Geoffrey Webber and his choir have developed a reputation for exploring the unusual, and this album is no exception. A number of traditional French melodies have been adapted over the years to become familiar Christmas fare in English-speaking lands; on this recording, though, they are heard in their original French arrangements, and accompanied by the French-style organ in the chapel of Exeter College, Oxford, with its pungent reeds and powerful string stops. The resulting Romantic fervor is an aspect of Christmas that is sometimes lost amid the Anglo-Saxon tradition of Christmas trees and domestic bliss, and it gives fresh context and meaning to beloved music from Berlioz and his successors. The Choir of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, is one of the UK’s leading collegiate choirs, with a world-wide reputation based on its extensive touring, its exciting programme of concerts and broadcasts, and highly acclaimed recordings. The choir con...