicely ambient and resonant. The album should of interest to anyone looking for beautifully sung Christmas repertoire from slightly off the beaten path.