The Sixteen's best Christmas recordings
The Sixteen is one of the best choirs in the world, with nearly 100 discs under its belt. Here are our favourite Christmas recordings
The renowned choir The Sixteen, one of the best choirs in the world, is famous for its choral voices and beautiful performances. The choir was founded in 1979 by conductor Harry Christophers, whose formative experience as a cathedral chorister and choral scholar was instrumental in his vision for a new choir.
The Sixteen Choir and Orchestra's best Christmas recordings
Traditional Christmas Carol Collection Vol. II
- COR 16085
- £12.99
The Sixteen play Christmas with a commendably straight bat – seasonal favourites, with tinkering kept to a minimum.
The Christmas Collection
- COR 16054 (3 CDs)
- £25.99
Recorded originally on the Collins label, this excellent three-disc set combines Traditional Christmas Collection Vol. I with one CD each of early and 20th-century Christmas music.
Britten A Ceremony of Carols
- COR 16034
- £12.99
A beautifully balanced performance that serves as an effective reminder that Britten initially intended his best known Christmas work for women’s, not boys’, voices.
Poulenc Choral works
- Virgin Classics 562 4312
- £11.99
Admittedly, most of the music on this disc is not festive at all. However, the gorgeous unaccompanied Quatre Motets pour le temps de Noël make it a must to include here.
Christmas Music from Medieval and Renaissance Europe
- Hyperion CDA 66263
- £12.99
The likes of Tallis and Mouton rub shoulders with ‘Trad.’ and ‘Anon’ as The Sixteen, in their early days, lead us through the 14th to 16th centuries.
