Christmas with the Tallis Scholars

The Tallis Scholars fill a sensational two-disc compilation of Christmas music recorded over 12 years

Composer: Various
Repertoire: Christmas Songs
Artists: Tallis Scholars
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Vocal/Choral
Label: Gimell CDGIM 202

This CD is a credit to the Scholars’ remarkable blend that they always sound the same though 27 different singers are involved, but some might wish for more individuality. Disc 1 is Medieval and Renaissance carols. The folksy Coventry Carol has no roughness and Praetorius’s Es ist ein Ros has ethereal purity. Disc 2 is largely plain­chant and the group’s unison is seamless. Tallis’s Missa Puer natus concludes: a masterpiece justly served.