Nowel Advent and Beyond
with readings narrated by Rowan Williams

Piers Connor Kennedy Advent Calendar; Nowell el el Hugo Distler Seven Chorale Variations from Die Weihnachtsgeschiste, Op 10 (with Scriptural readings); Herbert Howells A Spotless Rose; David McGregor O Oriens; William Byrd Lulla, Lullaby; Philip W J Stopford Lully, Lulla, Lullaby; Michael Praetorius & Melchior Vulpius Es ist ein Ros entsprungen

Ensemble Pro Victoria Toby Ward
Hannah Ely, Fiona Fraser, Áine Smith soprano; Matthew Farrell, David McGregor, Elisabeth Paul, Anna Semple alto; David de Winter, Nicholas Madden, James Micklethwaite, James Robinson, Simon Wall tenor; Gavin Cranmer-Moralee, Humphrey Thompson baritone; Piers Connor Kennedy, Stuart O’Hara bass.

Cecily Beer harp; Matthew Farrell bass viol; Anthony Gray chamber organ.

Delphian DCD34315
https://www.delphianrecords.com/

Like those first tentative days of December when dawn arrives late and hesitant, this remarkable recording captures Advent's essence: quiet expectation tinged with uncertainty, the profound wait before jubilation. By its close, that same patient vigil has blossomed into radiant assurance, the journey from shadow to light complete.

Following three acclaimed Delphian recordings of Tudor music, Toby Ward and Ensemble Pro Victoria bring fresh, contemporary colours to the seasons of Advent and Christmas. The mood throughout is one of quiet anticipation and guarded joy, sometimes even fear and uncertainty, as the Virgin – the spotless Rose at the still centre of it all – sings her son to sleep amidst death and persecution.

What makes this album exceptional is the convergence of superb musicianship, impeccable production values, and genuine spiritual depth. Former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams narrates the Nativity story with his distinctive, contemplative tones, his voice threading through the programme like a theological spine, lending gravitas and intimacy in equal measure. Williams also collaborated on the readings, ensuring that the spirituality of both music and text runs coherently throughout.

Ward's thoughtful curation is simply marvellous, capturing Advent's expectation in a meditative, reflective way. He places familiar choral items alongside lesser-known works with judicious care. The programme centres on Hugo Distler's searching polyphonic variations – his Seven Chorale Variations from Die Weihnachtsgeschichte – interspersed with readings from Christmas scripture in a format reminiscent of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols devised by Edmund White Benson, one of Williams's predecessors at Canterbury.

As Andrew Mellor observes in his excellent liner notes, even for the deeply spiritual, any sense of Advent expectation is coloured by the time and context in which it's felt. Distler, composing in darkening times, experienced hope lined with concern, even darkness. Something of that sentiment tints Advent Calendar, a composition by Piers Connor Kennedy based on Williams's poem. Connor Kennedy's Nowel el el for harp and just six men's voices—written as an intimate companion piece, or perhaps in contrast to Britten's famous carol cycle—receives its first recording here from the group for which it was written. David McGregor's work also receives its premiere recording.

All the music proves accessible yet profoundly affecting, sung with excellence by both ensemble and soloists. The contemporary carols are particularly arresting in their harmonic language, while the minimal but effective instrumentation—besides Cecily Beer's delightfully expressive harp, there is bass viola and chamber organ—communicates the narrative with touching simplicity.

Beer's contribution to Connor Kennedy's Nowel el el proves a highlight, especially in O Sisters too, which opens with harp and wordless quiet singing so ethereal it seems to hang suspended before its beautiful, hushed close. Pro Victoria's diction, balance and tone throughout are superb.

The programme also contains gems such as Howells's A Spotless Rose, Praetorius's Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, and Byrd's Lulla, Lullaby, each placed with care in Ward's thoughtful sequence. Mellor's notes provide fascinating insights, not least into Distler as a skilled and undervalued composer.

This is a beguiling and impressive presentation, magical from multiple perspectives. It's different, certainly, but in a truly inspirational way, with spirituality permeating every moment. Here is a journey through Advent, where discoveries await at every turn – one that captures what this season, and Christmas itself, should truly mean. Like that final leaf of December, when anticipation gives way to arrival, this recording transforms waiting into wonder.