A Winter's Night: Christmas Music for Choir, Brass Quintet & Organ Winchester College Chapel Choir, Onyx Brass, Benjamin Cunningham & Howard Ionascu

• Anonymous:
• 1I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In02:11
• Cecilia McDowall (b. 1951): A Winter's Night:
• 2A Winter's Night: I. In Dulci Jubilo05:15
• 3A Winter's Night: Ii. O Little One Sweet03:02
• 4A Winter's Night: Iii. Noël Nouvelet03:09
• 5A Winter's Night: Iv. Still, Still, Still03:41
• 6A Winter's Night: V. Sussex Carol03:39
• Philip Ledger (1937 - 2012):
• 7Adam Lay y’bounden02:22
• Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958):
• 8O Little Town of Bethlehem03:47
• Samuel Scheidt (1587 - 1654):
• 9Puer Natus in Bethlehem02:15
• John Goss (1800 - 1880):
• 10See Amid the Winter’s Snow05:10
• Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934):
• 11In the Bleak Midwinter02:13
• William James Kirkpatrick (1838 - 1921):
• 12Away in a Manger03:08
• John Rutter (b. 1945):
• 13What Sweeter Music04:44
• 14Tomorrow Shall be my Dancing Day02:19
• John Francis Wade (1711 - 1786):
• 15O Come, All Ye Faithful03:38
• 16Past 3 O’clock02:34
• Jonathan Willcocks (b. 1953):
• 17The Holly and the Ivy04:17
• Charles Wood (1866 - 1926):
• 18Mater Ora, Filium03:34
• Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809 - 1847):
• 19Hark, the Herald Angels Sing03:49
• 20Ding Dong! Merrily on High02:40
• Total Runtime01:07:27

Info for A Winter's Night: Christmas Music for Choir, Brass Quintet & Organ

The addition of a brass ensemble to Christmas concerts and carol services, combining with the more traditional sounds of choir and organ, has become increasingly popular in recent years. This recording brings together a number of works for the specific forces of choir, brass quintet, organ and percussion, some of which have been arranged specially for this release. Interspersed amongst these works are a selection of popular Christmas carols which have formed and integral part of Winchester College Chapel Choir’s core repertoire for many years.

Winchester College was founded by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, in 1382, and Winchester College Quiristers have for over 625 years sung services in Winchester College Chapel. In modem times they have formed a choir renowned for its excellence.

Having celebrated its 25th anniversary in the 2017-18 season, Onyx Brass continues to be the leading light in establishing the brass quintet as a medium for serious chamber music, inspired by the pioneering early years of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. To this end, the group has commissioned and performed the world premières of over 200 new works, with many more in the pipeline for performance and recording.

Winchester College Chapel Choir
Onyx Brass
Howard Ionascu, conductor

Howard Ionascu
As Director of Chapel Music, I am both schoolmaster and choirmaster in equal measure. I have daily interaction with boys from the age of 8 through to 18, the younger boys being the Quiristers who are educated at The Pilgrims’ School close by. Together, we prepare four weekly services alongside a number of extra engagements such as special services, concerts, tours, recordings and broadcasts. Most of our singing takes place within the glorious surroundings of the Winchester College Chapel, which we are privileged to call our home.

I have come to Winchester through a variety of roles, including Director of Music at a boarding school, a cathedral lay clerk and, most recently, directing the Junior Royal Academy of Music. All of these experiences have finally been drawn together in one place and one job, which I find incredibly fulfilling.

Winchester College Chapel Choir
In 1382, William of Wykeham, Chancellor of England and Bishop of Winchester, founded Winchester College alongside his other establishment at New College, Oxford. The original foundation included 70 scholars and 16 boys called Quiristers whose duty was to sing in the Chapel. There are still 16 Quiristers today, upholding an unbroken tradition of over 600 years. They have been educated at The Pilgrims' School since 1966.

The Quiristers are led by Howard Ionascu, former Director of the Junior Royal Academy of Music. They are joined by senior College boys and members of staff to form the Winchester College Chapel Choir, and follow a routine of daily practices and choral services in the College Chapel during term time.

The Quiristers themselves are well known as a boys’ concert choir. They perform a wide repertoire of secular music, usually from memory. This gives their work an enviable variety and marks the Quiristers out from other groups of choristers.

Onyx Brass
is one of the rare breed of chamber ensembles whose musical and technical virtuosity is matched by the accessibility and vitality of their presentation. Their mission is to have their extraordinary abilities at the disposal of the music at all times, and to play music of the requisite quality to reflect the status of the brass quintet as a serious medium for chamber music. The richness and warmth of their sound is remarked upon by all who hear them.

Booklet for A Winter's Night: Christmas Music for Choir, Brass Quintet & Organ