Incarnation

Incarnation
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Artist: Gabrieli Consort, Paul McCreesh, Trebles of Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir, Matthew Martin, Herbert Howells, Francis Pott, Jonathan Dove, Kenneth Leighton, Benjamin Britten
Genre: Classical
Label: Signum Classics

For Paul McCreesh, "the greatest Christmas music captures a sense of awe-struck wonder at this miracle" – the Incarnation. So you won't find here any of the all-too-familiar seasonal filler McCreesh brands as "saccharine and sentimental – all tinsel and glitter, and very little else". His choices in this all-English programme alternate between the medieval and the 20th and 21st centuries, with works by Matthew Martin, Herbert Howells, Francis Pott, Jonathan Dove and Kenneth Leighton, leading up to the major inclusion – Benjamin Britten's A Boy Was Born. The singing in this collection, which shifts effortlessly between true intimacy and genuine grandeur, is first-rate. url.ie/gb48

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan is a music critic and Irish Times contributor